Day #1 - Istanbul

As we enter our first day in Turkey, despite our lack of sleep, we enjoyed our first taste of this historic yet modern city. After arriving into the impressive Istanbul airport in the early morning, we took a bus to the hotel and managed to get a bit of sleep. From there we briefly visited the Theodosian Walls and learned about the Roman history of the city when it was called Constantinople and the subsequent Ottoman siege. Next we explored a more religious and architectural angle at the Süleymaniye Mosque. Once we had seen a wonderful view of the Bosporus Strait that separated the European side from the Asian side, we walked back to the hotel. Finally, we had a delicious welcoming dinner and ended our fantastic day.

Though that was a summary of the experiences of the day, we think it is important to deeply consider and reflect on some of the things we have learned or encountered today. For this blog post, we wanted to focus on the theme of the juxtaposition between the historic and modern identities of Istanbul. At each of the activities on today’s course we saw a multitude of examples of this theme on full display. 

At our first major location, the Theodosian Walls, we learned about the pre-Ottoman era and identities of the Romans that lived there. We saw how the life of those in the area revolved around the walls through protection and fortification as soldiers protecting the city. However, after the siege, the identity changed to have a more modern perspective now that the Ottomans and later Turks took over. This change can be seen in especially in the place we stoped at. The part of the wall we visited was called Yedikule Fortress meaning Seven Tower Fortress. This Turkish word not only represents the identity of the fort but is the modern name of the surrounding neighborhood. People who lived in Yedikule worked to maintain the fort by taking down older buildings (such as the now obsolete Roman churches) and using materials to repair the broken sections of the fort. Other aspects of their lives and identities revolved around the fort, much like the Romans before them, but now in a different way. 

At Süleymaniye Mosque we learned more about the how the historical traditions of Islam have intersected with the modern city it is surrounded by. One way we saw this was talking about the dome ceiling common in mosques and how that is useful to the earthquakes sometimes found in the region. Over the years, building codes had to updated constantly in all parts of the city for people to stay safe from these natural disasters. However, this mosque (due to its architectural structure and ceiling design) has lasted since the 1500s and been a safe haven for any and all people during these earthquakes. Additionally, this modern and historic comparison can be seen in the way the mosque has changed with the arrival of tourists, rather than strictly being a place of worship. Wudhu, the Islamic ritual washing prior to prayer, has been modified from being only in a particular courtyard of the mosque to being around the outside as to prevent tourists from crowding it and taking photos. This has allowed more places to allow the ritual and thus more people can pray at the mosque. Similarly, with sound technology improving, ways to allow everyone to be able to hear the prayer in the huge room and announce prayer time throughout the day have become easier. This mosque is a great example between the crossroads of how a more traditional idea has been influenced, changed, or adapted due to more modern ideas within the city of Istanbul.

The final comparison I want to make is shown between both of the places we went to today, and that is the comparison between the Ottomans and Turks dreaming to seize Istanbul versus the more modern Istanbul wanting to bring the world to it. The founder of Islam, Muhammad, said “Istanbul will surely be conquered; what a good commander is the conqueror, what a good soldier is the conqueror”. This belief was held and repeatedly attempted to failure until ultimately Mehmed the Conqueror successfully defeated the Romans and took over. This dream that lasted hundreds of years ultimately came true and became a huge part of the identity of those that lived in the city. Although, in the modern day, this once impenetrable stronghold of a city now has millions of visitors flocking to see the city every year. That is a part of the current identity of those who live here. We see this incorporated in the tourist industry and all those wonderful people who made today such an interesting and amazing day for all of us. As a new day approaches, we are excited to see what tomorrow brings. Güle güle!!!