ISTANBUL IN 1971

I have a long history with Istanbul.  My first visit was in 1971, en route to India with my friend Gert Wegner.  We had flown from East Germany (DDR).  I was 23 years old.  We arrived at the old airport, two versions before today’s new, huge, modern Istanbul airport.   As we stepped out of the terminal, I saw a hill with lots of flickering lights, small lamps, and fires.  I realized that these were people’s residences without electricity, who were forced to cook with small fires.  For the first time, I understood what being a “third-world country” meant.

ISTANBUL TODAY

Istanbul today is an impressive modern city. Amazing skyscrapers abound.  They have a modern electric railroad system that is better than the US’s old diesel system.  Electric lines are all underground rather than above ground like most of the US power grid, which makes our system vulnerable to damage from inclement weather. (Most of Europe similarly has its electric lines underground.)

Turkish Airlines has a special offer for passengers traveling in the business class.  They offer a two-night-free stayover.  Susan and I love Istanbul.  We took advantage of it on our trip to India last Spring, staying at the Sheraton.  This time we were placed in the five-star Renaissance Hotel.  We arrived in the afternoon after the seven-hour flight from Mumbai. It was a shock after six weeks in India to suddenly pay American prices, whereas a great meal in India costs one-tenth what it would cost in the US or at a five-star hotel in Istanbul.

TOPKAPI PALACE

Our goal for our full day was to visit the ancient Topkapi Palace complex.  From Wikipedia: The Topkapi Palace served from 1460 until 1856 as the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire and was the main residence of its sultans.  After the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1923, it was transformed into a museum.  The palace complex has hundreds of rooms and chambers, but only the most important are accessible to the public, including the Ottoman Imperial Harem. The museum collection also includes Ottoman clothing, weapons, armor, religious relics, jewelry, etc. I had visited twice before, including on my original trip fifty-four years ago. Susan and I had visited on one of our Viking cruises.  But the palace complex is so large that even after this visit, we still have not visited all of the palace’s rooms and exhibits.

This time, we decided to hire a private guide to show us around.  Susan has had a problem with her leg, making it difficult for her to walk long distances.  Our guide was very knowledgeable about Topkapi’s history.  As we rested along the way he was able to give us historical details that were not present in the museum displays.

THE HAREM

Of particular interest was the harem, the sultans’ ultimate decadent institution.  The sultan’s concubines were the most beautiful women taken as slaves from around the Ottoman Empire. They were chosen for their health and beauty.  In the harem, they were educated and trained in skills to attract the sultan’s attention.  Their one goal was to bear one son for the sultan…not two… which might lead to conflict and fratricide in a succession struggle.  If a concubine did not attract the sultan or didn’t have a son, she might eventually leave the harem.  Otherwise, she could stay and educate the young concubines.  If the sultan happened to fall in love with a concubine who would bear him a son, she would become the most prestigious woman in the harem or even possibly the queen.  However, the sultans’ queens were often the daughters of other kingdoms’ leaders, chosen for political reasons. These strategically political marriages often yielded no heirs to the Ottoman throne.  Thus the harem played an important role for the sultans.

MEETING SHOPKEEPERS

Walking to Topkapi from where our taxi dropped us, we were invited in by every shop owner.  We were given tea and coffee whenever we wanted it.  The Turkish shop owners are skillful salesmen, multi-lingual, and charming.  We resisted most of their sales efforts to sell us carpets, jewelry, ceramics, etc.  We limited our purchases to the excellent Turkish dried fruits and baklava.

Several of the shop owners we met were Kurds, an ethnic group oppressed by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. He has suppressed the use of the Kurdish language and fought a Kurdish independence movement.  The Kurdish population is spread between Turkey, Iraq, and Armenia.  When the colonial British drew their maps, they neglected to delineate an area for the Kurds.  Thus, the Kurds are the largest ethnic population in the world without their own country.  The Kurds hate Erdogan.  One man called him worse than Sadam Hussain.

HISTORIC BUILDINGS

Our Topkapi visit occurred on a rainy day, so my photos are not as colorful as they otherwise might have been.  Next to Topkapi, we visited the oldest structure in Istanbul, which was originally a Christian church built in the 4th century.  The famous Aya Sofia domed cathedral is also located close by.  We had visited it previously.  It was originally a Christian cathedral, boasting the world’s largest dome building from the 5th century until the 15th century!  It was turned into a mosque, though the Christian stained glass windows and artful mosaics are still present.  The famous Blue Mosque is close by, so for decades the Aya Sofia was simply a museum. 

Our guide recounted that Turkey was the recipient of a large number of refugees from Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Afghanistan during the recent wars.  The American press covered the small boat crossings to Greece and Italy by refugees hoping to escape to Germany, the UK, and other attractive European countries.  Erdogan demanded more funds from the European Union (EU) to take care of the refugees, or else he threatened to send the refugees on to Europe.  When he was not satisfied with whatever funds the EU gave Turkey, Erdogan retaliated by converting the Aya Sofia from a museum back into an active mosque.  Our guide told us that the hundreds of foreign tourists, unlike before, are restricted to the upper floor, while the main floor is reserved for Muslim worshippers.  I’m glad that we visited several years ago, pre-covid, while tourists had full access.  I took many photos.

IN CONCLUSION

Turkey is a vibrant modern country, having modernized tremendously since my first visit five decades ago.  Though many women wear Muslim head scarves or veils, the majority do not.  Turkey has always been the crossroads of the meeting of Europe and Asia.  It was ruled by the Greeks prior to the Ottoman empire, after which it was under British domination.  So Turkey’s history is rich and full of historical conflicts.  The Turkish language extends (in the form of related dialects) all the way across the Middle East to the Uigurs of China, who speak a language derived from Turkish.  Turkey’s influence throughout history has been significant.  I look forward to visiting Turkey again whenever the opportunity arises.