An American in Turkey

This weekend was a bit more low key than usual. I went on a day trip to Konya with my Islamic Art and Architecture class for a tour of Selcuk era monuments and artifacts. Konya is about three hours or so south of Ankara smack in the middle of the south central Anatolian region and is, I think, the fifth largest city in the country (behind Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Adana respectively) with a population around 700,000. Konya is known to be a bit more conservative politically and socially, and that at least is evident when one looks at its history. The Selcuks ruled for a few centuries (10th-12th AD) from this central location and brought with them a long cultural heritage from Iran and a longstanding rivalry with the Ayyubids in Syria. Their place in history marks them as the clear predecessors to the Ottomans, indeed the progenitors of Osman ruled in the province that bordered Byzantium in the northwest. The two most impressive sites in Konya are the Alaeddin Camii, built for the longest ruling and most prolific sultan Alaeddin Keykubad II. This mosque is wuite odd as it most likely began as a church and then was added onto several times over the course of sixty years. The most interesting peice of decoration is perhaps the main portal to its courtyard which features a black and white marble interlace that is characteristic of teh Selcuk's Syrian rivals. The second site, which is a bit later, is the Mevlana Türbesi complex. Inside this ornate complex lies the tomb of Celaladdin Rumi, who usually goes by just Rumi (not Rummy like the ex-Secretary of Defense, Roomie, like that guy that sleeps in that other bed in your room). Rumi is best known outside the Islamic world as a prolific poet, perhaps the most famous Islamic literatuer (its close between him and Ömer Khayam who wrote the Rubbayat). Inside the Islamic world, however, he is most famous for founding the famous Sufi order of Mevlevi, who are known in the West as the "Whirling Dervishes". Sufi is actually short for the Arabic word which transliterates as faylasuf, or philosopher. Sufis and dervishes are the center of the mystical portion of Islam and are roughly equivocal to Monks and Saints of Christianity. The Mevlevis believe one can have a personal connection with God through their particular dance in which they whirl, furiously dizzying themselves to the point of euphoria. The order is essentially banned under Republican Turkish law, but dance troops who respect the heritage are allowed to perform the ceremony for the public. Under normal circumstances, an actual Sema (the ceremony in which they whirl) cannot be viewed by the public, so the performers you might see today probably aren't actual Sufis. Aside from these two sites we saw a couple of old medreses that are now tile museums with artifacts from the surrounding Selcuk excavations. We also paid a visit to the nearby Saadettin Caravansaray. The Selcuks were quite prolific overland traders and are credited with firmly establishing the Silk Route in Anatolia.

Next weekend I'm supposedly going to the southeast, particularly Urfa and Harran. I might post before then, I might not.

Güle Güle