(Written Thursday Sept. 6, 2007)
Exactly on time, the plane touched down on Turkish soil and I headed off, claimed my bag, breezed through customs and met Resa and Mehmet – friends from Ankara – right? Wrong…an hour late, the plane landed, and an hour after that I was filling out paperwork so that my bag can find me whenever it decides to make it to Turkey. Then I was off to explore my new home for the next few months.
Turkey is a perfect introduction to the Middle East and from the moment I arrived in Istanbul, I could see both the European and Middle Eastern influences on the city. As the entrance to the Middle East, Istanbul – which was at one time Constantinople – is considered by many to be the greatest city in the world. By many measures, the city is half Asian/Middle Eastern and half European. Geographically, the city itself is situated on two continents – separated by the Bosphorus Strait.
My first experience with Istanbul outside the airport was with the traffic. Turkish traffic exhibits all of the usual Middle Eastern signs: drivers ignore traffic lights, lane markings seem to only be painted on the roads for decoration, and any living pedestrian will tell you that cars have the right-of-way (the fact is, that the right of way goes to the biggest and heaviest vehicle on the road). The ride from the airport to my hotel can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour an a half depending on the day; when discussing traffic and driving time, the most important question is ‘is it Friday?’ because on Fridays the number of cars in town literally quadruples for some unknown reason.
The rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent on a ferry as we cruised along the Bosphorus, and I got my first real sight of the entirety of Istanbul. As the ferry gently rocked and the city unfolded before me, it finally dawned on me that I was here. With the smell of salt water and a view of the minarets rising out of the skyline I couldn’t help but smile. We docked near a nice little restaurant where we ate and laughed our way through an hour-and-a-half dinner, sampling different Mediterranean and Turkish dishes. Dinner was followed by a ferry ride back down the bosphorus as the sun started to set, and a quick stop in the spice market for some Apple Tea and amazing aromas to kill time before a performance by the Whirling Dervishes.
In generosity and helping others, be like a river
In compassion and grace, be like the sun
In concealing others faults, be like the night
In anger and fury, be like the dead
In modesty and humility, be like the earth
In tolerance, be like the sea
Either exist as you are
Or be as you look.
- Mevlana
As I stepped out of the taxi at my hotel that evening, the call to prayer serenely echoed across the skyline filled with minarets. For Muslims, it announced the late-evening time to pray. However, for me, it served as a reminder that my home for the next few months would be full of differences from my normal life; trying to navigate unsigned streets with an inadequate guidebook, negotiating prices with street vendors for food, clothes, and souvenirs, and asking directions in a language I did not speak.
Throughout the evening, I noticed many bars and several convenience stores that sold beer. In Istanbul – and practically every place in Turkey – beer and alcohol were available almost everywhere. Nowhere else is this more evident than Istiklal Cadessi, a long cobblestone street filled with clubs, smoky pubs, discos, and swanky rooftop bars. This is the place where Turks come to party.
My first thought was that this should seem normal for a big city. To me, this should seem normal for a big city. Then I remembered that I was in a country where 97% of the population considers themselves Muslim, and Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol. This dichotomy between the sound of silence following the muezzin and the smell of smoke and alcohol all along the streets was somewhat jarring. And for me, it epitomizes the intentional secularism of Turkey in a way that perhaps goes even further than what some European nations would be comfortable with.
Although there are many people who choose to be religiously conservative, there are also many people who do not consider themselves practicing Muslims. But, in Turkey, most people tend not to pry into others’ religious practices or judge others harshly for what they decide to do. Religion nowadays, for most of the people, is a private matter – between the believer and his or her god. This is a country with a deep Islamic history topped with a unique flavor of European secularism.
But the Turks don't see this as two opposing forces. Turks are a proud people, and they see the secularism, the Ottoman-style mosques, and their hospitality as distinctly Turkish. There is no contradiction when on a weekend, the most happening clubs are closing up just as the morning call to prayer begins to sound. Turks, some who are of Kurdish or Arab origins, see themselves as distinctly Turkish, and are proud of the liberalism and tolerance that allows people of different backgrounds and beliefs to integrate into Turkish society.
Exactly on time, the plane touched down on Turkish soil and I headed off, claimed my bag, breezed through customs and met Resa and Mehmet – friends from Ankara – right? Wrong…an hour late, the plane landed, and an hour after that I was filling out paperwork so that my bag can find me whenever it decides to make it to Turkey. Then I was off to explore my new home for the next few months.
Turkey is a perfect introduction to the Middle East and from the moment I arrived in Istanbul, I could see both the European and Middle Eastern influences on the city. As the entrance to the Middle East, Istanbul – which was at one time Constantinople – is considered by many to be the greatest city in the world. By many measures, the city is half Asian/Middle Eastern and half European. Geographically, the city itself is situated on two continents – separated by the Bosphorus Strait.
My first experience with Istanbul outside the airport was with the traffic. Turkish traffic exhibits all of the usual Middle Eastern signs: drivers ignore traffic lights, lane markings seem to only be painted on the roads for decoration, and any living pedestrian will tell you that cars have the right-of-way (the fact is, that the right of way goes to the biggest and heaviest vehicle on the road). The ride from the airport to my hotel can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour an a half depending on the day; when discussing traffic and driving time, the most important question is ‘is it Friday?’ because on Fridays the number of cars in town literally quadruples for some unknown reason.
The rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent on a ferry as we cruised along the Bosphorus, and I got my first real sight of the entirety of Istanbul. As the ferry gently rocked and the city unfolded before me, it finally dawned on me that I was here. With the smell of salt water and a view of the minarets rising out of the skyline I couldn’t help but smile. We docked near a nice little restaurant where we ate and laughed our way through an hour-and-a-half dinner, sampling different Mediterranean and Turkish dishes. Dinner was followed by a ferry ride back down the bosphorus as the sun started to set, and a quick stop in the spice market for some Apple Tea and amazing aromas to kill time before a performance by the Whirling Dervishes.
In generosity and helping others, be like a river
In compassion and grace, be like the sun
In concealing others faults, be like the night
In anger and fury, be like the dead
In modesty and humility, be like the earth
In tolerance, be like the sea
Either exist as you are
Or be as you look.
- Mevlana
As I stepped out of the taxi at my hotel that evening, the call to prayer serenely echoed across the skyline filled with minarets. For Muslims, it announced the late-evening time to pray. However, for me, it served as a reminder that my home for the next few months would be full of differences from my normal life; trying to navigate unsigned streets with an inadequate guidebook, negotiating prices with street vendors for food, clothes, and souvenirs, and asking directions in a language I did not speak.
Throughout the evening, I noticed many bars and several convenience stores that sold beer. In Istanbul – and practically every place in Turkey – beer and alcohol were available almost everywhere. Nowhere else is this more evident than Istiklal Cadessi, a long cobblestone street filled with clubs, smoky pubs, discos, and swanky rooftop bars. This is the place where Turks come to party.
My first thought was that this should seem normal for a big city. To me, this should seem normal for a big city. Then I remembered that I was in a country where 97% of the population considers themselves Muslim, and Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol. This dichotomy between the sound of silence following the muezzin and the smell of smoke and alcohol all along the streets was somewhat jarring. And for me, it epitomizes the intentional secularism of Turkey in a way that perhaps goes even further than what some European nations would be comfortable with.
Although there are many people who choose to be religiously conservative, there are also many people who do not consider themselves practicing Muslims. But, in Turkey, most people tend not to pry into others’ religious practices or judge others harshly for what they decide to do. Religion nowadays, for most of the people, is a private matter – between the believer and his or her god. This is a country with a deep Islamic history topped with a unique flavor of European secularism.
But the Turks don't see this as two opposing forces. Turks are a proud people, and they see the secularism, the Ottoman-style mosques, and their hospitality as distinctly Turkish. There is no contradiction when on a weekend, the most happening clubs are closing up just as the morning call to prayer begins to sound. Turks, some who are of Kurdish or Arab origins, see themselves as distinctly Turkish, and are proud of the liberalism and tolerance that allows people of different backgrounds and beliefs to integrate into Turkish society.
1 comment:
dude, whirling dervishes. awesome!
it sounds like you're having a great time - keep it up and stay safe!
-merly
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