July 10, 2013 - We Are All Turks

Monumentalism

Morning Lecture - Zeynep: very interesting depictions of modern mosques that are on the books. The new mosque proposal in Taksim Square really looks amazing, but will it happen? Details:

Professor Ahmet Vefik Alp, an architect, has revealed the details of a mosque project in İstanbul's busy Taksim neighborhood that also entails the construction of a cultural center and museum.

Sights

Military Museum and Mehter Concert

Quote of the day, from Jason, "We are all Turks." To some degree, this is true. The claim of Ataturk, "Nations who are unaware of their history are obliged to die out."

Perhaps the need to write a narrative is a result of having inherited the Byzantine Empire from the Greeks. To compare, all I can say is, "what if the Cherokee had written the narrative for America? What would it say?

After seeing the Military Museum, my mind has been blown away by the convergence of tribalism vs. modernity, or nomadism vs. sedentarianism. In many ways, I could almost compare this narrative to that of the Germans. The were the tribes who invaded Rome and absorbed Rome's sedentary way of life. They embraced it wholeheartedly without becoming un-German. Isn't the Turk's story similar? My last remaining question is this - why Islam? And what was Ataturk's true intention regarding it? Could the Turks have been successful as animists? Or, since they'd adopted a narrative, perhaps the idea of which is Greek, why not Christianity? And why the fundamentalist movements in all the worlds major religions now?

What do we have in store for the future?

The only thing I know for sure, is to keep learning, keep writing. For without it, I agree with Ataturk on this, "we're obliged to die out."

Sabancı Museum

Enter on top floor - scholarly literature on Orientalism, archaeology - find Chicago

Lower level = costumes, travel, photography, and painting

Zeynep's display in here. No photography indoors although I was allowed to photograph the Qur'ans without flash.

But the real treasure was
at the very top in the calligraphy exhibit. Beautifully illuminated Qur'ans dating from the 15th century to the present.





Evening dinner at the Indian restaurant to bid farewell to my new beautiful friends, Leslie and Kelly.