IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST MERCIFUL THE MOST KIND!
My trip to Istanbul was a ‘last minute dot com’ one, with my work colleges (the teachers of London Islamic School). I realised if I visit it, I will return with a mountain of knowledge of historical facts of the previous Islamic and Non-Muslim civilisations in Istanbul and Turkey. Therefore when I was presented with the opportunity of travelling to the home of the last Khilafah with learned scholars and my favourite people, I didn’t think twice to accept the offer.
When I went to get my VISA in the Istanbul Airport, the person on the other side of the counter looked at me with a smile and an English learner’s French like accent “Just for you Hajee it is fifty pounds”. I thanked him with a wide smile on my face and said to him my Salaam and proceeded towards the checking point. This was the first time I realized that when a Turkish man talks to an apparently practicing Muslim man, he addresses him by saying ‘Hajee’ to show politeness or respect.
It looked to me as if Istanbul is thriving due to the tourist industry. All the Turks there were workers of some profession and rest of the people were tourists and visitors just like us. I was not surprised because everyone seemed very welcoming, no-wonder visitors kept on coming. However there were one or two moments when I felt I wasn't welcomed such as when I and my colleague went to the money exchange office, I was being served by a lady who looked as if she didn't want to see me. I realised that must have been because of my appearance, looking like “a terrorist”.
When we got out of the terminal, my traveling partner and I decided to take the tram (auto bus as they call it in a French like accent) to the hotel which will be an adventure we decided.
The area we stayed in is called ‘Sirkeji’ and our hotel’s name is ‘Sirkeji Park Hotel’. The owners and the workers were Kurdish Turkish Muslims. It seemed like a family business. They were really friendly with us. They often invited me to lunch, once I accepted and I had spaghetti with mincemeat with them. I used to talk to them and they used to address me as 'Hajee'. The receptionist 'Mehmet' told me 'there are 16 million Kurdish in turkey or Istanbul for which he seemed proud of.
Because it was a B and B, there was no lunch but they offer a large variety of free breakfast. To be honest I certainly took full advantage of the facility in breakfast.
There was coffee, Turkish tea, apple tea. Although I don't drink coffee, but wow, Turkish tea and apple tea I did not taste anything like that before. That was the first time I tasted apple tea.
The rooms were like any other hotel rooms. The view from the room leads to the historical Ottoman town hall.
On the 3rd day, we decided we will spend the day visiting Ayasofia then the Blue Mosque. Ayasofia has been a church for 916 years and a Masjid for 481 years. Thus it is rich with history from two very different civilisations.
It was only in 1924 when Attaturk (an anti-Islamic leader of Turkey who abolished the Uthamani Khilafah) converted it into a Museum because it would generate money for the state.
Just like other monumental tourist attractions, when visiting Ayasofia one also required to buy a ticket which costed 10 Lira (which is about £3 to £4). I learnt that the grand building already had a dome from Bizentine time when it was a church but when Muslims conquered it and made it into a Masjid, they gave four Minarets to it on it's four corners. From the outside it visibly was apparent that the whole building was made at one time and the Minarets were made at a completely different time.
There was a Mimbar (pulpit), which was long and tall, Salahuddin Ayyubi style, which the Muslim rulers used to give sermons from, the Muslim tourists would pay extra attention to this.
On the ceiling were six beautiful wooden circle boards displayed mentioning six different names in Arabic. The writing on them was in gold colour and the background was in beautiful forest green. The front two mentioned Allah's and the Muhammad's (SAW) name. The other four had the names of the 'Four Rightly Guided Khalifs'.
There were also some signs in it that belonged to the Christian history. There were Biblical paintings on the ceiling and on walls which the contemporary governments uncovered from the plaster. There was a 'wishing pole/ pillar', behind which there was long queue of Christians. It is a little hole where one inserts their thumb and turns it couple of time and makes a wish which they believe will come true.
Later on that day I asked myself, in Islam a conquered church can't be converted into a Majid then how come this was not the case with Ayasofia. I found out from a colleague, an experienced traveller that before the Muslims conquered it, they set some conditions and one of them were that if the Christians do not surrender then when the Muslims take over they will turn it into a Masjid (this place was the 2nd most sacred place to them) to make them think hard of the consequence. I realised in this case it was permissible.
When we arrived at the ‘Blue Mosque’ which is situated in ‘Sultan Ahmed square’ near Ayasofia, we went inside, we were allowed so we offered our Zuhr Salah there. It is a big tourist attraction for both Muslims and Non-Muslims but is not a Museum.
In the court yard of the masjid there was a framed history information board. I with my fellow travelers went to read it. One of the things I can remember from that information board is that ‘Blue Mosque’ was built by Sultan Ahmad I (1603-1617).
Turkish traditional bath
One of my best memories from Istanbul is when we visited the Hammam, the Turkish bath. It is not a bath tub in the bath room with a sauna, or a Jacuzzi or any thing that may come in the mind of a typical western gym goer. Rather it is a house or a building where there are a number of rooms. Some have segregated facility for men and women. We went in a segregated one. The Hammam was a few centuries old from the Autuman times but so cleaver and sophisticated and functional, it feels like one is living or tasting a part of the history.
Inside the main room, it is hot and calm but without humidity hence one doesn’t feel distressed. The worm floor is marbled, from lying down on which is comfortable. There are taps and basins to use hot water and pour it on to the body.
The second room is used for messages. There is a table like raised marbled platform which also was heated from beneath. Big, chubby Turkish men with moustache were the staff to massage. One could tell they were equipped with years of experience and they were good at it. They would massage all the body parts except the private parts. They would use a special type of soap and rub it on a small towel and scrub the body with it. They would also wash the hair and head with special shampoo as well.
They gave apple tea after the bath. I thought there could not have bee a better time to have it when I was given it. So I started sipped it with pleasure satisfaction and contentment.
Grand bazaar
There were so many shops; you couldn’t find your way out. I have been to many shopping malls and shopping centres; large ones, small ones, western ones oriental ones and Middle Eastern ones but I have never seen like it. I have shopped in large stores and very humongous shopping facilities that are owned by mega rich companies as it is common in the modern cities of the twentieth century.
However this ‘Grand Bazaar’ is over three hundred years old and …ft big. What’s wonderful is that this shopping complex is not occupied big supermakets, department stores and stores of big retail chains but there are small shops and units, all occupied, owned and run the public and small businesses.
I thought when shopping centres are filled with small business and not big company stores then it is better for the welfare of the citizens of the country because that is wealth being shared and not wealth restricted to a few people.
What’s more fascinating is that some hundred years ago, when countries like Britain was of mud roads and people used to ; Muslims under the Uthmani Khilafah enjoyed living with the comfort of having water tap facility at home, bathing in the ‘Turkish Baths’ and shopping in malls. A proof of which is ‘Grand Bazaar’.
None of the shops were selling traditional clothes, just modern, western and souvenirs. I realised that not only the tourists would buy them but the residents also wear western clothes. Half of the customers there were residents.