Day 4 Pre-Ottoman Anatolia and the Gazi Impulse (Safronbolu)

Exploring the role of religious orders in the foundation of the State. 

Thinking of trying the Turkish bath and Hamam today. 

Run with three colleagues this morning. Gorgeous...

View over Safronbolu. 

Alright, today was incredible!!!  I'm not even sure where to start. We started from Safronbolu and drove to a village called Yurukuru where there are some Ottoman style homes, the oldest of which was over 400 years old. These people were the best bakers in Turkey. In fact, many bakers that have been renowned in Istanbul have roots back to this village. 

The Ottomans had important Jannissaries (military men) who made money and would come out to the country from Istanbul for part of the year. They became associated with a Sufi Bektashi group of Islam. It is quite complicated to go into, and I don't want to cause you to never come back to my blog, but these people's homes are full of symbolism that comes from both Islam and Christianity. The Ottomans were tolerant of religious diversity, much moreso than in Turkey since the empire ended. Needless to say, much symbolism regarding certain numbers and religious beliefs is portrayed in these old homes. We went in one of them, and it was fascinating.  I was told by our tour guide that of the over 5,000 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Turkey, about 1,500 are from Safronbolu and it surrounding areas. 

This is the oldest home in Yurukuru. It is over 400 years old!

These notches are the mark of the builder, like a signature. 

The wash room, as this area was irrigated and not close to a stream or river. There is much religious symbolism even here, like 12 sides to the washing stone. 

Turkish tea time.  

Saffron bulbs:  What Safronbolu is partially renowned for

A charming lunch spot in an old shopping/trading area. 

Along the market area of Safronbolu. P

This was really fascinating to see this example of an old countryside extended family Ottoman house. 

The harem area of the house. These women had much more power than they are stereotypically given credit for. 

My one photo from the Turkish bath. The bath was so peaceful. Beautiful marble walls and arches. So pampered. Skin so soft. Ahhhh!  :-)

Met an accomplished metallurgist (center) with a colleague. This man had three shops, was impressed with the few Turkish phrases I could stammer out, and talked me in to two pieces. Great experience in Safronbolu shopping. Happy to give my money here before going to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. 

Some of his craftsmanship  

Day 3 Linguistic and Visual Vocabularies for Ottoman History

Today we start out in Istanbul and end in Safronbolu. What does that last name sound like?  Yes, the deliciousness of Safron!  Hoping to purchase some for cheaper than U.S. prices. Going to Koc University (do not have Turkish alphabet on here so cannot spell it exact). It is said Koch. Then going to Bogazici University. It is said Boyazichi. I have learned some already about Turkish and super excited to report on more.

Just checked into the hotel in Safronbolu.  Very quaint, almost chateau style. Old. Lovely. Very excited to explore tomorrow, but it is 9:00 p.m.  Am skipping dinner to talk with children. Eating is so late here, especially during Ramazan. 

Below I will post pics of today and annotate later. 

Koc University. Beautiful, private university. More American style. 

We studied poetic tradition of Ottomans. The above poem was by a woman (extremely unusual). Very fascinating. Poetry was used as way to seek the divine and also about longing for love. Because of the cultural sensibilities, this was done in a longing for an androgynous being, usually in language of pre pubescent boy, because inappropriate to speak publicly about women. These were oral poems recited publicly. 

Our teacher for the morning. 

My cafeteria lunch at the university. 

Don't you think these exit signs are much more fun than ours?   I have understand that sense of urgency at times. :-)

We had a Turkish language lesson. I can now count to five and say some basics. Easy, phonetic alphabet. 

Crossing the bridge to the Asian side

Countryside from my 6 hour bus ride

Our hotel. Has a sweet appeal, especially after a 6 hour bus ride. :-)

Day 2 First Day of Ramazan

Above is what I ate for dinner last night. The grand finale was my inner sweet tooth's favorite. 

Istanbul is the only major city that straddles two continents. Across the way there is Asia. We will go to that side later. 

Wow!  I keep pinching myself that I am actually here and experiencing such amazing times.  Today is the first day of Ramazan (Ramadan everywhere else). Muslims fast for the daylight hours and then break the fast at night with much feasting and celebration. It lasts for 30 days. They also use the time to examine their lives and remind themselves of virtues such as compassion, forgiveness and charity. It is also a time to not gossip, speak ill, etc.

There were crowds at the mosque waiting to break the fast. They do this with dates and light foods and then have a large feast late at night with family and friends at restaurants or at others' homes. I am enjoying so much this experience. 

Here is a run down of the day:

Breakfast here at the hotel includes such items as olives, tomatoes, and cold meats. Kids, when I get home we are converting. :-)

We went to a couple of hours of class this morning. We learned about alternative narratives to the "decline" narrative of the Ottoman Empire. So many social and cultural things happening, and it doesn't always have to be the testosterone-driven narrative of weakening armies and empire. This wasn't brand new to me, but much of what I'm learning is. 

We all went to a cafe for lunch. Delicious food here in Turkey!  We then went to a museum in an old traditional Turkish house/mansion near the edge of the Bosphorus after driving a bit. We saw ancient artifacts and a good selection of Ottoman items including the most astounding works of embroidery, a major handicraft of the era. No photos were allowed there unfortunately. 

We then boarded a boat and rode several miles of the Bosphorus, which connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea. Gorgeous day! Perfect temp for a boat ride and gorgeous scenery!  Ended with a several course meal. Michelle and Leslie, the baklava here is incredible!

Our first lunch course besides salad. Anyone recognize any of these?  

Traditional Turkish house along the Bosphorus. This was the museum we went to. 

Yes, that is the Turkish flag with one happy girl on a gorgeous boat ride down the Bosphorus. 

Looooong flight and Istanbul!

Our 9.5 hour flight from NYC turned into 10.5, but I did manage to sleep. Counting that blessing, because we finally made it to the hotel at 2:30. Class started at 3:30, and we introduced ourselves in a group Circle Up on top of the hotel roof, which happens to have the best view of Istanbul.

I am working with an incredible group of educators. There are so many passionate teachers, and our professors are top notch. Today I already got to use a little of the Turkish I have learned. Besides a little introduction class on the geography of the area and expectations for our study groups (I'm with the Trade and Economy group), we all went to eat at Khorasani, a few blocks from our hotel. We had this delicious smoked and grilled meat kabob, a type of flatbread, salads, appetizer of another small flatbread with a meat that tasted like goat and the sweetest baklava for dessert. Good thing we are doing much walking. :-)

Then we walked down a main street of Istanbul with our prof, Barb. She has been here many times, and is super fun in addition to being an expert. 

Now for the photos of the day, all from my iPhone. Will post some from my SLR camera when I return. 

The Blue Mosque or Sultanhamet Mosque, the most famous in Istanbul, from top of our hotel. 

The Hagia Sofia, which was a Byzantine Christian cathedral then mosque and now a museum. Again, this is the view from the roof and also similar from my room though a lower floor. So stunning. 

Where the meat for our dinner was cooked. It smells amazing here. 

Where we ate dinner. 

Turkish Delight and other scrumptiousness. 

The Constantine Column. You guessed it--dates back to the emporer and once had a statue of him on top. Behind is another mosque. 

Perhaps my favorite photo of the day, the Burger King with the neighboring mosque minaret. 

New York City

Arrived in NYC last night at midnight. Thank you Isaac and Jim for hosting this country girl. Isaac walked me all over Central Park and the West Side this morning. We crammed a ton in to 3 1/2 hours!  On Air Train now to JFK to fly straight to Istanbul after navigating the Subway with Isaac's help. Super excited for this adventure.

Isaac lives in Harlem, about two blocks from the famous Apollo theatre.