CLICK ON THE FIRST PICTURE TO START THE SLIDESHOW
I was walking along the bosphorus today and I saw The Rumeli Fortress, decided to pay a visit to get some perspective.
The entrance was just 5 Turkish Lira!
The fortress was built by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II between 1451 and 1452, before he conquered Constantinople. The three great towers were named after three of Mehmed II’s viziers, Sadrazam Çandarlı Halil Pasha, who built the big tower next to the gate, Zağanos Pasha, who built the south tower, and Sarıca Pasha, who built the north tower. Check out wikipedia please: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumelihisarı
1452 ! Istanbul is such an old city ! So it is complicated like old people can be, because they saw so much… and at the same time it is simple, like old people can be, because they saw so much!
So I started climbing the steps like I said, to get some perspective.
Because when you are so close to something you can only see a small part of it, but when you step back and move away you will be able to see all the different angles.
As I see, read, suspect and feel all those feelings caused by what’s happening in the world I’m living in, I keep noticing layers… layer after layer as I keep stepping back to see the big picture.
And there I was, where I was able to see two continents from the top; Asia and Europe. How beautiful it was with the Turkish flag! By the way, there is another fortress just across Rumeli that is called Anatolian Fortress. When you acknowledge that these beautiful pieces of historical architecture were made for war, you start to think how many people have died here? And you feel sorry about the history of humankind which is filled with bloody stories of glory and defeat. At least I felt sorry for a moment. Then I saw the fig trees and remembered my childhood and it was all ok again. There was nothing I can do except to learn and take lessons from the history. Right?
And I got it! Istanbul is too beautiful that’s the problem. Istanbul is a truly beautiful woman. A natural beauty who will appear before your eyes only a couple of times in your life if you are lucky enough. Who wouldn’t want that woman? I’m not saying this from a heterosexual patriarchal male driven way, if i encounter with such a beautiful woman I would want her too! Just like istanbul, I would simply fall in love with her! Hard to explain, one can only understand when one sees her. And that’s why when some people try to put makeup on her, re-do her lips, cheeks, boobs, put too much glitter in order to ‘sell’ her better, the lovers get mad. And after a certain point they will say ‘Enough’ . Let her be!
I also found out another thing while I was up there on top of Istanbul; If i ever have a chance for a second life on earth, I want to be a tree. I want to be a tree, a pine tree if possible, so i can live long and smell nice. And if you ever dream of cutting me or ‘removing’ me like our prime minister carefully puts it, I would find you and ruin your dreams.
By the way the fortress has a small amphitheater and every summer there are concerts and sometimes plays are being performed. It’s really a thrilling experience to be there, and here I am thrilled behind my shades, can’t you see? — Love from the old city! ege.
Full text in the slideshow:
I was walking along the bosphorus today and I saw The Rumeli Fortress, decided to pay a visit to get some perspective.
The entrance was just 5 Turkish Lira!
The fortress was built by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II between 1451 and 1452, before he conquered Constantinople. The three great towers were named after three of Mehmed II’s viziers, Sadrazam Çandarlı Halil Pasha, who built the big tower next to the gate, Zağanos Pasha, who built the south tower, and Sarıca Pasha, who built the north tower. Check out wikipedia please: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumelihisarı
1452 ! Istanbul is such an old city ! So it is complicated like old people can be, because they saw so much… and at the same time it is simple, like old people can be, because they saw so much!
So I started climbing the steps like I said, to get some perspective.
Because when you are so close to something you can only see a small part of it, but when you step back and move away you will be able to see all the different angles.
As I see, read, suspect and feel all those feelings caused by what’s happening in the world I’m living in, I keep noticing layers… layer after layer as I keep stepping back to see the big picture.
And there I was, where I was able to see two continents from the top; Asia and Europe. How beautiful it was with the Turkish flag! By the way, there is another fortress just across Rumeli that is called Anatolian Fortress. When you acknowledge that these beautiful pieces of historical architecture were made for war, you start to think how many people have died here? And you feel sorry about the history of humankind which is filled with bloody stories of glory and defeat. At least I felt sorry for a moment. Then I saw the fig trees and remembered my childhood and it was all ok again. There was nothing I can do except to learn and take lessons from the history. Right?
And I got it! Istanbul is too beautiful that’s the problem. Istanbul is a truly beautiful woman. A natural beauty who will appear before your eyes only a couple of times in your life if you are lucky enough. Who wouldn’t want that woman? I’m not saying this from a heterosexual patriarchal male driven way, if i encounter with such a beautiful woman I would want her too! Just like istanbul, I would simply fall in love with her! Hard to explain, one can only understand when one sees her. And that’s why when some people try to put makeup on her, re-do her lips, cheeks, boobs, put too much glitter in order to ‘sell’ her better, the lovers get mad. And after a certain point they will say ‘Enough’ . Let her be!
I also found out another thing while I was up there on top of Istanbul; If i ever have a chance for a second life on earth, I want to be a tree. I want to be a tree, a pine tree if possible, so i can live long and smell nice. And if you ever dream of cutting me or ‘removing’ me like our prime minister carefully puts it, I would find you and ruin your dreams.
By the way the fortress has a small amphitheater and every summer there are concerts and sometimes plays are being performed. It’s really a thrilling experience to be there, and here I am thrilled behind my shades, can’t you see? — Love from the old city! ege.