November 24- Old Things

I've always been interested in history. I am of the opinion that no one can be a cultured person without knowing their own history for one, and the history of their neighbors. In our global world, our neighbors can be any country or culture that is different from our own. Knowing history gives you an insight into politics, economics, trade, international relations and a wide range of other topics. Being here in Constantinople had been a living history lesson. As I am typing this I am sitting at a place that has been inhabited at least two thousand five hundred years and probably even before that. I cannot express how it feels to see the massive stone wall/ fortification that preserved this city until its fall in 1453. The wall is still there- crumbling in some spots and restored in others.

I wanted to go to Topkapi Saray- Topkapi Palace- the home of the Sultans until the 1850's when Dolmabahçe Palace was constructed. The real reason was to see the skull and right hand of John the Baptist which was appropriated when the Empire fell.

Panagioti- The Patriarchate's Tour Guide

My guide, Panagioti, asked if I would also like to see the Istanbul Archeology Museum. He was also a history buff, and not many people ask to tour this particular museum. Our driver from the Patriarchate was going to wait for us to go to the museum and then to the Palace which was literally next door. From the minute we stepped through the gate I knew that this was going to be a hard place to get out of. First of all, outside the main building where Christian sarcophagi and ancient Baptismal Fonts. The Baptismal Fonts were all marble and made for adult baptisms. After the fall of the city, the Moslems altered the crosses on most and made Muslim designs on them.

Entering the Museum we face to face with works from the Hittite and Babylonian Empires. The Museum is a repository of items of archeological significance unearthed in the Ottoman Empire during the heydey of archeological explorations in the 1800's. After one hour we told the driver that we would get a taxi back to the Patriarchate. This Museum was not to be rushed. One of the hallmarks of this museum is that it does not gloss over that there was an Empire prior to the Ottoman Empire, or that Greeks inhabited this area before the Turks. It is made plain in the archeological evidence and it is not covered up.

One item in particular that is just amazing and in awesome condition - the Alexander Sarcophagus. This was excavated from a necropolis near Sidon, Lebanon in the 1887. In one area of the museum there is an exhibit of the surrounding area around Constantinople that included my paternal ancestral land- Thraki- Bythania. Everything in the exhibit was Hellenic.

My guide Panagioti became a celebrity of sorts. Students from one of the area schools were doing a class and somehow someone asked him a question because they heard him explaining things to me and before you know it he was surrounded by a whole group of students who were stumped by one of the items they were supposed to study. He didn't know the exact answer and even called the Director of the Museum to help out (he knew him). I hope at least these kids see what their history is all about.

Generally speaking, we harp on the Turks because in order to build their homogeneous they conveniently forget about some aspects of their own history. All countries do the same with their history. This museum definitely is one that didn't hide that history.

After spending quite a bit of time in the Istanbul Archeology Museum it was time to go to the Palace.

This was the seat of the Ottoman Empire from the fall until the 1850's when the seat was moved to the new Dolmabahçe Saray. To get into the Palace area you have to go past the outer gate. In the picture you can see dark stains under the ramparts. These were made by the blood of persons who were beheaded for one reason or another- usually treason.

We have to enter through the Sublime Portewhere all the diplomats arrived to pay their respects to the Sultan or converse with the Grand Vizier. If you were not a Muslim you could not enter past this gate. The rest of the palace grounds are forbidden. You are taken on a tour of the various pavillions that line a central grassy area. It reminds you of a park. The items on display are fantastic as they are priceless. So many diamonds, pearls and other precious stones adorn common objects that were worn on festive occasions. The tile work on some of the spaces is amazing. If you are looking for other items of historical value this was not the place. It is a let down in some respects, you would think that there would be some sense of historical significance here but there is not. The Sultans may have lived in luxury for their time but the luxury that forced the move to another palace is not found here.

The only real redeeming value is paying my respects to part of the head and hand of St John the Baptist. The treasures in the Pavilion of the Prophets span both the Old Testament and a couple of items of Mohammed and Mohammed's Mother. The relics of John the Baptist are in good company as there is also the Staff of Moses, the hat of Joseph- the husband of the Virgin Mary. As I was saying my prayers- Panagioti was talking to me in Turkish presumably telling me what I was looking at. As I figured there was a guard right behind me and Panagioti was pretending to explain things to me. Of course, I had no idea what he was saying but he knew what I was doing and was creating a diversion.

On the grounds of the Palace is probably the only Church to survive the conquest and subsequent years without be turned into a Mosque. That is the Church of Agia Irini (the Church of the Peace of God). The mother of one of the post-conquest Sultans was a Christian by origin and for that reason did not convert the Church but instead was used as weapons storage. This Church was built roughly the same time as Agia Sophia.

We took a Taxi to the Patriarchate in time for me to go to Vespers, I was in my coat and ties and saw the Grand Chancellor beckon me to him so I went into the Church. I should have known something was up as the usually closed center doors were wide open which means only one thing. I went into the Church to the stasidia at the right side aisle. A couple minutes later I am almost side by side with his All- Holiness. He had decided to come to Vespers in Honor of the Great Martyr, Aikaterini as a chanter.