Ankara

We arrived at Ziyas flat just five minutes before he came back home from work himself. He is our host for the time of our stay in Ankara together with Sinan. They are as different as they could be. Ziya has lived togehter with people from all over the world and travelling aswell reflecting a lot about differences and his position in their and Sinan more turkish as I could image. Still both adressed as with a lot of hospitality and respect showing us their thoughts. They are both very educated and willing to share their knowledge about culture and politics and as our visas will take long we have a lot of time to experience and learn about Turkey. Two days after we arrived also Anne suddenly showed up, coming from Istanbul by bus to catch up with us.

Together we visited the big mosque during prayer. The same feelings as in the Blue Mosque rose in me and I felt the need to put them in words. İ really prefer the atmosphere compared to cathedrals. Both beeing monumental buildings the size and atmosphere inside the mosque is not intimidating and depressing but freeing and raising the spirits. Its the mixture of a lot of white space on the walls and ceiling only the colours red and blue for scripts and mandalas - no pictures - on the walls and the whole floor covered with carpet also only in the colours red and blue. The missing of chairs of benches opens the complete room even more and makes it one unseperated unit as there is almost nothing small in it making it look big. But everything is big with simple round shapes, without unnecessary details destroying the flowing lines and enlightened by soft and warm lights which reach their aim by pure size. Therefore the room does not give you any  input of religion and time and could stand in a lot of contexts. As it was not the big prayer the mosque was quite empty and still the men essembled in the front shoulder to shoulder which showed us that they are not forced but want to be gathered as brothers and I could feel part of their spiritual expierience in that moment even as I am not religious at all. The missing of benches makes them arrange without obviously forced structure and they seem even closer. I am grateful to been part of this event and nobody complained about us watching without joining. Instead they welcomed us openly.

Very big appears to me the difference between the Koran, which is even more violence and fear based than the bible and the results the people and their culture take out from it at least in this part of the world.

We also visited the old town center which lies on a rocky hill in the middle of this four million people inhabiting city. It looks like a small mountain town which got placed there by accident through some magical port. Gravelroads only as wide as three persons and houses out of another time. All of it is surrounded by the old citywall and over it throwns the old castle. A different old and quiet world in the middle of a lake of houses, traffic and noise.Still it is not a touristic place at all and therefore still inhabits its original character.

One night Sanin took us along to a club. Apart from Gangnamstyle which seems to be famous here aswell they played electro remixes of turkish folk music. Older people join with the younger ones and everybody danced and sang together. What impressed me more was arriving at a club at one in the morning and seeing not a single person under bad influence of alcohol. All of them still have the ability of letting go and having fun without drinking at all and just enjoy two or three beers.

It is a shame how little we know and how much prejustice we have about these people and their culture which could be so enriching and helping for our western society. As there are problems and bad people everywhere I only met good ones along my way. These days ensure me, that we are as brainwashed by media and politics as we accuse them to be.