...but i seem to be enjoying these trappings the most while here! istanbul is an absolute feast for the senses - each and every one engaged fully at all times - and i am in sensory overload most of the time. for someone who is detail-oriented and fascinated by color/texture/fragrance, this place is a bonanza. the bazaar alone, regardless of any purchases, is enough to entertain one for hours, just perusing the modern wares in an ancient covered market. and the tea...everywhere i go, i am kindly and warmly offered a cup of tea...on the ferry ride across the bosphorous, by shop owners, and at fire departments (i happened to be passing by a rural firehouse near a beach along the black sea in the town of agva yesterday, and there were 2 firefighters trying their luck at table tennis - i would surmise they have been inspired by the olympics - and as the ball bounced away from them and toward me, i retrieved it, and the fire chief offered me some tea!).
long having wanted to visit turkey, and now here, i am thrilled. here is a non-sensical thought: china is not mongolia, turkey is not china, but mongolia and turkey share significant history and linguistic roots. it's true. both languages share a genesis in the altaic-turkic language group. although turkish uses the latin alphabet (very similar to the english one), and mongolian uses cyrillic (conveniently accessible to me as a former student of russian), some of the words and vowel harmonies are similar to identical across both languages.
and the history...while turkey has been home for the roman, byzantine, and ottoman empires, mongolia under the rule of CHINGGIS KHAN (not genghis...mongolians would not approve of this malignment of their cherished leader's name - it's CHINGGIS) dominated most of the asian steppe plateau, as far west as turkey - the largest empire in all of history, larger than the former soviet union, i believe. so, really, i am coming full circle here. throw in some russian influence as well (quite prominent here) and turkey encompasses all i've ever studied, where i've lived, and everything that interests me.
now on to mosques...i have never seen so many in my life, all in one place. in fact, i don't know that i have ever visited a place which is predominantly muslim. i have been to russia (orthodox), mongolia (buddhist), china (officially atheist but largely buddhist-influenced, with confucian as well)...so this is a new experience all around for me. places of worship always fascinate me, with their ornate facades and awe-inspiring caverns. the acropolis, parthenon, temple of nike, st. basil's cathedral, notre dame, st. peter's basilica, sistine chapel, church on spilled blood, forbidden city, aya sofya, the blue mosque, selmiye camii...and my simpler churches at home, all designed to bring us closer to worship...it is so interesting to me how different religions and faiths evolve, and how the places of worship have been designed to reflect and channel adoration of and for God. really, i think anthropology is looking better and better...languages, cultures, religions, traditions, beliefs...there's so much to explore.
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