For some reason I couldn't get pictures into the last post, so I shall try again. This is the crew at JFK.
next...lunch at The Pudding Cafe Lale
the entrance to the harem
iron bars do not a prison make......looking out of the harem...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Illustrations of Day One
For some reason I couldn't get pictures into the last post, so I shall try again. This is the crew at JFK.
next...lunch at The Pudding Cafe Lale
the entrance to the harem
iron bars do not a prison make......looking out of the harem...
Day One
I am writing this a day late. Absolute fatigue got me after the trip and I chose sleep over writing. Now to catch up!
The flights went fine.... on time out of Phoenix at 6 a.m. Sunday, into NYC/JFK a little early. About 3 hours to wait for the next flight. We gradually accumulated our entire group (with our two experts we are 14, though 2 had flown early.) We are now 15 with our local guide, a lovely young PhD candidate in art history, named Arzu.
The NYC to Istanbul flight was about 10 hours... in tiny toy seats that might have fit 8 year olds, but not adult mortals. My seat mate was a very nice Turkish American business man going back to a family reunion... he was so muscularly big that I looked petite. Suffice it to say it was not comfy. They fed us dinner, breakfast, many beverages, and showed a boodle of movies. I read, took my melatonin and tried to sleep the trip away. I was successful in 30 minute increments.in both reading and sleeping.
We got into Istanbul about an hour late, at about 10:45 a.m.; found our guide, found most of our luggage (all of mine, thankfully), loaded our minibusu and came to our hotel. We are in the nice older section of Central Istanbul, in the Hotel Bristol. Rooms are comfy but small for two (manageable of both of us don't want to do something extreme like walk around simultaneously......) But we have a bath, hot water, the air conditioning works, and the little teensy beds are comfy. I slept the sleep of the innocent last night.
After half an hour or so we met the bus again and headed for Topkapi.... wow. Saying Topkapi was the sultan's palace is sort of like saying that the White House is the President's condo in DC. Generally close to 4000-5000 people were in residence at any time... staff, slaves, servants, advisors, guards, janissaries, wives, concubines, children, etc. We toured the harem first..... it generally was the most densely settled. Though some sultans were more libidinous than others, for the most part the harem was hardly the Playboy Mansion... the ruler was the Queen Mother and she frequently ran a tight ship. The wives and concubines were often foreigners....sometimes captured in war, sometimes sent to seal alliances or business deals, sometimes the daughters of poor families seeking upward mobility. They got a little job security if they bore a son, but they also had the tenuous circumstance of waiting to see if that son of primogeniture, so it was every little guy for himself when papa sultan went on to the next world.
Topkapi is built on one of Istanbul's 7 high hills, so it catches delightful breezes and views of the Bosporus. It is surrounded by lovely gardens and nooks and crannies out in those gardens.
Then we went on to see the jewels and artifacts and relics of the Prophets. The jewels were breathtaking and sumptuous. In addition to the things you may remember from the movie Topkapi (the daggers, jewels for the turban, pendants, rings, etc., etc.) there were jewel encrusted stirrups; gold and diamond coffee cups, much more. We were not allowed to photograph in there, but no one kept us from drooling.
The last part was the reliquary. Remember that Islam, Judiasm and Christianity all share reverece for the Old Testament prophets... Abraham, Moses, Jacob, David. In fact Muslims believe Jesus was among those prophets. Mohammed is seen to be most significant (and the LAST) prophet. There, in a very solemn display area of several rooms, underscored by someone reading the Koran (live, duty shared by two rotating imams), we saw King David's sword, Abraham's stew pan, various teeth and body parts and several hairs of Mohammed's beard. It was a very interesting display.. I am still a little partial to Abraham's pan.
Our guides had mercy at this point and we came back to the hotel, walkled a few blocks to a very good dinner and then collapsed. A wonderful day.
The flights went fine.... on time out of Phoenix at 6 a.m. Sunday, into NYC/JFK a little early. About 3 hours to wait for the next flight. We gradually accumulated our entire group (with our two experts we are 14, though 2 had flown early.) We are now 15 with our local guide, a lovely young PhD candidate in art history, named Arzu.
The NYC to Istanbul flight was about 10 hours... in tiny toy seats that might have fit 8 year olds, but not adult mortals. My seat mate was a very nice Turkish American business man going back to a family reunion... he was so muscularly big that I looked petite. Suffice it to say it was not comfy. They fed us dinner, breakfast, many beverages, and showed a boodle of movies. I read, took my melatonin and tried to sleep the trip away. I was successful in 30 minute increments.in both reading and sleeping.
We got into Istanbul about an hour late, at about 10:45 a.m.; found our guide, found most of our luggage (all of mine, thankfully), loaded our minibusu and came to our hotel. We are in the nice older section of Central Istanbul, in the Hotel Bristol. Rooms are comfy but small for two (manageable of both of us don't want to do something extreme like walk around simultaneously......) But we have a bath, hot water, the air conditioning works, and the little teensy beds are comfy. I slept the sleep of the innocent last night.
After half an hour or so we met the bus again and headed for Topkapi.... wow. Saying Topkapi was the sultan's palace is sort of like saying that the White House is the President's condo in DC. Generally close to 4000-5000 people were in residence at any time... staff, slaves, servants, advisors, guards, janissaries, wives, concubines, children, etc. We toured the harem first..... it generally was the most densely settled. Though some sultans were more libidinous than others, for the most part the harem was hardly the Playboy Mansion... the ruler was the Queen Mother and she frequently ran a tight ship. The wives and concubines were often foreigners....sometimes captured in war, sometimes sent to seal alliances or business deals, sometimes the daughters of poor families seeking upward mobility. They got a little job security if they bore a son, but they also had the tenuous circumstance of waiting to see if that son of primogeniture, so it was every little guy for himself when papa sultan went on to the next world.
Topkapi is built on one of Istanbul's 7 high hills, so it catches delightful breezes and views of the Bosporus. It is surrounded by lovely gardens and nooks and crannies out in those gardens.
Then we went on to see the jewels and artifacts and relics of the Prophets. The jewels were breathtaking and sumptuous. In addition to the things you may remember from the movie Topkapi (the daggers, jewels for the turban, pendants, rings, etc., etc.) there were jewel encrusted stirrups; gold and diamond coffee cups, much more. We were not allowed to photograph in there, but no one kept us from drooling.
The last part was the reliquary. Remember that Islam, Judiasm and Christianity all share reverece for the Old Testament prophets... Abraham, Moses, Jacob, David. In fact Muslims believe Jesus was among those prophets. Mohammed is seen to be most significant (and the LAST) prophet. There, in a very solemn display area of several rooms, underscored by someone reading the Koran (live, duty shared by two rotating imams), we saw King David's sword, Abraham's stew pan, various teeth and body parts and several hairs of Mohammed's beard. It was a very interesting display.. I am still a little partial to Abraham's pan.
Our guides had mercy at this point and we came back to the hotel, walkled a few blocks to a very good dinner and then collapsed. A wonderful day.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Trip Itinerary
Date
Day Activities:
Night in:
June
29 M
Arrive in Istanbul on Delta Airlines Flight 72, arriving at 9:55 am. Topkapi Palace (including Imperial Treasury and Harem), the Hippodrome, and the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii).
Scholar/guide: Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “The Ottoman Empire at Its Height.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
30 Tu
Istanbul.
Santa Sophia (Aya Sofia), underground cistern, Aqueduct of Valens, Mosque of Zeyrek, the Sacred Water of Blachernia, Ivaz Efendi Camii, Prison of Anemas (from outside), Tekfur Palace, and Byzantine walls and gates.
Scholar/guide: Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “The Byzantine Background.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
July
1 W
Istanbul.
Theme: Ottoman capture of the city by Mehmed the Conqueror.
Mosque of Mehmed II, Mahmut Pasha Mosque, Beyazit Mosque, Nuru Osmaniye Mosque, and the Covered Bazaar.
Scholar/speaker: Cigdem Kafescioglu of Bogazici University: “Mehmed the Conqueror and the Transition from Constantinople to Istanbul.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
2 Th
Istanbul. Mosque of Mihrimah Sultan, Haeki complex, Shezade complex, , Suleymaniye complex, Rustem Pasha Mosque, Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Mosque, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (palace of Suleyman’s grand vezir).
Scholar/Speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “The Ottoman Empire under Suleyman the Magnificent.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
3 F
Istanbul. The Queen Mother’s Mosque, Spice Bazaar. Boat trip up the Bosphorus, visiting the Fortress of Remelihisari and crossing to the Asian side. Tour in the Uskudar district.
Scholar/speaker: Lucienne Thys-Senocak of Koc University: “The Late Ottoman Empire.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
4 Sa
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Early departure for Bursa. En route: İznik, the site of famous Ottoman tiles and crafts. Then on to Bursa, the early capital of the Ottoman Empire: the Green Mausoleum, the Green Mosque, the Grand Mosque, the Muradiye Mosque Complex with its cemetery, and the Ottoman House Museum. Short tour of the silk bazaar. Overnight in Bursa.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Origins 1.”
Bursa, Turkey
Kgönlüferah City Hotel
5 Su
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Travel to several former-Ottoman towns to visit: Ottoman houses in Mudanya, Kumyaka and Zeytinbağı Churches, then the İshak Pasha Complex in İnegöl, Kasım Pasha Complex in Bozüyük, Ertuğrul Gazi Tomb in Söğüt, Grand Mosque and Ottoman Houses and the Porcelain Museum in Kütahya. Overnight in Kütahya.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Life and Culture 1.”
Kütahya, Turkey
Aizanoi Hotel
6 M
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Travel to Aizonai, Ottoman houses in Kula and the ancient city of Sardes. Overnight in Sardes.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Life and Culture 2.”
Sardes, Turkey
Lidya Thermal Hotel
7 Tu
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Travel in former-Ottoman towns to visit: the Çakırağa Mansion in Birgi, old houses in Tire, a wooden mosque, and finally the ancient city of Nyssa. Overnight in Kuşadası.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Origins 2.”
Kuşadası, Turkey
Sözer Hotel
8 W
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Day trip to Ephesus. Return to hotel in Kuşadası.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Greek Pre-Ottoman Civilization in Anatolia.”
Kuşadası, Turkey
Sözer Hotel
9 Th
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Rest day in Kuşadası with the option to visit Izmir.
Kuşadası, Turkey
Sözer Hotel
10 F
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Travel to ancient Greek city of Pergamon to see the Asclepion, the sanctuary that was dedicated to the God of Medicine and which was the first complete health spa in history; the Acropolis, where the ruins of a library and sanctuary Athena, Altar of Zeus, and a theater are located; the church at
the site of ancient Serapium; the Red Court (Kızıl Avlu), dedicated to St. John; and the Archeological Museum. Visit Cunda in Ayvalık to see the Ottoman Summer Program and also the Greek-Turkish population exchange museum. Overnight in Assos.
Local guide and scholar/speaker: Greg Key. Subjects: “Greek Influence on Anatolia and the Greek Expulsion from the Area.” “The Ottoman Language.”
Assos, Turkey
Eden Beach Hotel
11 Sa
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Brief stop in Troy. Cross by ferry to Gallipoli to visit the Kabatepe Museum and the Gallipoli peninsula (scene of a famous Ottoman battle in World War I). Return to Istanbul.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “The Ottoman Empire in World War I.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
12 Su
Istanbul. Theme: the “European city.” Dolmabahce Palace, the shopping area of Beyoglu, the old tramway, Taksim area, several churches.
Scholar/speaker Onur Inal of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Institutions.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
13 M
Istanbul. Rest day. (Also, a chance to meet with Turkish teachers.)
Educator: Nalan Babur of Bogazici University.
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
14 Tu
Istanbul. Theme: the mosaics of Istanbul. Tophane, several churches and mosques, old Turkish houses, Galata area. Fly to Belgrade that evening. See below for flight details.
Scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Life.”
Belgrade, Serbia
Hotel Srbija
15 W
Belgrade, Serbia . Fortress of Kalemegdan, Knez Mihajlova shopping district, meet with Serbian teachers.
Local teacher/contact: Stojanka Surbanovski.
Scholar/speaker Lisa Adeli of the University of Arizona. “Serbia under the Ottoman Empire.”
Belgrade, Serbia
Hotel Srbija
16 Th
Balkan Trip. Travel to Višegrad, Bosnia (site of the Bridge on the Drina) and on to Sarajevo. Late afternoon and evening time for shopping and attending the cultural festival.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Lisa Adeli of the University of Arizona. “The Ottoman Legacy in Bosnia.”
Sarajevo, Bosnia
Hotel Hecco
17 F
Balkan trip. Sarajevo city tour, Orijentalni Institut. (Optional: attending the evening cultural festival)
Local guide and scholar/speaker Aladin Husic of the Orientalni Institut in Sarajevo. “Bosnia under the Ottoman Empire.”
Sarajevo, Bosnia
Hotel Hecco
18 Sa
Balkan trip. Travel to Mostar, Bosnia. Overnight in Mostar.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Lisa Adeli of the University of Arizona. “The Ottoman Cultural Impact on Bosnia.”
Mostar, Bosnia Hotel Kriva Cuprija
19 Su
Balkan trip. Travel to Dubrovnik, Croatia, then on to Montenegro. Overnight in Podgorica, Montenegro. A travel/“rest“ day. (Dubrovnik provides an interesting contrast by showing a Balkan city that was not under Ottoman rule for a significant length of time.)
Podgorica, Montenegro
Hotel Holiday
20 M
Balkan trip. Travel to Ottoman sites in Albania: Shkodra, Kruja – castle, ethnographic museum, Skenderbeg Museum. Overnight in Berat.
Local Albanian guides to Ottoman sites. “Cultural Impact of the Ottoman Empire on Albania.”
Berat, Albania
Tomorri Hotel
21 Tu
Balkan trip. Tour Ottoman sites in Albania: the Ethnographic Museum and Unufri Iconography Museum in Berat; the castle and Army Museum in Gjirokastra. Overnight in Gjirokastra.
Scholar/speaker: Moikom Zeqo, director of the National Museum of History, Tirana. “Ottoman Albania.”
Gjirokastra, Albania
Hotel Parku/Mjelmave
22 W
Balkan trip. Travel accross northern Greece to Thessaloniki, Greece.
Scholar/speaker: John Alexander “The Ottoman Rule in Greece.”
Thessaloniki, Greece
Aegeon Hotel
23 Th
Balkan trip. Travel to Edirne, Turkey. (arrive at 5:00 pm)
Edirne, Turkey
Rustempaşa Kervansarayi
24 F
Balkan trip. Tour Edirne, an earlier capital of the Ottoman Empire. Visit the castle, the mosque of Yildirim Bayazit, the Old Mosque, the Mosque of Murad (Muradiye), the Mosque with three Balconies (Üç Serefeli Camii), the Mosque complex of Bayezid II (with its nearly 100 domes, scattered on a very large plain covering a mosque, a hospital, a public kitchen, a faculty for doctors, the baths and living quarters), the Mosque of Selim II (Selimiye Camiisi), the baths of Sokullu and Tahtakale, the Caravanserail of Rüstem Pasha, the Eski Camii, and the Archaeological Museum. Later depart for İstanbul en route visit The Bridge of Çobançesme; Sokullu Mehmed Pasha Complex in Lüleburgaz. Overnight in Istanbul.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona. “Turkish Institutions in the Eastern Balkans.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
25 Sa
Istanbul. Planning lessons together, last-minute shopping for curricular materials and chance to re-visit sites individually.
Facilitator: Lisa Adeli of the University of Arizona (who is also a certified teacher).
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
26 Su
Istanbul. Planning lessons together, last-minute shopping for curricular materials and chance to re-visit sites individually.
Facilitator: Lisa Adeli of the University of Arizona (who is also a certified teacher).
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
27 M
End of the trip/return home.
Day Activities:
Night in:
June
29 M
Arrive in Istanbul on Delta Airlines Flight 72, arriving at 9:55 am. Topkapi Palace (including Imperial Treasury and Harem), the Hippodrome, and the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii).
Scholar/guide: Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “The Ottoman Empire at Its Height.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
30 Tu
Istanbul.
Santa Sophia (Aya Sofia), underground cistern, Aqueduct of Valens, Mosque of Zeyrek, the Sacred Water of Blachernia, Ivaz Efendi Camii, Prison of Anemas (from outside), Tekfur Palace, and Byzantine walls and gates.
Scholar/guide: Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “The Byzantine Background.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
July
1 W
Istanbul.
Theme: Ottoman capture of the city by Mehmed the Conqueror.
Mosque of Mehmed II, Mahmut Pasha Mosque, Beyazit Mosque, Nuru Osmaniye Mosque, and the Covered Bazaar.
Scholar/speaker: Cigdem Kafescioglu of Bogazici University: “Mehmed the Conqueror and the Transition from Constantinople to Istanbul.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
2 Th
Istanbul. Mosque of Mihrimah Sultan, Haeki complex, Shezade complex, , Suleymaniye complex, Rustem Pasha Mosque, Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Mosque, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (palace of Suleyman’s grand vezir).
Scholar/Speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “The Ottoman Empire under Suleyman the Magnificent.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
3 F
Istanbul. The Queen Mother’s Mosque, Spice Bazaar. Boat trip up the Bosphorus, visiting the Fortress of Remelihisari and crossing to the Asian side. Tour in the Uskudar district.
Scholar/speaker: Lucienne Thys-Senocak of Koc University: “The Late Ottoman Empire.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
4 Sa
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Early departure for Bursa. En route: İznik, the site of famous Ottoman tiles and crafts. Then on to Bursa, the early capital of the Ottoman Empire: the Green Mausoleum, the Green Mosque, the Grand Mosque, the Muradiye Mosque Complex with its cemetery, and the Ottoman House Museum. Short tour of the silk bazaar. Overnight in Bursa.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Origins 1.”
Bursa, Turkey
Kgönlüferah City Hotel
5 Su
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Travel to several former-Ottoman towns to visit: Ottoman houses in Mudanya, Kumyaka and Zeytinbağı Churches, then the İshak Pasha Complex in İnegöl, Kasım Pasha Complex in Bozüyük, Ertuğrul Gazi Tomb in Söğüt, Grand Mosque and Ottoman Houses and the Porcelain Museum in Kütahya. Overnight in Kütahya.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Life and Culture 1.”
Kütahya, Turkey
Aizanoi Hotel
6 M
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Travel to Aizonai, Ottoman houses in Kula and the ancient city of Sardes. Overnight in Sardes.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Life and Culture 2.”
Sardes, Turkey
Lidya Thermal Hotel
7 Tu
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Travel in former-Ottoman towns to visit: the Çakırağa Mansion in Birgi, old houses in Tire, a wooden mosque, and finally the ancient city of Nyssa. Overnight in Kuşadası.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Origins 2.”
Kuşadası, Turkey
Sözer Hotel
8 W
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Day trip to Ephesus. Return to hotel in Kuşadası.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Greek Pre-Ottoman Civilization in Anatolia.”
Kuşadası, Turkey
Sözer Hotel
9 Th
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Rest day in Kuşadası with the option to visit Izmir.
Kuşadası, Turkey
Sözer Hotel
10 F
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Travel to ancient Greek city of Pergamon to see the Asclepion, the sanctuary that was dedicated to the God of Medicine and which was the first complete health spa in history; the Acropolis, where the ruins of a library and sanctuary Athena, Altar of Zeus, and a theater are located; the church at
the site of ancient Serapium; the Red Court (Kızıl Avlu), dedicated to St. John; and the Archeological Museum. Visit Cunda in Ayvalık to see the Ottoman Summer Program and also the Greek-Turkish population exchange museum. Overnight in Assos.
Local guide and scholar/speaker: Greg Key. Subjects: “Greek Influence on Anatolia and the Greek Expulsion from the Area.” “The Ottoman Language.”
Assos, Turkey
Eden Beach Hotel
11 Sa
Bus tour of western Anatolia. Brief stop in Troy. Cross by ferry to Gallipoli to visit the Kabatepe Museum and the Gallipoli peninsula (scene of a famous Ottoman battle in World War I). Return to Istanbul.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “The Ottoman Empire in World War I.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
12 Su
Istanbul. Theme: the “European city.” Dolmabahce Palace, the shopping area of Beyoglu, the old tramway, Taksim area, several churches.
Scholar/speaker Onur Inal of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Institutions.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
13 M
Istanbul. Rest day. (Also, a chance to meet with Turkish teachers.)
Educator: Nalan Babur of Bogazici University.
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
14 Tu
Istanbul. Theme: the mosaics of Istanbul. Tophane, several churches and mosques, old Turkish houses, Galata area. Fly to Belgrade that evening. See below for flight details.
Scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona: “Ottoman Life.”
Belgrade, Serbia
Hotel Srbija
15 W
Belgrade, Serbia . Fortress of Kalemegdan, Knez Mihajlova shopping district, meet with Serbian teachers.
Local teacher/contact: Stojanka Surbanovski.
Scholar/speaker Lisa Adeli of the University of Arizona. “Serbia under the Ottoman Empire.”
Belgrade, Serbia
Hotel Srbija
16 Th
Balkan Trip. Travel to Višegrad, Bosnia (site of the Bridge on the Drina) and on to Sarajevo. Late afternoon and evening time for shopping and attending the cultural festival.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Lisa Adeli of the University of Arizona. “The Ottoman Legacy in Bosnia.”
Sarajevo, Bosnia
Hotel Hecco
17 F
Balkan trip. Sarajevo city tour, Orijentalni Institut. (Optional: attending the evening cultural festival)
Local guide and scholar/speaker Aladin Husic of the Orientalni Institut in Sarajevo. “Bosnia under the Ottoman Empire.”
Sarajevo, Bosnia
Hotel Hecco
18 Sa
Balkan trip. Travel to Mostar, Bosnia. Overnight in Mostar.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Lisa Adeli of the University of Arizona. “The Ottoman Cultural Impact on Bosnia.”
Mostar, Bosnia Hotel Kriva Cuprija
19 Su
Balkan trip. Travel to Dubrovnik, Croatia, then on to Montenegro. Overnight in Podgorica, Montenegro. A travel/“rest“ day. (Dubrovnik provides an interesting contrast by showing a Balkan city that was not under Ottoman rule for a significant length of time.)
Podgorica, Montenegro
Hotel Holiday
20 M
Balkan trip. Travel to Ottoman sites in Albania: Shkodra, Kruja – castle, ethnographic museum, Skenderbeg Museum. Overnight in Berat.
Local Albanian guides to Ottoman sites. “Cultural Impact of the Ottoman Empire on Albania.”
Berat, Albania
Tomorri Hotel
21 Tu
Balkan trip. Tour Ottoman sites in Albania: the Ethnographic Museum and Unufri Iconography Museum in Berat; the castle and Army Museum in Gjirokastra. Overnight in Gjirokastra.
Scholar/speaker: Moikom Zeqo, director of the National Museum of History, Tirana. “Ottoman Albania.”
Gjirokastra, Albania
Hotel Parku/Mjelmave
22 W
Balkan trip. Travel accross northern Greece to Thessaloniki, Greece.
Scholar/speaker: John Alexander “The Ottoman Rule in Greece.”
Thessaloniki, Greece
Aegeon Hotel
23 Th
Balkan trip. Travel to Edirne, Turkey. (arrive at 5:00 pm)
Edirne, Turkey
Rustempaşa Kervansarayi
24 F
Balkan trip. Tour Edirne, an earlier capital of the Ottoman Empire. Visit the castle, the mosque of Yildirim Bayazit, the Old Mosque, the Mosque of Murad (Muradiye), the Mosque with three Balconies (Üç Serefeli Camii), the Mosque complex of Bayezid II (with its nearly 100 domes, scattered on a very large plain covering a mosque, a hospital, a public kitchen, a faculty for doctors, the baths and living quarters), the Mosque of Selim II (Selimiye Camiisi), the baths of Sokullu and Tahtakale, the Caravanserail of Rüstem Pasha, the Eski Camii, and the Archaeological Museum. Later depart for İstanbul en route visit The Bridge of Çobançesme; Sokullu Mehmed Pasha Complex in Lüleburgaz. Overnight in Istanbul.
Local guide and scholar/speaker Linda Darling of the University of Arizona. “Turkish Institutions in the Eastern Balkans.”
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
25 Sa
Istanbul. Planning lessons together, last-minute shopping for curricular materials and chance to re-visit sites individually.
Facilitator: Lisa Adeli of the University of Arizona (who is also a certified teacher).
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
26 Su
Istanbul. Planning lessons together, last-minute shopping for curricular materials and chance to re-visit sites individually.
Facilitator: Lisa Adeli of the University of Arizona (who is also a certified teacher).
Istanbul
Bristol Hotel
27 M
End of the trip/return home.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Before I get started
This will start in late June/early July to trace a trip with 11 other teachers and our guides as we travel the lands of the Ottoman Empire. The trip is through the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Arizona and funded through the Fulbright Foundation. I am immensely grateful to be part of the trip. The itinerary is intense and I am hoping to try to keep it in order through this whenever and wherever we have adequate internet access. Meanwhile I'll post other things like the itinerary and parameters of the program.
I am "going back" in some senses -- between 1983 and 1985 I lived in Izmir, Turkey, with my family. It was a grand place to live -- perched on Izmir Bay, looking out toward the Aegean. Above us on Kadifekale was the ruin of the "Velvet Fortress." built centuries ago by Alexander the Great as he began HIS march to empire. The city is large and bustling, known to antiquity as Smyrna. Surrounding it are the 7 churches mentioned in the book of Revelation, with the pre-eminent one being about 50 miles away at Ephesus. We traveled as much as we could in Turkey. Our sons, Jeff and Andy, were small then and little boys are a wonderful ice breaker. We saw much of the western parts of Turkey, but only Don was able to travel into the East. Turkey was a friendly and hospitable host for all of our adventures. During that time it was under martial law following a coup in 1980, but restrictions were lifted during our time there, and people were friendly, kind, and dignified.
Now going back as a teacher will be different, and I hope to be able to understand the complex history and human geography of the area. We will travel not only in Turkey, but in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, and a bit in Greece. In some senses the issues of empire anywhere are similar, but the centuries of the Ottoman rule were very different from many other empires. Stay tuned.
I am "going back" in some senses -- between 1983 and 1985 I lived in Izmir, Turkey, with my family. It was a grand place to live -- perched on Izmir Bay, looking out toward the Aegean. Above us on Kadifekale was the ruin of the "Velvet Fortress." built centuries ago by Alexander the Great as he began HIS march to empire. The city is large and bustling, known to antiquity as Smyrna. Surrounding it are the 7 churches mentioned in the book of Revelation, with the pre-eminent one being about 50 miles away at Ephesus. We traveled as much as we could in Turkey. Our sons, Jeff and Andy, were small then and little boys are a wonderful ice breaker. We saw much of the western parts of Turkey, but only Don was able to travel into the East. Turkey was a friendly and hospitable host for all of our adventures. During that time it was under martial law following a coup in 1980, but restrictions were lifted during our time there, and people were friendly, kind, and dignified.
Now going back as a teacher will be different, and I hope to be able to understand the complex history and human geography of the area. We will travel not only in Turkey, but in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, and a bit in Greece. In some senses the issues of empire anywhere are similar, but the centuries of the Ottoman rule were very different from many other empires. Stay tuned.
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