Istanbul was Constantinople: Part I
If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul.
~ Alphonse de Lamartine
Europe can get boring. Ya, I said it...and what's more it's true. It's not to say that during our two year stint in Berlin that Erin and I have made it to all the corners of Europe nor that the continent has lost its intrigue (trust me, it hasn't), but it's time for us to explore into regions we've only dreamed about.
For us, this meant taking a step away from Anglo-Saxon and Christian culture and touching a continent not yet seen: Asia. And given that we have had so many positive experiences in Kreuzberg and gotten glimpses of of the culture from our friend Ufuk, Erin and I decided to that Turkey would be an ideal place to get our first taste of an Islamic nation.
Officially Turkey is a secular country — one struggling both internally to maintain the reforms of Ataturk as well as externally with the prospect of being an EU member. Yet, away from the official rhetoric plain evidence points to just how much the Sultans have left their indelible mark on Turkey.
As a Westerner, there is nothing that puts this into contrast like that of the four daily calls to prayer. Sure, we have church bells that toll for what at times seems like hours. But the dull thuds of the bells have more or less become commonplace to us; hardly anyone really notices them and even fewer of us stop what we are doing to rush into the churches.
A call to prayer that is a fugue between the Blue Mosque and a smaller one very close by.
Contrast this to the Imam's calls — each of which are different for every call and for each time of the day. Undulating pitches blared over 1940's loud-speakers are at once beautiful and mesmerizing.
Unlike the cities of Europe where the equivalent bells are ignored, the throngs of men that rush to the mosque in order to begin their ritual of hand, feet, and face washing prior to entering the mosque are something to behold. The women, who number far, far fewer are dressed in their headscarves segregate themselves from the men and enter through their own entrance.
(women must pray in a separate and screened off space from the men. One guidebook suggested that this was just out of convenience of not wanting to be exercising with lots of stranger's butts in your face...remember that there is a lot of kneeling and bowing in the service. There's certainly room to question this explanation though. As Erin said, if they had wanted to have segregated sections for worship they could have just as easily situated them so that the women stood to the left and the men to the right. Man and woman could then worship together and as equals. Instead, the women are hidden, maybe even shunned.)
One of the most significant mosques in the world is in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque. This building was erected in the mid-1600's and (again in contrast to European cathedrals) was completed in just 7 years! Apparently the mosque with its six minarets was so impressive that it may have crossed a line...namely, you don't upstage Mecca. As a result Istanbul paid to have a seventh minaret built in Mecca, which in turn was another power play to show just how strong the Ottomans were.
For us, the best part was simply getting in and finding our a little more about what mosques and the Islamic rituals are about. How they are done, when, and why are all a little clearer but also still intriguing.
If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul.
~ Alphonse de Lamartine
Europe can get boring. Ya, I said it...and what's more it's true. It's not to say that during our two year stint in Berlin that Erin and I have made it to all the corners of Europe nor that the continent has lost its intrigue (trust me, it hasn't), but it's time for us to explore into regions we've only dreamed about.
For us, this meant taking a step away from Anglo-Saxon and Christian culture and touching a continent not yet seen: Asia. And given that we have had so many positive experiences in Kreuzberg and gotten glimpses of of the culture from our friend Ufuk, Erin and I decided to that Turkey would be an ideal place to get our first taste of an Islamic nation.
Officially Turkey is a secular country — one struggling both internally to maintain the reforms of Ataturk as well as externally with the prospect of being an EU member. Yet, away from the official rhetoric plain evidence points to just how much the Sultans have left their indelible mark on Turkey.
As a Westerner, there is nothing that puts this into contrast like that of the four daily calls to prayer. Sure, we have church bells that toll for what at times seems like hours. But the dull thuds of the bells have more or less become commonplace to us; hardly anyone really notices them and even fewer of us stop what we are doing to rush into the churches.
A call to prayer that is a fugue between the Blue Mosque and a smaller one very close by.
Contrast this to the Imam's calls — each of which are different for every call and for each time of the day. Undulating pitches blared over 1940's loud-speakers are at once beautiful and mesmerizing.
Unlike the cities of Europe where the equivalent bells are ignored, the throngs of men that rush to the mosque in order to begin their ritual of hand, feet, and face washing prior to entering the mosque are something to behold. The women, who number far, far fewer are dressed in their headscarves segregate themselves from the men and enter through their own entrance.
(women must pray in a separate and screened off space from the men. One guidebook suggested that this was just out of convenience of not wanting to be exercising with lots of stranger's butts in your face...remember that there is a lot of kneeling and bowing in the service. There's certainly room to question this explanation though. As Erin said, if they had wanted to have segregated sections for worship they could have just as easily situated them so that the women stood to the left and the men to the right. Man and woman could then worship together and as equals. Instead, the women are hidden, maybe even shunned.)
One of the most significant mosques in the world is in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque. This building was erected in the mid-1600's and (again in contrast to European cathedrals) was completed in just 7 years! Apparently the mosque with its six minarets was so impressive that it may have crossed a line...namely, you don't upstage Mecca. As a result Istanbul paid to have a seventh minaret built in Mecca, which in turn was another power play to show just how strong the Ottomans were.For us, the best part was simply getting in and finding our a little more about what mosques and the Islamic rituals are about. How they are done, when, and why are all a little clearer but also still intriguing.
posted by Dave Suss at 5:56 AM
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