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Konya Journal
(Lea) Islamic prayer calls woke us in the morning.
As Keith and I walked Konya's streets we viewed mosques at every corner. Men and
performed ablutions, cleansing, at fountains before prayer. Konya is a devoutly Muslim
city in Turkey and we were there during the immediate
aftermath of the US terrorist tragedy.
The outpouring of compassion and kindness from the Turkish people, in particularly the Konya residents, was incredible. Vendors approached us not to sell their wares, but to ask us where we were from and then offered us their sincerest condolences. A man selling bus tickets approached us and told us he did not know the English word to express his sorrow. Three teenage girls (pictured on the website) approached me in a mosque and in English told me how sorry they were. This continued as we traveled all through Turkey.
In my life in America, and as I have traveled around the world, I have seen and experienced goodness in the world. In Turkey I continue to experience this and it gives me faith in the future.
(Keith)
Konya is a devoutly Muslim city in the central Anatolia region of Turkey. We came to Konya to see a Turkish city that has not been overrun with tourism, and also to see the famous Whirling Dervishes of the Ottoman Empire. Upon arriving in Konya, the world was into the second day after the US attacks. We were greeted our first morning with traditionally dressed women, the daily call to prayer, and the roar of jet fighters overhead. These jets were probably on their way to the US air base in Turkey, and on a routine flight but created a very ominous feeling given the week's earlier events. Fortunately the Turkish hospitality extended from the tourist cities to Konya; the people
continuously expressed their disgust at the attacks.
The highlight of the trip to Konya (and all of Turkey) was watching the Mevlana Whirling Dervishes. Watchers of The Discovery Channel or National
Geographic have probably seen these guys with their tall hats and white skirts. The Dervishes are a faction of the Islamic religion that had particular influence during the days of the sultans and the Ottoman Empire. They practice a
religious ceremony called a sema that culminates in the spinning of its members. The ceremony represents a union with god and involves: music (flute, drum, and bowed instruments); chanting (one of the members has the entire Koran memorized); and dancing. The dance is the highlight as each of the Dervishes whirl in lock step to bring them closer to God.
Check out our Konya Photos.