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My thoughts and impressions about Turkey

I had zeroed in on this song to write this travelogue post, but keeping it for its turn, as I wanted to do some other post before this. But my last post for Rafi Sahab’s birth anniversary, inspired some very interesting comments and discussions, especially from Shri. Partha Chanda Sir, who is a treasure full of knowledge. Whatever is the outcome of the Voyager I & II’s search, the quest for intelligent life in outer spaces and the milky way will continue. It is a race against time for scientists, who I think are desperate to find another habitable planet, which can sustain life. I also feel, they might even have some definite clues, for they sent two space ships in 2 years in the same direction(?).

Possibilities are as infinite as the outer space is. I think, the information is released for public consumption only when it is deemed fit and what is deemed fit.

So, I am presenting this one of its kind songs which talks of ‘saiyyara’ which means planet. The mukhda of the song is:

saiyyara main saiyyara
saiyyara tu saiyyara
sitaaron ke Jahan mein
milenge ab yaaraa

A planet, I am
A planet, you are
In the world of stars,
We will come together, O friend

There are countless hindi film songs which talk of stars, sun and moon. This is the only song I know, which is literally referring to a planet, though planets are also stars, but very far away, celestial entities, rarely visible to the naked eye.

Original reason for posting this song, is because it is filmed on the coast of Istanbul, Turkey. The magnificent historical monument ‘The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque’ is visible across the Marmara Sea, in some scenes. Its Turkish name is ‘Ayasofya Camii”. It has existed since the 4^th century, was originally built as a Greek orthodox church and has lots of history behind it. Another monument called the Blue Mosque or Sultan Ahmet Mosque is in another part of the huge complex, as also the Topikapi Palace, the official residence of the ottoman sultans. It is said to be the most visited historical site of Turkey.

The year that was 2022 has ended and 2023 has started. The last 5 months of the year were hectic for me. I am at fault for planning 2 trips to different locations, one within India and one out of India, almost back-to-back. But two more trips had to be done, within these 5 months, which was not my fault. Family events necessitated these additional 2 trips. I will come to them in other posts.

This post is about our holiday trip to ‘Turkiye’. What started as a passing comment by my cousin’s wife in UK during out visit in 2021, had become a wave in 2022. She said, that we should all plan a group trip to Turkey, sometime and that it would be nice to go together with family. I said OK, we can plan and spoke about it to more cousins in the UAE, where we all met up when we stopped over for a few days while returning from UK. Many of them seemed to agree and were excited.

Over the next few months, the group discusses various time options and itinerary etc., in WhatsApp group chat and on telephone. Slowly, as the plan neared finalization, people started to withdraw from the plan. Eventually only 6 of us were remaining. The cousin and his wife from UK who originally mooted the idea, me with husband, my sister, and her husband (also my cousin) from UAE. I was super keen for this trip to materialize, having done so much research and work towards planning it. Initial plan was only for 7 days, and plan was to do only Istanbul, Bursa, Pamukkale, Kusadasi, and end at Antalya. As families dropped out, only 6 adults were finalized. And then we were able to add 2 more days which enable us to cover Cappadocia, which is an important and popular tourist’s site. This last-minute addition meant we had the opportune experience of criss-crossing the country, add Konya visit and miss Kusadasi.

Kusadasi falls south of Istanbul in western Turkey, on the coast nearing Aegean Sea. It is supposed to have coastal village market, with the Greek touch maybe. Plus, a small ruins area by the sea called Ephesus. The scenes of Kusadasi and the Thermal water springs falling naturally formed steps on limestone, near to Herapolis ancient city ruins, with ruins of a huge amphitheatre at Pamukkale can be seen in this song posted in the blog:

Actually, Kusadasi is less than 3 hours by road from Pamukkale, and both the places can be covered in 1 full day. But we had to reach Antalya on the same day that we had to visit interesting places at Pamukkale, so Kusadasi could not be included.

Turkey is rightly billed as the meeting point of the world, which it truly is geographically, on the cusp of 3 major continents with 90% the recorded history of this civilization. Istanbul is a “Red Apple” which has drawn all the major ruling powers of the world, the Byzantine, the Romans, the Ottomans, Persians, Mongols, and who else? Surely the British wanted to rule it, but during the rise and fall of British empire, all of three and half centuries, the Ottomans were a strong force. And it is very much evident in Turkey that it was never under a European colonial power, though was ruled by the Romans and Orthodox Greeks for centuries.

It is a cultural shock in many ways, not least of which is it disabused my notion, that if we know English we can get along anywhere in the world. I am aware that there are large parts of the world who do not speak English, like China and Russia. But a region, right in the middle of it all, all the great wars and struggles, power play, so close to the conflicts and crisis ridden middle east, I did not expect it to be so blatant in its disregard for the language, which we have received and embraced as a gift of colonialism.

We stayed for 3 days at Istanbul, earlier known as Constantinople (Qustuntunia in Urdu). We had 1 day to visit the historical sites in the city. We spend 1 days in visiting Sogut(and Bursa) which is small town roughly 3 hours travel south east of Istanbul. It is a place of importance for Turkey’s history because of Ertugrul Gazi, the great warrior and Chieftain of ‘Kayi Tribe’. Kayi tribe is one of the prominent and historical dominant Tribes, of Oghuz Tribes from Turkmenistan. They made the fertile lands of Anatolia their home. The ruling king gave them lands to establish their tribes along the western borders with Romans and the Greek ruled areas. Thus began the legend of Ertugrul Gazi, the founder of Sultanat-e-Osmania, which the world knows as the great Ottoman Empire. His youngest son Osman Gazi, was the first Sultan of this Empire.

This great empire was an exemplary Islamic achievement in every sense and its contribution to our civilization is undeniable. The whole region flourished during the 500 odd years of the Ottoman Rule. It was the seat of power, spiritual and religious, for centuries with the establishment of Islamic Khilafat here. The phenomenal growth and glory of this flourishing society the world has not seen before, or since. It flourished and grew, without debauchery, and its economy working without interest, and slavery. It grew, with the best possible system of equable opportunities and distribution of wealth. The focus of the Europeans had shifted, to colonising and occupying the north and south American continents. By 15^th century, the Roman empire had been annihilated, the Mongols had been neutralised and dispersed and been absorbed in the Baltic region around Caspian Sea. The biggest army of foot soldiers in the history of civilization, which was controlling the major part of Central Asia in 11th and 12th Century, had just vanished in thin air. The British, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, everyone went on establish colonies elsewhere in the world, like off shore accounts for bringing home the riches, the Romans were so demoralized that they did not bother. At least I have not heard of any Italian colonies.

For most part, the Turkish people under Ottomans were leading in education, science and medicine and technological advancements. But at some point, complacency set in, things began to go wrong, with the ruling elite and its relations with other elite of the era. The ottomans decision to align with Hitler in world war – I was just the final nail in the coffin, from where we can read. There was too much external interference and internal strife, within the empire. Either way the empire’s rule was doomed. Post the dissolution, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, established the republic, and according to some managed to save Anatolia from further disintegration. Allied countries were eyeing their share of war spoils. The last century has seen many such foolhardy wars, where someone starts a war at someone’s behest and encouragement, on a sitting goose. Then those same war mongers cry out that this is sacrilege, ‘all must ally against the aggressor’ blah blah blah. It all ends, with a few millions lives lost, a few impoverished regions becoming poorer, and some rich people getting more power and spoils of the war. The original idea of the war, and the purpose/motivation is all but forgotten. While some super powers continued to fight a cold war for decades, not just on land, but in space too 😊. Between Siberia and Alaska, the twain shall meet.

But in space, our love struck planets shall meet in todays song. Before that there is more to add about our Turkey visit.

We visited the tomb of Ertugrul Gazi at Sogut, which was location of his first victory The same day we also visited the town of Bursa, again a historical city, which was first won over by Osman Gazi, whose Tomb is also there. The town is full of ancient markets, modern markets and older Masaajid.

Our last day in Istanbul was spent in Bosphorus Boat tour along the Marmara Sea coast, starting from place called Galata, where the common people could be seen fishing from the bridge. In a city this big, free fishing for self-consumption is a surprising sight. Istanbul is also full of huge Masaajid, built on similar pattern of AayaSofia and the Blue Mosque (ie the Sultan Ahmet Mosque), with multiple domes and Minarets. I also recall that I have seen such big complexes in UAE and Saudi Arab also with similar looking architecture.

Tourists cannot go to historical places, museums, and important places without proper licensed guide in Turkey. The guides are trained and have proper university degree to function as such. Turkey appears as a developed and prosperous country, proud of its rich history and heritage. The people are more content, with very little evidence of impoverishment. In Istanbul, we saw a few Syrian refugees, selling small items, or working menial jobs in restaurants, who appeared poor. One can look at its national airline, to gauge the well being of a nation. A people who are as football crazy as the other western countries, always appear well dressed and courteous, be it the guides, drivers, etc. always soft spoken and well behaved.

It appears as if the cities and towns are relatively free of petty crimes, like theft and pick pocketing etc. as we observed that houses and flats in the cities also are without grills. Shops were closed at night with only glass shutters, not metal shutters. This could mean very good policing or a great system of crime prevention or deterrence. It so happened that my cousin’s wallet fell out of his pocket when we went to see the ‘Sufi dance show’ at Cappadocia. The wallet was returned to the hotel with nothing missing, and the person who brought it, did not even wait for the reward. We had different guides and vehicles /drivers for different locations. Every time, we tipped them, they would just smile and keep the Lira notes in the pocket shyly uttering thanks, without even looking at the amount. It was the same everywhere, small places, big towns. It is rare to find such contentment in the people working for their daily substance. By the way, the guides knew to communicate in English. The system of tourists’ companies works efficiently to provide guide with knowledge of the language to communicate with tourists.

It was colder than what was forecast in Istanbul, but we had a good time in the evenings too. We went to see the shopping and fashionable crowds at the Istiklal Street, near Taksim Square. Istiklal street is like the world fashion street of any big city, with holiday crowds thronging the branded shops and eateries, hotels for local savouries.

Turkish cuisine is an acquired taste, I had no previous exposure to it. But it grew on me as we tasted different Kebab and fish preparations, as also the desserts. Turkish delight and its flavoured colourful varieties are a bit too much for the newly exposed elderly people like us, who must watch sugar intake 😊. But we lost no opportunity to drink the Pomegranate juice every where and anywhere we could get hold of it. It is sold usually for 40-50 Turkish Lira, a big glassful pure juice of 5-6 pomegranates. Each time I held the big glass the thick blood red juice, I was doubtful of ever finishing it. I said to my group “aur kitna khoon piyoge”. Ayran is another drink, which I liked and we all drank with meals. Ayran is like a desi chhaas, but not quite salty, nor sweet, but thicker like Lassi in consistency. You can call is Lassi without sugar.

Before I forget, Turkish Tea is a worthy discovery. The first evening in Istanbul, I tried Turkish coffee, but it was too thick and bitter. Rest of the trip, I stuck to the tried and tested café latte. As the climate remained cold throughout, we ended up having tea frequently while travelling and also after meals. Turkish tea is a plain black tea, served in small curved glasses, with matching saucers. It looked exotic every time we were served 6 -8 cups, 2 additional for the guide and driver travelling with our group. I never tried it without sugar, after the first coffee experience, but it is a good to drink it after a non-spicy but greasy Kebab’s and chips meal. Most places(restaurants), Turkish tea after meal is complimentary. So, we managed to avoid desserts. I kept demanding ice-cream after food, and every time it was deferred for the next meal, by majority consensus. I am holding all 5 of the group members responsible for my missing out on Turkish ice-cream.

The other places like Cappadocia and Antalya, are great for one visit. Cappadocia is known for its unique rock formations, mushrooms like shapes and other sand covered mountains of distinct shapes. The town is also known for the caves and cave houses, some of which are converted into hotels now. Some of the natives were living in the caves till a few decades ago. The government has persuaded them to move to more suitable living spaces since. The highlight of Antalya is the Dudan falls and shopping in the areas around the fort near the coast.

We managed to get a 2-3 hours visit to Konya, the ancient city famous for being the capital of Seljuk Empire and for the Persian Sufi Mohammed Jalaaluddin, known in Turkey as the Mevlana, and rest of the world, as Rumi. Mevlana’s father came to Turkey and he was encouraged to settle there, and thus the Mevlana was born there.

This is about all that I needed to write in this post about Turkey and our visit.

I have also attempted a translation of Kausar Munir’s poetry here:

Aasmaan tera mera huaa
khwaab ki tarah dhuaan dhuaan
Aasmaan tera mera huaa
saans ki tarah ruaan ruaan
jaaye Jahan tu jaaye
paaye mujhe hi paaye
saaye yeh mere
hain tujh mein samaaye

The sky covering you is mine too
Like a dream, full of smoke and mist.
The sky over you is over me too
Like a breath, coming and going.
Go wherever you wish to,
You will find me there.
For within you, are my reflection

saiyyara main saiyyara
saiyyara tu saiyyara
sitaaron ke Jahan mein
milenge ab yaaraa

A planet, I am
A planet, you are
In the world of stars,
We will come together, O friend

tu jo milaa to yun huaa
ho gayi poori adhoori si duaa
tu jo gayaa to le gayaa
sang tere mere jeene ki har wajah

To find you is as if,
A wish and a prayer, comes true.
You take away as you go,
With you, every reason for life.
Go wherever you wish to,
You will find me there.
For within you, are my reflection.
A planet, I am
A planet, you are
In the world of stars,
We will come together, O friend

tum pe miti tum se bani
tum se huaa hai haan khud pe yaqeen
tu jo nahi to na sahi
main hoon yehaan to tu hai yahin kahin

I am dust and made all over again, for you,
Have gained self-belief because of you.
If you are not here, so be it,
I am here, so you will be somewhere nearby.
Go wherever you wish to,
You will find me there.
For within you, are my reflection.
A planet, I am
A planet, you are
In the world of stars,

As I translated it, it makes perfect sense in its poetic urdu. I am not so sure, if the translation is making as good a sense. Kausar Munir is the poet of this songs which is composed by Sohail Sen. Mohit Chauhan and Tarannum Mallik have done a good job for enhancing the poetry and the feel of it.

The movie is ‘Ek thha Tiger” (2012), a YRF production which had Salman Khan, playing the role of an Indian Spy who falls in love with a Pakistani Spy. The song is played in the background as, they the two Spies find themselves in the same city at the same time, meet to clear their status as spy of two neighbouring nations, go away, then find each other again at a diplomatic function.

The poetry in the song is very true in this sense. These two lead characters are like planets, revolving on their own axis as well as rotating along the predestined path. Their paths will surely cross, but how can they be together at any point, however they may wish and dream.

Full Audio:

Video:

Song-Saiyyaara main saiyyaara (Ek Thha Tiger)(2012) Singers-Mohit Chauhan, Tarannum Mallik, Lyrics-Kausar Munir, MD-Sohail Sen
Chorus

Lyrics

Aasmaan
tera mera huaa
khwaab ki tarah
dhuaan dhuaan
Aasmaan
tera mera huaa
saans ki tarah
ruaan ruaan
ho.. jaaye Jahaan tu jaaye
paaye mujhe hi paaye
saaye yeh mere
hain tujh mein samaaye
saiyyaara main saiyyaara
saiyyaara tu saiyyaara
sitaaron ke Jahaan mein
milenge ab yaaraa
saiyyaara main saiyyaara
saiyyaara tu saiyyaara
sitaaron ke Jahaan mein
milenge ab yaaraa

tu jo milaa
to yoonn huaa aa
ho gayi poori
adhoori si duaa
tu jo gayaa
to le gayaa
sang tere mere
jeene ki har wajah
ho.. jaaye Jahaan tu jaaye
paaye mujhe hi paaye
saaye yeh mere
hain tujh mein samaaye
saiyyaara main saiyyaara
saiyyaara tu saiyyaara
sitaaron ke Jahan mein
milenge ab yaaraa
saiyyaara main saiyyaara
saiyyaara tu saiyyaara
sitaaron ke Jahan mein
milenge ab yaaraa

tum pe miti
tum se bani ee
tum se huaa hai
haan khud pe yaqeen
tu jo nahin
to na sahi ee
main hoon yehaan to
tu hai yahin kahin een
ho.. jaaye Jahan tu jaaye
paaye mujhe hi paaye
saaye yeh mere
hain tujh mein samaaye
saiyyaara main saiyyaara
saiyyaara tu saiyyaara
sitaaron ke Jahaan mein
milenge ab yaaraa
saiyyaara main saiyyaara
saiyyaara tu saiyyaara
sitaaron ke Jahan mein
milenge ab yaaraa