Müll im Garten Eden (Fatih Akin 2012)

Man kann die Türkei ja mögen und ich bin ja auch dabei, ihr positive Zuge abzugewinnen, aber der Weg dieses Landes bis zur Erreichung der Moderne wird noch lang und dornenvoll sein. Geholfen hat, dass die Türken immerhin ihren Möchtegern-Atatürk bei den letzten Wahlen abgestraft haben, aber mehr als 40 Prozent fur diesen Popanz sind immer noch zuviel Stimmen gegen eine zukunftsgerichtete Hinwendung zu Modernität oder wenigstens dem 21. Jahrhundert.
Akins Film berichtet vom Bau einer Mülldeponie nahe des Dorfes Çamburnu am Schwarzen Meer. Der Bürgermeister drangt darauf, dass geltende Vorschriften eingehalten werden. Proteste werden abgewiesen, Gerichtsverfahren haben keine aufschiebende Wirkung. Unterdessen baut der Staat die Depomnie weiter aus und schafft auf diese Weise Tatsachen. Der Bürger hat gegenüber diesem Leviathan selbstverständlich kaum eine Chance.
So sieht man denn auch in diesem Film die  Amtswalter eintreffen und nichtstuend herumstehen. Wenigstens machen sie keine Versprechungen; sie tun nicht einmal so,, als ob sie sich für die Lage oder gar die Interessen der Einwohner des Dorfes einsetzen wollen. Ein Bewohner glaubt, es würde helfen, wenn er einen Brief an Erdogan schriebe. Selten so gelacht.
Ja, die Mülldeponie war also als Fusch geplant und als Fusch ausgeführt. Ein Dämmbecken läuft gleich beim ersten Regen über und der Ingenieur gibt bekannt, es habe Allah behagt, es regnen zu lassen - so als ob dieses Faktum ganzlich in den Sternen geschrieben war.
Es wird wohl noch etwas dauern, bis diese Türkei ein Teil von Europa werden kann.

Etwas stinkt in dieser Türkei.

A week in Istanbul (2)

Meeting history - a walk along the city walls
This may not be on the top 5 list of a tourist, but being a bit of a historian, I decided that I wanted to walk along the city walls. The wall as such is a monument in its own right and secured the survival of Constantinople for 1000 years. And Church of Our Holy Saviour in Chora is a top site. It's very hidden and was under reconstruction. Still they ask 15 lira entrance fee, however what you see is worth the money. Shortly before it died away, there was one last explosion of creativity, a symphony of colors. It is an amazing church and it should be on everybody's to do list.

Chora Church - one last outburst of creativity during the Byzantine Empire

Some of the original gates are still in use; at some places the wall  was removed to give place to highways and some stripes are being reconstructed, though some specialists don't seem to be too happy with the methods applied. At last that made it clear why Constantinople survived every attack - until the cannonballs (topkapi) of Mehmet the Conqueror.

A gate from the Theodosian Wall

Day 4-7 -- museums
In many places they have one day with all museums closed. Istanbul. Some museums are closed on Mondays, others on Tuesdays or on Wednesdays, so  you can every day go to one museum or other.
Some are world famous - like the Topkapi Collection - but the entry fee is also five star. Even relatively unimpressive sites like Hagia Eirena cost 15 Lira, so it is absolutely recommended to buy a Museum Pass which gives access to state museums (and saves time to queue before Hagia Sophia or Topkapi.
It showed that it was a good choice to use the museum pass from Tuesday to Thursday, as the weather started to get bad.
As Topkapi is closed on Tuesdays, I started with the Istanbul Museum of Archeology. The concept of the museums in Istanbul is problematic. It seems by the way that all museums are under reconstruction at the moment.
So in this museum they heap lots of things together and put labels like "Box, late Ottoman Period" on it. It is as if they don't know which story to tell with their exhibits or what is the specific about that item from that period. We see lots of items without learning what is the specific trait about them. We see mainly a collection of artefacts and leave the museum confused and quite unenlightened.
Of course in Aya Sofya the room gives a structure, the room tells a story. Or maybe no story as the barren cross from the iconoclast period in Hagia Eirene.
Also in the Mosaic Museum the artefact tells it own story - or for once it is nicely explained. I wished all the mseums in Istanbul followed the concept of this museum.
I was looking forward to Topkapi, but got quickly bored. Handicraft, exposition of skills, etc. Yes, lots of luxury things and relics from the early time of Islam, like hairs from the beard of Mohammed. And I was surprised that a state-owned museum in a secular state tells the story of a religion in the terms of the religion. In the Vatican we don't expect critical distance to the exhibits. But in a secular state? Really!
Best was the Harem section in the Topkapi museum. This one gave an idea about life in that place and was only putting things together. But even better I liked the Kitchen. These showed that the placed once was used and that real people lived there.

Lots of things to look at in Topkapi

 The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts has also a problematic concept. Actually it explains the history of Islamic Empires, but is not very explicit on what is the particular about the art they have created. Of course it correct to connect history and art, but what was the specific contribution of each empire. The ethnographic section was closed when I visited the museum. One staff member said it was somewhere else, another one said that it was not accessible. Strange, people like to give information, even though they are not always very helpful.
The Museum for the History of Science and Technology in Islam follows a slightly different approach. It depends very much on text, so there is a lot of information. Even an embarras de richesse for someone who is not familiar with the matter. There are certain highlights and the museum tries to point them out to the inquisitive visitor. They make a great effort to praise those scientists in western countries who communicated the efforts and achievements of the Islamic world in the west. The museum is very comprehensive. So you either concentrate on some subject or leave the museum with the impression that there was a lot. However there is no sufficient explanation why the former outburst of science and technology now is completely dried up.
On my seventh day I chose to see the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, on recommendation by a local in the knowing. This was a good recommendation after a concentrated infusion with history it was good to see that there actually is modern culture also. All  of the people who found their way to Istanbul Modern were completelu unknown to me. It is however a good idea to return to the present time, so I was thankful to get this recommendation.
There was much left to see, enough for another visit. I didn't experience many things, almost never I went out during the evenings, I didn't explore the local alternative scene, I didn't try many different local food specimens -- a selection is necessary with a limited budget and limited energy and most of all, the ever present riskof bad weather and wet feet.
One time is not enough for such a multi-facetted city.

Installation in Istanbul Modern

A week in Istanbul (1)

Around this time of the year, when it's most dark, I need a vacation. Usually I take to a country where I might have a chance to get some warm weather and some sun. Last year I had already Istanbul on my list, but then I traveled to Athens instead, so  Turkey seemed to be the obvious choice. It's very off-season now, though there were many other travelers already. That's probably the reason why travel and accommodation were extremely cheap.
The Hotel
I stayed at the Sirkeci Emek Hotel. It is perfectly placed, close to the train station and other public transport and the most important sites, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi are within walking distance. The staff is very friendly and helpful. For example, i arrived early in the morning and was hoping for some room where I could put my luggage, instead my room was ready after some few minutes, while they gave me a cup of tea.
Some reviewers at booking.com seem to expect five star service for three star price. Of course you get what you pay for. Emek has the basics and that is what I need. The breakfast buffet is modest, but sufficient. WiFi occasionally absent - altogether minor features which don't spoil my holiday. So actually I have nothing negative to say about Emek.  Another time in Istanbul, I would certainly want to stay there again.

View from the terrace of Sirkeci Emek

Getting there
I am not the luxury traveler, so I always prefer public transport when possible.
Sabiah Gökcen was a female aviator and she gave name to the second airport in Istanbul, the one on the Asian side. From there buses are going every 30 minutes to Taksim Square, the central square. Actually they stop behind the Point Hotel, but Taksim is near. As a newcomer I wanted to play safe and took a cab to the hotel. The driver of cab number 34 TEH 29 was an idiot and an asshole. His English was almost non-existent - which is OK when you know your limits - but he said that I didn't understand English. So be it. But he tried to screw me also and worst of all, he just dumped me somewhere and pointed at a direction where the thought that the hotel might be. And so I wandered about, a newcomer in an unknown city. Most people were trying to be helpful, but most of the time they gave incompetent or incomplete information. At last a friendly shoe shiner pointed out the correct direction. I never used a cab in Istanbul again. Rather walk than to depend on another bugger like that driver.
By the way: when time is important and you need to be at the airport, better be there in time. When returning I was there on time, but many people had been there before. The bus was full and I had to wait until the next bus. During busy times you hardly move. It took me 90 minutes to come from Taksim to the airport on a Friday evening.
Getting acquainted with the place
I didn't have a to do list, so the first day I just strolled around the historical center. Even off season there is a considerable queue to get into Hagia Sofia, but many are local tourists or travelers from the Middle East. Many, too many people want to offer their services, drag you into their restaurant or show you their small business. I lost patience very soon and just ignored them. It's a pity, but sometimes it's necessary to be rude to these people. Yes, many people live by tourists, but nobody wants to give their money to professional cheaters.
At the Blue Mosque they are giving you explanations or offering help and then they try to drag you to their shop with "no obligation" to buy, yeah yeah yeah.
It was such a nice day, so nI decided mainly to walk around and feel and smell the city. But I went to see the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as Blue Mosque. There is one entrance for whose who come to pray and another one for visitors. This is OK, since visitors are not required to take the ritual washings. There are no limitations - everything is accessible to everybody. But everybody is required to take off shoes, which fills the air with a subtle odor of foot perspiration. This mosque is a master piece of architecture. I won't copy here what I have read from guide books. However no description can replace the  first-hand sight; the blue Iznik tiles and the light flooding in makes you believe that the roof has been blown off and that you ar elooking at the sky.
I walked only in the Hippodrome Area.

Infinity seems to be at hands in Sultan Ahmed Mosque

Approaching Modern Istanbul
The second day the weather was still fine and so I walked across the Golden Horn, first to the Galata Tower and then to Taksim Square. I didn't climb the tower, because they want an extra fee from foreigners. Usually such an attitude is called discrimination.
From different tales I got the impression that this square is the hub of drug dealers, prostitution and illegal immigrants. I walked there without any special plan, just following the general direction. There were different manifestations, one by Africans who asked to be treated as human beings and that they didn't come as tourists. There was also a manifestation by the AKP party, but I didn't care to ask what they were for or against. They made a lot of noise as if they were supporters of a soccer team. Policemen, ready to fire were also there. I wonder what our local demonstrators in peaceful Denmark would say when confronted with such a sight.
Taksim Square as such is boring. Yes, there is room for many people, there is Burger King and Starbucks, but else very little to attract attention. However, in that area you see most modern people, whereas around the mosques most are pre-modern or even  pre-pre-modern. The walking street Istiklal could be in any other city of the world. And that's how the future is going to be. Everything will resemble each other. You don't have to go to places in the far future, instead they wiull come to you.

Busy walking-street Istiklal in Istanbul.