Good morning.
I’ve been here for several days.
And the time is so rich,
so contemplatively powerful, it’s difficult to gather it all.
I’d like to write more about some of the individual meditations: time will tell.
One thing that shines, in exploring these spaces, this place, is about conceptions of Light. The design of it, the meaning of it. And believing in the Light — whatever you might call it.
I’ve gone to the mosques during prayer because of the Light, the actual luminous character of the space — and the intonations which are magical and droning, in Arabic. They call you in.
Or the revelations of the Mevlevi, their whirling dance, beneath the constellations of the monastery chandelier.
I met some people from Kuwait, that were working here. Actually, I met them in a mosque, after prayer. And they said:– “come and eat with us.” They spoke of their beliefs, the Light, the One. Of course, we’ve all heard that, some where.
When there is the Call to Prayer, from the mosques throughout the city, the timings are slightly staggered, so it’s choral — the character of one Muezzin’s rendering, to another.
There’s a harmony in that.
But there’s much in this art, this culture, about drawing in, being drawn in, to the center.
And it’s profoundly beautiful. And ancient, this city, whose legacy stretches back about 2500 years.
And, to this missive, this is of course only one little glint of the force of visuals of Istanbul, that emerge as you embrace her.
Then again, you might know that too.
wishing well:
Tim Girvin
Sultanahmet | Istanbul