Day 14: Neve Shalom, Jewish Museum, Galata Tower - Adam Reisman

Merhaba ve hoşçakal! (Hello and goodbye!) After visiting many great ancient sites, museums, mosques, and more, today marks our last official day of content here in Türkiye before returning home. We’ve learned so much over the past ~2.5 weeks together, and though a bittersweet feeling to look back and remember what all we’ve seen, it has been an unforgettable experience and a wonderful trip course.

We began today by heading on a bit of a walk to the Neve Shalom, which is the largest and most popular out of the 25 operating synagogues in Istanbul. The Neve Shalom can be translated from Hebrew and Arabic to mean “Oasis of Peace,” and was built in the late 1930s to accommodate an increase in the Jewish population. It is open to service for Shabbats, bar mitzvahs, and other important events. Similar to mosques, the Neve Shalom has a balcony for gender segregated seating depending on the type of service being offered. 

View from above of the Neve Shalom Synagogue

Another closer view

Upon arrival, we began by talking a bit about the history of religious tensions towards the Jewish community across time, where we learned the Neve Shalom was only recently opened again due to the conflict in Israel. In response to these tensions the Jewish community have been subject to overtime, we took note of the hard hats kept under the seats in case dangerous situations were to arise, as well as the strict security and policies in place at the Neve Shalom. We also observed how since Istanbul is a cosmopolitan city, this can be both an opportunity and a threat to the Jewish community as while a diversity of religions is accepting and allows them a place to exist, there is often likely a feeling of competition or dislike that can cause tensions. 

We also talked a bit about the origins of Judaism here. In early times, there were many instances of expulsions from Judea to Asia Minor such as the Babylonian exile that took place in the 6th century BCE. The capture of Jerusalem by Babylonians resulted in an expulsion of many Jews from Judea, which led many to go over to Asia Minor. Events such as these caused a dispersal of Jews among the ancient world and was also accompanied by a spread of Christianity. This is evidenced in 1492 when Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand initiated the reconquest of Spain causing practicing Jews and Muslims to be expelled from the country, thus catholicizing the Iberian Peninsula. This caused many Jews to either convert to Christianity or migrate to the Ottoman Empire, where a prominent part of the Jewish population in present day Istanbul originated from. As of recently, Spain and Portugal are now offering citizenship to people with Sephardic Jewish ancestry subject to these expulsions, with the intention to right their wrongs. 

Adjacent to the Neve Shalom is the Jewish Museum, which was a relatively small museum featuring many descriptions of Jewish holidays, symbols, and traditions to lay a groundwork of what Judaism is for those who are unfamiliar. At this museum, there were several examples of confluence, including this hanukkiah (see image below) that is in the shape of a minaret which is a traditionally used tower built at mosques to call Muslims to prayer. It was particularly interesting to see this as it combines two prominent religious symbols and was likely depicted as such because the meaning of a menorah is “light” and a minaret meaning “lighthouse”. 

Me and Dr. Huber enjoying the hanukkiah shaped like a minaret

At the museum, we were also able to see a rolled Torah, which is the foundation of Judaism that contains five books written by the Prophet Moses and then, as part of Jewish tradition, inscribed fully by hand by trained people on parchment made by kosher animal skin. These rolled Torah books are often read in synagogues and kept in the most sacred place of a synagogue. 

Rolled Torah seen at the museum

After leaving the Jewish Museum, we took a walk through the Galata district to reach the Galata Tower. First built by Emperor Justinian in the 6th century and eventually destroyed by the Byzantines, it was later rebuilt by the Genoese in 1348. By the Genoese, it was built to serve as a watchtower for the Italians to maintain surveillance of the Byzantines and to guard the northern approach to the Golden Horn. Later, after the Ottoman conquest, it became a jail, and now, it is being used as an observatory that allows people to visit as high as the balconies, unless under renovation such as they were today. Nevertheless, we were able to ascend 7 stories and see the breathtaking views of the city and the vantage point the Italians used during the crusade. 

Galata Tower

View from the Galata Tower

Overall, today was a great day to wrap up the content of our course and we look forward to enjoying our last day and farewell dinner tomorrow before we say hoşçkal (goodbye) to Türkiye.

Day 13: Dolmabahçe Palace, Fortress Rumeli, and Whirling Dervishes - Evan

After a short bus ride from our hotel, we laid our eyes upon the last residence of the Ottoman sultans, the Dolmabahçe Palace. Located on the coast of the Bosphorus Strait, “The New Palace” is the product of the spending that ultimately brought about the downfall of the Ottoman Empire. After 13 years of construction, the building was finished in 1856 and became the new home for Ottoman royalty, replacing the seemingly outdated Topkapi Palace.

In the eyes of the Russian Tsar Nicholas I and many western powers, the Ottoman Empire was “the sick man of Europe” as the country struggled to stay afloat as it slowly lost territory, power, and influence. To challenge this idea, Sultan Abdülmecid I commissioned the construction of the Dolmabahçe Palace and instructed that it reflect the luxurious palaces of Europe that radiate greatness. This inspiration is seen as we walked through the Gate of the Treasury and towards the palace itself, both of which were decorated in the trendy Neoclassical style that captivated European architects of the time. 

The Gate of the Treasury

The Dolmabahçe Palace

The Ottomans also wanted to westernize in order to escape the label of “oriental” associated with the East, which at the time was particularly concentrated in the Middle East. Orientalism depicted the East as exotic by showing images such as young boys holding large snakes and groups of hypersexualized women in Turkish baths. While this made the East seem like an alluring and magical place, it also made it seem like a threat to Western civilization which was believed to be more proper and righteous.

In order to avoid emulating what could be seen as oriental characteristics, the sultans not only adopted Western European architecture, but also reorganized their government. The Rescript of the Rose Chamber, issued by Sultan Abdülmecid I in 1839, called for the abolition of tax farming, reform of conscription, and equal rights for all citizens of the Empire regardless of one’s faith or ethnicity. However, these reforms worked in tandem with the costs of elegant palaces and the expenses of the Crimean War to put the Ottomans in a tricky financial situation. In the end, the Empire was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1875 and was thereafter manipulated by the West to uplift the nation’s Christian minority population until the outbreak of World War One.

Bearing all this history in mind, we walked through the home of the final six sultans and witnessed all the glamor that was shown to important visitors from abroad and kept private for the palace’s residents. The palace is divided into the Selam section for the men and their guests and the Harem for the royal family and any present concubines. In both parts of the palace, there’s an abundance of paintings of sultans on the walls (the total number being over 600) and a near constant presence of gold that was often paired with different geometric designs or heavenly paintings on the ceilings. The entirety of the building is covered with the color red, a symbol of royalty that smothered carpets and furniture while accenting the Italian stucco that enveloped the pillars of the interior. Although taking pictures inside the palace was not allowed, this doesn’t stop the power of the Internet from showing you what we saw.

A meeting room

The Pink Hall

The Crystal Staircase

The last room we were able to view was the opulent Ceremonial Hall, making everyone crane their necks as we looked up at the gigantic blue dome overhead. In the center of the room was the world’s largest Bohemian crystal chandelier weighing more than four tons and hanging above the world’s second largest Hereke rug, only surpassed by one given as a gift to the White House. Our exit led us outside in front of the Gate to the Bosphorus where sultans used to greet foreign leaders, leaving an awesome last impression as we enjoyed the view before getting back on the coach.

The Ceremonial Hall

Some of the squad exiting the palace

The Gate to the Bosphorus

Across the street from the palace is the home of Saba’s favorite soccer team, Beşiktaş JK. All around the outside of the stadium are pictures of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, as he lived out his final days in the Dolmabahçe Palace. Oftentimes the supporters of a certain team follow a particular ideology, like how Beşiktaş is linked to Atatürk, and this lends itself to creating heated rivalries and every once in a while run-ins with the police as a group of fans will sometimes support a protest that resonates with them. In a show of distaste for a rival, Saba scoffed at a man-made island used for restaurants owned by the soccer club Galatasaray as we passed by on our way to our next stop.

Saba’s favorite stadium

Saba’s least favorite island

After another fairly short bus ride, we reached Rumeli Fortress, also known as the Fortress of Europe. This was strategically created by Mehmet II in 1452 directly across from the Anatolian Fortress on the other side of the Bosphorus. These along with another pair of forts on opposite sides of the Strait came together to cut off all naval traffic, and with it, a significant source of supplies for Constantinople, the target of the Ottomans for centuries. The only other time the fortress was used for military purposes was during the occupation of Istanbul after the conclusion of World War One, which saw the British use the building to keep control over the city.

Saba gets our tickets into the fortress

A new mosque doesn’t leave much room for theater

The wall along the Bosphorus Strait

The erection of the fortress was a rare example of soldiers being the sole workers on a construction project. The force was split into four sections and was headed by four different commanders who were each assigned a tower to build, all of which were later named after the corresponding commanders. Today, the fortress isn’t filled by gruff soldiers, but is instead occupied with friendly cats who aren’t afraid to jump up into your lap while you enjoy the view of the Bosphorus and passing boats.

A cuddly cat relaxing with me on a bench

Following our short trip to the Rumeli Fortress, we had several hours to ourselves before we headed out again to see a whirling dervish performance. We sat together around a small circular stage in which dancers called semazens spun around in a Sufi ritual accompanied by religious music. The meditative practice involves the semazens removing their black cloaks in order to uncover their billowing white skirts meant to represent the truth provided by Allah. The Sufi whirling then commences as they attempt to reach a heightened connection between themselves and their creator. After much dancing and music of varying speeds, the semazens return to the reality of Earth and put back on their black cloaks, effectively ending the dance. This was a fantastic way to wind down for the night, as we now train our focus on making the most of our final days in Türkiye.

The stage of the whirling dervishes before the performance

An example of Sufi whirling, as pictures were not allowed during our viewing

Day 12: Temple of Augustus, Old Parliament, and Roman Baths - Olivia

Today was our final day in Ankara before heading back to Istanbul. On our way to the Temple of Augustus we stopped by a Mosque right next to it. The Hacı Bayram Mosque is a popular pilgrimage sight so it will frequently overflow to the outdoor mosque right outside!

Outdoor mosque of the Hacı Bayram Mosque.

At first, the Temple of Augustus appears to be right next to the Hacı Bayram Mosque, but it actually shares a wall. There could be many reasons for this, it could have saved the builders materials, could have helped to support the temple, or maybe they desired to add to or change the history. It’s likely that not just one reason led to this, but it’s fun to speculate! 

Joint wall of the Temple of Augustus and the Hacı Bayram Mosque. 

A little about the Temple of Augustus…

It was built between 25 and 20 BC and has an inscription of a first person eulogy that makes it clear Augustus wanted to create his own narrative and be remembered highly. Not only did the eulogy talk of his military might, but also of his generosity which was considered just as important in the ancient world. This eulogy is interesting because it was not just placed on this temple, but also on his tomb in Rome, as well as several other locations. This shows the spread of the Roman Empire in the 1st century as well as the top tier PR that was done by the Roman Empire. The inscription in Ankara is actually the best maintained of all the locations. The eulogy runs along the entire temple and is written in both Greek and Latin so that all people could read it as one was the language of the people, and one was the language of the government. 

Temple of Augustus

We next stopped at the Roman baths near the Temple of Augustus. We were able to walk around what would have been the palestra that is now outlined by funerary monuments. The baths and dressing rooms were in excellent condition, and we were able to see how they utilized heated flooring!  

Roman bath.

Heated floor!

Our last stop before heading to the airport was the old parliament building. Parliament was established on April 23rd, 1920…a day that is now celebrated and called Children’s Day. We were also able to see the desk where Atatürk officially declared  the war of independence.

Inside of parliament.

Desk mentioned above.

We spent the rest of the day traveling and we made it to our hotel in New Istanbul! 

Here are some bonus animal pictures for getting to the bottom!!

Prof Pics #6

Olivia is especially keyed-up for our visit to the Grand National Assembly

We pose at the entry to the big meeting hall

We pose outside afterwards; they really wanted us to take a lot of "family pictures."

Yes, they actually let us in, but the light wasn't right for a good photo of us; but how 'bout

them chandeliers? 

Sarah presents Mr Pakdil, former Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly, with a 

lil' gift from Elon.

More posing...that's me on the right with a couple of Mr Pakdil's handlers.

More posing....

They were really nice to us.

While Althea's cool, Jeanne's just pretending to be mad.

Where'd Izzy come from?!

Anna and Avery offer nice smiles for the camera, while Molly wonders

where else she might sit for our lunch at the Capitol

Poor C-Bish had to sit right next to me.

 

Day 11: The Anatolian Civilizations Museum and the Mausoleum of Atatürk - Izzy Bennett

 Today, we began our last full day in Ankara by visiting the Anatolian Civilization Museum. 

Entrance

This museum details all of the civilizations that have lived in the area of Anatolia since the beginning of known civilization through artifacts like tools and artwork. The building was originally a 15th century bazaar that was restored by Atatürk to become a museum. 

First, we went through the different ages of history that categorize the times of these civilizations. The Paleolithic Age features the beginning of civilization with simple survival-based lifestyles. The main artifacts from this time are tools that represent the inability to devote time and energy to artistry.

Tools and artifacts from the Paleolithic Age

After agriculture was established, humans moved into the Neolithic Age in 12,000 BC. This age features settlements, evidence of religious practices, the beginning of trade, and the beginnings of art. Humanity was advancing and innovating, so the artifacts were full of beautiful artwork and symbols of deities and other complex elements. 

One image that was portrayed many times was that of Cybele, one of the earliest known deities, also known as the Great Mother. We believe she represented fertility, motherhood, and power. She is a dynamic deity as she changes in name and look in different cultures but represents a similar idea. We saw many statues of her today. 

Early metalwork of Cybele

Representation of what altars to Cybele looked like

Each section of the museum represented a different civilization that has resided in Anatolia. The first known group was the Hittites who lived in central Türkiye and have a European origin. Their orthostats, stone slabs on the bottom of a wall, give us information about their culture and lifestyle that we couldn’t have gotten otherwise. The Hittites also used cuneiforms to record many things like marriage and divorce records and receipts that give us insight into the lived experience of ancient people.

Orthostats of the Hittites

Cuneiform of the Hittites

Some of the other civilizations in Anatolia were the Phrygians, Lydians, Assyrians, along with many others to make 24 total civilizations that have existed here. The Phrygians are known for their intricate and beautiful woodworks. The Lydians are known for inventing the coin and beginning the use of money instead of trade. All of these groups have deep and rich histories and many are displayed in this museum. 

Woodwork of the Phrygians

One interesting thing to consider in this museum is the lack of representation of ancient Greek artifacts. That section is in the basement and is somewhat hidden away, so we discussed the idea that there is an intentional downplaying of the significance of ancient Greek civilizations due to the poor relations between Türkiye and Greece from events like the Turkish War of Independence and the swapping of Greek and Turkish citizens in 1924. Maybe Türkiye doesn’t want visitors to confront the harsh reality of how both nations have treated each other quite poorly or to reflect on the negative attributes of the Turkish government…

Another idea we considered is how we can see societal issues like misogyny and class discrimination permeating throughout these ancient civilizations. We’ve talked many times about how cities are often represented as women and there is a metaphor of conquest and domination over women when cities are taken. There’s a similar idea with the artifacts in this museum as women were often represented as containers like cups and bowls. We considered how the depiction of women as containers could be a form of objectification and show how ancient cultures viewed women. In addition, we saw a lot of jewelry and thought it could represent the class divisions of the ancient world as the wealthy displayed their resources on their body, instantly signaling who has wealth and who doesn’t as a method of expressing perceived superiority.

Woman depicted in a bowl

Female face on a bowl draped in jewelry

After seeing the Anatolian Civilizations Museum, we went to the Mausoleum of Atatürk, the father of the Turks and founder of the Republic of Türkiye.

After Atatürk died, they didn’t know what to do with his body, so they held an international competition of architects to determine what to build to house his grave. Two Turkish architects won the competition and built the structure.

The mausoleum reflects the history of Türkiye and Atatürk through the symbolic architecture.

When you walk up the entrance, there are 24 lion statues that represent the 24 civilizations that have lived in Anatolia.

Walkway to the mausoleum lined with lion statues

The main structure is a modern interpretation of a Greek temple to pay homage to Atatürk’s birthplace of modern Greece.

Main building that houses Atatürk’s body

Inside the mausoleum, there are mosaics on the ceiling that resemble Turkish carpets to acknowledge the Ottoman Empire.

Ceiling mosaic inside the mausoleum

On the walls of the mausoleum, there are reliefs, or carvings, that depict the Turkish War of Independence and Atatürk’s reforms to represent the modern Republic of Türkiye. 

Reliefs on the side of the mausoleum

Even the soil of the hill that the mausoleum sits on was collected from all over Türkiye to create a mini version of Türkiye for Atatürk to sit upon. His mausoleum can be well seen all over Ankara and symbolizes how he still is the leader and highest figure in Türkiye, showing his strong grasp on the country even past his life.

Outline of Türkiye with the flag overlooking the city outside the mausoleum

Underneath and around the mausoleum is a museum that shows items connected to Atatürk and the Turkish War of Independence. We saw exhibitions with clothes he wore, recreations of the trenches he and the soldiers fought in, and many other pieces of artwork and historical records.

Famous picture of Atatürk fighting in the Turkish War of Independence 

Portrait of Atatürk

Records of atrocities committed by Greeks in the Turkish War of Independence - no mention of Türkiye’s wrongdoings…

At this site, we considered what Türkiye is trying to say to us through the architecture and the museum. How does Türkiye want us to remember Atatürk’s legacy? They certainly don’t want us to remember his authoritative qualities, drinking problems, and playboy tendencies. All dignitaries and important visitors to Türkiye are supposed to come to Atatürk’s mausoleum to pay respects before doing anything else, so this is clearly an important site that wants to send a message that paints Türkiye and its immortal leader in the best light. When entering significant sites like these, we discussed how it’s important to consider what message is being sent to visitors.

Today, we learned a lot about the legacy of the ancient Anatolian civilizations and Atatürk and considered how the past influences modern Türkiye. It was a day full of insight and complexity and we’re all excited to continue exploring Türkiye!