The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul is the National Mosque of Turkey. It was built by Sultan Ahmed to try to placate Allah (God) after an unfavorable wars against Persia. It was built over the Palace of the Byzantine emperors, the Great Palace and the Hippodrome and many palaces including the palace of Sokollu Mehmet Pasa. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque was designed and its construction supervised by the royal architect Sedefhar Mehmet Aga who was a pupil and senior assistant of the famous architect Sian.
Below is a photo of the entrance to the Sultan Ahmed Blue Mosque, Istanbul:
Here are 2 videos of Turkish Traditional Dance. What are the names of these dances?
Turkey is rich in culture and traditions with each region having its own local tunes, songs and dances, and for every events from birth, wedding and death. Among the regions are Hora, Zeybek, Teke, Kasik-Karsilama, Bozkir Halay, Cukurova Halay, Bozkir Halay, Dogu Halay, Horon, Bar and Kafkas.
Video of twirling Sufi (dervish) taken in Istanbul, Turkey:
Sufi whirling (or Sufi spinning), (Arabic: رقص سماع) is a twirling meditation that originated among Sufis, which is still practiced by the Dervishes of the Mevlevi order. It is a symbolic ritual through which dervishes (also called semazens) aim to reach the "perfect" (kemal). They try to desert their nafs, egos or personal [bad] desires by listening [to their master and sufi music], thinking [about God] and whirling which resembles the rotation of other beings such as electrons and planets of the micro- and macrocosmos[citation needed]. As explained by Sufis: In the symbolism of the Sema ritual, the semazen's camel's hair hat (sikke) represents the tombstone of the ego; his wide, white skirt represents the ego's shroud. By removing his black cloak, he is spiritually reborn to the truth. At the beginning of the Sema, by holding his arms crosswise, the semazen appears to represent the number one, thus testifying to God's unity. While whirling, his arms are open: his right arm is directed to the sky, ready to receive God's beneficence; his left hand, upon which his eyes are fastened, is turned toward the earth. The semazen conveys God's spiritual gift to those who are witnessing the Sema. Revolving from right to left around the heart, the semazen embraces all humanity with love. The human being has been created with love in order to love. Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi says, "All loves are a bridge to Divine love. Yet, those who have not had a taste of it do not know!" [1] Whirling & Kiyana:Self-Recognition and beyond: Perpetual & Vital Kiyana Exercises Infinity respiration, eye exercises, body discipline,symmetric and asymmetric movements by the method of divided attention “Kiyana” means the origin, applies to the vital movements that are the source of all corporeal movements and athletic exercises which appeared in ancient Persia and were called “Yega” (the derivative of the Persian word “Yeganegi” which means unity) in a sense of unity of body, mind and spirit; recently it has been called “Kiyana”, the portion of these movements that arrived to Persia a portion of it was selected and is called “Varzish baastaani” (ancient athletic).
Belly dance (Arabic: رقص شرقي) is a Western term for a traditional Arab dance form, also known as raqs sharqi (رقص شرقي; literally "oriental dance") or sometimes raqs baladi (رقص بلدي; literally "dance of country", and so "national" or "folk" dance). In Egypt it is known as "raqs sharqi". In Greece and the Balkans, belly dance is called tsiftetelli (τσιφτετέλι), and in Turkish it is known as çiftetelli.
In Egypt, there are some restrictions as to the costume and certain pelvic movements are banned. However, there are no such restrictions in Turkey. The belly dance costume in Turkey can be very revealing and Turkish belly dancers are usually more expressive. Famous Turkish belly dancers are Tulay Karaca, Nesrin Topkapi and Birgul Berai.
Turkey is a republic with an Eurasian population and can be considered as a country between 2 continents, Europe and Asia. With its impending admission into the European Union, it probably should be classified as an European country. It is neighbor to eight countries - Syria, Iraq, Georgia, Greece, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria and Iran.
Turkey's culture is a blend of Eastern and Western culture because of it location between the two continents, and because of its location too, Turkey has acquired strategic importance. While Turkey has a large Muslim population, it is a secular country with its Constitution as the supreme law rather than the Koran and the Syariah law. It integration with the West while having great relations with the Muslim countries has increased its strategic importance even more.
