ARIT Trip I: The Bosphorus and Black Sea

Many of you know that I was able to come here to study by way of receiving an ARIT (American Research Institute in Turkey) Fellowship. Besides the funding the fellowship provides me tuition and expenses, the ARIT foundation has organized a number of trips for us.

Two weeks ago, it was a trip up the Bosphorus to the point where the Bosphorus meets the Black Sea. It was a beautiful day, and ARIT had a Byzantine historian join us to talk about the castle we hiked up to. The castle is on the Asian side, and was part of a series of fortifications the Byzantines built along the Bosphorus at narrow points. Some say this castle dates to the time of Justinian (6th century C.E.), but most argue that it was probably built in the 11th or 12th century C.E. The Byzantines were thought to have a heavy chain that stretched across the Bosphorus to stop unwanted ships from advancing. That would have been a sight to see.

The castle was made from material from other structures that were disassembled to obtain bricks and the like. At the site, you can see Greek inscriptions that were obviously from a church that was recycled into this fortress.

After the castle, we headed back to our boats and went north. The Black Sea at this point was daunting, looking like the ocean with a number of large ships and tankers heading towards the Bosphorus and onward passage into the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean. We were able to swim off the boat a few times, an activity most Turks would deem crazy, but this far up the straight, the water was much cleaner than it would be in Istanbul.

Lunch was languid affair, with meze, beer and raki, fish, baklava and tea. This didn't help energize those who were to attempt to swim ACROSS the Bosphorus in the afternoon. I made a valiant attempt, but I am only able to say I swam "half-way from Asia to Europe".

Weekend in Konya II: Rumi and the Mevlana Museum

Another must see in Konya is the Mevlana museum, which houses the tomb of the most famous sufi, the Seljuk poet Rumi. The museum is more of a shrine, with a mosque just across the courtyard. Outside, one is struck by the turquoise-tiled tower, which is amazingly beautiful. Inside, the numerous tombs of sufi dervishes are ornately covered, and topped with large turbans. The interior of the museum is equally stunning, with beautiful tile work and calligraphy. There were copies of the Qur'an dating back to the 8th century, one of which was writing on gazelle hide.


The exterior of the Mevlana museum, and the tomb of Rumi

The atmosphere inside was surreal, with people who had made pilgrimages to the site praying, and in the background, a recording of the nay, a type of wooden flute, was playing softly. Truly amazing.

read more about Rumi and sufiism at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi

Weekend in Konya I: Çatalhöyük

Sorry for the lack of posts. Things are busy here, especially as the course winds down. The weekend before last, Aaron let me join him on a trip to visit his friend Aydin in Konya, a city south of Ankara. The long overnight bus ride was worth it, as we had a great time.

Konya is famous for a number of things. It is the birthplace of St. Luke of biblical fame, but before that, the area around Konya had been inhabited for thousands of years. Çatalhöyük is a famous archaeological site dating to the neolithic period. The site is fascinating, and well worth the visit. Boeing was one of the main sponsors of the work there, which was fun to see a small bit of Seattle in the middle of the plains of Anatolia. Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalhoyuk


the dig site, and a statue of the Mother Goddess

Weekend in Cunda

This past weekend, Aaron, Chase and I (all in the same class at UW) were able to visit our professor and TA on the island of Cunda. Cunda is on the Aegean Sea, and we were able to see the Greek island of Levos across the harbor. Cunda is one of the towns that was completely changed by the population exchange between Greece and Turkey after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The town was inhabited by Greeks until they were moved to modern day Greece, and Turks from Crete were moved back to Turkey proper. The town's architecture is much more Greek than Turkish or Ottoman. Other than a long bus ride back and forth, we had an amazing time. Selim, our teacher, and Muge, our TA, both teach at the Harvard program for Ottoman Turkish. The Harvard facility is amazing, housed in an old Greek house that was recently remodeled--think stone mosaic floors with wi-fi internet.


streets in Cunda

the waterfront in Cunda

Getting to Cunda was an adventure in itself. The bus took a ferry across the Sea of Marmara, where the sheer number of oil tankers waiting to go up the Bosphorus is amazing. The ferries run all day and night, and serve as a link to get goods from Istanbul into the rest of Turkey, as well as places beyond.

not Coleman Dock.....

Saudis and sailors and snacks....oh my

not Metro, either.....

İyi akşamlar….

Taksim Square and İstiklal Caddesi are the hubs of Istanbul on the European (Avrupa) side. All day and all night, the area is alive with people, mainly Istanbulites, but many visitors as well, who shop, eat, gather, and just walk up and down the pedestrian street. It is a great place to be, and down any small side street, you will find bars and restaurants with tables and chairs set up to enjoy a tea, a beer or rakı, and maybe a stuffed mussel or a meze of labne, peynir, zeytin, and melon. The evening is wonderful, and a nice break from the jostling of the busy street just a block away.

The rest of the photos are from my seat at a small bar, where a large beer (0.5 litre) is about $2, and comes with a bowl of fresh cucumbers sliced in lemon. That plus the vantage makes for a very nice way to send off the day.

Anti-aircraft Dorm

I live in the Ucaksavar Dorm. "Ucaksavar" translates into anti-aircraft gun. While I have yet to find out where the surface-to-air missles are in this dorm, I have included some choice photos of what to expect from communal dorm architecture and style...

my room, with private balcony (best part)



coming and going.....


industrial chic lighting fixtures.....


w/c


my neighbors

It's not all fun in the sun......

Istanbul and Turkey are wonderful, but there are places where you can see how the problems that Turkey faces can cause less than ideal realities....





bombed-out building near the British consulate in Istanbul



This is at the entrance to a new shopping mall in Levent, where every car is chacked for bombs. This is common at most large shopping centers that I have seen.






Buildings left in ruins after the last earthquake.....

Some new pictures....

evening into night, Nisantasi and Ortakoy


dorm-room breakfast

evening in Bebek

a busy Besiktas street turns quiet


beware of wigs

KUMPIR!!!!!

I have to say, food in Turkey is amazing. Very rarely do I get something to eat that leaves me unimpressed. Down in Ortakoy, they are famous for kumpir. Many of you who know me know that I will try almost anything, so I had to give the fully loaded kumpir a try.

The basic concept is great: a big baked potato, topped with some tasty Turkish treats. When you ask for "tam karisik", you get EVERYTHING. (see photo of kumpir bar)

So, first one large baked potato is split, then a good amount of butter, salt, and cheese is mixed in with another whole potato. The kumpirci (the guy making it) then mashes all of those together to form a rather tasty base. Then, the toppings start. First, hot dogs (sort of) in a red sauce, followed by "Russian Salad" (aka potato salad), then chopped dill pickles, corn, peas, red cabbage, bulgar wheat, special sauce (the pink one), labne (cream cheese with dill), mushrooms, black olives, red pepper sauce, ketchup, and mayonaise. It is neatly packaged for you with a spoon, and weighs about one kilo. Afiyet Olsun!!!! (Turkish for "bon appetit")

A Turkish Wedding

Last weekend, I was able to go to the wedding of my teacher from UW Muge's sister. I was great for Muge to invite us, and we had an amazing time. We left campus, and caught a ferry in Besiktas to go over to Kadikoy on the Asian side of Istanbul. Kadikoy has a lived-in feel, and was fun to walk around before meeting up with Muge.

The groom(Mehmet), bride(Filis), and Muge (above)


When we got to the wedding, we were amazed at the set-up: a huge sit-down dinner for 200, with great food, wine, and raki. The bride and groom arrived for pictures, then departed while the last guests arrived. We all had meze and drinks, and then the couple came down for the ceremony. The ceremony itself lasted all of 5 minutes. The couple sat at a table with a judge and two witnesses. The judge asked basic questions, like who their parents were, where they were born, and if they came to this union in agreement. The judge then had the couple and the witnesses sign the forms, and then she left. The only thing that made her look like anyone "official" was this bright red "robe" she wore.

After that, the couple danced between fireworks, and then started their "rounds". They would go from table to table, getting pictures taken with all the guests, and at the same time, they guests would give them their presents. Presents came in two forms: gold, that was either a bracelet or a medal that they would pin on the bride, or cash, for which the bride had an expandable purse to load up. I was told that all of the gold would be sold for cash, so ultimately cash is the wedding gift of choice--no big bridal registries in Turkey.

All in all, an amazing night. Meeting Muge's family and friends was great fun. My new favorite line in Turkish, from Muge's cousin, translates as "are we in a mosque or what?" and is used to get everyone to toast repeatedly.