Mosques of Istanbul and Whirling Dervishes

07.18.09

The sun rose a blood red over the sea behind us this morning as we were pulling into the Istanbul harbor. The Aya Sofya and Blue Mosque created a magnificent forefront view with the rest of Istanbul spread out behind them. I'm going to see those in a few days, so I'll write more about them later. Istanbul is the largest city in Europe with 12 million people in it. The previously mentioned mosques are some of its most famous examples of Istanbul's architecture and are renowned in the Muslim world and among connoisseurs of beautiful, historical buildings.

After attending a lecture on Virginity Testing, Hymen Reconstruction, and Honor Killings this morning my girlfriends and I met up with some of Alex's friends from Ohio who took us to Taksum Square. The site of the terrible events of Bloody Sunday, Taksum Square is now a starting off point down a popular shopping street for young Turks. Among the clothing stores are shops filled with towers of honey-soaked baklava, colorful scarves, and ice cream shops with leaning towers of ice cream cones. Upbeat Turkish music fills the air of the wide walking street. It was nice to start off the country with a part of Istanbul that is less tourist-packed.

Tonight Kate and I saw a Sufi Dervish ceremony. The whirling dervishes were accompanied by calming Sufi musicians, creating an atmosphere that was tranquil and mesmerizing at the same time. The dervishes were dressed in all white with tall tan hats. They would spin in circles on the same spot for minutes at a time, only stopping for a small portion of the hour long ceremony. Their floor-length white skirts looked like large flowers as they all spun in unison, their arms lifted overhead and their eyes closed. They train for years to be able to spin like they do; I was very surprised by the age range of the whirling dervishes. I expected all older men, but some of them looked like they were in their late twenties. With their raised arms and swirling skirts, I was reminded of little girls spinning around in joy. With the traditional music filling the air, the ceremony was intensely spiritual and relaxing.