I’m in love, I’m in love and I don’t care who knows
it!! Turkey was so incredible I seriously fell in love with that beautiful
country. I was able to stay for a week and caravan across the country to various
historical sites. We spent a lot of time on the bus driving which I really
liked because of the scenery. We drove
through extremely green hills and alongside bright blue bodies of water.
Breathtaking is an understatement.
We
flew from Tel Aviv to Istanbul on Sunday, the 10th of March. The flight
was enjoyable. Not only did I get to
know students I sat by better, but I was also treated to the famous Turkish Air
luxuries including the full course meal they provided.
By the time we got to Istanbul we drove to
the hotel and were set free to explore the streets if we so desired. Well a bunch of curious students in a foreign
country is the perfect recipe for exploring.
While exploring we stumbled upon a mosque and we were able to go inside. Something
that is culturally fascinating is that about 98% of Istanbul is Muslim. This means there are mosques everywhere. It is so interesting to see how many mosques there
are. I am sure it is similar to the phenomenon of going to Utah and seeing a
church building on about every other road.
I am really grateful I was able to go inside
mosques in Turkey because I have not been in any in Jerusalem. But the mosques they have in Turkey
are exquisite. Women are supposed to
cover their hair because it is more modest. If you don’t happen to have a scarf, they
usually provide a box of them at the entrance.
Everyone is also required to take
their shoes off before entering.
On
Monday we had a packed day. We visited the
Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Basilica, Grand Bazaar and finished
with a Boat Ride on the Bosphorus.
The Hippodrome
was just north of the Blue Mosque. It
belonged to Constantinople and was used for public
events such as horse and chariot races as well as civic celebrations. I was expecting a dirt arena. However it
was paved over and appeared just like a sidewalk. Something cool we saw on the Hippodrome was a giant
stone column that Egypt gave to them.
events such as horse and chariot races as well as civic celebrations. I was expecting a dirt arena. However it
was paved over and appeared just like a sidewalk. Something cool we saw on the Hippodrome was a giant
stone column that Egypt gave to them.
Inside the Blue Mosque, also called the Sultanahmet mosque, was incredible. It is called the Blue Mosque because of all the blue tile used in the interior. It was built in the 17th Century by Ahmet I who wanted to build something his people could remember him by. It took 7 years to build and was completed in 1616. Because of the grandness of the mosque it affected the economy of his empire.
There is a central dome and eight other domes that “cascade” down. It has traditional Islamic architecture, and a large outer court yard that is as large as the base of the mosque itself.
Something that I think is really interesting about the construction of the mosque is the number of minarets(towers). The Blue Mosque contains six minarets which was very controversial The Grand Mosque in Mecca which contains the Kaaba also had six. The Kaaba is a stone building that is considered the most holy site in Islam. This is why they face the direction of the Kaaba, located in Mecca, when they pray. Well the issue was resolved by adding a seventh minaret to the Grand Mosque.
Lower level has over 20,000 blue ceramic tiles.
The
Topkapi Palace was where the capital was around the 1400s
after Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II conquered Constantinople. The Topkapi palace was the main residence of
the Sultans for 400 years. After WW1 it was converted into a museum.
A small replica of the Palace.
Basilica
Cistern was an underground cistern was built in the 6th century by
Justinian. The cistern was built to provide water for the Imperial palace.
There are 336 marble and granite columns and walls 13 feet thick in order to hold 2,800,000 cubic feet of water.
There
were two Medusa heads supporting columns. These stones were most likely from earlier
Roman structures.
According to the story of Medusa, if you look at her you will turn to stone.
The
Grand Bazaar consists of something like 4000 little shops. We had a few hours
to shop around which if anybody knows me, knows I loved it.
We had one boat ride and two ferry rides over the course of the week. The first boat ride was by far my favorite. It was an hour or two and we were in the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus is a 20 mile long strait that connects the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea. It also separates the continents of Europe and Asia. I thought it was so cool how on one side of the boat was the continent of Europe and if I looked on the other side was the continent of Asia. It was so relaxing and beautiful. You could see all of the cool buildings, houses, and mosques via boat.
The
next day (Tuesday) we had about a four hour bus ride to Gallipoli. Gallipoli was a battle during WW1. The
Ottoman Empire became allies with the Central Powers (Germany and Austria- Hungary)
who opposed the Allied Powers (United States, Britain, France, and Russia.) To
summarize what happened, the British and French wanted to pose an attack on the
Dardanelles, controlled by the Ottomans, so they could get Istanbul. There was
a stalemate and they wanted to open the sea passage to Russia. This attack included soldiers from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps(ANZAC.) However due
to poor planning and communication the battle was a huge slaughter for both
sides. The ANZAC troops attempted a land
invasion on the western side of the peninsula. Unfortunately the troops initially arrived in the wrong location
which happened to be right in front of a huge hill that was fortified by the
Ottomans. Many people died due to combat and disease (about 250,000 on
both sides.) The Allies eventually retreated and the Ottomans won.
It
was interesting to visit this site because I had watched a movie on it a week earlier.
I fell in love with the characters and stories which made the battle seem more
real to me. Many
Australians and New Zealanders visit this site, and celebrate ANZAC day on
April 25th. We happened to be there when there were some people visiting. One of them came up to my
professor and thanked him for teaching about this site and for having American students remember
and honor their people who died there. It
really touched me.
We
took a ferry over the Dardanelles to visit Troy, our next site. By doing this we left the continent of Europe
and went to the continent of Asia. It is so crazy how you can do that so
simply. It was also cool because are huge bus went on the ferry with us. I know
this may sound naïve, but I had no idea that buses could get on ferries. They
just seem so big and I hadn’t really seen very big ferries before.
They have squatter toilets all over in Turkey. This is the one on the ferry. It was just as much fun to use as it looks.
Troy
is a really cool site. This is the site of the famous Trojan War. As the story
of the Trojan War goes, there was Paris, the prince of Troy, who took Helen, the queen of Sparta. This made a lot of people upset which led to Greece sailing over to Troy and engaging in a 10 year war. Greece finally
won by making a wooden horse and having the soldiers hid inside. When the
Trojan army brought the horse inside the city to celebrate, the Greek soldiers
came out and slaughtered the Trojans.
I
was really excited to see the replica of the Trojan horse they had on site. But to my
surprise, the horse was under construction. Where I thought I would see the
famous symbol, I saw a huge object covered in black tarp. This was kind of sad,
but it was still a cool site.
Touching the leg of the wooden horse.
Anne and I's reenactment
Wednesday
was the day we visited Assos and Pergamon. These were two of the prettiest sites in my opinion. Assos is a city on a hill that overlooks the
Aegean Sea. To put this into better context, you were practically surrounded by
a bright blue glass blanket. In the Bible we learn that Paul stopped in
Assos during his third mission in 57 A.D. Some of Paul’s companions and other
missionaries such as Luke sailed and stayed at Assos as well before going to
Mitylene. Aristotle also moved to Assos to establish an academy.
5th century B.C. temple dedicated to Athena.
Meditation.
According to Greek Mythology, Pergamum was founded by Telephus, the son of Herecules and the grandson of Zeus. It was SO green there. Most of the buildings were built in the 3rd and 2nd century B.C (Hellenistic time period.) We had to ride a lift to the top which was really fun.
Pergamum has the steepest theater in the ancient world with a total of 10,000 seats. This seemed evident when you started going up and down the step. Those steps are steep!
It was really windy there. My hair is an indicator of this.
The Church of St. John was our first site on Thursday. This is where many people believe that John was buried. Many people came and visited this church because they believed the dust from his grave had healing powers.
It had such fun places to take pictures.
In
the distance you saw one measly reconstructed column. However this one
reconstructed column use to be part of the Temple of Artemis. Believe it or not, this temple use to be one of the ancient
wonders of the world. It is sad to only have one column left. It was dismantled and the stones were used for
other buildings including the Hagia Sophia.
Ephesus
was incredible. There was so many
buildings and structures that were in good condition. It was the capital of the
province of Asia and it became one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. Paul visited Ephesus while returning from his
second mission, and at the beginning of his third mission. He said in Ephesus for about two years where
he baptized people, gave them the Holy Ghost, taught at the school of Tyrannus,
and performed many miracles. He also wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians
while in Ephesus.
Nike.
There is a picture of Ephesus in the Bible.
The library was built in 2nd century A.D.
Prienne structures that still stand today were built in the 4th century B.C. Alexander the Great lived in Prienne while he was besieging Miletus.
Dr. Jackson. This is my program director.
We
had actually great luck with the weather. Sometimes I forget that I am visiting
all of these sights when it is winter. There
was chance of rain most of the week, but Friday was the first day it rained. Some of Sardis’ inhabitants were Jews. These
Jews were threatened with destruction by Haman. We learn of this story in the
book of Esther in the Bible. These Jews
were saved by Mordecai and Ester.
Another
biblical connection with Sardis happens at the end of the 1st
century A.D. The church members were
rebuked by the Lord for hypocrisy. The Lord also tells them to repent for his
coming. Revelations 3:3
This is the gymnasium where boys would fight and learn about philosophic things. Interesting fact is they usually did these things naked.
Sardis has the largest ancient synagogue discovered outside of the Holy Land. |
Thyatira
was famous for the production of purple dye which came from a certain kind of
shellfish in the Mediterranean.
The
Grand Mosque in Bursa was unbelievable. It was built around 1400 and has 20
domes. I was fortunate enough to be able
to witness Muslims praying during the Call to Prayer. Although I have heard the
Call to Prayer many times, this was the first time I have ever been inside a
mosque while it goes off. It was really incredible to be able to witness up
close Muslims worshiping. I really feel blessed to be able to witness other
people’s devotion to their religion.
Every religion worships in unique ways that may be different from each
other, yet they still all possess dedication and love. It is a really beautiful thing.
Our week long tour guide teaching us about the mosque.
Saturday
Nicaea
is where the Nicene Creed began. Emperor
Constantine brought the early Christian Church leaders for the council of
Nicea. Nicaea was the location of two of
the seven Ecumenical Councils. These
councils took place post-apostolic and they were used to establish the official
church doctrine and beliefs of Christianity. Latter-day saints do not believe that these
councils had authority due to the fact that the keys of apostleship and
revelation had been taken from the earth at that point. One of the topics they discussed here was
whether or not Christ was a created being or if he is the same as the Father. The
second question they discussed was if worship of images of Jesus and other
saints allowed. Over the course of the Turkey trip I visited six of the seven
council locations, and could look at the seventh one from a distance.
Pondering about the questions in life.
We rode the ferry back over to Istanbul. Once we were in Istanbul we visited the Hagia Sophia. We had 10 minutes to spare before they stopped letting people in. I am really glad we made it because the Hagia Sophia is one of the wonders of the world. The Hagia Sophia was the largest church in the world for almost 1000 years. It originally was a Christian church, however it was later converted into a mosque when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453. It is now a museum and has been one since 1935.
When the Ottomans converted the church into a mosque they covered some of the mosaics with plaster. This actually ended up preserving them.
For dinner we had fish. This was the first time we had fish as a main course which was surprising because our teachers made it sound like we were going to have fish a lot. For most meals in Turkey they would start out by bringing out lentil soup and bread, then they would usually bring out rice with vegetables and meat for shish kebabs. It was very interesting how they would bring out one small item of the meal and not bring out the next part until everyone was done with the first. Sometimes it seemed like it was a nine course meal. It was all really good though.
Good thing I like fish.
Aside from eating at really nice restaurants we stayed at really nice hotels. My favorite hotels were the ones where we stayed by the beach.
We liked to mess around.
There were a lot of Jelly Fishes in the water, and dead ones on the beach.
Random:
Turkey has the prettiest tiles everywhere.
wowza
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous!! I heard Turkey was amazing! It's cool to see what you did. Can't wait to hear more about it!
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