Constantinople

OK, I know that's not what it's called anymore but I wanted to see if you were on your toes. So I went on a trip to Israel and en route I had an extended layover in Istanbul. Having never been there, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. It's really the first time I've been in a predominantly Muslim country and just hearing the sound of the muezzin regularly was quite a cultural adjustment. That and learning to dodge the strategies of carpet salesmen! Not once, twice, but THREE times I got caught and ended up in one of their lairs, trying to talk myself out of buying a carpet. I did manage to leave Istanbul carpet-less but I found some other lovely souvenirs from the shops there. Also a taste of baklava and some Turkish delight... yum.

But really the highlight of my time was the time spent with my colleague, David, as he showed me some of the sites of Istanbul. David and his wife Cathie live in Istanbul. David promotes tourism and uses the other part of his time to encourage spiritual growth in local churches in Istanbul. With his vast knowledge of the place, the culture, the architecture, and the history, he was an amazing guide. We started out at the Blue Mosque, taking off our shoes and moving in with the crowds of tourists to see this beautiful building. Afterwards, we made our way across the road to the renowned Hagiya Sofia - a huge building originally constructed as a church and then later captured, defaced and redesigned as a mosque. More recently the secular government of Turkey has "de-mosqued" the building and made it into a museum. In fact, as one friend astutely informed me after reading this blog, the Hagiya Sofia was one of the 7 wonders of the Mediaval world! (From wikipedia: "Although it is sometimes referred to as Santa Sophia, the Greek name in full is Ναός τῆς Ἁγίας τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας, Church of the Holy Wisdom of God. It was to this, the Holy Wisdom of God, that the Church was dedicated ("Sophia" being the phonetic spelling in Latin of the Greek word for wisdom)).

I took oodles of photos but take my word for it, it really is an amazing building to see. There were so many interesting facts and points that David elucidated, I could have stayed much longer. One of the places in this immense structure is the room where several of the historical church councils were held, from which our Christian doctrine was established in the early centuries of the church's existence.

Afterwards, David took me across town to see his office and to visit the place where Cathie works with refugees. Many people arrive in Istanbul from countries in northern Africa and other places on the refugee highway. Cathie works for an organization that seeks to assist these people by helping them with jobs, settlement needs, documents, food, clothing and whatever practical needs are required. It was a busy place.

I thought Turkey would be very warm but in fact the weather was quite chilly and later in the day it started to pour rain. I had been to the bazaar and had done much of my shopping so I made my way back to the hostel I was staying in and enjoyed a delicious meal at a nearby restaurant. Afterwards I went to a very interesting performance - a 'Sufi Music Concert and Whirling Ceremony' - that's right: Whirling Dervishes. They seek to enter the Divine Reality by whirling. It was quite fascinating and also intriguing to read about their beliefs and practices.

The next morning I left early for the land of Israel.