Cross-road of East and West, Islam and Catholic, Old and New - Historic Areas of Istanbul 356; Arts of the Meddah, public storytellers 00037; Traditional Sohbet meetings 00385; Turkish coffee culture and tradition 00645
What and Why
As in the subtitle, Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) really does sit at the cross-road of everything: Europe and Asia, East and West, Christianity and Islam, Old and New... creating a cultural and heritage blend of fabric unique in the world. Many of the usual landmarks exhibit both eastern and western heritage, Byzantine and Catholic architecture, eastern and western flavours...
In a sense, this quote from Wikivoyage best summarises Istanbul: 'Lauded as the second Rome, this is a city where you most certainly should 'roam' - culture and excitement lie around every corner and more than 2,000 years of history await you'.
Toponymy
The name Istanbul, pronounced /isˈtanbuɫ/, is known to derive, surprisingly, from the Mediaeval Greek phrase εἰς τὴν πόλιν (eís tèn pólin) meaning 'to the city' and was the colloquial name for the city during the Byzantine era.
Two older names are of historic significance: The first known name of the city is Byzantium (Mediaeval Greek: Βυζάντιον, Byzántion), named after the Greek king Býzas (Ancient Greek: Βύζας), who founded the city in 660 BCE. The name of course eventually transpired to the Byzantine Empire (Mediaeval Greek: Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων, Basileía Rhōmaíōn) of the Middle Ages. After Constantine the Great (Latin: Constantinus Augustus) made it the new eastern capital of the Roman Empire (Latin: Imperium Romanum) in 324 CE, the city became known as Constantinople (Greek: Κωνσταντινούπολις, Konstantinoúpolis), meaning the city of Constantine.
See
Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)
The crown of jewel of Istanbul, Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya), meaning holy wisdom, is the epitome of Byzantine architecture and many consider this former cathedral to have revolutionised architecture.
Built in the 6th century CE as a Greek orthodox Christian cathedral, it was converted to a mosque during the Ottoman Empire (Osmanlı Devleti) and becomes a museum since 1930 CE, only to be recently converted back to a mosque, amidst protests. The former cathedral was the world's largest building and an engineering marvel of its time, in particular to construct the massive marquee dome. The church was built to dedicate Logos (Greek: Λόγος), the god of wisdom and not Saint Sophia (Italian: Santa Sofia), which even most tour guides are confused.
As the main picture above, the interior is simply insanely beautiful. Its interior is decorated with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings of great artistic value. The temple itself was so artistically decorated that the then king Justinian I (Latin: Iustinianus Augustus) proclaimed, 'Solomon (Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה, Shlomoh), I have outdone thee!'.
Both the exterior and interior exhibit both Christian and Islamic elements, blending it perfectly to such unsurpassed elegance that the cathedral / mosque / museum becomes the symbol of Istanbul.
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii), more affectionately known as the Blue Mosque due to its bluish interior, is a functioning mosque constructed in the the early 17th century CE, located in front of Hagia Sophia.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque has five main domes and eight secondary domes. The design incorporates many Byzantine elements aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendor. The upper area is decorated with approximately 20,000 hand-painted glazed ceramic in 60 different tulip patterns. The lower stories are illuminated by 200 stained glass windows. A special feature is an iron chain that hangs in the court entrance on the western entrance. Since only the Sultan was allowed to ride in on horseback and he would have to lower his head to not hit the chain, a symbolic gesture ensuring the humility before Allāh (Arabic: ٱللَّٰه).
The mosque is also one of those rare ones that has more than four minarets in this case six. These original plan was to build these minarets in gold, but the builders found it disrespectful to the Great Mosque (Arabic: اَلْمَسْجِدُ ٱلْحَرَامُ, Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām) of Mecca (Arabic: مَكَّةُ, Makkah). Facing a dilemma, he pretended that he misheard gold minarets (altın minareler) as six (altı minare). However at that time a unique feature of the Great Mosque was that it was the only mosque of six minarets. The Sultan then ordered a seventh minaret to be built and sent to the Mecca mosque as a gift.
Sultan Ahmet Square (Sultanahmet Meydanı)
Sultan Ahmet Square (Sultanahmet Meydanı) was a former hippodrome during the Constantinople era. What is left now is the piazza and the three obelisks and columns: Obelisk of Theodosius (Dikilitaş), the Serpentine Column (Yılanlı Sütun) and the Constantine Obelisk (Konstantin Dikilitaşı).
The particularly impressive Theodosius obelisk was brought by Theodosius I (Latin: Theodosius Augustus) all the way from Temple of Karnak (Arabic: الكرنك, El-Khurnak) in Luxor (Arabic: الأقصر, l-aqṣur) that dates back to 1490 BCE. The carvings on the obelisk show how the column was raised.
The Serpentine Column was originally the Tripod of Plataea, was casted to celebrate the victory of the Greeks over the Persians during the Persian Wars in the 5th century BCE. The column was placed right at the centre of the hippodrome.
Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı)
A giant underground cistern built by Justinian in the 6th century CE to provide water to the city in cases of siege. As a matter of fact there are several hundreds of them in Istanbul. This one is called the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı) as it was built on a former cathedral site.
Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı)
Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı), meaning the cannon gate, was the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans (Osmanlı padişahları) built in the 15th century CE.
A very important relic kept in the palace is the seal of Muhammad (Arabic: ختم الرسول, KḪatm ar-Rasūl), the official seal of the prophet Muhammad (Arabic: مُحَمَّدٌ, né مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ ٱللهِ, Muḥammad ibn Abd Allāh). Photography prohibited.
The museum is only partly open but those areas like the imperial harem are lavishly decorated.
Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi)
The Romanesque style tower was built originally as the Tower of Christ (Latin: Christea Turris) and offers a panoramic view of the city. The folklore of the Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) was that you would marry the first opposite sex you met on the top of the tower.
Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı)
The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı), meaning the covered market, is the Turkish version of the medina in Fez (Berber: ⴼⴰⵙ). It is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops. Almost impossible not to get lost (remember global positioning system does not work indoor or inside covered areas), it is considered the earliest shopping mall in history as it began operation since 1455 CE! The busy market is surprisingly clean! Clearly nowadays it has become a tourist trap.
Walls of Constantinople (İstanbul Surları)
The Walls of Constantinople (İstanbul Surları) are a series of defensive stone walls that are the Constantinople version of the Great Wall of China (Chinese: 萬里長城, Wanlichangcheng) or Roman Limes (Latin: līmes). Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls were built to surround Constantinople and protect it against attack from both sea and land.
Buy and Do
Meddah
Inside the few coffeehouses that I have visited, more to come below, I noticed that there was always a small stage for public storyteller to recite their stories. It looks like the Turkish version of stand-up shows, and often it draws quite a crowd, as above! This storyteller is known as meddah and has a history dating back to the Abbasid Caliphate (Arabic: اَلْخِلَافَةُ ٱلْعَبَّاسِيَّةُ, Al-Khilāfah Al-ʿAbbāsīyah) and is one of the ICHs, that has passed on for generations until today.
The meddah started his story-telling by hit his stick to the ground three times, clapped his hands and began to tell a rhyme, starting, "Hak, dostum, hak!" meaning 'True, my friends, true.'. His main tool is his stick, sometimes to simulate an object during the story, but more often to silence the crowd.
Apparently meddah know a large number of good traditional stories and tell them in an eloquent and very captivating tone, although I was told recently they have infused more and more social and political events during these shows. Meddah are also known to be very observant and analyse the crowd before telling a story to further capturing their attention. I do not understand a word of Turkish, but I have to say I am impressed with the oratory skills, but I am able to pick up that the story I heard had something to do to satire against a recent political event.
Meddah are known to have transmitted values and ideas among a predominantly illiterate population in Turkey. Their social and political criticism regularly provoked lively discussions about contemporary issues through their perfected art.
I wonder if this happens in a Starbucks in Turkey...
Sohbet
I was also invited to by my university host to join a sohbet meeting. Sohbet, literally meaning 'chat', is a Turkish social practice of community conversations that transmits societal and moral values. The communities consist exclusively of adult men regardless of ethnicity, religion or status. However members must have demonstrated good values and earn respect from others. In addition to conversations, the meetings include dancing, music, and feasts of traditional dishes.
Families encourage male members to attend because of the associated social and cultural benefits, in spite of the fact that it is restricted for male. These sohbet communities usually comprise 10 to 20 people guided by elected leaders usually with great respect within. This communal activity has helped to perpetuate Turkish values and fulfil an important educational function in the society.
Eat and Drink
Turkish delight (loqum)
Turkish delight (loqum) and Turkish tea (çay) can be found everywhere. Just one of the those tourist souvenirs you have to buy. Literally ubiquitous.
Turkish coffee (Türk kahvesi)
I have always known Turkish tea but honestly not so much about its coffee. It is another slap on my face that that Turkish coffee (Türk kahvesi) is taken so seriously, to an extent that it is listed as one of the ICHs!
Turkish coffee is coffee prepared using very finely ground coffee beans, unfiltered. The is mixed with water and usually sugar and brought to the boil in a special pot called cezve till the mixture begins to froth. Sometimes the coffee is boiled a few times to add to the froth. The coffee is quite strong and hence only small cups are served. Apparently this way of preparing coffee came from the Ottoman era! The tradition itself is a symbol of hospitality and entertainment that permeates all walks of Turkish life.
The word coffee entered the English lexicology in the 16th century CE via its Turkish word kahve, borrowed in turn from Arabic قهوة (qahwah). The Arabic word qahwah derives from another Arabic word قَهِيَ (qahiya), meaning 'lack hunger', in reference to the drink as an appetite suppressant.
Getting There and Around
I once took a free tour called Touristanbul, which is offered to Turkish Airlines patrons trapped in the airport for more than four hours. Totally free, including meals and everything! Unbelievable.
In fairness, if one does visit the city, spend at least a week there.
UNESCO Inscriptions
With its strategic location on the Bosphorus peninsula between the Balkans and Anatolia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, Istanbul has been associated with major political, religious and artistic events for more than 2,000 years. Its masterpieces include the ancient Hippodrome of Constantine, the 6th-century Hagia Sophia and the 16th-century Süleymaniye Mosque, all now under threat from population pressure, industrial pollution and uncontrolled urbanization.
Meddahlik was a Turkish theatre form performed by a single storyteller called a meddah and practised throughout Turkey and Turkishspeaking countries. Through the ages, similar narrative genres have flourished due to interaction among the peoples of Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East within this wide geographical area.
Historically, meddahs were expected to illuminate, educate, and entertain. Performing in caravanserais, markets, coffeehouses, mosques and churches, these storytellers transmitted values and ideas among a predominantly illiterate population. Their social and political criticism regularly provoked lively discussions about contemporary issues. The term meddah, borrowed from Arabic maddah “to praise”, can be translated as “storyteller”. The meddah selects songs and comic tales from a repertory of popular romances, legends and epics and adapts his material according to the specific venue and audience. However, the quality of the performance largely depends on the atmosphere created between storyteller and spectators, as well as the meddah’s ability to integrate imitations, jokes and improvisation often relating to contemporary events. This art, which places great value on the mastery of rhetoric, is highly regarded in Turkey.
Although some meddahs still perform at a number of religious and secular celebrations and appear on television shows, the genre has lost much of its original educational and social function due to the development of the mass media and in particular because of the appearance of TV sets in cafés.
Traditional Sohbet meetings play a crucial role in transmitting Turkish folk literature, folk dances and music, village plays as well as societal values. Turkish men meet regularly indoors, especially in winter, to discuss local social and cultural issues, safeguard traditions, and encourage solidarity, mutual respect and a sense of community. Meetings may include music, dances and plays, all enjoyed while consuming local dishes. A traditional Sohbet meeting may last until the early morning. Meetings are open to men above the age of 15 or 16, regardless of ethnicity, religion or status, with the basic requirement that members be of honest families, be trustworthy and respectful of their elders, and not gamble or display public drunkenness. Members may be penalized with a fine for missing a meeting, except under extenuating circumstances. Mothers and wives encourage male members to attend because of the associated social and cultural benefits. Communities usually comprise five to thirty persons and are guided by leaders, appointed by election or proposed by elders. Members of the community all have equal rights and commitments. The Sohbet meetings fulfil an important educational function by transferring ethical values such as social justice, tolerance, benevolence and respect.
Turkish coffee combines special preparation and brewing techniques with a rich communal traditional culture. The freshly roasted beans are ground to a fine powder; then the ground coffee, cold water and sugar are added to a coffee pot and brewed slowly on a stove to produce the desired foam. The beverage is served in small cups, accompanied by a glass of water, and is mainly drunk in coffee-houses where people meet to converse, share news and read books. The tradition itself is a symbol of hospitality, friendship, refinement and entertainment that permeates all walks of life. An invitation for coffee among friends provides an opportunity for intimate talk and the sharing of daily concerns. Turkish coffee also plays an important role on social occasions such as engagement ceremonies and holidays; its knowledge and rituals are transmitted informally by family members through observation and participation. The grounds left in the empty cup are often used to tell a person’s fortune. Turkish coffee is regarded as part of Turkish cultural heritage: it is celebrated in literature and songs, and is an indispensable part of ceremonial occasions.
References
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