It has been ages since I have written about Turkey, but those who know me are aware that there are both many things I adore about this bridge between Asia and Europe and many things I abhor.
Of the little I know and understand about Turkey I find myself more and more disliking the present leader of Turkey and former mayor of Istanbul, Recep Erdogan, and so I have written a wee bit about him as well. See: Bullets and Ballots and The rise of Recep of this blog. Is life a bazaar and should one explore the labyrinthine lanes and hidden caravanserais of the world-famous Grand Bazaar, or is it better to follow the steady stream of local shoppers making their way to the Spice Bazaar?
Is it wrong to envy the lifestyles of sultans at Topkapi Palace or to indulge sultan-like in the steamy luxury of a hamam Turkish bath? That said, this long-anticipated piece of conceptual art is worth a visit, particularly if you have read and admired the novel it celebrates. The narrative and the Museum offer a glimpse into upper-class Istanbul life from the s to the early s.
The novel details the story of Kemal, a wealthy Istanbulite who falls in love with his poorer cousin, and the Museum displays the artefacts of their love story.
If Aristotle thought of time as a line joining moments worth remembering, Pamuk sees time as a line joining objects. During a visit to the Antoniadis Palace and Museum, Farouk had, unbeknowst to anyone, opened a cabinet and taken away an antique plate he had set his sights on for his own palace in Cairo. Prince Ali was looking for a job that would provide him with an income and enable him to settle down in Turkey permanently after 50 years in exile. During his exile β , the Prince, for many years, made a living by working as a ticket taker and then as director of Antoniadis Palace and Museum in Alexandria, Egypt.
