(Istanbul, Turkey)

I find Istanbul fascinating for its mixture of Muslim and Christian influences on its places of worship. The scale is amazing too. I grew up next to a mosque in Singapore and until this trip, that mosque formed the image of mosques in my mind. It was a small humble concrete structure in green and yellow, very much unlike the opulent giants of Turkey. The famous mosques of Turkey (perhaps because they copied the Agya Sophia which was itself initially a Church) are also unlike their cousins in Syria. While the most important ones in Syria were built with a large courtyard in the center, which allows the community to interact, the mosques here lacked the courtyard. There were stained classes inside and as I entered the Agia Sophia, the scale of the structure seemed to weigh down on me. Arab calligraphy hung on each corner of the mosque.

(Istanbul, Turkey)

Outside the Agia Sophia near a Serpentine column dating from early Roman history, a middle school girl asked me if I could fill out a survey for her. It took some effort for me to restrain myself - I was tempted to critique her research design and survey design after spending the past year at graduate school having this instinctive critiques drilled into me.

In touring the Topakal palace, what I found interesting was the role and history of the Janissaries. These elite soldiers of the Ottoman empire married palace concubines and negotiated wages through an elaborate ritual conducted over a meal. I wonder if this was done in order to co-opt the military into the ruling hierarchy so as to ensure its loyalty. The system worked for a while as the Ottoman empire came to threaten all of Europe, but from the little I have read, the Janissaries eventually came to prevent the system from taking military reforms needed to keep up with the Europeans.

While the food and sights in Istanbul were amazing, I enjoyed watching and interacting with people most. It was interesting watching how Turkish people wink as a sign of agreement - which I found slightly disconcerting initially. At one of the bazaars, one of the shop-owner played a trick one me. He pointed to my shoes as if there was something stuck to it. After dancing on the spot for a bit trying to figure out what was wrong, I realized he was just pulling my leg. Its nice to be in a place where people don’t cheat you for your money… only for fun. Traveling in other places have lowered my expectations quite a bit.