Uighur life in exile.

I am not the slightest fan of the Turkish strongman who is trying desperately to subvert what is left of the Republic of Turkey, but at least he is doing the right thing by taking in Uighur refugees from China. 

This essay offers a snapshot of a refugee neighborhood in Istanbul and the efforts to preserve the memories and folkways of a battered people. Preservation of culture is an act of resistance, as the experience of Iron Curtain Eastern Europe demonstrates. 

And said preservation can lead to a national resurrection, as that same experience also demonstrates.

 

Half the World.

Waaaay back, during the abortive attempts of the Iranian people to be free of the Revolutionary Guard and the Jew-hating messianic dwarf who fronts for them, I said I was going to post something about one of my favorite cities: Esfahan (Isfahan), Iran.

The traditional capital of the Safavid dynasty, Esfahan is an architectural marvel, as well as a center of Persian culture. Indeed, the city is so justly proud of its heritage that it uses the couplet: "Esfahan, nesfeh jahan!" Esfahan, half the world! The following photos should demonstrate why.



Shah Abbas I was the greatest of the Safavids, the Shia dynasty that ruled Iran and the surrounding areas for over 200 years. A perpetual thorn in the eastern side of the Ottomans, the Safavids made life miserable for the Sultans in Constantinople, committing the powerful Ottomans to a draining second front during the peak of the Turkish empire. Abbas triumphed over the Ottomans, and used his wealth to create architectural masterpieces like the Sheikh Lotfallah Mosque (above). He moved his capital to Esfahan in 1598, and naturally, he had to spiff it up to his demanding specifications.



As impressive as it is on the outside, it is the interior of the Lotfallah mosque that truly dazzles.



The dome is simply a marvel.





Shah Abbas was known for genuine tolerance of Christians, once saying he'd prefer the dust off the lowliest Christian's foot to the presence of the kingliest Ottoman. He resettled Armenians liberated from the Turks in Esfahan (which was followed by a steady stream of Armenian immigrants) and permitted them to build the Holy Savior Cathedral.



The Cathedral frescoes are stunning. Note the similarity of certain decorative motifs in both the mosque and the cathedral.









There's even a memorial to the Armenian genocide in the Cathedral courtyard.

Despite the glory of the Lotfallah, Shah Abbas was not finished adorning his new capital. Yet another mosque, even grander, arose: the Shah Mosque.

But that will have to wait for another post.

I am now on Twitter.

That is all.

The title is to gum up the works for the theocracy, as is the time zone.

The Twitter picture is of part of the facade of the stunning Shah Mosque (the work of the Safavid Shah Abbas back in the 17th Century) in Esfahan.

Speaking of which, the heroic work of the Tehran Bureau could use your financial assistance. Let's all put our money where our mouth is. In this fight, information is a weapon, a source of hope and a reminder to those struggling in Iran that they are not alone.

I still have an interest in blogging. Honest.

It's just that I have this thing called "non-internet activity" that tends to interfere with it.

I'm getting over my usual once in 18 months bronchitis (not swine flu--no intestinal issues, and I've been fighting it since right before Easter), Louis has an ear infection and rotovirus which has been projectile-exciting, the rest of the kids were sick with whatever turned into ebola for me, etc.

Oh, and I thank God every day that I am gainfully employed, so that's another crucial "non-internet activity" I attend to.

But, on the good front, we were able to go to the Norman Rockwell exhibition at the DIA, which all of the speaking 3 could appreciate. I also sat in on a lecture to the Asian and Islamic Art forum for a discussion on the artifacts found during the modernization projects in the medieval sections of Cairo during the late 19th century. Fascinating stuff (involving French expatriates, artistes and all-around dandies), and it prompted the first real collections of Islamic art in museums.

We also saw the Freys, and everybody but me and Louis saw the homeschooler co-op's presentation of Twelfth Night. Louis was sleepy after barfing, and the Nazarene church hosting the play had a fine nursery.

I've finished reading three books, two of which I will be able to speak about before September.

Oh, and I've been generously invited by Feddie to write for Southern Appeal, despite my ineradicable (unreconstructable?) Yankeeness. I have accepted, too.

More later.

New in an intermittent series.

Whatever problems I have with Islamic theology and practice, I freely admit that I love a lot of the art and architecture produced by the various strands of the religion, from giant mosques and madrassas to something as simple as candlesticks.

So, from time to time I'll be posting pictures of stuff I have particularly liked, and explanations of the meaning of the same to the best of my amateur(ish?) ability.

Today's is the Ottoman Turkish masterpiece known as the Selimiye Mosque. Located in Edirne (ancient Adrianople), the first European capital of the Ottoman Empire, the Selimiye was the towering achievement of one of the greatest architects of all time, Sinan. Sinan was born to Christian parents in Anatolia and was taken and forcibly converted to Islam as part of the horrific devshirme child-levy. [As occurred frequently with devshirme men, he did not forget where he came from and once intervened to protect Christians from a rapacious tax collector]. Too old to be inducted into the elite Janissary corps, he was shuffled off to administration and learned engineering instead. Sinan excelled in this field and it wasn't long before his talent was recognized and he was given more and more building projects. In fact, in Sinan's case, something analogous to "George Washington Slept Here" occurred--hundreds of structures in Turkey are claimed for him, though it is unlikely in the extreme that he hand a hand in the majority of them. But the Selimiye (named for Sultan Selim II) is definitely his baby:



The Selimiye was explicitly designed to best Hagia Sophia (the Ottomans were tired of hearing about how they had nothing to compare to this Christian achievement) in size, but does not quite do so.

This is the magnificent dome:



Here is a nice set of pictures by a tourist. Note how the dome "lights up" even on a foggy day.

This is the minbar (not that minbar, B5 fans) or pulpit:



The interior on a brighter day:



[Picture Credit]

Finally, as with all Ottoman architecture of the 16th-17th Centuries, you have to consider the Iznik tilework:



[Photo credit]

Here is an interesting article about the revival of the Iznik tile production methods, which had been long lost.