The last twenty-four hours have been Sufi-filled, and so that is what I want to post about today. Sufis [Sufism is called “tasawwuf” in Arabic] are generally described as Islamic mystics–although some more conservative strains of Islam do not recognize them as legitimate practitioners. They are not a separate “sect” of Islam–Sufis can be Sunni…… Continue reading Sufism

I love that name: “the Golden Horn.” It sounds very exotic to me, and I just enjoy saying it. So, today’s post will be short. It was supposed to rain today, which meant that I went to bed last night without any plan for today–I wanted to wait and see what the weather was like.…… Continue reading Crossing the Golden Horn

Today was a really great day–equal parts Christian and Muslim! I started the day with a visit to the Church of St. Saviour in Chora–also called the Kariye Museum. It was an hour’s walk from my hotel, which I loved: it was a gorgeous day today and a great day to be out walking the…… Continue reading One Part Christian, One Part Muslim

After yesterday’s shall we say “overposting,” I am going to keep it short today. I had a little bit of a frustrating day, as two of the museums I most wanted to see today were closed–that happened to me yesterday, too. I’m not sure what that means: I think that Turkey’s economy is strong right…… Continue reading A Palace & A Cistern

Sorry–can you stand one more post today?! I forgot to mention one of the most beautiful things I saw in Hagia Sophia: it was an exhibit of modern hilyes, and it was fabulous. The “Hilye-i Serif” [that is not spelled exactly right–I don’t have the right characters in Pages], translated as “Noble Hilye” in English,…… Continue reading Noble Hilye Exhibit

After the Blue Mosque, I then walked to Hagia Sophia, and encountered more tourists than I have seen in one place since the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. It is a testimony to the immensity of the museum itself that once you get inside, it actually isn’t too bad. Hagia Sophia [“Holy Wisdom”]…… Continue reading Hagia Sophia

I saw the two premiere sites in Istanbul today, only because they are almost a stone’s throw from each other: The Blue Mosque, and the Hagia Sophia. They are on opposite ends of what is called Sultanahmet Square. It is right next to the Hippodrome, basically gone now, expect for a few monuments, and it…… Continue reading The Blue Mosque

Most of you probably have a better sense of geography than I do: I was never very good at it, so I thought I would start the day’s blogs [there are going to be three today!] with a quick geography lesson, illustrated with pictures from the path along the Bosphorus, which is where I am…… Continue reading The Bosphorus & a Geography/History Lesson

So, it is 7:30 pm, and I am hoping to stay up until 8:00–even though it clearly doesn’t get dark here until after that! One of the perks of adulthood is that you cease to worry if you beat the sun to bed–at least, I do. [Big non sequitur: this reminds me of a Robert…… Continue reading Squeaky Clean in Istanbul