Day 0
I couldn’t sleep at night, thanks jet lag! So, I decided to go get something to eat at 3 am and my neighborhood bakery was open. It’s 24*7 and highly rated. The bakery is tiny with lots of outdoor seating on both sides of the street. It was 3 am and it felt like 8 pm. The street was bustling with people, chai, cigarettes and chatter. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I walked around a bit to see if other places down the street were actually this lively and I found people around bars and in general walking around. It was surprising for 3 am. Also, people partying at 3 am on a Monday night? Everything about this neighborhood is eclectic.
Day 1
I like history. I think about it as an alien world. A world so different from my own. A world where I wasn’t typing this on a phone sitting in a cafe drinking an Americano in Istanbul. America and Istanbul so far apart yet so similar.
I visited the Hagia Sophia today and basked in the history of the place, thinking how different was the time when the Romans built it in the 6th century. When Istanbul wasn’t this bustling megapolis, when Faith, the neighborhood that hosts the mosque wasn’t overrun by tourists standing in line for hours to see the marvelous spectacle of Roman architecture. Heck, they could have never imagined that their creation would survive 1500 years and turn into something completely different.
I spent time searching for Roman remains in the mosque. The mosaics, the architecture sparked curiosity. I wondered how Christianity and Jesus took hold on the Romans. It was only 500 years after Christ and the place screamed of staunch belief. A belief so strong that I can see it in the walls in 2024. I wonder if religion was stronger back then. Maybe, 500 years is a long time for a religion to get a hold on people.
As I saw the history of the place, I also imagined what my homeland, India would have been in the 6th century and what my current home, America would have been like. Both the places couldn’t be any more different.
Overall, the old district in Istanbul is definitely worth a visit. I went to the Grand Bazaar but it was closed for Republic day celebrations. I also thought about how I have used the word Bazaar all my life without ever knowing its origins. So, for the curious souls out there, Bazaar is a Persian word and even though the Ottomans fought Persians, the biggest market is called the Bazaar. I would give Persia for its soft power in that era.
I ended the day with a late night eat. Something I have never had before and didn’t know what it was. The entire thing was beautiful. I went to an eatery at 12 am and the owner was sitting outside drinking chai with a friend. Gotta love that, it reminds of India so much. As I entered, he swiftly comes in and says, Dürüm, I didn’t know what that was so I said yes, while quickly scanning the menu. He made it in like 3 minutes. Turns out it’s a cold wrap. There’s no heating it up. The guy spoke no English so I used Google translate to ask this specifically. I was in no mood to get a cold sandwich but that was his specialty. The place didn’t even have a stove. He only served cold wraps. It was delicious and I was surprised at how good it tasted.
Day 2
Last night, I met someone at my neighborhood bakery who recommended me to checkout the Suleymaniye Mosque. They said it was as pretty as the other ones with no lines and tickets. The thought of no lines drew me towards it. They were right, the mosque was grand with amazing architecture. The dome had such a beautiful mosaic and I was surprised at how new it seemed. Unlike the Hagia Sophia, this one seemed like a new construction. Well, it is a new construction compared to the Hagia Sophia, new by a 1000 years. Do ancient religious structures age differently? Is 1532 AD really not that old? It certainly didn’t seem that way. Although, I have to add that they go through repair periods and for the Suleymani, the last one ended in 2010, so yeah, it was touched up recently.
The other thing or rather the other things that caught my attention were the fact that this main dome supported by semi domes on the side structure has survived many many earthquakes, not only survived I think the structure has thrived as nothing was cracked due to an earthquake ever. I think I should donate to wikipedia for that information.
I am not a person who hires a guide when visiting historical places. I just think it’s too extravagant and I am frugal by nature. However, I somehow got one in Cusco, Peru for one of the ancient ruins (some random dude was negotiating with a guide and asked me if I’d like to join to split the cost. I joined him and made a new friend. Later in Lima, he introduced me to an amazing Ceviche place, which inturn became one of the highlights of the trip.) and I realized how much of a difference it makes in the entire experience. I think architecture, like art, is all about the story. You have to know what was going on in their lives to appreciate the structure.
I spent about an hour sitting in the mosque absorbing the history, the beauty around me. I watched people pray, take endless photos, listen to their guides and in case, sleep?! I had several thoughts at that moment and as much as I want to write all that down, it might take my entire day.
To share a few, I thought about why humans build such grand structures? It’s everywhere isn’t it? Europe has grand churches, the middle east has mosques, India has temples. It’s mostly religious structures, except Egypt with the pyramids and China with the wall. The Chinese are quite pragmatic I’d add. The simple answer that I devised was that it’s always the human ego. Each Ottoman king built a mosque to prove that they were as grand as their predecessors. It’s the same story everywhere. Humans do stuff to prove that they are better. This might be over simplistic but is it? I don’t know. Humans love to leave a legacy. In today’s world, that might translate to building companies or something. The instinct remains.
As I was absorbed with my thoughts, looking at the stained glass which reminded me of Roman churches (the Ottomans were inspired by Byzantine architecture), I thought about India’s historical architecture. The Mughals were not much different from the Ottomans. They also built mosques and forts in the same time period. I have lived so close to these structures but have never been interested enough to go visit them. Now, I am! I want to see the grand forts and mosques in India that’s part Indian and part arab. The Mughal architecture is modern when compared to all the other ancient structures that exist. I want to see the Sanchi Stupa from the 3rd century B.C.
Day 3
Today, was the most interesting one. I did the usual walk around a new neighborhood, see some new places. I went to Beşiktaş, a neighborhood west of Beyoğlu where I am staying. I didn’t see a lot of Beşiktaş partly because it just seemed like a normal neighborhood in a cosmopolitan city. There was a cool waterfront and a university so it was bustling with people. I’d say Beşiktaş in some ways represents the lives of everyday Istanbulites? If that’s even a word. I went to a fast food chain next to the university and was disappointed. Honestly, except for this one restaurant, the expectations for food have not held up.
That was the afternoon. It ended sooner than most afternoons because I had plans for the evening. I had a reservation to attend a Dervish Ceremony. Two days ago, I knew so little about Sufism that I confused Rumi, a prominent Sufi poet with Konya, where he lived.
I had no idea what to expect, a part of me was excited and another questioned the decision. I signed up for the most authentic ceremony I could find and it’s a religious practice. I have my qualms with religion especially with the ones that exert immense control over the followers. The ceremony was from 8:30 to 10:30 pm so I got dinner before the ceremony. To make up for the disappointing food in the afternoon, I went to this one restaurant that has been my favorite so far. I highly recommend it.
I reached the ceremony at the start time and I saw people watching a preacher on a screen. This was an optional thing. There was an hour long scheduled preaching session that I decided to skip but it started a little later I guess. I saw the last 15 minutes of it. Next, the actual ceremony started with prayers and readings from the Quran by the dervishes sitting in a circle. I saw caucasian people reciting the Quran and to me that was very odd. Okay, this is mainly because of my biases and that’s the point of travelling to broaden my horizon. What I really liked from the start was that there were more women than men in that circle and they were dressed like normal people. That’s not common in a religion that has a separate women’s section at the back of a mosque. The prayers had a particularly calming effect. It changed the vibe of the room. I was somewhat listening to a guy whose preachings are somewhat incoherent. He was probably jumping between verses. But the disciples, praying in a circle, felt more spiritual than religious. It was a good way to prepare for what was coming next.
There was a break after the prayers when we were served a snack and beverage. I talked to the woman next to me and it turned out she was a New Yorker who lived in Australia. That was surprising and even more surprising was that she was a computer science professor. I could talk to her about so many things. And we did briefly talk about the most important topic, NYC neighborhoods. She used to live in UWS and I in UES. We were close yet so far.
The break ended and the dervishes walked in wearing black robes over white clothes and a hat that made them look a lot taller. I noticed one hat was different, it had a green band tied to it. I had read about the head dervish who leads the ceremony, she must be the one. A woman as head dervish is something I really appreciated. The ceremony starts with chants and music. A few minutes in and the dervishes remove the black robes to reveal the white clothing underneath. In Sufism that’s meant to symbolize something that I can’t remember right now. The answer is just a google search away for the curious readers. Next, the whirling began. The music, the atmosphere, the whirling, the breeze from the whirling skirts was mystical and grounding. One disciple was whirling two feet away from me and I could see him so well with his eyes closed and his head titled as if he was transcended into a different world. A world where he wasn’t surrounded by a few random observers, a world where he was closer to his spiritual and religious self, a world where he was so calm yet aware that he never opened his eyes yet he never drifted from his spot.
The whirling went on for a while with occasional stops with different chants. Towards the end of the ceremony, many disciples were somber. I saw tears in their eyes. It’s not everyday that you see people cry in a religious ceremony, especially older men who live in a culture that sees crying as weakness. It couldn’t understand what they felt yet it made me have tremendous respect for the practice. A practice that moves you is something to be cherished. It’s not for me but I am glad it’s helping people.