Byzantium, a city built by Greek colonists to Constantinople, the capital of an empire and then Istanbul, Istanbul has seen almost everything. The zenith of civilization to the ruinous city ravaged by war and political chaos; Each time an empire fell; a new one was born from its ruins giving the people another chance at life, and this cycle continued and still continues. This constant struggle brings with it sorrow; sorrow of the loss of loved ones, sorrow of the loss of culture and sorrow of the fall of another empire and hope, hope of a new life, a restart. This feeling is unlike any other, and every citizen of Istanbul, new or old is afflicted by it, no matter which district they belong to, and through Istanbul: Memories and the City, it is evident that the effect of this feeling on Orhan Pamuk is profound, this feeling called Huzun.
“Huzun is not just the mood evoked by its music and its poetry, it is a way of looking at life that implicates us all, not only a spiritual state but a state of mind that is ultimately as life-affirming as it is negating” Huzun is the feeling of looking through a window on a day of heavy rain, knowing very well that the rain will not abate for quite some time, yet always holding on to the little hope that sun will shine soon. But this still does not justify the vastness of Huzun.
Huzun as put forth by Orhan Pamuk; “is the Turkish word for melancholy. A melancholy of bitter sweetness and consolation, shared communally not in the character of an individual torment”.
Huzun is not the emotion of a single person, but the mood shared by millions of people together [*], and even citizens of Istanbul sometimes fail to understand this feeling, but nonetheless are equal parts that make up this communal em...
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...ger sense of belonging. After all, Istanbul is unlike any other place in the world.
Bibliography –
Web Sources –
Pamuk, Orhan. "Istanbul Quotes." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2014. .
Print Sources -
Pamuk, Orhan. "Chapter 10 - Huzun." Istanbul: Memories and the City. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 2005. 82-83. Print.
Pamuk, Orhan. "Chapter 20 - Religion." Istanbul: Memories and the City. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 2005. 165. Print.
Pamuk, Orhan. "Chapter 9 – Another House: Cihangir." Istanbul: Memories and the City. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 2005. 76. Print.
Pamuk, Orhan. "Chapter 18 – Resat Ekrem Kocu’s Collection of Facts and Curiosities: The Istanbul Encylopedia" Istanbul: Memories and the City. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 2005. 137-141. Print.
There is a lot of information being portrayed through this small Diorama. On the left side of the stage, there is the beautiful and exquisite town of Sighet. The garden is blooming and the sun is shining. The clouds and stars are hovering through the sky. The community and environment is pristine. The plants and trees are healthy and vibrant green. This small town was extremely devotional toward Judaism and the pr...
Annemaire de Waal Malefijt, “Religion and Culture An Introduction to Anthropology of Religion” The United States of America 1989
Ebel, Kathryn A. "Representations of the Frontier in Ottoman Town Views of the Sixteenth Century." Imago Mundi 60, no. 1 (January 2008): 1-22. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 20, 2011).
In the following essay, I will be comparing the Hagia Sophia in the City of Istanbul, and the Suleymaniye Mosque of Istanbul. Both of these pieces of art are very significant to the in modern-day Turkey. The art pieces will be covered in more detail further on in this comparative essay, and finally, I will be judging the pieces at the end of this essay
13 Other articles of interest:?Hardy, Roger. ?Islam in Turkey: Odd one out.? Web. Dec. 10 2013.
Burns, Thomas J. "Islam." Religion and Society. OU Campus' Dale Hall, Norman. 14 Apr. 2014. Lecture.
As mentioned in Armenian Genocide and the Christian Existence, after more than 75 years, the Armenian people have still not healed and are faced daily with the effects of the past. The Christian religion in this group of people has been exterminated since 1915 to some. And not even just the feeling of religion, but something exterminated during this time was the culture. (Guroian, 1991) With the notion of being “Turkified” many lost a sense of who they were and what their ethnicity and culture was during this time of hopeful survival and forced
Hooker, Richard. "The Ottomans: The 17th and 18th Centuries." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. 1996. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. .
Rippin A. 1990, Muslims, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices Volume 1: The Formative Period, Routledge, London and New York.
The poem, “Remember”, by Joy Harjo illuminates the significance of different aspects in one’s life towards creating one’s own identity. Harjo, explains how everything in the world is connected in some way. She conveys how every person is different and has their own identities. However, she also portrays the similarities among people and how common characteristics of the world impact humans and their identities. Harjo describes the interconnectedness of different aspects of nature and one’s life in order to convey their significance in creating one’s identity.
The harmony of the group is perfectly shown in this song. When a person hears it for the first time it sounds like one person sings it. The song opens with hope, “Helplessly Hoping”, that even in despair, there is hope. The word choice in the song is evocative and elegant, but it can have different meanings. The words are full of mystery, and the alliteration can make one’s spirit uplifting. The song is a non-verbal dialogue between a guy who loves a girl, waiting for her, and wonders about her love for him. The guy is being her harlequin, who hovers close to her, so she could notice him. The guy sees the girl’s good qualities, and true and kind spirit she has. Spirit is considered something that flows in the air, so that is why he wished he could fly and grasp her.
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
Istanbul is where the orient meets the occident. It is where Asia and Europe diverge, or rather converge. All seems to be in harmony here. Split by the Bosphorus at the Golden Horn, Istanbul carries millennia of history, buried in her stone-paved streets and taverns.
Architecture has always been an integral part of the society and its culture. It not only defines the space of the community that it participates in but it also shapes the community’s place in history. Moreover, historians all over the world have found architecture playing a key role while they study the communities in time periods. Architecture helps the historian decipher the civilization's daily life and the values they hold. The historians are able to decipher as such by looking at the recurring structural feature and ornamental feature of certain buildings of certain time period. Some of the significant feature of the building usually defines the political regime or the religious values of the civilization.
“Istanbul Cultural Tips – National Geographic’s Ultimate City Guide.” National Geographic Travel. 2014. National Geographic Society. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.