İstanbul at contrast with itself

Dear Reader,

I must apologize for the long gap between this post and the last. The last several weeks have been very busy, papers, finals, and then a somewhat stressful hostel experience. Though, in between all of that, I’ve had fun and have done plenty of wandering.

After exams, my program at Boğazici University finally came to an end and I needed a new place to stay at. I eventually settled in Sultanahmet, the oldest district of Istanbul. It is the district with Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace; the three major tourist destinations in Istanbul. There are several really interesting museums to visit, especially the archeology museum. It was also great to have breakfast every morning overlooking the old walls and the straits, while watching the sun rise over Asia.

Sultanahmet is not only a fascinating area of Istanbul, it is also very clean, as to keep appearances for local families looking for fun and the tourists. At night, it almost feels like I’m at my hometown’s summer festival. Children are frolicking about, while couples and passersby gather around the lit up fountain and watch the water show. The lawn around the fountain is worn out by shoes, so many bring their blankets to recline and enjoy the wonderful weather.

Yet, it is expensive and tiresome to sleep at. It’s like living at IKEA, but all the employees will not stop talking to your money. However, Gülhane park was always nearby. Even though plenty of visitors frequent there, it's very tranquil. I've probably napped there everytime walking through it. A day in Sultanahmet is never wasted time, but I don’t recommend staying there if you are trying to experience Istanbul outside of being a distant observer. Yet, if you are looking for a very nice dinner and evening, Sultanahmet is the place to go.  If money is also not an issue, or you are on a family vacation, I would not worry about any of the problems I had.

Before I tell you about where I am currently staying at now, I should point out a part of Sutlanahmet that I was completely unaware of before yesterday. In searching for Küçük Ayasofya (there are two Hagia Sophias), I found myself walking through a part of Sultanahmet that did not have any hotels or high-end restaurants. On the contrary, the place was as dilapidated as any I have seen in the city. Although the vicinity around Küçük Ayasofya was a little more clean, much of the housing was small, and barbed wire decked sheet metal walls. I suppose this sight should not have come of a surprise. Even in the upscale districts of Istanbul, there are pockets of poverty. However, it is still difficult to fathom that the Four Seasons hotel is only a three minute walk from Küçük Ayasofya, and that both occupy the same street. It would seem as though the life a traveler living in Sultanahmet is significantly more comfortable than for the people living there.

Across the Galata bridge to the north is Beyoğlu. Another old area of Istanbul, it is otherwise quite different from Sultanahmet. Whereas most of Sultanahmet and surrounding Fatıh is conservative and touristed, Beyoğlu is modern and gritty. Tourists do come here, but in lesser number. Istanbulites seeking modern Turkey come here. It is much easier to blend in here, which is one of the reasons I moved up here for the next week instead of continuing to stay in Sultanahmet.

İstiklal Avenue. Not as touristed, but crowded. An estimated 3 million visit it daily over the weekends.

Name-brand clothing stores, cinemas, night clubs and bars line Taksim Square and Istiklal Avenue in central Beyoğlu.* Erotic shops are also a fairly common sight in Beyoğlu, and they outnumber mosques, which are conspicuously almost completely absent. Instead of hearing the call to prayer, I hear music emanating from the streets and out of clubs. Over Ramadan, I’ve noticed more Turks eating during the day than in other parts of Istanbul. As the neighborhood successfully protested against recent plans to build a mosque in the middle of Taksim, I am not surprised. Meanwhile, a large monument of Atatürk and secular republicanism dominates the center of Taksim square.

I’ll try to get back to you all about my experiences in the other areas of Istanbul, as the landscape reflects the attitudes and backgrounds of the people living there. It also tells us how Istanbul is one of the most dynamic cities in the world, and is also one of stark contrasts.

*You might be thinking, “Weren’t you just complaining about living in a shopping mall?” While it might be true that there are more stores here than in Sultanahmet, I am not being constantly approached by salesmen, and I can find good, cheap goods here, especially food.

In the courtyard of the Blue Mosque.

Instead of asking people to bow before entering the mosque, they drape a curtain at the doorway.

Early in the morning at Gülhane Park.

Beyoğlu, viewed from Eminönü (near Sultanahmet).

"There is no god, but God."

Galata bridge.

A smaller mosque in Eminönü.

A prayer clock.

A pavilion in the gardens of Topkapı Palace.

Interior of Küçük Ayasofya / Small Hagia Sophia. Also a former orthodox church.

I spy a middle finger.

Küçük Ayasofya exterior

In Tophane, Beyoğlu, as I was exiting the modern art museum.

Working here can be hard, but more social than similar jobs in America.

Basilica Cistern. Dates to the Roman Empire.

Base of one of the two Medusa columns in the Cistern.
Although the other head is upside down instead, archaeologists
found that it was intentional.

Islam and Secularism, and even more Atatürk

Dear reader,

Turkey is a Muslim majority country. At the very least, over 90% of the country is Muslim. Of those, the vast majority follow Sunni Islam and most of the rest are Alevi Muslims. I see mosques about as frequently as churches back at home. Meanwhile, I have not heard any church bells here, but the Islamic call to prayer is sounded five times daily over loudspeakers.

I bring up Islam for several reasons. For one, I know a lot of those reading this are curious as to what life is like in a Muslim majority country. Naturally, I can’t answer that question as a practicing Turkish Muslim, but I’ll try to give as good of insight as a foreigner with limited contact with Islam can have.

The lines are always this long in the evening during Ramadan.

There are many obvious differences. As already alluded to, the landscape looks very different from anywhere else I have been to, if only for the presence of mosques. I have not had pork once, let alone seen it on any menu. I see women wearing all different kinds of Hijab (see photos below) and the Koran on bookshelves. With Ramadan having begun only days ago, it is more conspicuous that ever, as many here observe it by fasting during daylight hours and crowd. Although most cafes and restaurants remain in service throughout the day, many are unusually empty. Several close their windows, as to not distract those that are fasting. But they hardly lose any business, for famished patrons crowd outside, patiently waiting for dusk and repast.

Yet, I have yet to consciously interact with Islam. I have visited a handful of mosques by now, but I haven’t compared beliefs with anybody here and I still know only a little about the religion. Although Islam has always been fascinating, my curiosity has not been raised to this high of a level yet. I’ll probably look into it more after I finish summer school.

Islam is especially complicated in Turkey. Its presence cannot be denied. Yet, because Istanbul is especially secularized, it can be difficult to see how Islam manifests itself. Although these values are hardly espoused by everybody, there is a very strong secularist tradition in modern Turkey. In politics, this is evidenced by the strong views people tend to have on the subject. Until recently, the state tended towards hostility against Islamic expression in public. Mind you, this is not the secularism most of you are familiar with. In the United States, belief in secularism and religion coexist because American secularism is more concerned with the state's power over religion, not the other way around.

Without having familiarity with the issue, it's an enormous paradox: The vast majority of the country, including the state, follows Islam. Public expressions of Islam occur all the time. For example, Ramadan feasts and the prayer calls. Also, wearing the hijab in school is technically illegal, but nobody bothers to enforce the law anymore. The state controls religion, but ironically does so under assumptions characteristic of Sunni Islam.

The apparent contradictions do not end there. There are a few that are hardly religious but zealously adhere to the secular values espoused by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the republic and modern-day Turkey. In one word, he embodied arête, but since none of you probably knows what means... His significance to modern Turkey cannot be denied; among other accomplishments, he revitalized much of the country and saved it from imperial domination. Yet, as I am learning in class, many of his other actions had terrible consequences that linger to this day.

His legacy and near legendary status in Turkey is an important feature of not only politics, but society at large. There even is a mythos of Atatürk that is not unlike those of prophets of long ago; superhuman saviors that deliver their nation from tyranny at its most critical moment. Many shops and cafes display small portraits of Atatürk on their walls, and monuments to him are commonplace in Istanbul. It is also illegal to say anything bad of Atatürk in Turkey, which might explain in part why we scrutinize Kemalist values in class, not Atatürk himself. Even in that space, where I think is safe to be outspoken, I find myself being a little hesitant to criticize him directly. Nevertheless, many people, even foreigners, fall in love with Atatürk.

That there is the boy that chopped
down the cherry tree!

Although this devotion to Atatürk might seem excessive to many, reverence to foundational figures is extremely commonplace. Most countries even have myths surrounding their founding fathers. The United States is far from being an exception. Much of the time, these myths can blur the distinction between religion and politics. Alternatively, they can also reveal the lack of division between the two. If that seems like a contradiction, I assure you that all contradictions are only constructs for our own uncertainty. I personally look forward to deconstructing as many as I can.

Exterior of the Suleymaniye Mosque

Interior of Suleymaniye Mosque

Atatürk the front-line commander.

President Atatürk

Atatürk the wall-flower.

Every morning, I say, "Hello Atatürk."

I swear I'm not obsessed.

Negotiation

 Dear Reader,

You might have noticed that I haven’t posted for over two weeks. Well, reader, although I love Istanbul and the great opportunity I have, it has been a frustrating two weeks. Therefore, I decided to blog after my anxieties ease. After two and a half weeks experiencing Athens and Istanbul, the small annoyances and miscommunication began to affect my mood substantially. There were a number of practical errors that bothered me: only I couldn’t access my meal plan money, I briefly thought my phone didn’t work, and my Turkish class is really difficult. Yet, even those issues reflected my status as an American in another country.

I also started to feel not only annoyed, but also disconnected from everyone else. I am learning Turkish at a rapid rate, but I know there is no way I’ll really be able to connect with any of the locals here until I work on my Turkish for, at the very least, six months. Luckily, I am going to be abroad for a longer amount of time, but that doesn’t alleviate the current problem very much. I always feel foolish when I resort to asking locals if they speak English. I know that I am not being presumptuous, but it definitely looks like I am. I can see it in they way people respond to me whenever I do that.

There are other difficulties that I have as well: contending with the traffic, taxi drives, false friends, knowing when to bargain and not knowing the layout of the city. Ultimately, I know these are problems that can only be experienced by somebody with enough resources to actually travel, but what allows me to recognize these issues as somewhat temporary is knowledge of culture shock.

A couple of you might have already started nodding your heads: “Ah... the young lad is going through culture shock”. But since most of you probably aren’t Irish psychologists, I’ll elaborate. According to Macionis and Gerber, culture shock is the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, or to a move between social environments. It’s something all of you have experienced, be it moving to a new neighborhood or being a freshman in high school. Technically speaking, it happens to all of us very frequently. Yet, I insist that culture shock in another country is unlike anything I’ve experienced before.

Luckily, I knew about culture shock ahead of time, thanks to DePauw’s off-campus study office. They explained that there are four phases: honeymoon, negotiation, adjustment and biculturalism. I definitely know that I have been through the honeymoon phase already, though sometimes I still experience the euphoria of being in Istanbul. Yet, this euphoria does not have the same presence as it did when I first got here (see earlier posts). Like most honeymoon periods, it eventually ends.

As far as I can tell, there are many ways in which people can respond to culture shock. One can stereotype, learn more about the culture, study the language, socialize with locals and / or with other foreigners, isolate oneself, drink to oblivion, or find a new hobby. There are many ways of coping, but not all of them make culture shock any easier. I’ll leave it for you to decide which options help, and when they do. One of my goals is mastering biculturalism. At the moment, I suppose it is attainable, but it does not mean total assimilation.

A friend of mine, M, explained to me very well that there are some differences that one cannot reach. Last night, I took a taxi from Taksim with him. In the ride, I tried to converse with the driver in Turkish, as I usually do, but this guy gave me the cold shoulder. It was not as if he didn’t spoke Turkish; he understood M’s Turkish very well. Several hours later, I brought it up in a conversation with M. He looked at me and said, “You want to know the difference?” He gestured to me to hold out my arm against his. My tanned, but white arm starkly contrasted with his darker skin, which had “Redskin” (in Turkish) tattooed. It really comes down to that.

Thus, dear reader, there are differences we cannot overcome. We cannot change other peoples’ attitudes and assumptions, nor can we completely understand their backgrounds. This does not just apply to the few Turkish people that demonstrate resentment towards Western tourists; racial constructions are nearly universal.Yet, we should do more to understand one another, especially those with very different identities. In doing so, you might be able to  understand what reasons people have for acting a certain way. By virtue of recognition, you'll probably learn more about how your own background affects your own behavior.

I know I will be doing both, as my privilege to have the great opportunity of doing so obligates me to the task.

Saygılarımla
 


I took a few photos this week when I visited Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar.

The place was covered with visitors! Even more so than Aya Sofia

A very small, but elegant mosque.

Another beautiful view of the straits from the palace.

It was nice to get some shade in the palace gardens.

Exiting the palace through the imperial gate.

Entering the Grand Bazaar.

The Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest, but one of the liveliest shopping areas of Istanbul

I'll have that one.

Complimentary tea, as to emphasize that many cultural encounters are pleasant.

Studying Istanbul

Dear reader,

In many ways, student life in Istanbul is not all that different than back at home.

Instead of books, we mostly get copies.
Long wait, but much less expensive!

My two classes are very intriguing. Although I still know only a little Turkish, I’m far better off than I was thanks to the language course. For instance, making purchases at shops is much less time-consuming now that I know how to ask for the price and understand the amount they offer. My political class is essentially a critical survey of political issues in Turkey. Nearly half the class are American exchange students and almost everyone else is Turkish, which makes for an interesting clash of perspectives when the United States enters discussion...



Totally kidding. There is definitely some resentment over American policies, but it does not translate into any sort of distaste toward Americans in general.

 As interesting and helpful as my classes are, they are intensive and each meet for two hours. When classes were done on Thursday, I was more than ready to start exploring the city some more. 

Not having quite mastered public transportation in Istanbul on Friday, I pretty much just took a bus that I knew was heading south and got off wherever it took me. Şişli seemed like a pretty cool place, so I stopped there and walked around. I didn’t actually do too much other than walk around and look at the city. I grabbed a döner sandwich and did some window shopping. It was kind of like walking down Michigan Ave in Chicago; there were more expensive shops and malls in this area.

I made my way south over to Taksim, which is the largest plaza in the northern part of Istanbul. Here everything was significantly less expensive and a little more authentic (for lack of a better word). Many of the shops, like back near campus, were halfway into the ground, so I had to really watch my step. I bought three used books from a small store to read later. It was especially easy to get lost in deserted areas, as by now it was past 17:00 (military time is used in Turkey). That said, I easily found the most beautiful views of the Golden Horn from there.

Not my photo. My camera couldn't capture what I saw. Just imagine sunset and being closer to the ground.

 I eventually started walking back north. Having tired of walking, I stopped by Tophane for a little nargile (hookah). I read Ottoman history for a good two hours and and, having had enough history and nargile, I found the next bus and made my way back to the dorm. Somehow, my feet were only a little sore, as I had been on the move for a good nine hours.

I got a slightly earlier start the next day, because I wanted to visit Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia / Aya Sofia. I didn’t get around to Topkapi though, because I spent a very long time at Aya Sofia. I had dreams of being here since when I was ten, and it was very fulfilling just being there. For those of you that don't know, Aya Sofia is an 1.800 year old mosque. In its long history, it has also been both a Orthodox and Catholic cathedral. It was built near the end of the Roman Empire as a church. Under Justinian II of the East Roman/Byzantine Empire, the church was burnt down and was rebuilt as the largest cathedral in the world. It held that distinction for approximately 1.000 years, until 1520. Muslims worshiped here as recently as the 1920s, when Aya Sofia was converted into a museum as a part of secularizing project undertaken at the time. As you will see, it probably remains among the world's largest. I posted some of the photos below.

After having hummus and Iskender for supper, I walked around some more to see some of the smaller shops in Beyazit. I'll share them when I visit there at a much earlier part of the day. I ended up visiting a few of the smaller mosques in the middle of the Golden Horn and walked through the peninsula. When I found the nearest bus stop, I got back to my place and slept for a good eleven hours.


Saygılarımla

Largest calligraphy plates in the world. The inscriptions are both bold and lofty.

The majority of Byzantine Emperors were crowned at the large circle.

A Minbar, the Muslim equivalent to a Christian pulpit.

Ironically, the Catholic crusaders did the most damage to this mosaic.

The place was full of mosaics of Byzantine emperors paying homage to Jesus and Mary

.