Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sofia (under construction so there’s lots of scaffolding), Blue Mosque (some photos from the outside but then a few of us left with John and Leigh to go to Dolmabahçe Palace so I didn’t go in).
Topkapi Palace: Built just after the Ottomans conquered Turkey. A new empire at its height. Great beauty and simplicity. Integration of the buildings with nature. A devotional and sincere religious order that permeated daily life. (Inscriptions from the Koran on commonly used items.) A functional social structure with a harem guarded by African eunuchs (so that if there was any monkey business the illegitimate offspring would be recognizable). Palace intrigue but bounded by rules that benefited the whole: the sultan’s mother maintained the family and harem structure and maintained a balance of power. Libraries dedicated to religious study. The way that Islam encouraged the moment-by-moment remembrance of God is something that I never fully grasped before. So lovely.
Lunch at a beautiful garden restaurant. Food simple, tasteful.
In contrast: Dolmabahçe Palace, from the end of the Ottoman empire; ornate, ostentatious and influenced by attempts to imitate the West rather than celebrating the native culture; much less religious influence; much greater materialism; 18th and 19th century European furnishings.(Attaturk lived and died here.)
Both palaces have gorgeous views of the Bosphorus. Malibu seaside Mediterranean climate with old-world serenity and aesthetics. I’m ready to move in once I perfect the time machine.
Very peaceful and Light-filled day.
