rebecca soble

This is my third year in Turkey but it will be my first full Ramazan (Ramadan), as in both previous autumns my visits home overlapped with this special month of the year, though not intentionally.  So this year I’m gearing up for the full experience.  Though let me clarify that “the full experience” will not include me actually following the Ramadan practices (though I might once or twice, when I’m not working) but observing and experiencing what happens around me.

For those who don’t know the practice, observant Muslims follow Ramadan by not partaking of any food, drink (including water), cigarettes, gum, or sex during daylight hours for the course of the month, and tend to be more observant of the five-times-per-day prayers as well.   Each day starts in the wee hours with the banging of a drum in the streets to wake people up to eat before sunrise.  They get up early enough so that they can eat slowly and thoroughly, at least I hope they do.  And then after a day of sacrifice, everyone comes together for the iftar, the meal that ends the fast after sunset.  This is a celebratory and festive meal, best partaken with lots of family and friends to support each other through the month.  For the people who have to break their fast alone, I imagine it isn’t as enjoyable an experience.  Because the Islamic calendar does not coincide with the Gregorian calendar, the month of Ramadan moves through the seasons over time.  In recent years, Ramadan has been in the autumn, when the days were relatively short, making the fasting a bit easier.  This year, coinciding exactly with the month of September, the fast-day is getting longer and I’ve already heard several people comment about how it gets longer and harder every year….

Of course, there are a lot of non-observant Muslims who won’t be following Ramadan (just like there are plenty of Catholics who don’t observe Lent and Jews who skip Yom Kippur - and Emrah is Alevi, so he doesn’t observe Ramadan either) but I’ve been asking around in preparation and several of my students will be fasting.   For the ones whose lessons are in the 8-10pm time frame, they’ll have time to eat something before their lessons (the sunset time will start around 7:45 at the beginning of Ramazan and gradually get earlier over the course of the month) though it obviously can’t be a complete iftar meal because of lack of time, but I’m a bit concerned for the ones whose lessons are in the 5-8 time frame, the very end of the day when they will be at their most hungry, thirsty, most caffeine-and-nicotine-deprived.  Not really conducive for learning, so I might have to modify my lessons a bit.

Out on the street, it will pay to be a bit more careful in traffic, as drivers who already have a rather high baseline of impatience and scofflawdom (if that isn’t a word it should be) will be even more so, especially later in the day.  Also I wonder about the overall levels of productivity and whether Ramadan is visible as a blip in the quarterly GDP of predominantly Muslim countries.  Do companies make allowances for fasting employees?  What about ones who work with dangerous factory equipment or need to make split-second important decisions or be very detailed about accounting figures?  How many more mistakes will there be, and will any be life- or business-threatening?   I actually have no idea what percentage of people observe Ramadan in Istanbul, I would guess a lower percentage than in the rest of Turkey, but still a significant number.

At the end of the month, there is a 3-day holiday called Şeker Bayramı (Sugar Holiday) which apparently is a big hooplah.  I have three days off from work so I’ll have to find somewhere to go, something to do.

Well that’s about all for Ramazan, starting tomorrow morning.  I’m clearly not a food photographer, but here is a picture of the dinner I ate tonight:  mucver (zucchini patties), cold carrot salad (sauteed with olive oil), and wheat grains.  I had been eating the wheat in a cold yogurt soup and had some leftover.  Plus yogurt and cold tea.   Hugs to all my friends and family!  xoxo!

With serendipitously coinciding days off, Kimby and I wandered to İznik for the day.  Some pics:

A mosque in iznik covered with the meşhur eponymous tiles. and lots of men outside - it’s friday and we’ve just heard the ezan.

İznik was historically a walled city, with the walls in a pentagon shape and four gates at the major NSEW directions. Remnants of the gates and the walls still remain. This is the Yenişehir Gate, to the South. The gates were built in the time period 69-81 AD (Roman age).

This is the Lefke Gate, to the East. The gates are named for the city that is reachable by following the road in that direction.

A closeup of the Lefke gate.

A long section of the wall still standing near the Lefke gate.

In the museum, a carved decoration from the Roman period. I’m sorry I forgot to get a closeup of the placard, but I remember the figure is Hercules.

Meşhur Manyas kavunu, 1ytl/kg. (that’s kinda expensive melon, but hey, apparently it’s famous.)

Near the Yenişehir gate, we met a farmer on a tractor and his wife in the wagon being pulled behind. When we waved hello, they stopped and offered us nectarines.

Kids near the Lefke gate, they really wanted to have their picture taken.

Travel instructions from Istanbul:  Take the fast ferry to Yalova (embark at Bostancı, Kartal, Pendik or Yenikapı depending on your location and timing) - fare from Kartal was 5.50 using the akbil, 7ytl without.  Travel time less than an hour depending on your starting point.

Disembark in Yalova and walk about 10 mins to the left to a bus area right across the street from the bazaar (active on Saturdays).  Find the minibus to İznik near the back, 7.50 fare.  During the center of the day (9am to 6pm), the minibusses go every hour at 10 past the hour and a couple more times outside those hours.  Travel time less than an hour, get off at the final stop in the center of town.  Total travel time (including some waiting for the minibus) is less than 3 hours.  Same path in reverse to get home except you have to get on the minibus at the İznik otogar (bus station) a little way away from the center of town (easy to find with the map from the tourist information center, or by asking a local).

This is the epitome of the Turkish way.   Lounge around for a while.  Develop some good excuses for why it can’t happen.   Then at the last minute work incredibly hard and accomplish the seemingly impossible.

These players acted out their country’s temperament to perfection, which of course made for a hugely exciting roller-coaster-of-emotion game.  Congratulations Türkiye, I can’t wait to watch the quarterfinals.

It was a lovely two days in greenery and peace. We listened to birds singing rather than horns honking. We drank all the delicious spring water we wanted ücretsiz. We walked on old stone and natural turf rather than asphalt and concrete.

Our first afternoon at the pansiyon, a snack of tarhana çorbası.

Typical Cumalıkızık street, with cuuute puppy on the side.

More street pics of the village and buildings

Yes, there are really people and modern vehicles in this köy - and a nice view of the mountain peak in the background.

After wandering the village, gözleme and semaver çay at the pansiyon

The next morning, a delicious and filling kahvaltı before heading out again. Typical turkish breakfast includes cheese and olive plate, tomatoes and cucumbers, bread (in this case yummy çoban ekmeğı shepherd’s bread which is like sourdough) and jams, and eggs. Oh, and of course çay. We are well-sustained for our activities!

Wandering out of the village into the woods..

We find the spot where the village water is diverted from the mountain stream. An open man-made channel carries the water all the way down into the village.

More pics of the village. There’s stone everywhere! This house has been restored, but there are many that have not.

A final evening rest in the pine woods.

Details for possible travelers:

Cumalıkızık is on the outskirts of Bursa, in the valley below Uludağ. We used the following modes of transport to get there: dolmuş to Kartal, fast ferry from Kartal to Yalova (45 mins, 7ytl per person without an akbil), tour bus from Yalova to the Bursa bus terminal (less than an hour, 8ytl per person, the tour buses wait right outside the ferry terminal), Bursa city bus 91 or 91G out of town (2 ytl per person, about 30 mins because the bus stops a lot, find someone to ask where to get off for the minibus to Cumalıkızık), and finally a minibus into the village (1ytl per person, 15 minutes). We got lucky and met an old couple on the city bus that were also going in our direction (they lived in a nearby village to Cumalıkızık, but not a historical one) so they showed us where to get off the city bus and helped us to get on the minibus. They were very friendly and offered to let us stay at their house(!) but we politely declined.

The pansiyon we stayed at is called Mavi Boncuk and it is one of two in Cumalikizik, I don’t know the name of the other (but we peeked at it and decided we had made the better choice). The rate at Mavi Boncuk was 50ytl per person per night, including breakfast, which you can see from the picture was formidable. The rooms each have their own bathroom, and the outside gardens are great. There are also comfortable and historic-feeling indoor places to sit and/or eat. The first night we were there, we were the only guests, and around 9:30 pm all the workers went home leaving us to our own devices. The owner’s home is on the premises as well, so it wasn’t like nobody was there at all, but it felt like our own castle for the night!

All in all, a lovely 2-day respite from the hustle and noise of Istanbul.