October Highlights

İyi Bayramlar! Happy Bayram, as they say in Turkey.

Every year Kurban Bayramı (as it is called in Turkish) is celebrated throughout the Muslim world. During this holiday an animal is sacrificed to commemorate the Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his oldest son Ismail.  Families all over Turkey gather together for this big feast and sacrifice. It was truly unlike anything I had ever experienced before, throughout this experience I had to keep asking myself if I was really here. In Turkey it is customary for families to visit their lost ones at cemeteries the day before the feast and sacrifice. I had never been to a Muslim cemetery before and the first difference that you notice is that all of the graves are above ground. It was such an awe inspiring moment as I observed the elders sitting next to the graves from the Ottoman Empire clutching their prayer beads and mouthing Arabic prayers as the ezan (call to prayer) sounded throughout the cemetery.  

 

First time witnessing a sacrifice

 The next morning my father, my brother and I woke up early for the morning Kurban Nemaz (the prayer). I excitedly walked through the crisp morning air toward the mosque down the street as this was my first time experiencing prayer in a mosque. The simplistic, peaceful and spiritually moving nature of this ceremony is something that I wish all young Americans could experience.   

 

Picking corn with my Grandfather just as the ancient Hittites would have done

When I arrived at my grandparent’s farm outside of Denizli only a few miles from the ancient Greek city Hierapolis. When we first arrived I witnessed the butcher quickly sacrificing a lamb while invoking the name of Allah. As the food was being prepared my grandfather took my brother and I out into orchards. As I walked among the pomegranate trees set in this expansive Anatolian valley, I thought of all the many civilizations that have travelled through these valleys and the many groups of people that have called this land their home. Understanding the vast amounts of nuanced history that this region has really helps one better experience and appreciate the people and their culture.  

Enjoying some traditional sheep parts

 The meal was served early in the afternoon and it was eaten on a huge carpet filled with 20 family members. After eating many unknown sheep parts and other delicious traditional foods we all lounged around drinking tea as we listened to one of my uncles play the saz (traditional Turkish string instrument.) Being surrounded with all these incredibly different cultural aspects it would be understandable for one to become overwhelmed. However, as I looked around at all the smiling and laughing faces of my new family members and the love and joy pervading throughout the room, I felt strangely at home.