July 17: Muezzin and Map Reading

Ramazan Battle of the Muezzin

It's about 10:30pm and a breaking of the fast concert in the nearby park has been overwhelmed with two particularly impassioned Calls to Prayer, one from the Blue Mosque and the other from Hagia Sophia. Once the Calls are finished, it will be interesting to see if the concert resumes. [It did.] This has been the loudest night of Ramazan (how it's pronounced here) so far. Although I haven't heard it every morning, at about 2am men go through the streets in cities and towns throughout Turkey drumming loudly to awaken observant Muslims for a meal before it is light enough to distinguish between a white thread and a black thread (the time when fasting starts).  It can really quite loud and lengthy. 

Fasting is a huge commitment.  The purpose of "daylight" fasting during Ramazan is to remind the "haves" of the daily struggles of the "have-nots."  However, once it's too dark to distinguish between a white thread and a black thread, the fast is broken with what sounds like a canon shot and great celebration.  On TV, there is often a countdown, so I've been told; we are usually out and about -- and usually eating -- when the fast breaks.  Wherever we've been, practicing Muslims will sit with food in front of them in the minutes before the fast breaks, waiting for the signal that the day's fast is over.  It's pretty impressive.  In Canakkale and Edirne (I think), no one at all seemed to be fasting, but in other towns we visited on our road trip we saw many observant Muslims...some sitting as they often do in local cafes and parks, but not eating or drinking. 

Map Reading
This morning, we met in small groups to work with a variety of maps depicting Istanbul at different points in its history.  It was interesting to play "detective," and to see what other groups came up with.  I definitely found my high school French and the lighted magnifying glass I've started carrying around helpful fir this exercise.  (I'll post some of the maps once they're up on our course Moodle page.)

[More another day... I'm tired!]