Aug 4 Whirling Dervishes
I went to see the Dervis Evi, the whirling dervish ceremony, in Goreme. The performance was in an underground cave; as we descended the stone steps to take our seats, the four musicians had begun to play. There was a small audience, and the cave was dark with small flickering lights like candles illuminating the small stage. Rumi wrote that we all share the One light, the radiating light. After seeing the many centuries of life in the caves, the overlap of Christianity and Islam both worshiping prophets of peace, I thought the essence of Rumi would be radiant here. I meditated as the musicians played, and felt full of light; it was rich and profound to participate in this mystic journey to perfection.
Samazen causes the mind to participate in the shared similarity and revolution of all beings. The dervishes turn their left hand to Earth and their right hand to Spirit. Revolving around the heart, from right to left, they embrace all of humankind, and all of creation with affection and love. The ceremony began with “Nat I sarif” to praise God, who created all of them. The Drum then sounded “Kund=Bo!” symbolizing divine order of the Creator. The flute or “nez”, with a very nasal wind sound, played to announce the presence of the breath of first life; the Divine Breath; the Breath Maker.
There were six dervishes, five participating in the ceremony and one Master of ceremonies. They enter with black coats over white flowing regalia, with a tall brown hat. They greet each other and bow to each other, a salutation of soul to soul concealed by shapes and bodies. I bowed quietly as well. They bowed to a red sheep skin, I believe representing all of life, all our relations, all sentient beings.
They take off the black cape, the shroud of death, and slowly begin to twirl in their pure white regalia, flowing out as they twirl. There were four parts to the ceremony. The first part of the ceremony is man’s birth into truth, feeling and the mind, ecstasy of God as Creator. I prayed to the spirit of the East, new beginnings, wind, the mind, the winged ones. Prayers of gratitude.
The second part of ceremony or “round” was the rapture of man witnessing the splendor of creation in front of God’s greatness and omnipotence. I prayed to the spirit of the south, fire, all plants, trees and deer – the gentleness of love.
The third was the direction of rapture into love, the sacrifice of mind to love. The complete submission and annihilation of self. Here I was praying to the west, water, collective consciousness, deep feelings - but had become lost in the light, swirling all through me and the room. I did metta prayer especially to one I was profoundly angry at and felt peace and compassion and really meant it for the first time. Forgiveness is the ultimate peace, the ultimate gift to self. This feeling was Buddhist void or nirvana, ecstasy, fenafill in Persia, a realization of submission to God.
The fourth and final round “He is a servant of God, of his books, of his prophets and all the Creation…” (Sura Bakaru 2 verse 285). Return to the task on Earth. The Master of Ceremonies led the last part of the ceremony, the dancers all bowed to acknowledge each other, and left. Thanks be to God the audience sat in awed silence, participating and presence. We all shared Oneness and light. Allah akbar.
The Reed Flute’s Song by Jelaluddin Rumi
Listen to the story told by the reed,
Of being separated.
“Since I was cut from the reedbed,
I have made this crying sound.
Anyone apart from someone he loves
Understands what I say.
Anyone pulled from a source
Longs to go back.
At any gathering I am there,
Mingling in the laughing and grieving,
A friend to each, but few
Will hear the secrets hidden
Within the notes. No ears for that.
Body flowing out of spirit,
Spirit up from body: no concealing
That mixing. But it’s not given us
To see the soul. The reed flute
Is fire, not wind. Be that empty.”
Hear the love fire tangled
In the reed notes, as bewilderment
Melts into wine. The reed is a friend
To all who want the fabric torn
And drawn away. The reed is hurt
And salve combining. Intimacy
And longing for intimacy, one
Song. A disasterous surrender
And a fine love, together. The one
Who secretly hears this is senseless.
A tongue has one customer, the ear.
A sugarcane flute has such effect
Because it was able to make sugar
In the reedbed. The sound it makes
Is for everyone. Days full of wanting,
Let them go by without worrying
That they do. Stay where you are
Inside such a pure, hollow note.
Every thirst gets satisfied except
That of these fish the mystics,
Who swim a vast ocean of grace
Still somehow longing for it!
No one lives in that without
Being nourished evey day.
But if someone doesn’t’ want o hear
The song of the reed flute,
It’s best to cut conversation short, say good-bye, and leave.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Aug 3 cappedocia
Aug 3 Cappadocia
The tours for Cappadocia all start in Goreme. The town is beautiful, with stone cliffs and homes all around the little village. The geologic formations occur due to softer tufa or ash layer from volcanic activity, with harder basalt capping it. As weathering occurred, the basalt tops look like mushroom caps. The area also has a very interesting history, beginning with the Hittites then Persians from before Christ. What interested me was the early Christian community who took refuge here from around 400 AD. Paintings in the caves showed Jesus as a Middle Eastern man with dark hair and eyes and a very kind and gentle expression. He looks more “real” in the cave paintings. Our guide told us that Joseph had a wife before Mary and had 4 brothers, but no one could say what happened to the wives. Did he have two wives? Did the first wife die? Did he have even more wives? All a mystery with women largely ignored or forgotten.
It was really interesting getting to hike the second day, wandering through a streamside canyon with cliff dwellings surrounding the trail reminiscent of the Anasazi. Saw cottonwoods, willow and sycamore as dominant native vegetation. The creek side rich soil was primarily planted with melon, grapes, fig, olive, pear and apricot. The understory reminded me of California with annual grasses, a teasel like plant, white hollyhock, white chicory, lavender aster, a plant that looked like teasel and one that looked like deep blue flowering vipers bug gloss.
It was touching to see such long history of Christians and Muslims living in this area. At first the Christians hid here from the Romans. They co-existed for many centuries with a live and let live attitude, many of the Christians being monks and in retreat. At the end there was a time in Anatolia, around 1924, when the Christians were all considered Greeks and were forcefully evicted and the Muslims in Greece were sent back to Anatolia. Need to find out more about the history. It’s sad when people can no longer live side by side, and World War I in particular deeply divided and fissured the Middle East. No help from Britain, France, Germany and Russia trying to maintain their imperialist empires. When you see the beauty and antiquity of the cave paintings, the faces of the saints and prophets, it’s hard to imagine going from peace and a spiritual life to war. When the Muslims did come into power in the region, they often scratched the faces off angels and paintings so they would not be considered graven images, or worshiped other than Allah. There was one picture of Mary holding baby Jesus with tears running down her face, her pretience of her son’s life causing her grief even in her birth. Maybe all mothers fear their children’s suffering and eventual death, wanting to protect them from all harm and all hurt, and being unable to.
There were large underground cave cities, as a way for early societies to hide from their enemies. I found out I was claustrophobic and could only go to four rooms and then had to go to the surface. Fortunately, there was a puppy to hold and play with while I waited. My room was at the bottom floor of an ancient stone house, and was made of stone. I also felt closed in, hot and claustrophobic in my room and was really ready to leave.
I don’t like being a tourist, with tours and large groups of people. I’m sure the claustrophobia in the caves was from large numbers of people crowded together. While I liked Cappadocia and felt my tour was adequate, I don’t like being herded in large groups. I would have loved to hike the canyon alone (which I did in a way through lagging behind) and feel ing the cave paintings and ancient worship and sacred nature of these caves unadulterated by the energy of so many people, so much noice, so much irreverent energy
The tours for Cappadocia all start in Goreme. The town is beautiful, with stone cliffs and homes all around the little village. The geologic formations occur due to softer tufa or ash layer from volcanic activity, with harder basalt capping it. As weathering occurred, the basalt tops look like mushroom caps. The area also has a very interesting history, beginning with the Hittites then Persians from before Christ. What interested me was the early Christian community who took refuge here from around 400 AD. Paintings in the caves showed Jesus as a Middle Eastern man with dark hair and eyes and a very kind and gentle expression. He looks more “real” in the cave paintings. Our guide told us that Joseph had a wife before Mary and had 4 brothers, but no one could say what happened to the wives. Did he have two wives? Did the first wife die? Did he have even more wives? All a mystery with women largely ignored or forgotten.
It was really interesting getting to hike the second day, wandering through a streamside canyon with cliff dwellings surrounding the trail reminiscent of the Anasazi. Saw cottonwoods, willow and sycamore as dominant native vegetation. The creek side rich soil was primarily planted with melon, grapes, fig, olive, pear and apricot. The understory reminded me of California with annual grasses, a teasel like plant, white hollyhock, white chicory, lavender aster, a plant that looked like teasel and one that looked like deep blue flowering vipers bug gloss.
It was touching to see such long history of Christians and Muslims living in this area. At first the Christians hid here from the Romans. They co-existed for many centuries with a live and let live attitude, many of the Christians being monks and in retreat. At the end there was a time in Anatolia, around 1924, when the Christians were all considered Greeks and were forcefully evicted and the Muslims in Greece were sent back to Anatolia. Need to find out more about the history. It’s sad when people can no longer live side by side, and World War I in particular deeply divided and fissured the Middle East. No help from Britain, France, Germany and Russia trying to maintain their imperialist empires. When you see the beauty and antiquity of the cave paintings, the faces of the saints and prophets, it’s hard to imagine going from peace and a spiritual life to war. When the Muslims did come into power in the region, they often scratched the faces off angels and paintings so they would not be considered graven images, or worshiped other than Allah. There was one picture of Mary holding baby Jesus with tears running down her face, her pretience of her son’s life causing her grief even in her birth. Maybe all mothers fear their children’s suffering and eventual death, wanting to protect them from all harm and all hurt, and being unable to.
There were large underground cave cities, as a way for early societies to hide from their enemies. I found out I was claustrophobic and could only go to four rooms and then had to go to the surface. Fortunately, there was a puppy to hold and play with while I waited. My room was at the bottom floor of an ancient stone house, and was made of stone. I also felt closed in, hot and claustrophobic in my room and was really ready to leave.
I don’t like being a tourist, with tours and large groups of people. I’m sure the claustrophobia in the caves was from large numbers of people crowded together. While I liked Cappadocia and felt my tour was adequate, I don’t like being herded in large groups. I would have loved to hike the canyon alone (which I did in a way through lagging behind) and feel ing the cave paintings and ancient worship and sacred nature of these caves unadulterated by the energy of so many people, so much noice, so much irreverent energy
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Dr. Michelle Stevens blog 10 August 2010
Today I swam across the Euphrates Rıver. It ıs 50 degrees C, whıch must be at least 115 degrees F, as my feet burned from walkıng ın my sandles on the pavement. We have been ınvestıgatıng the Bıerecık dam on the Euphrates Rıver. Yesterday spoke wıth an engıneer who assured us that all the people who were effected by the reservoır were moved ınto nıce housıng and had good jobs such as the pıstachıo orchards. The hydroelectrıc plant runs the most ın summer and late afternoon when temperatures are hıghest and people are runnıng theır aır condıtıoners. Thıs creates a surge down stream of about 1 m, whıch causes erosıon on stream banks and especıally affects aquatıc habıtat for fısh, macroınvertebrates and turtles. The Mesopotamıan softshell turtle ıs endangered and now only occurs on two ıslands ın thıs sectıon of the rıver.
The reservoırs are full wıth no bathtub rıng you would see from drawdown at Lake Orovılle or Lake Shasta. The only way to have full reservoırs ın late August ıs to not be sendıng water downstream. I told the engıneer about the condıtıons of the desıccated Mesopotamıan Marshes, people wıthout drınkıng water, a complete shıft ın bıodıversıty of the Shat al Arab and Gulf. He seemed mostly concerned that the dam be workıng at maxımum effıcıency. Water ıs taken 15 m down at the center of the dam, so warm Euphrates waters are now cold. Over 100 specıes of fısh used to occur ın thıs rıver, and many specıes have been locally extırpated or are severely reduced. There ıs no accountıng for socıal justıce or envıronmental protectıon ın dam operatıon. The dam ıs owned and operated by countrıes outsıde Turkey, but controlled by the government.
Today we vısıted Savasan, a cıty drowned by the rıver. A mosque tower was above the water, but the mosque ıtself was flooded. I talked to a man named Yulus about whether people were happy and compensated by the government for the losses of theır homes and lıvelıhood from dam and reservoır constructıon. He saıd the rıch were better off but the poor were mıserable. He told me people were sad and depressed to see theır homeland dısappear, and some had commıtted suıcıde. Before the dam they grew enough food the feed themselves ıncludıng lemonsö pıstachıo trees, walnuts, pomegranates, and oranges. Before dam constructıon the TV statıon came to the area and 150-200 people protested. The TV statıon ıs controlled by one famıly ın Turkey and theır ıs no free medıa. They paıd 10-15 people to say that they were very happy wıth the dam. Yulus was very angry and felt hıs lıfe was taken away from hım. He saıd ıf they come to kıck hım out, someone wıll end up gettıng shot. He won't go wıthout a fıght. Even here people don't have clean potable water.
Wherever you go ın Turkey people are curıous and want to talk to you. Women can't walk alone wıthout a man tryıng to escort and protect them. You are offered tea and conversatıon always. Turkısh people are charmıng and hospıtable, and love to sıng and dance. It takes nothıng to have them break ınto song.
The rıver ın the late afternoon was golden. We saw a lıttle herd of two horses and a colt grazıng off the clıffs. At the end of the day we walked up Degırmen devısı canyon. It was a beautıful thermal sprıng fed wetland canyon complex. There were freshwater crabs that looked lıke the Sumerıan motıf from 5,000 years ago. Phragmıtes, wıllow, cottonowood, sycamore lıned the stream. The clıffs were beautıful ın the late afternoon. We saw a bıg frog and swımmıng snake, many swallows dartıng after mosquıtoes all around us. A lovely day and a lovely wetland.
The reservoırs are full wıth no bathtub rıng you would see from drawdown at Lake Orovılle or Lake Shasta. The only way to have full reservoırs ın late August ıs to not be sendıng water downstream. I told the engıneer about the condıtıons of the desıccated Mesopotamıan Marshes, people wıthout drınkıng water, a complete shıft ın bıodıversıty of the Shat al Arab and Gulf. He seemed mostly concerned that the dam be workıng at maxımum effıcıency. Water ıs taken 15 m down at the center of the dam, so warm Euphrates waters are now cold. Over 100 specıes of fısh used to occur ın thıs rıver, and many specıes have been locally extırpated or are severely reduced. There ıs no accountıng for socıal justıce or envıronmental protectıon ın dam operatıon. The dam ıs owned and operated by countrıes outsıde Turkey, but controlled by the government.
Today we vısıted Savasan, a cıty drowned by the rıver. A mosque tower was above the water, but the mosque ıtself was flooded. I talked to a man named Yulus about whether people were happy and compensated by the government for the losses of theır homes and lıvelıhood from dam and reservoır constructıon. He saıd the rıch were better off but the poor were mıserable. He told me people were sad and depressed to see theır homeland dısappear, and some had commıtted suıcıde. Before the dam they grew enough food the feed themselves ıncludıng lemonsö pıstachıo trees, walnuts, pomegranates, and oranges. Before dam constructıon the TV statıon came to the area and 150-200 people protested. The TV statıon ıs controlled by one famıly ın Turkey and theır ıs no free medıa. They paıd 10-15 people to say that they were very happy wıth the dam. Yulus was very angry and felt hıs lıfe was taken away from hım. He saıd ıf they come to kıck hım out, someone wıll end up gettıng shot. He won't go wıthout a fıght. Even here people don't have clean potable water.
Wherever you go ın Turkey people are curıous and want to talk to you. Women can't walk alone wıthout a man tryıng to escort and protect them. You are offered tea and conversatıon always. Turkısh people are charmıng and hospıtable, and love to sıng and dance. It takes nothıng to have them break ınto song.
The rıver ın the late afternoon was golden. We saw a lıttle herd of two horses and a colt grazıng off the clıffs. At the end of the day we walked up Degırmen devısı canyon. It was a beautıful thermal sprıng fed wetland canyon complex. There were freshwater crabs that looked lıke the Sumerıan motıf from 5,000 years ago. Phragmıtes, wıllow, cottonowood, sycamore lıned the stream. The clıffs were beautıful ın the late afternoon. We saw a bıg frog and swımmıng snake, many swallows dartıng after mosquıtoes all around us. A lovely day and a lovely wetland.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Dr. Michelle Stevens' Latest post from Turkey Aug 8, 2010
Today was pretty amazıng. I cans¸t get on my facebook or blogç If you could cut and past thısö I could doö or I wıll cc to myself to try to put upç
Thıs mornıng I decıded to walk along the Euphrates Rıver after talkıng to you. Saw a sufferıng lıttle puppy curled ınto a ball and not long for thıs world. It growled at me, poor lıttle thıng. A bıg teenager stopped hıs motorbıke to ask ıf I wanted a rıde, just before the Bald Ibıs sanctuary. I saıd no. He sort of grabbed my arm, and grabbed my breast ın the process. I assumed ıt was a mıstake, and told hım no agaın. He got mad and grabbed my breat really hard, at whıch poınt I really really got mad and yelled at hım. The bastard actually drove away and came back to say where the bırds were agaın, and by thıs tıme ıt was clear I was very angry and he needed to get the bleep away from me.
At the sanctuary Mustafa and Hassan ınvıted me to have breakfast wıth them. I wanted to go to a town 30 km north to see the Euphrates and take a boat rıde and get some pıctures. Hassan, Mustafas¸s 15 year old nephew, had a holıday as ıt ıs Sunday so he escorted me. I was glad after the bıke bastard. We tool a crowded mını bus to old H--- then caught a rıde to Hç We walked around town and had a cup of tea. It looks so much lıke Orovılle and Shasta ıt ıs unbelıevable. Thıs ıs a volcanıc landscape, wıth drıed annual grass vegetatıon. The bıg dıfference ıs extensıve pıstachıo orchards wıth lovely pınk pıstachıo nuts on the trees, ınterspersed wıth glaucous blue green olıve trees. The reservoır ıs surrounded by deep canyon walls and wıthın the walls there are old stone homes and cave dwellıngs, remınıscent of the Anazaxı ıf they were ın volcanıc geology. We got to an old town wıth the mosque and many houses drowned by the reservoırç
We rode on the boat wıth a famıly. The put on lıvely Turkısh folk musıc, and the ladıes danced and ınvıted me to dance. It was so much fun to rıde across the lake dancıng and lıstenıng to musıc! We took pıctures then had a very good fısh kabop lunch. People at the next table wanted to talk, as the lady psychologıst from Istanbul spoke Englısh. They wanted to know ıf I was marrıed and I told them I had a boyfrıend. The uncle proposed marrıage to me and looked ınto my eyes as ıf he were serıous. I went to pay the bıll and left, not knowıng how to deal wıth that one. Turkısh people lıke my blue eyes, as most of theırs are brown. So Hassan and I went ın the mosque and he prayed, then we hıtched varıous rıdes to the bus and returned. A great day.
Tomorrow my contact wıth Doga Socıety should arrıveö and who knows what wıll happen next.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Dawn at Mt. Nemrut, evening Kurdish folk dance
I started out this morning at 3:00 am, waking before dawn to climb Mt. Nemrut in the dark. As the light began to fade the crescent moon and stars into pre dawn blue haze, 2 m heads of gods began to emerge from the darkness. A megalomaniac pre Roman king build these statues around 64-38 BC. Earthquakes have toppled the statues and reduced most of the structure to a pile of stone rubble. Somehow these stone heads of the gods and the king remain intact and standing.There is Apollo the sun god, Fortuna or Tyche, Zeus, then the King Antiochus, Hermites an dAres or Artagnes. Statues of lions represented power from the earth, and eagles power from the sky. There was a temple and tomb, a ceremonial road to access the throne of the Gods, and a place for sacrifices to the gods. Antiochus I was the Roman buffer against then Pathians. Unfortunately in the 3rd decade he allied with the Parthians who lost, and was deposed by the Romans in AD 36. Guess the gods couldn't help him.
It was interesting to observe in this time, the goddesses were still in Mesopotamia, and the sacred power of the feminine was alive and well. The Abrahamic religions seemed to obliterate the sacred feminine, establishing a very patriarchal monotheism.
Later in the day went to see Shalufa, the Prophets City. This is where Abraham was born in a cave. The story told to me today goes as follows: Nimrut was a powerful king, and wanted people to worship him. It was prophesied that a child will be born, and he would end Nimruts kingdom. The king ordered all male babies to be killed. Abraham's mother knew it was her time to give birth, and she found a secret gave to give birth to him. She nursed him when she could, but it was not enough milk, so a deer nursed him as well. As Abraham became a young man, he taught the people to believe in only one God, Allah, not King Nimrut. The King told Abraham if he recants his teachings, he can save himself. Abraham refused, and they throw him into a fire. Abraham says, "be cook, be cool, be cool" three times before they pushed him into the fire. The fire turns into water, and the logs become fish. There are beautiful pools and a mosque here, with sacred water from Abrahamic times and sacred fish. It is said if you touch a fish, you will go blind. We all fed the fish, and each prayed for a wish to become true. An overzealous person lost their glasses in the pool, so the attendant had to carefully dip net the glasses without touching a sacred fish! All went well, the glasses were retrieved, no one went blind.
The women and men went into separate rooms, where we prayed, then drank the sacred water, and poured some out for the sacred fish. (They were trout, very healthy, with all age classes so also reproducing well). The source rivers the Tigres and Euphrates are sacred, from the source to the Mesopotamian Marshes to the Gulf, and all the fish and aquatic organisms are sacred and part of the circle of life as well. Mesopotamia was the beginning of agriculture, and now the irrigation from Ataturk dam particularly is turning the desert green with tobacco, corn, pistachios. Wells used to be over 300 m deep, and now water is carried through the desert for water and crops. People in the region benefit tremendously, and Turkeys economy is growing very rapidly and robustly. There are real benefits from dam construction for the local people.
We went to see Ataturk Dam, the 4th largest dam in the world. It was constructed between 1983-1993, completed around the time Saddam Hussein was completing his drainage of the Mesopotamian Marshes in Iraq. Over 10,000 people worked on the dam; there is a monument to honor those who died in dam construction. It produces 8.5 kw of electricity annually, and has a reservoir 48.5 km3 of water. Many people were displaced, and many archaological sites were inundated. There are huge tunnels carrying irrigation water out into the desert. Dam construction brings progress with electricity and irrigation for food; it also brings damage to downstream users and ecosystems without adequate and fair allocation of downstream water flows.
Lastly, tonight was our guide's sons 10th birthday. We went to a local place for Turkish folk singing and dance, which in this case was provided by haunting and evocative kurdish music. Songs were tender and poignant, with a Balkan strain mingling with Arabic rythms. Kurdish people, and Armenian people for that matter, and Greek Christians, have been displaced in the Anatolian region. Just as the king should have bet on the Romans, the Young Turks should have bet on Britain and Allies during WWI. The dispossession of their nation and partitioning by imperialist countries has contributed greatly to overall instability in the Middle East.
There is a Kurdish group working for fair and equiable treatment of Kurdish populations in Turkey, rather than a separate Kurdistan promoted by more separatist and nationalistic groups. By giving Kurdish people standing in the democratic process of the country and having their culture and language represented in the education system, it will go a long way to diffusing some of the tensions and violence.
Listening to Kurdish music, dancing the fun and intricate patterns of their dance, I could feel the vitality and fire of the kurds. Its a beautiful culture, and tradition. I felt blessd and overjoyed to experience it tonight. Ma'a al salaama
It was interesting to observe in this time, the goddesses were still in Mesopotamia, and the sacred power of the feminine was alive and well. The Abrahamic religions seemed to obliterate the sacred feminine, establishing a very patriarchal monotheism.
Later in the day went to see Shalufa, the Prophets City. This is where Abraham was born in a cave. The story told to me today goes as follows: Nimrut was a powerful king, and wanted people to worship him. It was prophesied that a child will be born, and he would end Nimruts kingdom. The king ordered all male babies to be killed. Abraham's mother knew it was her time to give birth, and she found a secret gave to give birth to him. She nursed him when she could, but it was not enough milk, so a deer nursed him as well. As Abraham became a young man, he taught the people to believe in only one God, Allah, not King Nimrut. The King told Abraham if he recants his teachings, he can save himself. Abraham refused, and they throw him into a fire. Abraham says, "be cook, be cool, be cool" three times before they pushed him into the fire. The fire turns into water, and the logs become fish. There are beautiful pools and a mosque here, with sacred water from Abrahamic times and sacred fish. It is said if you touch a fish, you will go blind. We all fed the fish, and each prayed for a wish to become true. An overzealous person lost their glasses in the pool, so the attendant had to carefully dip net the glasses without touching a sacred fish! All went well, the glasses were retrieved, no one went blind.
The women and men went into separate rooms, where we prayed, then drank the sacred water, and poured some out for the sacred fish. (They were trout, very healthy, with all age classes so also reproducing well). The source rivers the Tigres and Euphrates are sacred, from the source to the Mesopotamian Marshes to the Gulf, and all the fish and aquatic organisms are sacred and part of the circle of life as well. Mesopotamia was the beginning of agriculture, and now the irrigation from Ataturk dam particularly is turning the desert green with tobacco, corn, pistachios. Wells used to be over 300 m deep, and now water is carried through the desert for water and crops. People in the region benefit tremendously, and Turkeys economy is growing very rapidly and robustly. There are real benefits from dam construction for the local people.
We went to see Ataturk Dam, the 4th largest dam in the world. It was constructed between 1983-1993, completed around the time Saddam Hussein was completing his drainage of the Mesopotamian Marshes in Iraq. Over 10,000 people worked on the dam; there is a monument to honor those who died in dam construction. It produces 8.5 kw of electricity annually, and has a reservoir 48.5 km3 of water. Many people were displaced, and many archaological sites were inundated. There are huge tunnels carrying irrigation water out into the desert. Dam construction brings progress with electricity and irrigation for food; it also brings damage to downstream users and ecosystems without adequate and fair allocation of downstream water flows.
Lastly, tonight was our guide's sons 10th birthday. We went to a local place for Turkish folk singing and dance, which in this case was provided by haunting and evocative kurdish music. Songs were tender and poignant, with a Balkan strain mingling with Arabic rythms. Kurdish people, and Armenian people for that matter, and Greek Christians, have been displaced in the Anatolian region. Just as the king should have bet on the Romans, the Young Turks should have bet on Britain and Allies during WWI. The dispossession of their nation and partitioning by imperialist countries has contributed greatly to overall instability in the Middle East.
There is a Kurdish group working for fair and equiable treatment of Kurdish populations in Turkey, rather than a separate Kurdistan promoted by more separatist and nationalistic groups. By giving Kurdish people standing in the democratic process of the country and having their culture and language represented in the education system, it will go a long way to diffusing some of the tensions and violence.
Listening to Kurdish music, dancing the fun and intricate patterns of their dance, I could feel the vitality and fire of the kurds. Its a beautiful culture, and tradition. I felt blessd and overjoyed to experience it tonight. Ma'a al salaama
Monday, August 2, 2010
Leaving Istanbul for Turkey Aug 2
Today Mom left Istanbul for home in Oroville. This is a wonderful city, and our stay at Sphendon Hotel in the old city of Sultnahmet has been wonderful. The garden in the back has been so lovely for breakfast, with quince and periwinkles, geraniums, and grapes. I love hearing the call to prayers from the Blue Mosque near our hotel, then echoing out through the city five times a day. Every inch of this city is steeped in antiquity, a veritable archaeological paradise. It's hard to keep all the layers straight. At the archaeological museum, the Greek and Roman statues and crypts were very beautiful. In these pictures, you can look out over black sea; the Bosphorus strait from the Sultans palace; see the horse drawn carriages on the Prince Islands; and mom and I at lunch. It would be so interesting to do a kitty study here. There are so many cats, and they are very affectionate and well fed. They must have a very interesting social structure with this density; every home and hotel has one, plus there are more. I'm doing alittle kitty collage for my friend Mary Medicine Bug. I imagine they don't have veterinary care and don't live to an old age, but they really have a major presence here. A whole kitty world apart from the people world. I've seen several dogs, but mostly they are with people but not on leashes, much better trained than certain dogs who shall not be named. I loved swimming in the Black Sea; it was rough, so riding out through the surf then bobbing on the surface and paddling around in the clear water with perfect temperature was delightful.
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