Turkey - Istanbul

Turkey - Istanbul - July 22-25, 2008

I had been hoping that Istanbul would be a new kind of revelation for me. Often described as the one place in the world where East truly meets West -- the city is literally cut in half by the Bosphorus river, the left bank being Europe and the right bank Asia. Turkey is squeezed between Europe and the Middle East, with 1000 miles of it's border shared among Iran, Iraq, & Syria. But it is still a center of moderate Islam and a living, breathing demonstration that a large majority Islamic community can live in a modern, democratic state. However, it's far from perfect.

Several times over the past year, hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in the streets of Turkey to protest the democratically-elected, Islamic-leaning government for fear of small concessions to the Muslims. Their strongest objection was to allow women to wear head scarves in university, which seems me is a basic right and an important step to granting equality to women. There seems to be extraordinary fear that the fundamentalists are plotting to take over the country and any small freedom of religion within the government run institutions might 'start the ball rolling.' In fact, the state's leading prosecutor brought the entire ruling party to the Supreme Court in an attempt to prove this. Imagine Elliot Spitzer drooling over that prize.


Given the current secularism after a long time of Islamic rule, the court thankfully ruled that the evidence wasn't sufficient, and the progressive Muslim AKP party that has made huge strides for Turkey will remain. It's a democracy and so they'll need to prove they mean what they say. If they people want them out, it should be in the voting booth, not in the courts.

All of this fascinating modern history (for me at least) combined with Turkey's controversial attempts to join the EU (starting in 1987 and continuing for at least another 10 years from now) made me feel that Istanbul was a key stop on my journey.

What better way to enter the Middle East than through a country fighting within itself to prove that the West and Islam can live together in peace?


Too Much Politics

My expectations must have been too high. While I toured around the city, I looked on every street corner, in every shop for a sense of the culture that could make all this happen. Nothing I found offered me the answer. The food was a nice collection of mezes (like Middle Eastern tapas), but seemed to be like what I found anywhere else in the area. The mosques were magnificent...


...but a brief entry, look, and exit left me feeling like I was being tolerated rather than welcomed. The Topkapi Palace, with it's tales of concubines and eunuchs serving spoiled kings, was dry and only made me further increase my appreciation for the wonder of Versailles.


This isn't to say I didn't enjoy Istanbul. I met a few fantastic people, one of whom I joined for a boat trip up the Bosphorus all the way to the Black sea.


I also wandered through the markets and ate Turkish Delights.


But I think I left feeling that everything was an East/West compromise. Like Greece meets Egypt, but without any of the charm of either place. Either I'd been travelling for too long already, or that's what happens under such trying conditions -- no one side makes too much of a mark.

Shortly after I left Turkey, one side possibly affiliated with al-Qaeda tried hard to make its mark, setting off two massive bombs just outside the city. Yet another reminder that the argument is not settled.

Tennessee. Really?

I suppose the thing I found most interesting was the number of people I met who were taking 3-4 week trips only within Turkey. Surely my one week wasn't enough, but I didn't expect to find families from Tennessee taking their summer vacation. I learned they were looking for some of the same things as me - an exposure to an Islamic country that had reconciled many of its differences. This, combined with world-class historical sights like Ephesus makes for quite a holiday. A chance for American kids to see first hand what their neighbors were fighting for. I don't know if they found it - one sullen 14-year old told me that after this trip he never wanted to travel with his family again - but it's certainly an admirable goal.


A 19th century Japanese dish on display at the Topkapi Palace

Turkey - Selçuk & Ephesus

Turkey - Selçuk & Ephesus - July 21-22, 2008

Imagine the wonder I felt in "crossing the border" from Greece to Turkey - not the ordinary way, of course, but by taking a high-speed ferry to the Greek island of Samos, where you then catch another ferry for the short trip to Turkey. Going through the most relaxed immigration procedure immaginable, I asked the Greek authority where I should go to get my Turkish visa, which the embassy web site had told me I didn't need to obtain in advance. He responded dryly, "in Turkey." Fair enough. I'll miss Greece.

An hour later, I was in Turkish waters watching the coast of Kusadasi grow from the top deck of the ferry, the the sun on my face and the beginning of my Middle East adventure ahead of me. Upon arrival, I paid my US$15 for my visa, filled out a short form, and was on my way.


My hotel driver, Savash, pointed out the sights along the way to the town of Selçuk: the location of the house where the Virgin Mary lived her last days, the ancient town of Ephesus, and the sights in the lovely town where the Hotel Bella was found. Initially, I was a bit worried about being on my own after 5 weeks of travel with Tom, but sitting in the rooftop cafe of my hotel, watching the storks and admiring the sunset over the St. John Basilica, I felt like I was doing quite well.


The next day, I took a taxi up to Mary's house, expecting to see real beauty in peace. As often happens, the site was over-touristed and despite the obvious cultural and religious importance, left me feeling like I was sharing in the abuse. Standing in the long line with a hundred jostling Russians to enter the small church built on the site left me feeling empty, like we were all missing the point.


I did find the plaque below very interesting, however. A small taste of Turkey's attempts to reconcile the Islamic-leaning with its strong Christian history. More on this in my next post.


Fortunately, I was relieved when I entered to the valley below, where the Ephesus stands in glory, some of it still to be discovered as excavation continues. Students of the Bible should know this town from a number of stories, including one where St. Paul preached in the theatre and was expelled from the city for causing a disturbance with his teachings of Christ that threatened the income of silversmiths who made icons of the Greek god of Artemis.


Visiting the actual ancient Roman theatre, you can stand at the top and imagine him below galvanizing the common people, while robed scholars stroll through the marble streets. Similar to the Forum in Rome, Ephesus really fulfilled the promise that the Forum never quited delivered for me.


A true Roman city, in tact and ready to spring to life.


The highlight of the visit for me was the Library of Celsus, whose facade seems almost magically in place, a stunning architectural gem that I believe is unique from any other ancient ruins.


So much of the marble and statues remain that you finally begin to experience the wonder people must have felt when entering the town...I'll bet they thought it looked futuristic.


Apart from the crowds and severe summer heat, the visit was an absolute discovery for me. The combination of friendly Turkish culture and cuisine, Christian history, and Roman significance makes Selçuk and Ephesus a visit really unlike any other.

I finally weaved my way through the crowds to the end of town and decided a break was the best thing for me to beat the heat. So I lounged on the roof deck with the staff of my hotel and watched Turkish TV while admiring the storks nest directly across the street.


The rest of my afternoon was spent touring the ruins of the St. John Basilica (seen partially in the background of the pics above and below) and strolling down to the remains of the Temple of Artemis. All that is left of the temple is one standing column and a few broken ones on the ground, but I had to go because this was once one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, my third to experience in a month (after visiting the Pyramids and getting close to the Statue of Zeus at Olympia in Athens). A pretty good score I think!


Finally, I'll close this picture-filled post (that actually only covers one day!) with two more great signs, both from Ephesus...