Sufism and the Whirling Dervish

Sunday we shifted gears and had some down time.  After a leisurely brunch and reading time, some of us went in search of the "Agatha Christie hotel," the Pera Palace hotel.  This is where she stayed when writing The Orient Express.  The terrace provided a beautiful view and a snack. 

The old train station in Istanbul

The lobby

A cellist playing at Galata Tower while we shopped

After some shopping, the NEH group met up at the Mevlana Education and Culture Association for a Sema, or Whirling Dervish ceremony.  It was an intimate setting in which to watch Islamic Sufis practice their turning.  Sufism, founded by Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, was established in the 13th Century and was the vehicle for the spread of Islam throughout parts of the Middle East, South and South East Asia, and the Mediterranean region.

The musicians played music and recited prayers while the Sufis turned. 

The Sema ceremony consists of various stages allowing the Sufis to enter a new state of being.  They appear to be entranced as they pass from one stage to the next. 

After such a spiritual ceremony, a couple of us decided to focus on the physical...the hammam.  Cimberlitas Turkish bath has existed since the 1500s.  Within domed rooms, women in bikini bottoms lay on a warm marble slab and wait for Turkish women to bath them.  Once scrubbed, soaped, and splashed with various temperatures of water, it was time to soak in the Jacuzzi and get a massage.  A terrific treat after two busy weeks of the program!  Sorry, no pictures allowed at the Turkish bath!  But check out their website on the right side of the blog--related links. 

Saturday excursion to Ephesus

Saturday was a busy day...starting with a 4:00 AM wake up call, bus ride, quick flight, bus ride to several destinations in Izmir. 

4th of July in Istanbul

How do Americans celebrate the 4th of July in Istanbul?

Coca-Cola--what's more American than that?

Traditional Turkish Dessert...chocolate has a universal appeal.

Celebrating new friendships across the USA in Taksim Square

Interesting foods...

Some interesting foods...

Delicious Turkish foods at the local grocery store.  I finally found dark chocolate :)

Yogurt that comes in gallon containers (actually the metric system, but I forgot to check)

Quail eggs for breakfast, anyone?

 

Street food is quite popular among the NEH scholars.  There are many of these kiosks around the city--the Doner Kebap.  A tightly packed mix of meats cooked vertically, shaved off and put into a wrap with fixings.  You can see the fruit stand--fresh squeezed juices after an afternoon of walking...Yum!

Some tasty Turkish desserts...lots of honey and nuts, especially pistachios. 

I have no idea what it was called...but delicious!  Éclair type pastries drowned in chocolate.

Lentil soup with pita bread. 

 

Good thing I bought a Turkish cookbook here...I can't wait to try out some new recipes.

 

 

Taksim Square protests planned for this weekend

Taksim Square protests planned for this weekend

A good weekend to be in Ephesus--our excursion will keep us from the demonstrations nearby.

The elusive Blue Mosque

You'd think having been in Istanbul for almost two weeks and seeing the Blue Mosque every day from our hotel, we would have gotten there by now.  This week we have visited several mosques built since the rise of the Ottoman empire.  Wanting to round out "Mosque week" with the Blue Mosque we headed there after breakfast only to discover it was closed until 2:30.  We persisted and a small group of NEH scholars joined the long line of tourists to get a crowded glimpse inside.  Just as spectacular as the Suleymaniye mosque from earlier this week, however the crowd and smell of stinky tourist feet (everyone takes off their shoes in the mosque) cut short our visit! 

Our morning trip proved unfruitful, but it was nice to get some pictures without all the tourists!

In another post I mentioned the cats throughout the city.  This one was looking for breakfast and climbed right in my lap during my picture--sorry I didn't have any food, kitty!

Waiting in line to enter the Blue Mosque

The beautiful mosaics throughout the interior give the mosque its name.  The real name is Sultan Ahmet Camii and it was constructed from 1609-1616. 

This struck me as funny...all you need to do to understand Islam is talk to their info center for a few minutes.

 

The women's prayer area inside the Blue Mosque. 

Mosque's were explained as community centers, but I'm finding them to be more Gentlemen's Clubs.  Women rarely attend prayers at mosques as they are expected to pray at home.  It seems odd to me, since women often play such important functions with Christian churches in the United States.  Perhaps not as the religious leaders, but women are the critical people for teaching sunday school, preparing funerals and wedding services, and many other social functions for worship communities.  Since mosques serve so many functions in the Islamic world, I'm surprised women aren't utilized more in these capacities. 

 

The Armenian Patriarchate

We had the distinct honor of visiting the Armenian Patriarchate on Thursday afternoon.  The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople is a small part of the Orthodox Church, but has been historically significant in Turkish history.  We happen to have an Armenian American with the NEH group.  His face seemed to light up when she spoke Armenian with him.   Too much information to fit in here, but I'm anxious to return to the US and explain the details of this important interaction.

Down a hill and in the Kumkapi neighborhood of Istanbul

Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, the acting Co-Patriarch (the current one has health issues and is unable to fulfill duties)

Melissa Karakash, NEH scholar, has the privilege of meeting the Patriarch and speaking with him in Armenian.  Thanks for representing our group so well, Melissa!

 

 Holy Mother of God Patriarchal Church, across the street from the Patriarchate

People

Meet Samer.  My friend Julianna and I were walking through the spice bazaar when we heard her name.  She quickly recognized a person she had met in Taksim Square.  Samer is Syrian and a lawyer.  Now with the civil war in Syria, he is working in the spice bazaar in Istanbul.  Hopefully things will get better and he will have opportunities to help fellow Syrians in the future. 

Meet Adan (not sure if I'm spelling that right!).  He came up to me and asked for my photo...catching me off guard since I've been the one with the camera on the whole time.  I asked if I could get his photo and I showed him the peace sign with my fingers.  He returned the Turkish sign for peace...at least I think that is what he is doing! 

 

 

Meet Namud (Nah-mood).  I met him in the Ramadan Bazaar where he was working in his textile booth.  I asked about the cocoons and he generously offered one for free (in a city where everything has a price tag).  He was very interested in my background as a teacher and was glad when I told him I'd share the cocoon with my students. 

 

 

 Meet my funicular (Tram/Metro) friend.  He was playing an accordion on our Tram ride back from the Imperial Palace.  For an extra lira I got a picture with him.  A very charming boy who wasn't afraid to look passengers in the eye and look sweet in order to collect liras on the tram. 

 

 

 

 

I'll add more on as I meet interesting people :)

Asian Mosques

Continuing our Ottoman theme in week 2, we set off for the Asian side of Istanbul.  First a ferry ride over to the Asia side.  Our first stop was the Harbor mosque, a much different scale than the Suleymaniye the day before.

It was fun taking pictures of the area we are staying...a different perspective.

 

The Harbor Mosque, Semsi Ahmed Pasa Camii. 

Right by the harbor at the Harbor Mosque

 

Our second mosque of the day (sorry Matthew, I can't remember the name!) had a school attached to it.  Here are some young students with their teacher. 

 

Much different interior than the mosques we visited yesterday.

 

The last Asian mosque that we visited, the Buyuk Selimiye Camii, was built in the early 1800s.  The architecture (particularly the columns and archways) show a changing style to the architecture and a bit less grandeur for an empire losing some prestige by the 1800s. 

 

 

 

 

"There is a belief that people in Istanbul practice religion.  Actually, they practice soccer." 

 Emre Sunu, assistant director, Istanbul, Crossroad between the East and West

 

Some of our NEH scholars playing soccer with the boys outside the mosque.  A little cultural exchange!