Once Again Hearing the Call to Prayer

Greetings all and welcome to the end of my fifth day in Istanbul. Today was a "work day" so I don't have my site seeing stuff to share with you, but I though perhaps I would share a little about my daily experiences.

First of all, let me tell you a bit about our hotel. Basically, the Sultan's Inn is located right at the end of the peninsula of the main part of Istanbul. The map below shows the whole city split into its 3 main parts (sorry it takes so long to download on dial-up if you are using that...I can't shrink it down any more and still have you see any detail). The western end is called "Old Istanbul" and is considered European. The northern peninsula is call Galata and is also considered part of Europe. The eastern side is called Uskudar and is considered part of Asia. Istanbul is the only city in the world that actually spans 2 continents, consequently putting it in one of the most major earthquake zones in the world. So far I haven't felt anything, but there is still time...;-)

As my title suggests, I am now experiencing something we experience here 5 times a day, coincidentally the number of times Muslims are supposed to pray each day. Every day, 5 times a day, loudspeakers all over the city erupt with Muslim chanting, calling people to the mosque to pray. I was able to experience the end of one of these calls the other day and be there to witness some people doing their daily ritual. It was very interesting and enlightening in many ways.

Another interesting thing about Muslim culture is the level of cleanliness that many people maintain. Whereas Rome has fountains all over the city with potable water for drinking, Istanbul has fountains all over the city with non-potable water for washing. (I should mention that I consider the water non-potable, but people from Istanbul drink it all the time. I tried it and it gave me...well...enough trouble I don't want to drink it again). The picture here shows a man washing at a typical spiggot before entering a mosque. At each mosque, you are required to remove your shoes before entering, not allowing your shoes to touch a special rug that is placed in front of the front door. If your shoe accidentally touches the rug, the door person lets you know you've done something wrong. At least they are consistent.

That's all for now I think...its time to go to dinner since sun has gone down. I have definitely gotten used to havig dinner at more of a 8-9pm time instead of a 5-6pm time like we have in the states. Its a European thing I guess. Carin comes in tomorrow so I'm pretty excited about that. Here's hoping her trip is safe and her and her bags all arrive in one piece. Until tomorrow!