Today, September 7 2008, was the 14th day of our trip and what a wonderful day it was! It started off like any other day. Today, however, I had the great honor and pleasure of french braiding Jasmine's lovely hair. After that, my roommates, Jasmine and Katie, and I went downstairs for breakfast, which was rather scrumptious. Then, it was finally time to explore the Museum of Stone and Wood-Carving. We were initially scheduled to visit this site yesterday, yet we were unable to, so the guide decided to postpone it until this morning.
This museum was formerly a madrasa or a Quran school, where Mirvana and his father once lectured. The museum consisted of many Seljuk monuments, which were characterized by many stone carvings. The eljuks are the Turkish people that came before the Ottomans. The most significant part of this building was its monumental gates. As we entered the museum, we saw a big court yard and little rooms on the sides, which were formerly study cells.
As the rest of the group wondered around the museum, I was w
ith Dr. Suzanne Mallory and the guide and they were talking about the history of the Seljuks and how they were more liberal Muslims compared to the Ottomans, who once ruled the Muslim world. They did not have any Khalifs, because they believed that
true Islam states that there is to be no author between man and God.
After listening to this very insightful conversation, I decided to look around closer, and realized just how wonderful these inscriptions were. They were clearly carved words onto stone. The reason why I can confidently say that they are clear is because
I am blessed with the ability to read Arabic and most of the words were in Arabic, due to Islam. Many of these stones had mythical creatures on them, and I saw Alex and Dr. Paul Mallory attempting to decipher what they were exactly. It is very nice to see geniuses at work!
When our time was up in this museum, we moved on to the great Alaeddin Camii or Mosque. This is one of the 13th century's earliest mosques. Unlike many of the modern mosques we have seen, this one had no dome and had a flat roof and was composed of many wooden pillars. Outside the mosque was a list of all the dead Seljuk Sultans. Also, right outside the mosque was an odd structure, which was protecting what seemed to be a remnant of an old wall. The guide described it as a modern structure protecting an ancient wall. This made me think about the irony of the situation. There you had an old, extremely meaningful piece of history protected by a newly born meaningless structure. You would have to see it to understand. And here it is:
The guide clarified that this Mosque had been evidently renewed, since the original Seljuk structure must have been much fancier and more ornate.
I still recall the first time I found out we were going to the Alaeddin Mosque, I thought of Aladdin... the disney character. I asked Dr. Suzanne if this Sultan had anything to do with the disney character, yet unfortunately he did not! I was so excited about telling my younger siblings that I went to Aladdin's mosque, but now, that would be a lie! Oh well!
When the mosque had been toured, we moved on to the bus and got ready for a relatively long drive to the Sultanhani Kervansaray. On the bus, Christina gave an excellent presentation on the Hans. She stated that this one was of the biggest ones and was built in 1229. The purpose of these structures was as an overnight stop for traders and were within 10 miles of each other. They offered 3 nights of free lodging, which is a rather generous offer. They were usually large triangular or square structures and sometimes had a mosque or masjed in the middle. The particular one we visited was square-shaped with a masjed in the middle, and was infested with pigeons everywhere.
When we had seen this, we crossed the street to a little restaurant across the street and the guide treated us to some tea, before we headed off for a half-hour drive for lunch. It was always difficult for me to eat, with the knowledge that most if not all the surrounding people were fasting. Then, I spoke to Dr. Suzanne about it, and she told me not to worry about it, since seeing people eat, as they fast actually brings them closer to God and to their devotions. I guess that does make sense, yet we were also taught to respect the Muslim religion and Turkish culture, so I am still trying my best not to rudely eat in public before the time comes to break the fast.
After lunch, we headed for Cappadocia. On the way, the group played the concentration game and black magic. I, however sat daydreaming of how lovely it would be to go home and be with m family again. We made a stop to view the remarkable houses that were in the mountains... literally. They were beautiful!
When we finally arrived to our hotel, the Surban Hotel in Urgup, we checked in and awaited dinner which would be at 7:45. I was personally quite pleased with the time, since the fast breaks at around that time, and we would be respecting the Turks and eating at a proper time to depart at 8:40 to see the whirling dervishes.
By the time dinner was over, we had to rush to the bus to make it by 9:15, and we did! We had some time to spare once we got there, so we posed for pictures. When the doors opened, we entered, and after moving from the fifth row, ended up getting the first three rows. The performance was extravagant! About 11 men came into the room. 5 of them were actually whirling, 5 were playing various musical instruments and singing, and one seemed to have been guiding the dancers. It begins and ends with oral recitations that I believe were in Arabic, spoken with a thick accent. The whirling was mind boggling. They truly seemed to have been on a rotating device of some sort. I really enjoyed the spirituality of the event. It all circled around prayer. Initially, one of the musicians prayed aloud, then the 5 whirlers began to whirl, stop, and whirl again for about 5 times. The whole performance was repetitive, yet symmetrical. My interpretation of that would be a portrayal of equality and fairness through God. The dancers greatly respected each other, and this was evident through their bowing to each other. Another religious aspect that sprung out is the meditation that accompanied this activity. Looking at the whirlers as they twisted and observing their facial expressions and motions, one can see the serenity and desire for spiritual union with God.
This performance truly made my day, and though they may have been worshipping as Sufists or Muslims, I truly felt that I could relate to them, and I truly respect their devotion to our one universal God.
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