Muslim Religious Traditions for Us to See

Aura around bigger mosques in Istanbul

Yesterday Turkey celebrated Kurban Bayrami (Festival of the Sacrifice), its version of Eid al-Adha, one of the two major Muslim holidays celebrated around the world. After reading and hearing about the holiday, it reminds us a lot of the Christmas holiday - religious holiday, major businesses closed, celebrating sacrifice, and even helping out the poor. Although I did not see any signs for major toy sales!



Mary entertaining the kids in the treehouse

We spent part of the day traveling to Dimcay outside the city with Bryan, Mary and their two kids. We listened to the river flow beneath our restaurant as we lounged and ate within a treehouse. We shared tapas, sautéed beef, Turkish meatball casserole and a baked trout from part of the dammed river beside the kitchen. On the way there and back within the bus, I saw two different goats being slaughtered under trees, part of the day's holiday tradition - 1/3 is for the family, 1/3 is for friends and 1/3 is for the poor. I like the sound of this tradition!



Inside Blue Mosque

Beauty of Blue Mosque

Since we have been in Alanya, we have not seen nearly as much of the religious Muslim culture as we did in Istanbul and Ankara. There is alcohol served in almost every establishment here, European women sun topless on the beaches, and we barely hear the Islamic call to prayer any more. There must be few mosques near our apartment; only occasionally do I hear the call flow down the mountain near Kleopatra Beach. While in Istanbul during our first week in Turkey, I took Kelly and the kids to visit the famous Blue Mosque on a free day. It was a beautiful building and experience. Kelly was asked to use an extra cover for her legs (even though she had on a full-length dress) because the slit came to her knees. When the class took a weekend trip to Konya (supposedly one of the more conservative parts of Turkey according to our tour guide Mehmet Bey), I saw multiple tour groups with elderly women dressed very traditionally. We see almost none of this here in Alanya, so we were glad to experience it elsewhere here in Turkey. - Alan


Traditional dress in Konya region

Outside courtyard of Blue Mosque