Day 5 Istanbul (the work and fun unite)

The day got off to an early start! Husam invited Doris and me to join one of his tours in Istanbul. Because Ellen, Doris and I were scheduled to give master classes at 2:00 at Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi (in Istanbul) and there would not be time for a full tour, Doris opted to sleep in, since Husam had to leave early to catch the ferry and meet his group in the old city.


Wow, was I happy that I experienced Husam in all his glory! He is one of Istanbul’s most sought after tour guides and anyone wanting to experience a firsthand and personal look at this great city, should make arrangements to retain his service. He had led tours for large and small groups, scholarly expeditions, tours to the sea, the mountains and around the famous historical sites of Turkey.

Husam's biographical sketch can be found on his Website: http://www.suleymangil.com and he may also be contacted by email: husam@suleymangil.com
I knew I would have to leave Husam’s tour, but I spent almost four hours in the old city, being directed to some of the most important architectural wonders of the ancient world. Husam does not only guide you to these sites, but he is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge.


As was expected, the first stop was the magnificent Hagia Sophia (Aya Sophia), which was completed in 537 A.D., on the orders of Byzantine Emperor Justinian.


The next stop on the list was the Basilica Cistern, located to the west of the Hagia Sophia. This is a large subterranean water storage facility, created by Justinian in the 6th century as a water source for the city, especially in the event of sieges on the city. This insured the continued supply of water.


No tour of Istanbul would be complete without visiting the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque), constructed between 1609 and 1616. The Blue Mosque is impressive even if you do nothing other than walk around the large courtyard, but the grandeur of this holy place is best experienced, when you enter and stand beneath the sanctuary of cascading domes. It I well worth the inconvenience of long lines and the removal of shoes!

Tempus fugit, especially when your mind crosses the imagination barrier of what is and what was. I was continually obsessed and distracted with the idea of millions of people taking so much history for granted, as they hurry along busy modern streets, jump into taxis, and board ferries. How much has really changed over the last 2000 years in Istanbul?


Fortunately the basic urge to eat has not changed much during the last two millennia - it was time for lunch! Husam led the tour group to lunch at the beautiful Garden House garden restaurant, where we were happy to rest our feet and sip cooling beverages. Husam is seen helping his tour order lunch. I was lucky to be seated with the tour guide.

After a quick lunch, reflecting the many awesome things I had seen during the morning, I departed Husam’s company, grabbed a taxi and made my way to the Mimar Sinan Conservatory http://www.msgsu.edu.tr/msu/pages/devlet_konservatuvari.aspx several miles away, where I was scheduled to meet Ellen and Doris for afternoon master classes, which we were offering to some very talented Turkish string students.

We were greeted by Professor Çiğdem İyicil, head of the conservatory string faculty and introduced to a group of energetic, very talented and very polite young string players. They were assembled to perform Felix Mendelssohn’s octet for strings. Following this large ensemble’s performance, the students split into smaller groups for individual lessons. We were very honored that they gave us time out of their busy pre-examination schedule to play for us and receive comments.

During the class, we had a special surprise visit form a Turkish violin student, Zeynep Karacal, who studies with David Salness at the University of Maryland. She met Doris last year, while Doris was serving as visiting professor at the University of Maryland.


After the class, Zeynep joined us for the ferry ride back to the villa, where Husam had already begun preparations for a Saturday party, hosted by Ellen and him for close friends, local professional musicians and other members the Istanbul’s artistic community.




Including Doris, there were three violists at this party. However, I was very honored to be part of this celebration, regardless the number alto-clef dwellers! In this picture, the three violists are obviously sharing viola jokes!






I leave the highlights of this vivacious gathering to your imagine! Turning in early was not the foremost thought on people’s minds and the night ended with several partygoers taking a very cooling swim in the Bosporus. Where there are Turks, there is fun and there is Raki!