ALONG THE SILK ROAD
Vol.9 –26-SEP-10
By Scott Tate
A few hours flight from Budapest lays the
historic city of Istanbul. An airport much
newer and modern than those in Atlanta or
Chicago, it offers upscale stores reminiscent
of a Rodeo Drive experience.
As the fifth largest city in the world, its
population of almost 14 million lies sprawled
along the edges of the Bosphorous, the
waterway that forms part of the boundary
between Europe and Asia. Istanbul has the
distinction of the only city that lies on two
continents.
Settled before 11th century BC, the city’s age belies much history that includes being a
capital to different empires and its fall from being the Christian city of Constantinople to its
resurgence as the new
Islamic capital of the
Ottoman Empire for
almost 500 years.
Despite its dominant
Muslim culture, Turkey
is a republican
parliamentary
democracy whose
progressiveness and
commitment to it is
most evident in that it
is the only Muslim country who is a member of NATO. Caught in the world’s current conflict
and sanctions against its neighboring country of Iran, Turkey is struggling to support the
West, whose governmental ideologies it has embraced, while at the same time balancing its
relationship with Iran who pushes forward with its nuclear program threatening more strife
not just in the Middle East but to the rest of the world.
It is said that the worlds of the east and west collide in Istanbul. Having traveled to other
Muslim countries, I had expected the strong religious beliefs and a people suppressed into
1 compliance by the resulting culture to give Istanbul an atmosphere of oppression and
seriousness. These expectations couldn’t have been more wrong. Istanbul is an
atmosphere of constant activity with an air of festiveness reminiscent of a western city in the
throes of a major celebration. It’s a city that stays up all night and sleeps late; non-stop
trolleys always full of people, and signs of patriotism from the flags flown on tall flagpoles to
those on the handlebars of street bicycles. A place with hookah bars that serve Efes beer
and celebrate the blues annually with a festival and barbershops that stay open until 10
o’clock at night.
Not only is the western influence in Istanbul dominant, it
is also representative of a country that is morphing from
the stringency of its rules grounded in its Muslim past
and moving towards the freedoms and beliefs of the
Western world. Freedom of religion exists and unlike
other Muslim countries, women are recognized as
equals and have been given the right to vote.
With 14 million people, Istanbul is a competitive place
to find a job and make a living. If you have ever met
someone born and raised in a big city, to them it is the
greatest place in the world and they have no desire to
live and work elsewhere. The people of Istanbul are no
exception even though they work long hours in order to stay in the place of their birth.
There are no limits to their efforts in what they do in order to make a living.
Case in point is our trip to the Blue Mosque. One of the main attractions in Istanbul, the
Blue Mosque or Sultan Ahmed Mosque, was commissioned in the early 1600’s by the
sultan to become the first mosque of his empire. The interior is finished with over 20,000
blue ceramic tiles and it has a capacity of
10,000 people. As we neared the Blue
Mosque, a young Turk approached us and
welcomed us to the mosque. He took it upon
himself to show us the way to the entrance all
the while insisting he was not a guide and not
to worry, he wouldn’t charge us. While we
waited in the entrance line, he made several
trips to get paper towels so we could mop our
brows, and get plastic bags so we could store
our shoes and carry through the mosque. An
hour later after finally touring the mosque, the
young Turk encouraged us to come look at
the Persian rugs at his store. Feeling
somewhat obligated, we trekked several
2 blocks away to his family’s store and looked at the rugs unfurled by his uncle. Noticeably
disappointed since we didn’t buy anything, we left the rug store. The nephew and uncle
combined had spent several hours just to get us in their store for a possible sale. This
experience taught me to keep my sunglasses on and my mouth shut. With long hair and
sunglasses, similar encounters led the Turks to believe I was either Russian or German and
I feigned the inability to communicate with them.
Another main attraction in Istanbul is the Basilica Cistern. Built in the 6th century, it is one of
hundreds of cisterns built under Istanbul to store water. At over 100,000 square feet in
area, it has the ability to contain almost 21 million gallons of water, collected from an
aqueduct from the Belgrade forest over 10 miles away. It is supported by over 300 marble
and granite columns, two of which are most famous for being carved with the head of
Medusa. Illuminated by street type lights, the cistern today only holds several feet of water
inhabited by goldfish, and contains a
few gift shops and restaurant.
Walkways throughout the cistern
allow access to all parts of the cistern
to appreciate its size and the efforts
undertaken by the slave labor in
order to construct it.
Topkapi Palace, like the Blue
Mosque, was also commissioned by
a sultan during the reign of the
Ottoman Empire and was the official
residence of the sultans for almost
400 years. Originally constructed
during the 14th century it has been rebuilt from earthquake and fire. Pictures inside of the
artifacts and jewels are prohibited and will get you an early exit from the tour. Unbeknownst
to the no picture rule I tried to take a picture of the crown that resulted in a guard
demanding I delete the picture from my camera. The whole issue here is not a risk to
security but rather concealing what they have from the outside world so the only way to see
it is to pay admission to the palace. The palace at its peak housed almost 4,000 residents
and had mosques, bakeries, a hospital, and a mint. It contains some of the best examples
of artifacts still in existence from the Ottoman period.
Another historic attraction is the Galata Tower. Located in the Asian side of Istanbul, it was
originally constructed in the 1300’s as an observation tower that was later used to spot fires.
At the time of its construction, this nine story tower was the tallest structure in the city. The
ancient tower lies in stark contrast to nearby Istiklal Avenue. This famous street contains
many upscale boutiques, shops and bars. Its many art deco style buildings and high end
stores give the illusion of being in Europe versus Turkey. At night, a trolley car complete
with a live band performs while the car travels up and down the avenue. With the bars and
3 throng of multi-national people dressed in designer clothes, the live music completes the
vision of an adult Disneyland.
No trip to Istanbul is complete without visiting the
Grand Bazaar. At over 500 years old, it is not only one
of the world’s oldest bazaars, but one of its largest. It
encompasses over 58 covered streets and well over
1,000 shops including everything from jewelry, pottery,
antiques, spices, and carpets. Remember, this is the
land of the 24 hour hustle. If you go into the Grand
Bazaar, try not to make eye contact or show any
interest in an item or the ever alert salesmen will drag
you into their shop and start their spiel. Between the
persistence of the salesmen and the crowd of over a
quarter of a million visitors daily, only a short visit to the Grand Bazaar is necessary before
escape to the outside becomes mandatory to restore sanity. The baby sister to the Grand
Bazaar is the Spice Bazaar that evolved from
the spice trade during the Ottoman Empire.
The streets are filled with stands selling every
item imaginable. Anything you can imagine
from food to clothing is available. Fresh
roasted chestnuts and ears of corn or a
cigarette with authentic Turkish tobacco rolled
while you wait can be had. There’s also their
ice cream, dondurma, which contains a
starchy substance giving it a consistency that allows those dipping it to perform ice cream
acrobatics. In some areas of Istanbul, the streets are packed with so many vendors and
people that the only difference between these areas and the Grand Bazaar is no roof.
The streets are also filled with open air restaurants and bars. Like proprietors of material
goods, the food service operators give the hard sell to patronize their establishment. It is
worth it to experience the Turkish salads and fresh fish in an outdoor setting. The
experience is enhanced by the street cats waiting for a handout. They love their cats in
Istanbul as evidenced by the many food and
water bowls that adorn the outside of many
storefronts. Cats are everywhere and tame to
the touch. Whether you are a cat lover or not,
the cats serve a vital purpose. Without them,
the rodents would soon overwhelm the city’s
inhabitants and destroy its economy that is so
dependent upon the tourism industry. The
Great Recession of the US is being felt
4 globally and Turkish salesmen commented that their economic health is dependent upon
us.
Near the river walk, one of the locals lays out his goods for sale each day. He is unique in
that he has no legs below the knees. He makes his way down the street self propelled with
special pads on the bottom of his legs using his arms for balance. I see him every day I
spend in Istanbul and never does he use a wheel chair or ask for help. He’s out there every
day trying to sell his goods and survive another day.
My Turkish friend, Onur, is another example. A student in one of our recent training classes
in Afghanistan, he had to leave his home in Turkey and work for a contractor in the war
zones of Afghanistan to have employment. Unfortunately I was never able to meet up with
Onur in Istanbul as planned. By some strange coincidence we ran into each other at the
Istanbul airport and shared the same flight together back to Budapest, from where he
continued to Warsaw.
Then there was the store owner who gave me bottled water since he couldn’t change my
Turkish lira bill and entrusted me to return later with
the correct change. There was a candy shop
featuring the pistachio nut sugar candy called
Turkish Delight operated by a happy rotund man
who promoted his home made candies under the
name Mr. Delicious, while happily doling out
samples. There was an American style saloon
called “Red River” based on the John Wayne movie
of the same name. While patronizing the Red River
one day in its outside seating, I was dive bombed by
a bird and left with an organic souvenir on my jeans. Our waitress, who overflowed with
personality, was named Harika, which means “wonderful” in Turkish. Harika, assured me
that this event is seen as a symbol of good luck in Turkey. I’m still waiting for the good
fortune that the christening of bird droppings was supposed to signify.
Like many major cities, Istanbul is yet another that was formed along a major body of water.
With the city spanning two continents and the congestion created because of its size,
Istanbul offers the normal entourage of trains and trolleys for forms of public transportation.
Ferrys also abound in the economy class open air style and the enclosed type that
resemble a commercial jet from the inside.
With the influence from the Bosphorous and Black Sea, a day trip on the water provides
another new perspective. We visited the Fortress of Rumeli built in the 14th century at the
narrow -most point across the Bosphorous. We stopped at a mosque, and then an old
lighthouse. Maiden’s Tower was first constructed over 24 centuries ago by the Greeks and
then modified and enlarged by the different sultans throughout the Ottoman reign.
5 The highlight of the riverboat trip was the
main destination to the Black Sea. We
moored out from a beach and spent our time
jumping from the upper deck of the boat into
the cool water. We had brought no
swimming trunks but spare ones from our
Turkish guides were provided. Not wanting
to offend, we didn’t ask when the last time
was they had been washed or who had been
wearing them. We only hoped that the
salinity of the water provided some antiseptic
protection. Even our big bellied captain
joined in on the group swim and did a little
barnacle removal on our vessel.
Our group on our riverboat cruise included an assortment of cultures. We had a Sri Lankan
who had made his way there working in Australia and Dubai. There was also the Turkish
family who spent their last 20 years living in Australia and had returned to visit their family,
including the heavy set mother in-law on the trip. Not knowing if she was the mother in-law
of the husband or wife, odds were placed on which one would toss her overboard due to her
constant nagging and complaining. There were two twenty something female cousins from
the US who had just returned to Istanbul from a cross country bus tour of Turkey and were
next headed to southern France. We had the male Turkish guides who prepared our meal
grilled on board and afterwards entertained us with improvised dancing.
Then there was our main tour guide, a 32 year old female whose main goal was to get a
visa to spend 3 months in the US and improve her English speaking skills and return to
Istanbul and work at a better tour agency. She had been to Thailand three times and spent
6 months in the Mediterranean as the first mate, chief cook and bottle washer on a small
cruise ship just so she could learn more about that geographic region. She loved to travel
but had no desire to ever permanently leave Istanbul. Her aspirations were to see the
world. Material possessions had no place on her life’s list of priorities. Like her male
counterparts she had a carefree attitude with a focus more on experiencing every moment
of life and not getting caught up in the burdens of capitalism.
Here we are in the midst of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. Many
like to compare the Great Recession to the Great Depression. Like most, I wasn’t around
during the Great Depression. My parents and grandparents were. One of my grandfathers
told many stories of working all hours of daylight for a dollar a day and glad to get it. My
dad grew up in a big family in a house set on a sandstone foundation on a hardscrabble
farm. Born at the onset of the depression, my dad was the epitome of a generation who
were born without and anything they got was better than they had. The children of the
Great Recession were born with everything and are learning to struggle with how to do
6 without what they have
always had. The
children of the Great
Depression were born
with the ability to
create opportunity
when life gave them
rotten lemons and they
had to learn how to
hustle just to keep the
basics of life intact.
Credit was not available for the Depression era kids so they made do with what they had
until they earned a better way. Credit was overabundant for the Recession age kids who
have been used to getting what they want and then earning it. The people in Istanbul feel
our pain from the Great Recession and resemble those of us who have lives influenced by
the Great Depression. They haven’t always had it so good either and this adversity has
made them learn to appreciate what they have; work hard every day seeking opportunity,
and understand that life’s best offerings are from people and places, not things.
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