What's in a name

At each new town we’ve reached a familiar pattern has developed as we check into our latest accommodation.  Arriving at the counter I’ll introduce myself in the customary fashion by stating my name and that I’ve a reservation. 

Embracing my inner Turk, Grand Bazaar

At this point the eyes of the attendant generally light up and they’ll repeat back to me, ‘robert….TURK?’ and then search my face expectantly for some sign as to what mischief this is that someone should be named so.  I’ll then confirm this is indeed my name, eliciting almost the exact same response each time of, a question of genuine interest, ‘why are you called Turk, are you Turkish?’ Having responded to this question a number of times and aware now that the surname Turk is very uncommon in Turkey, I usually tackle the easiest part of the question first, clearing up that despite my pale freckly complexion I’m unfortunately (bearing in mind the other conversant) not Turkish.

Responding to the why is a tad trickier and I’ve tried a few differing approaches, …the literal – ‘well, my Father’s called Turk, and his Father…and I’m guessing his Father’s Father…etc’…knowing full well that’s not what they’re really asking…the urban myth with potential for truth response – ‘the name dates back to a period when my English ancestors would fight the Ottoman Turks and being handy in a fight return to England known as ‘Barry the Turk Fighter / Slayer / Bludgeoner’, that over time was shortened to Barry the Turk and eventually Barry Turk’…and finally the most disappointing of all responses…honesty – ‘I don’t really know’. To combat my absence of knowledge and the general disappointment my responses have bought I spent some time searching the Net and from this have concluded that despite a number of theories no else seem to know either.

Blue Mosque

So it was as I checked us into the Med Cezir Hotel in Istanbul I was faced with familiar questions, this time I elected the urban myth response, which prompted a mostly jokingly and slightly uncomfortable enquiry as to how many Turks Mr Barry must have smote in the past to be given such a name.

We were in Istanbul for 6 days, but with a population approaching 13 million we’re only really playing at the edges in terms of experiencing what the city has to offer. There was a strong feeling throughput our time there that the city is undergoing something of a renaissance in terms of its appeal as a global destination to both the western and Islamic worlds, and the continued increase in tourist numbers testify to this.

Door latch, Topkapi Palace

As They Might Be Giants sagely note however ‘Istanbul’ is only a relatively recent tag and represents its third title over a long and fascinating history. As the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires have rolled over this city at the confluence of Europe and Asia so they have all left their mark and influenced its current form. 

There are effectively three must see sights in Istanbul, the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace and our little hotel in Sultanahmet (pronounced ‘Sultan-Ahmet’, as opposed to, ‘sultana-met’…which may or may not be how we pronounced it for several days) was literally 500m or so from all of them, an amazing location, although with the first Call to Prayer of the day at 5am it did feel on occasion like we were in the midst of a Blue Mosque slumber party.  

Hagia Sophia

All these are impressive monuments but what I liked most about the Hagia Sophia, constructed during the Byzantine period and at the time the greatest church in the world, is how the Islamic Ottomans on coming to power quickly converted the church through the addition of minarets and by altering the majority, but not all, of the internal facades for Muslim prayer, making them quite possibly some of the earliest adopters of green building philosophy. This conversion by the Ottomans of churches throughout Turkey contrasts sharply with the Spanish approach in Central and South America of seeking to destroy any edifices associated with the native religion.

Monday night, Tarlabasi Bvd

During the evenings we would escape the tourist fare and dinner touts in Sultanahmet and make our way across the Golden Horn to Beyoğlu, described as the bohemian area of the city.  It’s an interesting area, where formally derelict buildings are being converted into chic restaurants, cafes and bars.  It is however far from undiscovered and I can’t think of a street in another city like Tarlabasi Boulevard that forms the spine of the area.  Whether on the weekend or during the week it’s heaving with people strolling back and forth till all hours of the morning.  Walk two streets away however and it’s easy to find yourself, like we did, on completely deserted back streets and winding alleys.

But is it art? Istanbul Modern

While there are many existing attractions it’s also evident that Istanbul is in desperate need of a more uniform approach to public transport and inspiration in terms of urban design. The public transport system is a hodge podge of poorly connected single line heavy and light rail and metro, thrown together with the odd funicular that seems woefully underdone for the size of the city.  All that’s required now is a monorail to complete the pick n mix of approaches.  The Government is seeking to address this through the Marmaray project, but a visit to the Istanbul Modern, revealed that there is controversy surrounding this project in the process of acquiring land in slum areas where communities have developed but have no property rights. Our journey to Istanbul Modern, a great modern art museum on the banks of the majestic Bosphorus also highlighted the urban design challenges as once off the tram there’s no clear path to the museum and you wander aimlessly through rows of shisha bars until you reach a lovely bitumen car park and holding yard that marks its entrance.

As preparation for our next destination of Canakkale and the Gallipoli Peninsula on our last day I dragged Susi out to the Turkish Military History Museum for several hours.  The Museum is very affordable and in addition to the extensive collection of Ottoman period memorabilia there is a very detailed set of a diorama’s and displays on Attila the Hun. I’d never associated the antics of Attila with Turkey but it’s evident that the modern day Turk can trace their origins back to the horsemen riding out of the steppes of Central Eastern Asia and Attila was the first Turk who did so intent on giving the world a damn good thrashing.