Day #2–Istanbul (Part B)

 

For the first time on our journey, we started this morning well-rested and ready for all the different sites we would visit and learn about. Today was nicknamed our “Justinian day” since all the major sites we toured were built during his long reign. We started by visiting the Little Hagia Sophia, a building formed from the remnants of many others. From there we traveled through the Hippodrome on our way to the Hagia Sophia. The Hippodrome features many different artifacts from across the ancient Mediterranean and even 19th century Germany. Our final stops were the Hagia Sophia, one of the most famous religious and cultural sites in the world, and the Basilica Cistern, an underground marvel that remained forgotten for centuries. Most of us concluded our days by sharing meals with friends. 

The sites we visited today widely varied in purpose, from a great church/mosque/museum to what is essentially the Turkish National Mall to an ancient water source for troubled times, but all of them in some way or another revealed the complex history of this city and its people. Since the founding of Constantinople, its leaders and people have chosen the parts of history to be remembered and who gets to own that history, even when it has cost them. Modern Türkiye has a well-known case of manipulating the history of its people with its actions against the Armenians in the early 20th century, but today’s experience helped trace this back beyond the modern state and reveal just how much or little people can actually own and control their history, or if they even want to. 

For instance, the Hagia Sophia has gone through multiple transformations since its creation. When the city was eventually conquered, it was immediately transformed into a mosque. After Atatürk took power and created a secular state, the mosque became a museum until 2020, when almost overnight it suddenly became an active mosque again with some areas open to tour. It has now also been declared a world heritage site. The Hagia Sophia has been an integral part of many different groups, traditions, and faiths, and yet it is being presented in some ways as only being part of one while in other ways reflects the mixed ownership of its history.  To further complicate the matter, unlike its religious predecessor, Türkiye is technically a secular state and by law the government cannot own a mosque and yet they now are by essentially having outside companies manage it. The idea or history of Hagia Sophia belongs to everyone with some type of attachment to it past and present, and the world heritage site label emphasizes this part, yet the physical does not in many ways belong even to the people who pray in it every day. In just one night, many people became essentially cut off from part of their history and told that their history was not part of the Hagia Sophia. It has been very interesting to see how the ownership can differ in the abstract and physical aspects of history, especially in a place where every stone, arch, or fountain can be interwoven with this large complex story of the region. 

Another way this idea showed up today was at the Hippodrome, where monuments from all sorts of eras stand by each other. One monument in particular is the Obelisk of Theodosius, which despite being named after a Byzantine emperor, is actually Egyptian. By essentially stealing it from Egypt, bringing it back here, and placing it in the middle of their ancient horse racetrack for all to see, the Byzantines tell the rest of the world, and especially the Egyptians, that they now own their history. The obelisk is not simply a stone with lines carved into it; it is a symbol of its creator’s history and culture. A stone was not the only thing stolen, so was the story embedded within it. Being able to control and steal another’s history is an extreme power move and certainly not a subtle one; to this day the obelisk still stands in the middle of the square to send that message, even if that power has changed hands. 

Before this winter term, one of the main things we studied was how Turks learn about their own history. Just like in most countries, students are taught to view their country in a good light, but in some ways it goes beyond that. A “Turkey for the Turks” movement has lead to the erasure of the complex nature of Anatolia’s history and a tight control over any mention of its past by the government. Today showed no difference in this stance both past and present. What we have read in textbooks and articles before the trip became a living history in front of our own eyes over the course of today’s events. As we continue on, I am certain this idea will appear to us in many more ways through the physical manifestations of Türkiye’s history and our own experiences. I think all of us are excited to how it will unfold.