Zach Blogs: Mosques & Minarets Istanbul

Welcome, Guest blogger Zach!  Zach is studying ancient world history and is wrapping up a unit on Mohammed and the Muslim faith.  Here's some of what he learned from studying and from our summer trip to Istanbul.

When did the Muslim religion start and how?  It was started around the 600s by Muhammed, the prophet when the Angel Gabriel spoke to him and gave him directions of how to live out your faith.  Later these visions were written in the Koran.
   
What are the 5 pillars of faith?  The five pillars are the duties every Muslim should do. Giving to the poor; prayer 5 times a day; faith: believe that Allah is the one true god; fasting during the month of Ramadan--even kids aged 10 and up; and you must try to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your lifetime. 

The Mihrab (which is like an altar) always points in the direction of Mecca.  

This mihrab is located in the ancient Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

 What did the people wear? The women covered every spot of their skin except for their eyes.  What are some of the mosque rules?  When in the mosque you must cover every skin part (even the tourists) but your face.  Worshippers must wash their hands and feet, take off their shoes before they enter and face Mecca when they pray.

The Blue Mosque has thousands of blue tiles inside and has 6 minarets.  This highly unusual --the Sultan Ahmed told the builder he wanted gold minarets, but the builder planned 6 minarets because the word for gold and the number "6" are nearly the same  ("altin").  It was built in the early 1600s.

What did the art look like inside the Hagia Sophia? There are geometric patterns & flowers, but they don't use living beings in their paintings.  

This is different from the Christian art.

Muslim art inside the Hagia Sophia when it became a mosque in 1495 CE.

Christian art from the time when the Hagia Sophia was a Catholic Church from 537 CE-1400 CE.

Describe the city sounds near the mosque:  There was a lot of traffic noise and honking cars, mixed up with calls to worship that go off at 5am and continue all day.  The calls, blasted from the minarets, were like something I can't figure out how to write!

Blue Mosque in Istanbul

Hagia Sophia: church, mosque, museum

Our #1 place to visit in Istanbul was the Hagia Sophia:  it was the most studied of all the sites we visited on this trip (in school this past year) and aside from some Greek ruins (later) was the oldest place we would visit.  Aside from the unbelievable age of this structure; the east-meets-west culture and dedication to preserving both in this historic place testify to our ability as humans to work peacefully together.  2 out of 4 of us were fascinated, the others loved the stray cats.

Top 10 Hagia Sophia Moments:

10. Originally constructed in 360 by Holy Roman Emperor Constantius; burned, reconstructed, destroyed and then the amazing Emperor Justinian (and his even more amazing wife, Theodora) completely rebuilt the structure between 532-537 after the Nike revolt.  I wonder if Justinian ever thought about the longevity of his building projects? This marvel, renowned for its massive windowed dome was THE world's largest cathedral for 1000 years (next largest was the Cathedral in Seville) until the Ottoman reign added the minarets (1453), covered up the Christian mosaics and turned it into a very large mosque.  In 1935 it opened as a museum.  In recent years there has been much debate over returning the building to a mosque.

9.  Barrel arches in the entry ways and pieces of columns, arches scattered on the grass from the Christian era of the Hagia Sophia --classic Roman, ok guys?  "Yeah, mom, whatever!" 

8.  The hallway from the door we just entered.  All mosaic tile in the ceiling and the walls have these amazing patterns and colors of inlaid marble.   I was slowing down the tour...

7.  And, inside...even with repair scaffolding, this enormous sanctuary / mosque/ now museum was pretty awesome.  When the sultan acquired the church, all Christian symbols were painted or plastered over and redecorated to reflect the Muslim style:  sweeping geometric designs and calligraphy. 

6.  The place of coronations for many, many centuries of Byzantine emperors.

5.  Zach attempts to replicate the feelings of the emperor upon coronation--to bad they didn't have a costume box nearby for a really cool regal photo!

4.  Visiting Istanbul gave us a realtime introduction to a completely different religion:  here we saw the care & craftsmanship of the mihrab, pointing the direction to mecca.   

the chandeliers were electric now, but still contained the glass containers for candles and gas lamps 

3.  Mosaics --the reason everyone visits this ancient site:  Here, the Angel Gabriel, restored as much as possible, looks down from the ceiling.

2.  I loved that not everything was perfectly restored --this way we have a sense that it takes care and concern to keep a treasure in good repair....like your bedrooms, right guys?

1.  The stairway to the upper level was surprisingly plain --there were graves (now empty) and roof drainage trenches up here.  No stairs --all cobblestone like ramps, and low ceilings!

Last, we found several Christian mosaics and a place where a Viking Crusader etched his initials into a railing. At least that's the story we were told....

The Deësis mosaic probably dates from 1261, based on artistic styles from that period.
Virgin Mary and John the Baptist with Christ.

11th century mosaic showing Christ in his customary Byzantine blue robe and Empress Zoe & Emperor Monomachos donating monetary gifts.  

 Friends.

Summer Grexit & Istanbul Taxis

Our summer 2015 travel adventure led us in search of "the stuff we learned in history class."  At least that was my goal.  The boys just wanted adventure.  And so, by way of Istanbul, we were headed to Athens.  Until the Grexit drama.  Unstable economy & public demonstrations in the news; being told "everything's fine" by the BnB host, but just bring lots (and by lots, I mean LOTS) of euro.  Last minute gut feeling was to cancel until a later date = more time to explore Istanbul.  And, a good decision since 1 day in Istanbul would not have been enough!

We flew in late to the city, so started the real adventure the next morning with the mother of all Taksi rides!  *note:  Alex is in German driver's ed and knows ALL the rules.  Heading from the airport hotel to the old town district was 45 minutes of white knuckled prayer.  The boys were all smushed together in the backseat (no way I was splitting us into 2 cabs!)  with no seatbelts (another prayer the sardine effect works when called upon) and the taxi driver attempting to speak English while I frantically search my pocket guide to conversation all the while keeping an eye on the road!

photo courtesy of carvingaspot.blogspot.de 

Traffic was rush hour style at 2pm and while the Turkish government painted perfect lines (and beautiful highway gardens), no one seemed to care about lanes!  And, no one seemed to care about seat belts.  Every passing car was equipped with a hands-on cell-speaking driver and as if that weren't enough, our sweet driver insisted on sharing photos of his beautiful granddaughter....looked them up while he was driving.....at least his top speed was only 90kph.   Horns blaring, cars swerving, stop, go, phone calls, look at a my photos and before we knew it we were successfully and safely dropped at the hotel!  #guardianangels

The rest of our week was on foot and tram!  First up:  the Hagia Sophia & Kebab

Hagia Sophia

Top 10 June

10.  Take me out to the ballgame...

Zach moved up to the Major Leagues this season and managed to secure shortstop as his position of choice!  A few bad catches lead to some bruises and injuries, but overall was a stellar season, albeit way to short!  These bad news bears only took home 1 win and although it was kind of a bummer, they kept trying and had a great time together.  They were first place winners when it came to team camaraderie! 

9.  Celtic Ruins

The homeschoolers group took a field trip to a Celtic settlement (Keltendorf).  The education center consisted of replicas of the village as it may have looked 2000 BCE and gave the kids hands on opportunities! Zach, the warrior, black smither, weaver, arrow maker, copper hammered jewelry maker, to name a few activities.  It's humbling to think of how far ancient tribes moved across the world and amazing this tribe apparently never came into contact with Romans.  Settlement was abandoned in 150CE, though...but no Roman remains in the area. (located about 40 minutes from our village)  

8. Sumo Brothers

KHS End of the Year Picnic:  Sumo wrestling, field games & a dunk tank plus perfect weather to celebrate finals and the end of homework..until the summer classes start….  

7.  Fest Seasons Begins!

Kerwe fest in K-town!  carnival rides, games, food & fun with friends —Nate braved the haunted house, Zach & Jordie cashed in on the gambling game!

6.  Pomp & Circumstance

KHS Graduation:  Alex & Nate memorized 8 bars of “Pomp” on this miserable hot day in the FCK Fussball Stadium…..sad to say goodbye to many of Alex’s friends this year….

 5.  Medieval Fest

Medieval Fest in Kusel:  A beautiful day out to experience Burg Lichtenburg as it may have looked in medieval times —bustling with costumed actors and visitors & tasty food:  wild boar wurst, wild boar chili and baumstriessel (baked dough rolled in cinnamon sugar!) And, our friend Eva was picked out of the audience to stand trial as a witch!

4.  Bebop a rebop rhubarb pie!

Strawberry Rhubarb Kuchen:  I can’t resist it even long enough to snap a photo of an uneaten piece! The season will disappear into kirsch (cherry) in a heartbeat before the month is over.  I love, love the rhubarb…mostly because it reminds me of Grandma B and her pies!

3. Field Trip Sweet Summer Delights:

Ritter Sports Chocolate Factory:   We didn’t get the tour, but it was really all about the chocolate anyways....

2.  Erdbeeren Saison!

Strawberries bursting out all over my little container garden!  I harvested 3 giant bowls of these puppies in the past 2 weeks.  Hopefully they will keep going all summer!

1.  Summer Science Experiments...

Lego Gummy Science:  worth a 2nd attempt since the first batch was gone before the week was up!  Made with jello and gelatin —Nate suggests we add vitamin C tablets to make them *healthier* 

Chocolate on my "to-do" list? Yes.

The Ritter Sports Chocolate Factory has been on our to-do list for quite awhile, but finding the 2.5 hours to drive there thru "stau" country (read: 4+ hour traffic jam possibilities) has kept us from trying!  Today, however, with a distinct need for fencing gear AND chocolate and no real schedule to keep, we successfully accomplished our trip!

He's smiling for his selfie!

The fencing shop was located in the factory (allstar.de), where the workers were busily sewing each garment by hand, working in the warehouse and assembling weapons.  Lucky for Nate, DHL (German postman) was on strike and the painter wasn't busy, so he hand painted Nate's mask right then!  His new jacket has "Mensch Germany" on the back so this way the officials will pronounce his name correctly!  They always say Menk...

The Ritter Factory, established in the 1920s, was not available to us to tour, but the museum next door explained the history of the family business and how they managed to grow in spite of setbacks (mainly WWII).  One could also participate in a chocolate making workshop, however, tickets were sold out.  That just meant more time shopping for flavors we've always wanted to try.....

After sampling a few *interesting* flavors at home later, we understand why these didn't make it to the store shelves!

• Cranberry mit Schuss (schuss was how they spiked my gluhwein last winter....) 
• Knusper Tortilla Chips (chocolate covered popcorn is what it really tasted like...) 
• Apricot Holunderblüte (remember that old orange medicine Dr. Dunlevy used to prescribe??)
• Dunkel Keks & Nuss (which is NOT oreo cookie!)  

All in all, a wonderful day with our friends, Devon, Jordan & Mary.  Tomorrow we hit the gym.  

Best quote of the day:  "Nine out of ten people like chocolate.
The tenth one is lying."  John Tullius, American artist

September 2014 Highlights

Lazy summer gave way to busy fall as we jumped right into activities!  Some of our favorite moments:

First day of School!  4th, 9th and 11th grades

A weekend trip to Center Parcs France for an awesome water park.
Unintentional bike crashing led to driving lessons....thankful for helmets!

Remembering Dad on September 9th, who passed away a year ago.  

A favorite wine festival of ours with unusual floats, wine queens, village bands, and the bakery stick players!
 Our favorite moment?  refills of your wine cup from the guys in the parade!

Only Zach came to the festival with us this year, so he cashed in on tokens to play sharp shooter games!  He shot them all and COULD have picked the nice sharp darts for his prize....instead we lured him away with a promised ride on the whirl-a-kid ride.  No seat belts, no regulations, no speed limits....gah!  I couldn't watch.

Football season at Kaiserslautern High School!  Nate and Alex in the pepband:  not nearly the same
as the American marching band experiences we grew up with!  They only have 3 home games,
only play if it's NOT raining (ha, it's Germany, it always rains in the fall!)

So, to have a more interesting experience, Nate joined the cheerleading team and became the school MASCOT!  Daily conditioning routines and cheer practice not only got him points with the girls, he has also become very well known on campus!  He loved every minute of it, until he wanted to be in the fall play...then there was conflict with the coach.  All in all, a great time.  And, his play was excellent.

Sometimes, an opportunity stares you in the face and you know you must seize it!  Such was the case for the Rotterdam, Netherlands weekend!  A humorous facebook video posted by a couple trumpet players in the Rotterdam symphony, led to a little research and ultimately conductor facing seats for an amazing concert!

About a week later, more amazing music:

As if our month wasn't full enough, we watched our good friend, Franziska in her amazing
 performance as Cherubino in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro.  The opera company was magnificent!  What a treat!