According to IETT Passenger Rights Manifesto, it is legal for all passengers to use public transport with their pets as long as the pets are both carried in arms and have leashes. Despite the legislations, Sema Bağbak who attempted to use public transport with her dog, was forced to get off the bus and later on pounded up by security officers in Avcılar Metrobus Station of Istanbul on 17th June. The incident first appeared on social media and then spread whole country like wildfire due to printed press. According to Sema Bağbak’s statements, she tried to use metrobus with her dog but was stopped by security officers. Afterwards, she pointed that it is legal to use public transport with pets, and took a metrobus by ignoring the warnings of security officers. Later on, security officers provoked public against Sema Bağbak and forced her and her dog to get off the bus. Near the toll gates, the situation became heated as she was grilled by both security officers and people.
After the incident, video footages of the pounding incident showed up in social media, and prompted animal right activists as well. Animal rights activists have decided affirmatively that pets be put on metrobus from 7th August in order to protest recently increased security guard terrorism against pets in metrobus stations, to inform passengers about their rights. Activists organised an event on Facebook, and they have been preparing for the upcoming event on 7th August.
Tarlabaşı originally emerged as a neighbourhood in 1535 and predominantly housed embassy officers and Levantines. During the first years of the Turkish Republic, the majority of the embassies and their officers moved to Ankara. In 1942 the wealth tax was introduced, a higher tax rate which was imposed on the countries non-Muslim inhabitants. As a result of this many minority groups, who were of non-Muslim origin, had to leave the country, or were forced to work in labour camps in Eastern Anatolia as a result of their inability to pay the tax. When finally the Istanbul pogrom took place in 1955, most Greek and Jewish settlers left the country and the houses they were living in, of which a lot were located in Tarlabaşı, remained empty. However, not for long, with the increasing migration rates from the rural areas to the cities, the population of Istanbul rapidly increased. The newcomers, who were seeking cheap accommodation, quickly settled in the abandoned houses in Tarlabaşı.
The year 1980 was a turning point for Tarlabaşı. With the increasing power of local municipalities, Bedrettin Dalan built the Tarlabaşı Boulevard by destroying 350 houses. With the boulevard, the social and economic difference between Tarlabaşı and İstiklal Caddesi became more visible and nobody was willing to live on ‘the other side of the boulevard’.
Today, the neighbourhood contains a mixture of different ethnic origins such as Syrians, Kurds, Romani people and illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe or Africa. Twenty percent of population is Romani, thirty-five percent of the population is Kurdish. Tensions in the area mostly originate from disputes between these two groups.In addition to that political issues have caused a divide within the Kurdish community which causes conflict as well. . However, despite these tensions, there is one common denominator for all the groups; they share the destiny of the same neighbourhood. In 2007, the government started an urban renewal project in Tarlabaşı, which was necessary to cut down to the high crime, drug trade and prostitution . The renewal project changed the structure of buildings but the consequences fall upon the settlers of the neighbourhood. These consequences are shared by all living in Tarlabaşı, and it is the NGO’s that bring the settlers together to help them defend their rights and reduce the impact of those severe consequences. Unofficial observations can express the reason why the Tarlabaşı settlers are in the unequal situations. The streets are broken and lack maintenance. The conditions of structures and substructures are neglected. It is clear to see the municipality does not invest in the maintenance of Tarlabaşı. On the other hand the settlers are unemployed. The black market exists on the streets of Tarlabaşı because the inhabitants try to manage their lives.
The Tarlabaşı Community Centre was constituted in 2006. The first reaction of the people to the volunteers of the Tarlabaşı Community Centre was not positive. The mukhtar claimed that they could not continue their organisations for more than a year because the people in Tarlabaşı have trust issues due to the high crime rates and political disagreements going on in the area, they find it uncomfortable and unnecessary to trust these strangers and participate in their organisations. And yet, people working with the Tarlabaşı Community Centre managed to gain people’s trust, they are still able to maintain their existence successfully. The question of how they managed this is answered by C.S., director of Tarlabaşı Community Centre:
[su_quote]From May to September of 2006, I knocked on the doors of every family in the quarter as the security officer and executive assistant of the centre. I visited cafes, churches, mosques, groceries, stores and told everyone who we are, why we are here and what we are planning to do.[/su_quote]
The centre’s main aim was to make people aware of their own rights and to solve the major problems going on in the area. They also planned to work with the children, which was problematic because families were concerned that their kids could become like the strangers working with them, whom they don’t trust. C.S. told us how they overcame this problem as well:
[su_quote]We did not let any child to participate in our organisation without the approval of their parents’. Also, on the first day, the children had to go to the centre with their families so that they could observe what we are doing and see that we are harmless. We also assured the parents that they could take their approval back anytime they wanted.[/su_quote]
The Tarlabaşı Community Centre has an organised structure, they work with full time social workers, an administrative staff and a security woman, and they also have part time psychologist and a volunteer coordinator. They organize workshops, ateliers, study sessions, seminars and they teach students how to become a volunteer as well. In 2013, because of financial conditions, the centre had to move a new office with only one classroom. However with the help of the Tarlabaşı people, they managed to find a new office, and the help they got from the people living in the area indicates that people started to see the Tarlabaşı Community Centre as an organisation of their own. Every year approximately 250 volunteers apply to the centre and an average of 800 people participate in the activities organised by volunteers.
Because the Tarlabaşı Community Centre is a very successful organisation, it has been visited by representatives from all over the world. Among many successful organisations of the community centre, we feel the need to mention two of them; the following two paragraphs are quotations from the website of the Community Centre:
[su_quote]The Club of Sparkling Children was founded in 2008. The club members are meeting up every week with the purpose of discussing their rights, agendas, and needs within the scope of children’s rights. The club creates an environment for the children to express themselves freely and publishes a magazine called The Sparkling Children in every three months within the framework of the specified themes. The activities of The Club of the Sparkling Children, where the members of the magazine writers and members are the children aged between 8 and 14, are supported by the Sabancı Foundation, Changemakers Program as a part of “I have Things to Say” Project within the period of 2014-2015.[/su_quote]
[su_quote]The literacy program continues since 2006 with the support of AÇEV for the women who had to leave primary school or couldn’t continue their education due to various reasons. Those who participate in the program regularly and pass the exam which is organised by the Public Education Directorate, deserve the “certificate of literate”. Each year approximately 20 women participate in the program at the Tarlabaşı Community Centre.[/su_quote]
Today, someone hardly finds the Tarlabaşı as it was in the old day because the surroundings have been demolished by the government’s urbanisation projects. These NGOs still try to raise awareness in Tarlabaşı and resist against the government’s project. They save children and help the needy settlers, instead of leaving or demolishing or, more properly, gentrifying the neighbourhood. For your interest, most of them need volunteers to deal with this gentrification. If you would be interested in taking part in these organisations we highly recommend you to visit their offices which are located in the area.
In colloboration with Remziye Aslan and Sueda Evirgen.
Istanbul, the city where east meets west thanks to its location. It has been the cradle of numerous civilisations for centuries, hosting three of the world’s main religions that shaped the urban landscape of this amazing city. In this city, you can see a mosque, a building in the form of a church and synagogue all in one place. A few steps away, one may come across one of the dervish saints’ dwellings. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, this mystical city of Istanbul is speaking to us.
“Which building in Istanbul would speak most if they had a chance to manifest themselves?” A friend once asked me this question and my reply was the Kalenderhane mosque to my friend’s surprise. Nonetheless the Kalenderhane mosque is the most suitable illustration of the rich cultural interchange between beliefs in Istanbul.
Its story begins with an Eastern Orthodox Church dedicated to Theotokos Kyriotissa. The church was used by Crusaders as a Roman Catholic Church during the reign of Constantinople in the 13th Century. – The first frescoes of Constantinople which are on display in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum were established here on behalf of Saint Francesco. – After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, the church was personally assigned by Sultan Mehmed II to the Qalandar dervishes for their great efforts during the holy war against Constantinople. Since then the building has been known as “Kalenderhane” meaning “the house of Qalandar” and it’s honoured as the first dervish lodge in Istanbul. It was finally turned into a mosque in 1746 when Hacı Beşir Aga, the Kızlar Ağası of Topkapı Palace built a mihrab, a minbar and a mahfil thus completing the conversion of this building into a mosque. However, the name of the building has never been changed since being given to the Qalandar saints. The question that follows then is; who is a Qalandar?
Thanks to Rumi, a lot of people today have come to know about Sufism which is Islamic mysticism. Unfortunately, many believe that the teaching of Rumi is the only one. Truth is there is a variety of Sufi orders in the history of Islam, one of them Qalandariyya. Qalandariyya is a sect that was formed by wandering Sufi dervishes. There are many different opinions regarding the foundation of the Qalandariyya order, Islamic scholars however attribute its genesis to famous Islamic mystics Qutb al-din Haydar and Jamal ad-Din. They specified the principles of the order, its status and also increased its popularity among the people. By the end of the 12th century, the movement was flourishing in Syria, Eastern Iran, Transoxiana, Khorasan and South Asia. In the 13th Century, the movement was at its peak spreading to surrounding areas especially in Anatolia where the wandering dervishes were gladly welcomed by the Turkish nomads. Following their arrival, the Qalandar dervishes had a great influence in the Islamisation of Anatolia.
In the spring of 1453, the Qalandar dervishes were seen slopping down to the Bosphorus to support the Sultan’s army during the Holy War against Constantinople. Upon the city’s conquest, Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror bestowed the church to the Qalandar saints who used the building as a dervish lodge. They did not enjoy the dwelling for long because of their marginal character and opposition to Orthodox Islam.
[su_quote cite=”Rumi”]Carousing and ruby – wine and ruins and disbelief, these are the kingdom of the Qalandar, but he is detached from it. You say “I am Qalandar!”, but that is not agreeable, since qalandarom is uncreated.[/su_quote]
Qalandar’s way of life, appearance, philosophic ideas and beliefs were found aberrant by ordinary Muslims, Ottoman statesmen and Ottoman Sultans. The teachings of Qalandariyya were based on asceticism which provided to dervishes an alternative pattern of living. Like all the Sufi dervishes, these free spirited ascetics also disengaged themselves from the material world whilst harshly criticising the moral rules of society. Qalandar saints never sought human approval, official religious rules nor social norms. Considered as anarchists of their times, the Qalandar dervishes appeared to be heretics to the society who incessantly complained to the Ottoman statesmen and Sultan against the wandering Qalandar dervishes.
Since time immemorial, society has been hesitant when it comes to vagabonds, and the Qalandar dervishes had the character of a vagabond. They disliked stability and material comfort, they are said to have been blessed with the wandering bohemian nature of Jesus Christ as they wandered from place to place to spread the words of love throughout their life. They attained food through begging on the streets, palmistry and fortune telling at coffee houses and also through trickery where necessary.
[su_quote cite=”Baba Tahir”]I’m a wanderer whose name is Qalandar, I’ve neither home, nor goods, nor kitchen. When day comes, I wander round the world; when night falls, I lay my head on a brick.[/su_quote]
Compared to other Sufi dervishes, the Qalandar dervishes generally had an absurd appearance. Their heads and beards were usually shaved, they wore shorts skirts with cloaks and fur caps over their shoulders. At times, they had piercings on their necks, wrists and genitals. In a painting in the Treasury Library at Topkapı Palace Museum, a Qalandar dervish is seen hanging a bag of opium on his waist. In another painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Qalandar dervish is wearing the usual brown animal fur. Nevertheless, it’s his red earring and bangles that are quite captivating. Qalandar dervishes are well known for habitually putting gewgaws on their body.
The wandering dervishes had no respect for any custom and conventions of society that valued worldly things like a great career, wealth, heterosexual marriages, opulence, literacy or physical appearance among others. They harshly criticised these norms and responded to society with celibacy, sodomy, mendicancy, starvation and self-mutilation. Additionally, the Qalandar dervishes and Sunni society also conflicted in the way of worship with the use of music, wine drinking and opium by the Qalandar dervishes during worship.
Sufism has always been expressed through music and so did the Qalandar dervishes during worship. This way of worshipping was found to be odd by a majority of Muslims since in their eyes the Qalandar dervishes were evil- doers. It is probably for this reason that the Qalandar dervishes did not make a public show of piety. They considered music to be a way of coming closer to Allah, a way in which they had to be ‘Joyful in God’. They drank wine and smoked opium to raise their spirits, dancing to the sound of different instruments while in a mood of ecstasy.
As time went on, Qalandar dervishes succumbed to external pressure tardily commencing worship with the dervishes of the Bektashi order. The Bektashi order was founded by Hajji Bektashi Veli one of the most celebrated Sufi saints together with Rumi. He shaped the land of Anatolia with his ideas and beliefs. In the course of events, Qalandar dervishes and their principles melted away into Bektashism which would later become the main Islamic teaching of the Janissary Corps. The Bektashi order was abolished all together throughout the Ottoman Empire with the abolition of the Janissaries. Turkey is still home to a number of Bektashi people which is not the case with the Qalandar dervishes, their memory lies in their house in Istanbul.
REFERENCES Ahmet Yaşar Ocak, “Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nda Marjinal Sufilik: Kalenderiler (XIV-XVII. Yüzyıllar)”
Sadullah Gülten, “Kalenderî’s and Haydarî’s Accordıng to Tahrir Daftars at Anatolia”
İbrahim ŞİRİN, “Sufis in İmpression of the Western Travellers”
Donald M. Nikol, “Theodore Spandounes: On the Origins of the Ottoman Emperors”
Binney, Edwin. (1973) Turkish Miniature Paintings & Manuscripts, Metropolitan Museum of Art & Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Esin, Emel. (2004) Muhammad Siyah Qalam and the Inner Asian Turkish Tradition, ed. Ekrem Işın, I, Mehmed Siyah Kalem Master of Humans and Demons, Istanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları.
Erkan, Tolga. A Comparative Study on the Qalandar Dervishes in Siyah Qalem’s Paintings With Other Painters’ Pictures and Written Texts, The Journal of International Social Research, Volume: 6, 203-214.
TheMet Museum www.metmuseum.org
Ramadan Feast (Eid al-Fitr) is the religious feast celebrated at the end of Ramadan (the fasting month) by Muslims all over the world. In Turkey the celebrations started by the performing of Salat al Eid (Eid Prayer) at the early morning hours of 5th of July at mosques. Traditionally, Turkish families visit their relatives and friends in order to congratulate each other’s feast. In contrast to this tradition, whenever the government decides to extend the duration of religious holiday, metropolises of Turkey turns into god-forsaken lands for a while. Enthusiasm of vacationers for leaving their homes during religious holidays is the reason for this, and a growing issue that destroys traditions. In this year, millions of Istanbul residents took advantage of the government’s decision and decided to enjoy the nine-day break at holiday resorts. As a result, Istanbul is virtually empty on the religious holiday as Turkish citizens swarm the coastal areas for an extended holiday.
Holiday frenzy leads Istanbul’s population to reduce almost by half. Istanbul is almost empty that is quite strange to observe and many people can’t believe at times. During the religious holiday, even Istanbul’s most crowded squares such as Sultanahmet, Taksim, Kadıköy, Beyazıt and Beşiktaş were empty. As a benefit of the situation, those who stayed in Istanbul enjoyed the city as much as they could. Also, Istanbul residents haven’t experienced the annoying traffic jam during this religious holiday that they used to experience especially in the main roads which are jammed under normal circumstances. Additionally, the 50 percent discount to public transport during Ramadan Feast relatively reduced the traffic jam, and caused Istanbul residents to travel in a slightly more comfortable conditions.
Celebrating the Ramadan, after a month of fasting is one of the earliest and most important traditions of Islam. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a strict rule of fast and participate in pious activities. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world observe a joyous three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking). On the day of Eid, Muslims gather early in the morning in mosques to perform the Eid prayer. After the Eid prayer, the traditional feast visits begins. The younger members of families visit the family elders a sign of love, respect and honour. This activity traditionally continues for three days.
This year, the Ramadan Feast will be held from the 3rd of July through the 7th of July. The duration of this religious holiday was protracted from 3 days to 9 days by the decision of the Council of Ministers. In other words, because of this Feast, public employees will be granted a holiday starting from the 2nd of July and running until the 11th of July. Unfortunately, not everyone will be granted a holiday during the Ramadan Feast. Needless to say, the Metropolitan Municipality has given those unable to take a vacation, a pleasant gift. The Municipality has decided to create a discount for public transport services provided by the IETT (Istanbul Electric Tramway and Tunnel Establishments).
During the religious holiday, starting on the 3rd and running through the 5th of July, all public services such as: buses, metrobuses, subways, tramways, the Taksim- Kabataş funicular line, city ferries, telpher lines and private public busses, will provide a 50 percent discount. This discount is applicable to everyone who accesses the IETT services.
Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmet Mosque has never been called by the Turks as “the Blue Mosque” but it is known as the Blue Mosque by many tourists because of the blue tiles adorns the interior and gives the building its unofficial name. The interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, which were produced in İznik (historic Nicaea), and represent the cultural and artistic zenith of the Ottoman Empire.
When Sultan Ahmed I initiated the construction of the mosque, he was only 19 years old. His decision provoked the anger of Ottoman scholars and statesmen as well as Ottoman population who thought Sultan Ahmed had no right to build a mosque. That was because Ottoman sultans had always paid for their mosque with their war booty but Sultan Ahmed I had to use the money from treasury because his fights against Habsburg Monarchy and Persia resulted in humiliation.
Nevertheless, the construction of the mosque began in 1609 on the site of the palace of the Byzantine emperors, facing the Hagia Sophia and the hippodrome, a site of great symbolic significance. According to the document found in the library of the Topkapı Palace, the opening ceremonies were held in 1617. Sultan Ahmed I, had a chance to pray inside of his mosque but died only a few months later and was buried just outside of the mosque.
Sultan Ahmed wanted to build such a great mosque because he wanted to emphasise that he was a pious ruler of the Ottoman dynasty like his great grandfathers had been. He is said to have shown his commitment to the construction of the mosque by personally working as a labourer on the first day of the construction (the equipment he used for the construction are said to be housed in the Topkapı Palace). He also visited the construction site at every opportunity and spent hours watching the erection of the mosque that would crown his efforts to imitate Suleiman the Magnificent. According to registers of construction expenses, the total cost of the construction of Sultan Ahmet Mosque was over 180 million akçes.
The architect of the Blue Mosque was Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa, who became chief imperial architect to the Ottoman court in 1606, and was the last student of Architect Sinan, Turkey’s most celebrated architect. He was a master-builder under the supervision of Great Architect Sinan for 21 years. The Blue Mosque is considered to be his masterpiece work. The design of the mosque was a blend of the style of Hagia Sophia and the works of his master Architect Sinan. After the construction the mosque was completed, Mehmed Ağa died in 1617 at about the same time as his sultan.
The Blue Mosque became famous for its six minarets, accompanied by one large dome and eight smaller domes. However, the six minarets stirred concern among the people as the holy Mecca Mosque (Al-Masjid al-Haram), which was the holiest in the Muslim world, had also the same number of minarets. To resolve the problem, the seventh minaret was ordered to be added to the Harem Mosque.
The Ottoman Turks didn’t limit their mosques only to a place of worship but rather a large complex of buildings with various social aims. The Sultan Ahmet Mosque also included madrasah (a higher educational institution), a hospital, an imaret (a soup kitchen), a primary school, a market (bazaar) and a tomb for the members of the royal family. There was also a room called ‘Muvakkithane’ (time house) where the astronomers made calculations of the times of prayer and other important occasions in the Muslim calendar. Many of these buildings were later torn down in the nineteenth century.
The most important characteristic of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque that attracts everyone passing from İstanbul is definitely it’s six minarets as most mosques have four, two or just one minaret. The Blue Mosque is the only mosque with 6 minarets in Istanbul. However, Turkey hosts two other mosques with six minarets. One of them is Hz. Mikdat Mosque in Mersin city and the other one is Sabancı Merkez Mosque in Adana city.
Two of the minarets are located at the east and west corners of the courtyard, while the other four pencil-shaped minarets are located at the four corners of the mosque. The minarets in the Ottoman Architecture are usually plain, but the bodies of the minarets are decorated to be different from each other in this structure, going beyond the conventional approach. The minarets that located at the four corners have three balconies, while the other two have two balconies.
There are many stories on the conspicuousness of the mosque with six minarets. The best known of these rumours is that Sultan Ahmet actually wanted the minarets made from gold, but Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa who did not have sufficient allowance decided to play a prank in order to disregard the request which was too expensive and complained of severe hearing to build six (altı in Turkish) minarets instead of a golden (altın in Turkish) minaret.
The Blue Mosque’s interior is lit by two hundred and sixty windows. Once, they were filled with stained glass of the seventeenth century, but they were lost and replaced with replicas. Thanks to its windows, the Blue Mosque receives much more sunlight comparing to other mosques built by sultans. The many lamps inside the Blue Mosque were once covered with gold and gems as well. However, they have been lost or pillaged for museums in Istanbul.
The most important innovation that the architect Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa brought was the use of a Sultan’s pavilion. In this mosque complex, the Sultan’s pavilion (Kasr-ı Humayun) is located at the southeast corner of the mosque. Sultan used this pavilion as a resting place before and after the prayer. There are Sultan’s rooms at the upper floor and the sections for premises and career are on the lower floor of the pavilion.
When the believers hear the call to prayer from the minarets, they perform their ablutions (washing) and then pray. Although it is one of Istanbul’s most popular sights, it is still a working mosque, and is therefore closes for 90 minutes to tourists at each pray time. According to statements of İshak Kızılaslan, Imam of the Blue Mosque, around 20,000 people can worship at the mosque at the same time.
Many heads of states visit here along with Hagia Sophia when they come to Turkey. Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis and US President Barack Obama were among them. When the Pope Benedict XVI entered the mosque, he paused for a few minutes, closing his eyes in silent meditation.
The Historical Areas of Istanbul, situated on a peninsula surrounded by the Sea of Marmara, Bosphorus, and Golden Horn, were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. The masterpieces of Istanbul include the Blue Mosque and the Topkapı Palace are in the Heritage list under the Historical areas in Istanbul.
A terrorist attack hit the international terminal of Atatürk Airport at about 10 pm on Tuesday evening, leaving at least 41 people dead and as many as 239 injured in an attack.
According to statements of officials, a terrorist armed with a Kalashnikov rifle first opened fire on the public near the airport’s x-ray security checkpoint at the arrivals hall before blowing himself up, while another blew himself up before reaching a security checkpoint. A third attacker was in the parking lot, where he was noticed by police, who shouted “suicide bomber” but was unable to stop him detonating explosives.
“The terrorists came to the airport in a taxi and then carried out their attacks,” the Prime Minister said. “The fact that they were carrying guns added to the toll. Preliminary findings suggest all three attackers first opened fire then detonated themselves.”
Hours after the attack, PM Yıldırım didn’t clarify why but said early indications pointed to so-called Islamic State behind the attacks but no-one has so far admitted the attack.
At least 36 people were killed, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said. An additional 147 people were wounded, Turkey’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ said.
Turkish President Erdoğan released a statement condemning the attack, saying that it “shows that terrorism strikes with no regard to faith and values.” The killings took place on during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Erdoğan called on the international community to take a firm stand against terrorism and said the attack should serve as a turning point in the global fight against militant groups.
Turkey has suffered a raft of bombings this year, including two suicide attacks in touristic areas of Istanbul, blamed on Islamic State, and two car bombings in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group.
In the last terrorist attack, a bus carrying Turkish police officers appeared to be the target of the blast, which struck during the morning rush hour in the historic Beyazıt Square district near Istanbul University, killing 11 people and wounding 36.
Istanbul’s position bridging Europe and Asia has made Ataturk airport, Turkey’s largest, a major transit hub for passengers across the world. Istanbul’s Ataturk airport was the 11th busiest airport in the world last year, with 61.8 million passengers, according to Airports Council International. It is also one of the fastest-growing airports in the world, seeing 9.2 percent more passengers last year than in 2014.
(Personally, my affair with Istanbul began 3 months ago, as a wide-eyed, student from India, unknown to the language, manners and culture of this vast city. It was certainly love at first sight, and first few breaths of the cold Bosphorus air told me that this would be a deep and passionate relationship. In fact, love was what connected me to my homeland miles away, and love comforted me when Istanbul and its fast life were incomprehensible at first. The Museum of Innocence (or Masumiyet Müzesi), by its very name drew my attention and wonder, and as I began reading the book, my singular life split into two parallel worlds. I lived through the purity, anxiety, jealousy, joy, agony and curiosity in the pages of the book. Shuffling between exploring the city, schoolwork, student chores and travel, the book and its world became my home and shelter. I felt the same deep love for Füsun, and I too saw ghosts and apparitions of her around the city. I would exclaim with joy when I saw the name Füsun printed on a painting by an artist of the same name, or when a waiter named ‘Kemal’ would serve at a cay shop. I took a walk to Teşvikiye, pointing at the supposed balcony from where it all began. And I followed the narrator’s footsteps, around this glorious, enthralling city. I would spend hours reading, but surprisingly, I withdrew all mental images and expectations of the Museum space itself, and let natural curiosity take over. So it was without doubt that I would visit the Museum at once upon turning the final page of the book!)
A pocket watch frozen in time, a poster of Abraham, a delicate lace glove, or a black and white photograph of a forgotten lover. These are objects of a past long gone, but not entirely forgotten. These items of nostalgia are part of the collection at the Museum of Innocence, derived from the book of the same name by Orhan Pamuk.
A master of painstaking detail, and spellbinding passion, Pamuk takes the reader into another dimension. These items, trinkets, memorabilia create a wistfulness for a collective past with a hint of melancholy. Pamuk is a smart writer. His moves in the novel are planned, masterminded and orchestrated to capture the imagination of the reader. A random collection of objects gain a deeper context and a story, and fiction seems more ‘real’ than fact in this exhibition space. The story is essentially of a love affair, between the narrator Kemal, and his distant cousin, Füsun. Although Kemal is betrothed to Sibel ,an acceptable ‘perfect ‘ match in status, intellect and social order, a chance encounter with Füsun spirals into unforeseen events. As with most good love stories, Kemal’s complicated love for Füsun is hindered with major struggles, and soon his love takes form of obsession and fixation.
The museum is a shrine and home for items collected by Kemal which connect him to his ladylove .An obsessive search for happiness and consolation leads to a vast and assorted collection. These objects are housed in 24 Çukurcuma St, a townhouse with red walls, said to have been the home of Füsun. The walk to the Museum is enchanting, and one absorbs the details of daily life in alleys of Beyoğlu, and as described in the book. The narrow streets overflow with antique shops and art galleries of all sizes, with many upscale dealers and showrooms, for those who can afford it.
It is recommended, that to really experience this unique Museum, one must read the novel (which also holds a ticket to the museum), or cherish history and have a thirst for collections and antiques. If viewed differently, this might be a useless collection of random objects. The objects, set in 83 wooden boxes or ‘chapters’ are not just personal memories, but souvenirs of everyday life in Turkey in the last quarter of twentieth century. Plaques of quotes from the book are little notes for the visitor. The atmosphere of the space quickly draws one inward, with eyes observing layers of detail, and the ears picking up nostalgic voice recordings. Time seems suspended within this bubble. There are audio guides available for better understanding of the story, and the copies of the book itself are chained to the wall for visitors to refer to. Detailed displays, like the wall of 4213 of Füsun’s cigarettes immediately take the visitor beyond the present moment, into a sense of awe and trying to remember something that didn’t really happen. Maps and plans of Istanbul, photographs and newspaper clippings are all carefully curated in memory of love. Spiraling up to the attic, is Kemal, the narrator’s room, where one can also see the design process of the museum from the manuscripts, notes and drawings by the author and creator. At the gift shop of the museum, one can buy postcards and posters, books and bags, to take away a little slice of the experience.
“Real museums are places where Time is transformed into Space.” And indeed in the museum of innocence, a collective history as well as a fictional personal narrative is transformed into a fascinating experience. The museum is also a chapter in Istanbul’s timeline and a search for identity of a nation emerging from a bittersweet past.
The success of the Turkish National Movement led to the signing of Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923. This treaty established the borders of modern Turkey and ended the occupation of Istanbul which started on 12 November 1918 by British, Italian and French troops who remained until September 1923. This photo shows the first Turkish troops entered Constantinople on 6 October 1923.
According to the oldest records, two great white sharks were caught in the Bosporus Strait in 1881. It is hard to believe this, but the fact is that occurrence of the sharks in the Sea of Marmara has been reported by the daily newspapers since the beginning of the 1900s. This photo is a great proof of this claim. Here is the garden of Taksim Stadium where a shark exhibited citizens who couldn’t hide their wow!
After the Turkish War of Independence or known as Liberation War which continued almost 4 years, the Turkish economy was catastrophic. The fact is that millions of people were suffering from poverty. The kids you see in the photo were living in one of the Istanbul ghetto in the 1920s. The photo is said to be taken in 1924.
The famous Galata Bridge which links the old city of Istanbul and Galata neighbourhood was built for five times. This is the fourth Galata Bridge which was built in 1912 by the German company Hüttenwerk Oberhausen AG for 350,000 gold Liras. It was 466 meters long and 25 meters wide and it exactly looked like in the photo which was taken in the 1920s.
For nearly 1000 years, the city walls of Constantinople served the city protecting it against attacks from invading forces. They were breached only twice; by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 and by the cannons of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453. The bloodiest battles during the Turkish conquest took place around the Gate of Eğrikapı (Crooked Gate). In this photo, not only you see the Tokmaktepe Cemetery in Eğrikapı, but also the city walls look amazing in the background.
When the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and its civil war took place in Russia, thousands who were participants in the White movement fled from Southern Russia and Ukraine to Turkey and then moved to the European countries such as Germany, France and Britain and so on. They had tough times in Istanbul as the empire was suffering from the First World War. This photo was taken in Dolmabahçe Palace Theatre where some Russian refugees are taking shelter.
A view of Istanbul from Beyazıt Tower in the winter of 1929. If you look at the photo carefully, you would see the hills are in the background covered with snow and there’s no residential area existing. In the 50s, due to the mass migration from Anatolian rural to urban cities, those hills were packed with shanty houses by one by.
Since the first coffeehouses were opened in the Tahtakale neighbourhood by Hakem of Aleppo and Sems of Damascus, they have become a part of the everyday life for centuries. Their contribution to social life was the most important functions of coffeehouses in the Ottoman times. This feature of the coffeehouses remained during the republican time as well. Here is a scene from a coffeehouse in Istanbul in 1925.
Beside the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar, there are many other weekly bazaars settled in almost every neighbourhood of the city. Attracting a mixture of locals and tourists alike, Fındıkzade Bazaar is not the first destination that comes to mind but definitely perfect stop-off for those in search of clothing, shoes, jewellery, and accessories and so on. Open every Friday, this bazaar is located opposite the Bağcılar-Kabataş tram. The photo shows how this bazaar looked like in the 1920s.
Since it was built in 1853 right next to Bosphorus, Ortaköy Mosque (Grand Imperial Mosque of Sultan Abdülmecid) has been one of the most famous mosques in Istanbul. Besides that, this marvellous piece of architecture is also one of the most popular subjects for a photographer. Almost all the famous photographers throughout history produced some incredible images of this mosque. Here its photo in the 1920s…
Citizens of Istanbul have started the day with a series of earthquakes. At the early hours of 25th June, two earthquakes whose epicentre was Yalova – a city located in Marmara Region of Turkey on the margin of Marmara Sea. According to Kandilli Observatory’s report, earthquake occurred at 8:40 in the offshore waters of Yalova. The earthquake occurred at 6, 8 km depth to the surface. According to the same report, a foreshock with 3.0 magnitude occurred 10 minutes before the principal earthquake. The epicentre of this foreshock was in the eastern side of Marmara Sea. Harmonic tremors of the principal earthquake were intensively perceived in Istanbul and nearby cities.
Earthquakes caused horror and panic in public. Istanbul residents took to the streets and couldn’t return to their homes until they got out of the shock. The earthquake reminds public about expected the great Istanbul earthquake. As it can be remembered, a large earthquake occurred in Gölcük – about 70 km away from Istanbul – in 1999 and caused death of 17.000 people and nearly 100.000 people got wounded.
Experts have been expecting a great earthquake which would have approximately 7. 0 magnitude. With regard to experts’ opinion, such a large earthquake gives rise to a fearful disaster like the Gölcük earthquake caused. In addition, it’s almost certain for Istanbul to experience a 4-meter tsunami wave in case of a 7, 0 magnitude earthquake. The expected great Istanbul earthquake would kill 50.000 of citizens and wound millions. Specialists have been working in order to produce an early warning system which may save thousands of lives.
During the Ottoman reign, numerous Bektashi lodges spread across Istanbul. Some of them or their remains have survived to date such as; the Şahkulu Sultan Dergahı in Merdivenköy and the Emin Baba Tekkesi in Edirnekapı[1]. However, the few remnant traces do not effectively portray the position of the Bektashi order in the Ottoman Empire.
Haji Bektash Veli
The foundation of the order by Hacı Bektaş Veli near Kırşehir dates back to the 13th century[2]. For a period of time, the Order stayed as a spiritual movement without any sturdy tendencies to concretise it. In the 16th Century, Balim Sultan who seemed to develop connections with the ruling elite institutionalised the order henceforth establishing a hierarchical system. The system introduced consisted of the aşık, the dervish, the baba and the dedebaba at the top. At the bottom is aşık who despite having access to the order are not still privileged to the Bektashi’s secrets. Above the aşık are the dervish who are officially initiated into the Order. In between the dervish and the dedebaba is the baba who not only serves as the head of a lodge, but also as a teacher to the aşıks and the dervishes. On top is the dedebaba who is the spiritual leader of all the lodges[3]. The essence of a dervish is to journey through the four doors leading to the all-embracing Divine Truth while being accompanied by a spiritual guide. Despite being open to everyone, it is only after attaining dervish status that one gets to know the secrets of Bektashism. This openness and flexibility often times resulted in harsh criticism against Orthodox Islam[4].
Bedri Noyan, the Dedebaba of the Turkish Order until 1997 breaks down the spiritual fundamentals of Bektashism in the following words;
Sufism is a movement which emerged as a reaction to the strict sharia laws of Orthodox Islam. By softening the rules and enlarging its meaning, the faith is saved from external influence by evoking the true meaning of the Qur’an thus enriching its content and scope. Furthermore, instead of looking at the plural meaning, it focuses on the unity or singularity of a meaning. The spirit is also gradually cleaned through maturity[5].
Its existence is unique, it does not multiply, reduce, change or divide itself. It does not have shape, appearance or limit. Everything is bound to it whilst it is bound to none[6]. For the Bektashists, material and the universe is just another face of God[7], which means that every human is a reflection of God and an appearance of the Divine Truth[8].
Bektashism uses love as a human ideal for establishing a universal bond. The aim of which is to connect the whole humanity within a faith by viewing love as the one truth in the universe[9].
Christian, Shamanistic and Shiite elements can be found in Bektashi practices. For example, the adding of women into the rites or the legend about Hacı Bektaş’s transformation into a dove has shamanistic roots[10]. Ali´s significance in the order is the most outstanding element taken from the Shiite doctrine. Perceived as part of a trinity with God and Mohammed, in dualism with Mohammed or even considered to be superior to Mohammed, Ali holds an eminent position[11]. In relating Christianity and Bektashism, the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste are recognised as ‘Kirklar’ by the dervishes[12].
Owing to the close connection between the dervishes and the military force especially the Janissaries, the Bektashi Order spread as the Ottoman Empire expanded. Bektashists were religious leaders of the Ottoman infantry which was a key factor when it came to processing child levy, Islamification and becoming a Janissary[13]. The Order through the Janissaries were important parties of the Ottoman politics. At their peak, two sultans were deposed resulting into the so called Vaka-I Hayriye. It was in 1826 under the reign of Mahmud II that the Janissaries were abolished and so was the Bektashi Order. About 100 years later, the Bektashi were threatened with abolition due to the introduction of laicism in the newly declared Turkish Republic. Despite an official ban today, Sufism centres are still existing and tolerated by the Turkish state[14].
References: [1]wWw.bektasi.net [2] John Kingsley Birge, Bektasilik Tarihi, Istanbul: Ant Yayınları, 1991, 56. [3] H.T. Norris, Islam in the Balkans: Religion and Society between Europe and the Arab World, London: Hurst & Company, 1993, 93-94. [4] John Kingsley Birge, Bektasilik Tarihi, Istanbul: Ant Yayınları, 1991, 104-125. [5] Doc. Dr. Bedri Noyan Dedebaba, Bütün Yönleriyle Bektasilik ve Alevilik II cilt, Ankara: Ardıç Yayıncılık, 1999, 13. [6] Doc. Dr. Bedri Noyan Dedebaba, Bütün Yönleriyle Bektasilik ve Alevilik II cilt, Ankara: Ardıç Yayıncılık, 1999, 159. [7] Doc. Dr. Bedri Noyan Dedebaba, Bütün Yönleriyle Bektasilik ve Alevilik II cilt, Ankara: Ardıç Yayıncılık, 1999, 67. [8] Doc. Dr. Bedri Noyan Dedebaba, Bütün Yönleriyle Bektasilik ve Alevilik II cilt, Ankara: Ardıç Yayıncılık, 1999, 137. [9] Doc. Dr. Bedri Noyan Dedebaba, Bütün Yönleriyle Bektasilik ve Alevilik II cilt, Ankara: Ardıç Yayıncılık, 1999, 295. [10] Michel Balivet, Seyh Bedreddin: Tasavvuf ve Isyan, Istanbul: Tarih Vakfı Yurt Yayınları, 2000, 21 [11] John Kingsley Birge, Bektasilik Tarihi, Istanbul: Ant Yayınları, 1991, 149-151. [12] Antonina Zhelyazkova, “Islamization in the Balkans as a Historiographical Problem: The Southeast-European Perspective”, in the Ottomans and the Balkans: A Discussion of Historiography, eds. Fikret Adanır & Suraiya Faroqhi, Leiden, Boston & Köln: Brill, 2002, 257. [13] Albert Doja, “Spiritual Surrender: From Companionship to Hierarchy in the History of Bektashism”, Numen, Vol. 53, No. 4 (2006), 458-459. [14] Mark Soileau, “Spreading the Sofra: Sharing and Partaking in the Bektashi Ritual Meal”, History of Religions, Vol. 52, No. 1 (August 2012), 10.
For Turkish people, raki is a drink unlike any other. It first seems interesting to many foreigners as Turkey is majorly Muslim, but Raki does have a place. In fact, Raki has been around longer than the country itself. Even so, Raki alone means nothing for an ordinary Turk because it is only one component of the routine that has existed for centuries. In other words, it is just like the Japanese tea ceremony, and, similarly, there is also a special etiquette to drinking Raki.
The ritual of drinking raki actualises around the raki table. Therefore, the first requirement to drink raki is a simple table. After it is found, do not think of opening a Raki bottle and sitting at the table alone, because, frankly, the key to drink Raki is people.
Raki is consumed with appetisers called “meze”, and locals say the best meze for Raki is conversation… That is to say you need at least one person to sit at a raki table. A bunch of people would be better, but that changes if anyone in the group talks too much, boasts about himself/herself, or is humourless.
Raki never goes down well if a pleasant talk is lacking. However, pleasant talk doesn’t mean that you should be unnecessarily adorable or try too hard. Instead, you are always expected to be natural and modest at the raki table.
Raki is all about sharing and enjoying the moment together. During the first glass of raki people usually listen to subjects of daily life, but two glasses later, the talk moves on to matters of the heart, and inevitably turns to politics. Everyone saves the world in his/her own way at the raki table hence never and ever break a heart at a raki table.
Other important rules of the conversation on the raki table:
– whatever is told and said stays at the table,
– nobody should try and console the person that cries through a subject. Instead, the topic should be changed,
– speaking slang at a raki table is fine but swearing is never well received,
– even you know how to do so graciously, never interrupt anybody talking,
– talking on the phone? Do not even think of it.
Well, you have a table, you have a bottle of Raki, you have your friends around, and you know the basic rules on conversation at the raki table. If you think you are ready, you don’t fit at the raki table. That is because you are selfish person who hasn’t invited the best friends of Raki yet. They are the appetisers that we call “meze” in Turkish. Pleasant talk may make the raki table feast but for a perfected raki table, mezes are definitely a necessity. The size of each meze should be small, but there can be a lot of varieties. Most popular mezes are hot spicy tomato dip, haydari, şakşuka, red beans, humus, rolled grape leaves with rice, eggplant salad as well as fruits. If no chance for a rich table then cold melon and white cheese would be enough.
You have your friends, Raki has its friends. It is now time to drink Raki as long as if you know how to prepare the ideal glass of it. The best is to put a little water first, than raki and then water is poured into the glass. Ratio in the glass depends on the drinker, 50% Raki – 50% Water is always safe, but the real best is 65% Raki and 35% Water.
Raki is absolutely clear in the glass but when mixed with water it turns into milky white color which is why people call it “lion’s milk”. Only one person serves the “lion’s milk” and he/she is always the youngest person sitting on the table. By the way nobody can drink Raki until the oldest person at the table drinks first. Do not be disrespectful, wait.
Raki and water should always stay cold. Master Aydın Boysan says to add ice into the glass of Raki would only be acting like a fool. You can put ice into the water glass that always stays near the Raki glass. No problem with that! If you want to feel more taste of raki, try Şalgam instead of water. It is traditional drink that is spicy red carrot juice. Your burning throat after sipping your raki will turn to great feeling!
Only few seconds left to have the first sip of Raki but there’re still things you should definitely know. When you clink glasses with each other the younger person’s glass should be lower than the older person’s glass as they hit. Other important rule is that after everybody says “Şerefe” (cheers), you certainly cannot put your glass down without first having a sip. This is the best part of raki drinking as it goes down your throat. Master Aydın Boysan says “A giraffe – that’s an animal ideally made to appreciate Raki.”
Never ever chug Raki glass! Raki is said to be drunk slowly, sip by sip, so conversation takes longer.
Even if there’s emergency, do not leave the table without asking permission from the oldest person.
As soon as the raki glass is empty, it should be replenished.
If you want to muck the raki table up, play popular music. It doesn’t matter if it is rock, hip-hop, reggae or techno. If you do so, of course, no Turkish people come down on you, but there is a certain type of music which goes well with Raki; slow styles like Alaturka or Fasıl music. Zeki Müren, Müzeyyen Senar, Muazzez Abacı are the first names to come to mind. Do not play music at a high volume. You know the reason: Raki is all about conversation.
Five times daily. Sometimes it wakes me up; sometimes its sound follows me on the way home from a night out. Sometimes it’s just a distant noise in the background, then again I notice it entirely consciously: The ezan, the call to prayer. Especially in Istanbul with its over 3000 mosques, the ezan is an integral element of the soundscape of the city. In his movie “Muezzin” Sebastian Brameshuber gives us an insight into the amusing as well as serious world of an element that belongs to the daily rhythm of many Turks. At the same time, he portrays the relationship between Islam and music, the Ottoman impact on the practice of Islam in Turkey and the tensions between individuality and collective conformity in this special field.
Sebastian Brameshuber filmed the “Call of Prayer Competition” in 2007 in Muezzin (2009). The competition originated in 2004 and was established as a competition to choose the best muezzin in Turkey. The film crew participated in the regional preliminary decision in Istanbul and accompanied the winner from Istanbul to the final in Edirne, where the ten winners of the preliminary rounds competed for the title. In the film the competition is just the framework, whereas the real focus is on the participants, their roots and family background, their access to music as well as the special atmosphere of the mosques and of the competition. We wanted to know more about the creation of this movie. For that reason, I´m meeting the director in Vienna.
Entering the mosque with a camera
In 2005 Sebastian came to Istanbul for the first time as a photography assistant. During a photoshoot he met the muezzin of the Süleymaniye Mosque. “I still remember how we went up the minaret and how beautiful the view was up there. It was up there that the muezzin told me about the competition. Somehow this thought got stuck in my head.” After a research in Vienna and another visit in Istanbul the idea for the movie was born.
Muezzin deals with the artistic scope of the call to prayer, its individual presentation associated with the idea of the competition. “The text and time of the ezan is given. Nevertheless, there is a small space for artistic, individual interpretation”, Sebastian Brameshuber explains. “The real art is to shape the prayer call as individual as possible in order to stand out in comparison with the rivals of neighbouring mosques. You can stand out with your quality on the one hand but also with volume and speed on the other hand. This idea of competition between muezzins, in some way working with the same mechanisms as a Hip Hop battle, had aroused my interest. The idea is based on the thought of motivating most people to come to one’s own mosque with the most beautiful call of prayer. This idea of battle is directly concretized in the competition. And so it came to the realisation of my movie in 2006.”
With very little money in his pockets and with a car full of equipment, Sebastian went to Istanbul in 2007 where he would stay the following 2.5 years. The film crew received all the necessary permits from the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Ankara. “We surely made a very interesting impression on the gentlemen who were sitting there. However, they liked our idea and gave us the permit. Actually, afterwards a special permit had to be obtained by each müftülük (the local Islamic authority) but the confirmation from Ankara was like a blank check”, Sebastian remembers.
The film crew contacted the participants of the competition of the recent years; three of them were accompanied during the competition of 2007. Habil Öndes, an educated Imam from the conservatory who teaches the call to prayer played a central role. “They are proud of what they do. They see themselves in the tradition of the Ottoman Muezzins who accomplished the heyday of musicality in the mosques.” But the protagonists have differing opinions about the position of the muezzin and whether he is an artist or just God´s instrument – and therefore differing opinions about the status of individuality in Muslim culture.
The everyday life of muezzins
Different protagonists allowed the crew to get an insight into their private and everyday life. Hence, Muezzin portrays the daily life of the religious community in a subtle way. Sebastian Brameshuber orbits the issue and approaches it spirally. It is not a direct statement that interested the director “but what things tell from its own initiative.” Thus, ambivalences in the belief systems of the protagonists such as the discrepancy between science and religion or the structures of an Islamic family are being visualised.
Although these issues define the core of the movie, they stay in the background and are not directly addressed. Instead, they basically naturally enrol in front of the viewers’ eyes by the visualisation the situations. One scene for example shows the imams playing beach-volleyball at the Black Sea. “This scene explains much more than what is actually happening. It makes a statement concerning the culture since only men are present at this happening.”
The view from the outside
Sebastian Brameshuber describes himself as being very interested in politics. During his stay in Istanbul, he intensely researched Turkish history, politics and sociology. People told him that his perspective presented in the movie was very “Turkish” and did not give the feeling of being made by a foreigner. “Well, if I am watching the film I very much see the foreign perspective on the subject. However, apparently the movie gives enough “insider” perspective; it was also successfully screened in Turkey.”
Sebastian thinks that “such a movie has not yet been made in Turkey.” Making movies is an activity that is accessible mainly for the rich, secular and western oriented Turkish upper class. “I think a lot of secular people in Turkey that have studied film or made films, are not interested in religion in this way. And religious people that show interest in moviemaking mostly don’t have the necessary distance and tend to romanticise the topic. People here might make a television documentary but surely not a cinema documentary with artistic claim.”
Sebastian Brameshuber has done it anyway. For me, Muezzin is a great enrichment because it gives a picture to the voice that hangs all over Istanbul, he consequently demystifies it and fills a gap for my understanding of Turkish culture. Nowadays, after watching the movie, I catch myself noticing different pitches and I try to distinguish different melodies…
A number of Radical Islamist men stormed into the Istanbul store in central Istanbul’s Firuzağa neighbourhood on Friday night, attacking group of people who gathered to celebrate the release of Radiohead’s new album.
According to reports, up to 20 men who were angry because the record store was not observing Ramadan used pipes and bottles as weapons and beat the store’s owners as well as some attendees for drinking alcohol during the holy month of Ramadan. One of the victims suffers a head injury.
A person alleging to be one of the store’s owners posted his account on Reddit, writing:
[su_quote]I am the person that’s speaking in that video. I am the owner of that periscope account. They were determined to kill us. We were beaten by more than 20 men with pipes in their hands, beer bottles were broken on our heads, I don’t even know how we made it out. I will share the details later guys. Just hoping that no one will die.[/su_quote]
A camera originally set up to stream the Radiohead event has recorded the attack. It can be seen in the recordings that the Radical Islamists threatened people not to drink alcohol there again.
“Our hearts go out to those attacked tonight at Velvet IndieGround in Istanbul,” the band said in the statement. “We hope that someday we will be able to look back on such acts of violent intolerance as things of the ancient past. For now, we can only offer our fans in Istanbul our love and support.”
Sophia means “wisdom” in Greek while Hagia means “holy or divine”. So, Hagia Sophia means “holy wisdom”. However, the church’s full name in Greek is Ναός τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας, Naos tēs Hagias tou Theou Sophias, whose translation to English is “Shrine of the Holy of God”.
2- Hagia Sophia is the third church to have been built on the same site. The first church was known as the Μεγάλη Ἐκκλησία, Megálē Ekklēsíā, meaning “Great Church”, and after this church was burned in 404 the second church was ordered by Theodosius II. However, this church also shared the same fate; it was burned to the ground due to Nika Revolt against Emperor Justinian I. In the wake of the revolt, on the same site, the Hagia Sophia was built under the direction of Emperor Justinian I between 532 and 537.
3- While it took nearly a century to construct the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, the Hagia Sophia was built in record time; 5 years, 10 months and 4 days. Building such a church was said to take the work of more than 10,000 men.
4- Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles were the architectures that Emperor Justinian I commissioned to design the Hagia Sophia. Isidore of Miletus was known as physicist and mathematician who taught at the universities of Alexandria and then Constantinople before he was hired to design the Hagia Sophia. Anthemius of Tralles was renowned mathematician and geometrician.
5- While the Hagia Sophia was being constructed, the materials used to construct the church were sourced from all over the Byzantine Empire. For instance, the columns were from the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, large stones from Egypt, black stone from the Bosphorus, yellow stone from Syria, and green marble from Thessaly.
6- On Saturday, July 16, 1054, as afternoon prayers were about to begin, Cardinal Humbert, legate of Pope Leo IX, strode into the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, right up to the main altar, and placed on it a parchment that declared the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, to be excommunicated. He then marched out of the church, shook its dust from his feet, and left the city. A week later the patriarch solemnly condemned the cardinal. This event opened a new page in the history of Christianity as the Great Schism between Catholics and Orthodox began.
7- Despite the opposition of wealthy Greeks as well as the peoples of Italian provinces, iconoclasm was carried out in the Byzantine Empire at intervals. During the eighth and ninth centuries A.D, the period of iconoclasm led to the removal of many mosaics and paintings from the Hagia Sophia.
8- The fell of Jerusalem at the hands of Ayyubid Sultan Saladin shocked the Western world who decided to take revenge immediately. Jerusalem didn’t fell to the disoriented crusaders but Constantinople did. In 1204, the cathedral was ruthlessly attacked, desecrated and plundered by the crusaders who ousted the Patriarchy of Constantinople and replaced it with a Latin bishop.
9- A new page was opened in the Hagia Sophia’s history on 29 May 1453. The city of Constantinople fell at the hands of the Ottoman Empire under the rule of Sultan Mehmed II which marked the end of Byzantine Empire. Sultan immediately called for a restoration of the Hagia Sophia and its conversion into a mosque.
10- The alter, bells and sacrificial vessels of the Hagia Sophia were removed while Sultan protected the numerous frescoes and mosaics which were whitewashed in plaster and covered in Islamic designs and calligraphy. A Mihrab (prayer niche), Minbar (pulpit) and a fountain for ablutions as well as 4 minarets, each 60 meters, were added to the exterior, and a school, kitchen, library, mausoleums, and sultan’s lodge joined the site over the centuries.
11- The most famous and intense restoration of the Hagia Sophia was ordered by Sultan Abdülmecid. The restoration was completed by eight hundred workers between 1847 and 1849. Sultan commissioned Swiss-Italian architect brothers Gaspare and Giuseppe Fossati who consolidated the dome and vaults, straightened the columns, and revised the decoration of the exterior and the interior of the building.
12- Hagia Sophia remained the principal mosque of Istanbul for about 500 years until it was converted into a museum on 1 February 1935 by the Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. The Turkish Council of Ministers stated that due “to its historical significance, the conversion of the (Hagia Sophia) mosque, a unique architectural monument of art located in Istanbul, into a museum will please the entire Eastern world and its conversion to a museum will cause humanity to gain a new institution of knowledge.”
[From Robert Nelson, “Hagia Sophia: 1850-1950: Holy Wisdom Modern Monument,” University of Chicago Press, 2004]
13- It remained the largest cathedral in the world until the construction of Medievel Seville Cathedral in 1520. Another fact is that only Patheon in Rome has slightly bigger dome than the dome of Hagia Sophia in the world.
14- Hagia Sophia was designed with a very large dome which is said to have changed the history of architecture. Because of the forty windows around the base of the dome, it is famous for the mystical quality of light that reflects everywhere in the interior of the nave, the area where worshippers sit. The unique character of the design of Hagia Sophia shows how it is one of the most ambitious monuments of ancient architecture and a supreme masterpiece of Byzantine architecture.
15- It has the ultimate contrast of two religions together. Both Islam and Christianity have their foothold in museum. While the Islamic calligraphic roundels are suspended from the main dome, the museum also has uncovered Christian mosaics as its prime feature.
According to a classical definition from the science of criminology, an assassination is the deliberate killing of a person, often a political leader or ruler, usually for political reasons or payments. The assassination may be based on religious, military or political motives. It is an act that may be done for financial gain, to avenge a grievance, from a desire to acquire fame or notoriety or simply because of a military, security or insurgent group’s command to carry out the homicide.
For movie lovers who have watched Se7en in 1995, you definitely remember that the entire movie was structured around the seven capital sins: hubristic pride, greed, lust, malicious envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth. The two detectives, one a rookie acted by Brad Pitt and a veteran, Morgan Freeman hunt a serial killer who ironically uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. Also, in Dante Alighieri’s ‘The Divine Comedy’, specifically in the Purgatorio, the seven sins were perceived as the seven ways of eternal death.
According to our classification of the seven cases, we will try to link every assassination with a capital sin in relation to the victim and the killer’s declarations after committing the crime as well as statements made during trial. The following is a chronological list of personalities from Istanbul murdered during the modern and recent history of the Turkish Republic. Many of the victims are intellectual proponents of ‘laicism’ and the strict separation of religion and state in Turkey as stipulated under the Constitution, businessmen, political activists and public servants.
He was a journalist, an intellectual and important human rights activist. At the time of his assassination, he was the editor-in-chief of the main Turkish newspaper Milliyet, which at the time had a Centre-left political stance. On February 1, 1979, two members of the ultra-nationalist “Grey Wolves”[1], Oral Ҫelik and Mehmet Ali Ağca murdered Abdi İpekçi in front of his apartment in Istanbul whilst in the car on his way from office. Mehmet Ali Ağca also attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II which did not yield fatal damage except for wounds that the Pope sustained.
Ağca was captured following a tip off from an informant and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, after serving a period of only six months at a military prison in Istanbul, he escaped with the aid of military officers and the grey wolves. He first fled to Iran and later on to Bulgaria which at the time was operating as a base for the Turkish mafia. According to Reuters, Ağca had escaped with the suspected help of sympathisers in the security services. Some sources claim that Abdi was murdered at the behest of CIA’s station chief in Turkey Paul Henze[2], after he had asked Henze to stop CIA’s illegal activities.
Metin Yüksel
Metin Yüksel (1958-1979) – Hubristic Pride
Metin Yüksel was an Islamist political and social activist and one of the main leaders of Turkey’s political Islamist movement during the 1970s. He also led the Akıncılar Organisation which was an Islamist political organisation. Although Turkish Islamists of that time were careful to steer clear of the political violence between nationalist and Marxist factions in Turkey, many of them lost their lives nevertheless.
On February 23, 1979, while leaving Friday prayer, Yüksel was shot dead outside Istanbul’s Fatih Mosque by ultra-nationalist gunmen. He was only 20 years old at that time. Following his assassination, he became a martyr among Turkey’s Islamist factions. His assassination also led supporters to declare February as the month of Șehit (Martyr’s month). Every year on the anniversary of his death, supporters make pilgrimage to the spot where he was murdered in the Fatih Mosque’s yard. He is best remembered for his famous quote, ”Martyrdom is a message for all generations and ages.”
Nihat Erim
Nihat Erim (1912-1980) – Greed
Ismail Nihat Erim was a Turkish politician and jurist. He served as the Prime Minister of Turkey for about 14 months following the 1971 Turkish coup d’état. Upon graduating from Istanbul University Law School in 1936, he acquired a doctorate degree from the Paris Law School in 1939. He served as an advisory in the Turkish committee at the 1945 conference on the foundation of the United Nations in San Francisco.
Erim was shot to death by two gunmen near his home in Kartal, Istanbul on July 19, 1980 along with his bodyguard. Radical leftist Turkish militant group Dev Sol (Revolutionary Left) claimed responsibility for the attack. The assassination might have accelerated the military coup on September 12 of that year led by chief of staff Kenan Evren. The motive behind the assassination is thought to be related to the parliament’s approval to execute three leftist militants, one of them being Deniz Gezmiş during his mandate as prime minister. Erim’s assassination was part of a wave of political violence in Turkey in the late 1970s between left-wing Marxist and right-wing ultra-nationalist groups.
Kemal Türkler
Kemal Türkler (1926-1980) – Malicious Envy
He was a Turkish socialist trade union leader, founder and first president of the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Turkey[3] and also one of the founders of the Workers Party of Turkey (Türkiye İşçi Partisi, TİP) in 1963. For quite a period of time, Kemal worked as a metal worker whereon he became the president of Turkey’s Metal Workers’ Union and a leading figure of the Democratic Trade Union Movement in Turkey.
Kemal Türkler was assassinated on July 22, 1980, in front of his home in Merter by ultra-nationalist militants belonging to the Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP) leaving no trace to incriminate the killers.
Onat Kutlar
Onat Kutlar (1936-1995) – Sloth
Mehmet Arif Onat Kutlar, also known as Onat Kutlar, was a prominent Turkish art critic, writer, poet as well as columnist for the daily Cumhuriyet newspaper and founder of the Turkish Sinematek. He was also one of the founding fathers of the Istanbul International Film Festival, which is held annually during April in movie theatres within Istanbul, Turkey.
He died on January 11, 1995 in Istanbul as a result of injuries sustained from a bomb attack carried out by the PKK organisation at the Marmara Hotel cafeteria in Taksim. He was laid to rest at the Aşiyan Asri Cemetery. Today, the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award is named after him to commemorate his contributions to Turkish cinema.
Üzeyir Garih
Üzeyir Garih (1929-2001) – Gluttony
Üzeyir Garih was a famous Turkish-Jewish businessman, engineer, writer, investor and founding partner of the Alarko group of companies. He was one of the best engineers in the country and together with Ishak Alaton, they founded what was to become Alarko Holding serving as its president and co-chairman until 2001. As an international business leader, philosopher and nationwide teacher, Garih has written more than 200 articles in various newspapers and magazines in addition to eight books titled ”My Experiences”.
He was stabbed to death on August 25, 2001 near the Eyüp Muslim Cemetery during a visit. After a religious funeral ceremony at the Neve Shalom Synagogue, he was laid to rest at the Ulus Sephardi Jewish Cemetery. The assassin was captured ten days later, tried and sentenced to life imprisonment. To this day, the motive behind his assassination is still debated.
Ahmet Yıldız
Ahmet Yıldız (1982-2008) – Lust
Ahmet Yıldız was a 26 year old Physics student in Marmara University’s physics department and was preparing for his final exams to complete his studies. In 2007, he had represented his country at the international gay gathering in San Francisco. On July 15, 2008, he was shot at while leaving a café near the Bosphorus. It is alleged that his father Yahya Yıldız[4] fired 5 bullets which led to his death.
His attempts to get away from the aggressor by running to his car and driving off were futile as he lost control of the steering wheel and crashed into a pharmacy’s wall because of injuries he had sustained in his chest. He died on spot. His body was not claimed by his family until a few days later when his uncle received it from the Yenibosna Forensic Medicine Institute.
The man who might be described as “Turkey’s gay poster boy”[5], was considered by his friends to be a victim of the country’s deepening friction between an increasingly liberal society and its entrenched conservative traditions. The murder of Ahmet Yıldız is often characterised by sociologists as ”the victim of the first homosexual honour killing in Turkey to surface publicly”. This case will be a significant turning point in Turkey’s judicial history with its procedure, handling and conclusion.
It is however naive to believe that Ahmet Yıldız was the first person in Turkey to be killed by his family because of his sexual orientation. He is just one of the many victims of family murders that have gone unnamed and swept under the carpet.
References [1] Bawer ҪAKIR, ”Families of Murdered Intellectuals Follow Up Dink Murdered Case”, Bia News [2] Stanford J. SHAW, ”History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey”, Vol. 2, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002, p. 354. [3] Gökçer TAHİNCİOĞLU and Ersan ATAR, ”Suspects told the murders”, Milliyet [4]lgbtinewsturkey.com [5]www.independent.co.uk
“The city is so amazing with its beautiful scenery and rich cultural diversity.” This statement, which is often heard by Istanbul’s locals, is not necessarily met with much surprise. After all, this central hub of tourism and economy functions as an interesting bridge between Europe and Asia which is reflected in its mesmerising geographical makeup. The journey across the Bosphorus which separates the two continents is a once in a life time experience we would recommend to anyone.
What makes Istanbul different from other cities across the world is its unique geography. When referring to the concept ‘geography’ a description of the landscape and weather is usually what comes up. However, this concept can show us much more than just that. The general geography of Istanbul is very interesting those who visit the city, but at the same time, it still draws the attention of its inhabitants. Whenever you talk to a local person about the weather he will smile, and say “you never know what comes next”. Of course this answer is not really grounded in any scientific research, there are advanced tools in place for weather forecasting, but nevertheless the unexpected changes in the Istanbul weather keep the cities inhabitants on its toes. The best advice to tourists is thus, to take some light layers with them in case of weather changes during the day. The actual cause of this unpredictable weather lies in its location; surrounded by small green hills and beautiful seas, the city can suffer from interesting climate changes.
The view of Istanbul city from air or satellite image makes it clear how it is like a connecting block between the two continents. The elongated fringe from the European side comprising of the areas of Beyoğlu, Beşiktaş, Sarıyer and Kağıthane districts stand as the boarder towns along the Bosphorus strait while the Asian side makes Beykoz, Üsküdar and Kadıköy districts the periphery towns respectively. Along with this, the beautiful coastal belt stretching from Büyükçekmece in the south western side covering all the coastal line till it joins the Haliç or Golden Horn at Eminönü and then takes a turn along the golden horn and joins the Bosphorus side at Karaköy. From here the belt stretches along Beşiktaş, Ortaköy, Sarıyer and finally joins the Black Sea at Kumköy in the north. The Asian coastal belt starts on the north Eastern side of Bosphorus and covers the areas like Beykoz, Üsküdar and near Kadıköy it joins the Marmara sea coastal line spreading through Bostancı, Maltepe and Pendik where it ends into the nearest town of Gebze. Throughout the northern part of Istanbul along the Black Sea is beautiful forests and beaches. All this coastal belt is covered with beautiful parks and sea view points that comprise of wonderful chain of restaurants.
The city of Istanbul is not like other cities that are established either along a river, a lake, sea port, trade route, defence point, etc. but takes the advantage of possessing all these features and many extra qualities for its formation. The historical aspect all revolves around its geographical features that made it an important place to be captured to control the whole region throughout the centuries. This gives the term “heartland “to this city and is still the central point for many aspects of world affairs. Geographers find this piece of land very interesting as it has the physical as well as human aspect of geography. Covering the physical aspects, it has the prominent location between Black Sea in the North and Marmara Sea in the South which gives it a mixed weather system during winter and summer. A prominent chain of hills all over Istanbul that all descend down towards the southern slope reaching the Marmara sea give the landscape the beautiful look. The viewpoint from Fatih over the Bosphorus, Marmara Sea and Haliç gave the prime location for the construction of Topkapı palace and surrounding important buildings covered by the walled city.
The human aspect of geography deals with the multiple settlements comprised of various ethnic backgrounds in the city ranging from Greeks, Kurds, Armenians, Russians, Balkans, central Asian, Arabs and Europeans. The amalgamation and cross cultural ties gave the city its unique cultural diversity and multiple designs with wonderful architecture that is visible all over the city. With the passage of time many ups and downs came in the arena of powers but the lifestyle of Istanbul got more and more heterogeneous inside the homogeneous roof of one city. This made the urban life very unique in the world and can be still observed in the city life.
In a nutshell the location of Istanbul city covering the physical and human geographical aspects makes it one of the prime destination for tourists, artists, travellers, geographers, social scientists and many other fields of life. This makes the city a place to be loved and never gets diminished in the pages of history or advancing technology. All such factors make the city to be loved and whoever visits it once always says “We Love Istanbul”.
A bus carrying Turkish police officers appeared to be the target of a car bomb attack. The blast happened in the Vezneciler neighbourhood, between the headquarters of the local municipality and the campus of Istanbul University, during Tuesday morning’s rush hour. It shattered shop windows and scattered rubble over nearby streets.
The explosion was caused by a bomb placed inside a car and was detonated as the police vehicle was passing by.
Four civilians and seven police officers were among the dead, said Istanbul governor Vasip Şahin in a live statement on Turkish television. Some 36 other people were injured and three of the wounded were in serious condition, he added.
No group has claimed the attacks yet.
Violence in Turkey has escalated recently as a result of tensions with Kurdish separatists and the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) have been targeting police and military personnel with bombs since July, when a fragile peace process between the rebels and the government collapsed. ISIS has also been blamed for a series of deadly bombings in Turkey.
Recent attacks in Turkey
March 2016: 4 people killed and at least 36 injured in central Istanbul
March 2016: 37 people killed and at least 125 injured in the capital city Ankara
February 2016: 28 killed and at least 60 injured in a bombing in the capital city Ankara
January 2016: 13 German tourists are killed in a suspected IS suicide bombing in Istanbul
October 2015: More than 100 people killed in a double suicide bombing in Ankara
