At the end of each day, the boys & I congregate on the roof terrace, partake of turkish delight & something cold & liquid, whilst recapping the days interests. For them, it's lectures. They have been interested in hearing a bit about Sufiism throughout various lectures, & a concept that has grabbed them is 'the pleasure and the pain!'Meanwhile I have been sketching & whilst that is a relatively solitary & motionless experience, I too have had some enlightenment in this concept!
The Museum of Islamic Arts is right next door, and was once the palace of Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha. It is perfectly suited to being a museum. The whole structure of the building wraps around a lush courtyard, in which the cafe does NOT take up the whole space!!! (Someone intelligent was engaged in planning here!) As I entered the museum, I was stopped in my steps by an ancient lion sculpture, he was made in Sejukid region in 13th century, & in their language is named 'Aslan Heykeli'. The original ASLAN! CS Lewis must have been here. I was so excited (PLEASURE) I whipped out the camera to take a photo only to find that I had left the SD card in the laptop after blogging that morning! (PAIN)
I meandered through, sketching the designs that grabbed me, namely 'Tree Of Life' patterns in carpets, & had a thoroughly enjoyable, if camera free, time. Before setting off to explore the lower floor, I felt the need for refreshment. Once again, that tourist oriented cafe with western cakes & paper cups of tea (PAIN) until, I spotted the Turkish equivalent to a fruit & nut bar! Packaged like mini cup cakes in a sealed packet, were 2 dried apricots stuffed with different types of almonds, a fig stuffed with walnut, a fruitleather tube stuffed with...something, and a 'viagra' ball from the spice market! It was pureed apricot with an almond inside, completely covered in pistachios & SCRUMPTIOUS!(PLEASURE!) (There was no effect on my libido or anything else afterwards either!)
I have been sketching old walls, specifically ones with a lot of different brick work, this has seen me sitting on a little triangular stool, for hours, (6 yesterday) for very little result...and a sore bum. (PAIN) However, I have been rewarded by having to focus & consequently have spotted things that people frequently just walk past. (PLEASURE) People often stop to look at what I am doing which I dont like but tolerate, & yesterday I had a couple of lovely girls from Taiwan stop & want to take my photo whilst I was sketching...we are not talking great art work here... I felt a bit of a fraud! (PAIN & PLEASURE)
I experienced a 'point & serve' lunch meal a couple of days ago, where at the entrance to the cafe are trays of delicious turkish meze foodstuffs & you point, they serve! I had a plate containing turkish dolmades, grilled pimentos, aubergine in yoghurt, carrot in yoghurt, spinach in a feta mixture, beans in tomatoe, aubergine in tomato & a huge piece of grilled pita bread. All for the australian equivalent of $10. The food was heavenly. (PLEASURE) However, afterwards I was seriously bloated (PAIN).
That evening we went to see the Whirling Dervishes perform in a converted hamam (bath house) in
the Hocapasha district. It has become a dance centre & a variety of regional dance shows are performed here every day. It was a hot & humid evening & after the 15 minute walk there,(PLEASURE) we could have done with some airconditioning. However, ancient hamams dont seem to be wired with that..yet!(PAIN). Whilst waiting for the loo, the woman ahead of me asked if I was pregnant. (MAJOR PAIN!!!!!) I replied that no, I was a bit old for pregnancy & that what she thought was a developing baby was just over indulgence in turkish food! (I havent eaten lunch since!)
Before the Dervishes began we had emphasised to us, with word & picture that there was to be silence and no photos. In came a small group of musicians with singers at the back, flute, drum, zithyr and a gourd shaped violin, in the front. The music really set the atmosphere, calming and meditative. The singers seemed to put themselves into a trance state, their voices harmonious & in lower tones, nothing harsh & soprano! The Dervishes came in first to lay down skins of some kind, one of them representing the centre of divine truth. After a period of prayer & personal preparation, they rose from kneeling , bowed to each other & began to twirl in a circle. Each cycle has significance to them, but to the audience it is rather hypnotic to watch continuous twirling. The stage was very close to the audience too, so there was a period where watching made me dizzy!
They believe that they are channels of Gods love. through them, we receive that love, as they twirl. These men were examples of complete contentment, I could feel the peace emanate from them, and recognised again, the unique privilege it was to witness this ritual. It is a humbling experience to see someone effectively pray for you!(PLEASURE)
And yet, behind me were some people who really havent learnt the art of 'audience skills', let alone, respect! They talked quite loudly through some of the more sacred moments.(PAIN) I had to do something, so turned around, and gave them a Medusa glare over the rim of my glasses! It had an effect for a while! As if that werent enough further down the row, a big burly man, is snapping away on his camera! (MAJOR @#$%&@# PAIN) I had to really control myself. Sufiism is all about love & my malevolent vibes werent appropriate for the space!
I have to wonder WHY they allow such a sacred ritual to be performed as an entertainment in the first place. Maybe the income?. I value the gift, which is what it is, but do wonder how much more will they take, of rude people disrespecting their conditions, before we, the audience, will no longer have this privilege. I wouldnt blame them for depriving the masses. I was also personally frustrated, because I should have left feeling calm & loving thoughts, but instead I wanted to hit someone!
My angst was settled by another gift that night. Walking past the Blue Mosque, rising up into the clear black sky, radiating gold & copper, she is a magnificent sight. What an absolute pleasure to end a day with.
NOTE: My photograph of the whirling Dervishes is in fact a photo of the programme they handed us! I did NOT take a photo in the performance!!
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