Less Known Facts About Mosques

I live in Istanbul which is known for its marvelous mosques. I can name many but these are the first ones that come into my mind;  Süleymaniye, Rüstem Paşa, Mihrimah Sultan, Sultan Ahmet, Pertevniyal Valide Sultan, Büyük Mecidiye (Ortaköy), Şakirin and Sokullu Mehmet Paşa. Architecturally and artistically considered, each one of these mosques by itself is one of a kind. I have been seeing and visiting these great structures for all my life. I sometimes like to sit in a mosque, watch the prayers, listen to Azan (call to prayer), scan the artworks there and think.

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Kadıköy, or as King Byzas used to call it, The Land Of The Blind

I always wonder where the names of settlements come from. Some of the names are very easy to predict but some are not. Today I want to share the story of Kadıköy’s names. Kadıköy is one of the largest and most populous cosmopolitan neighborhoods of Istanbul. “Kadı” means judge, in Turkish and “köy” means village, so it translates to “village of the judge”. After the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet conquered Istanbul, Kadıköy was given to Hıdır Bey who was the first Ottoman judge (Kadı). Since then this neighborhood was called Kadıköy.

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Can Sculptures Fly?

I like to visit all kind of museums while I am travelling but more than that I like to visit modern art museums especially sculpture sections. I like sculptures because that tangible, concrete art pieces transmit the soul of the artist to me. When I was in Stockholm, someone mentioned about a sculpture garden, Millesgården. It took my attention. I decided to visit this museum even though it wasn’t in the old town area . It is just 7 km away from the city center. You can easily reach Millesgården by public transportation.

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Everything Starts with A Dream- Baksı Museum

Baksi Museum-Bayburt/Turkey

There is famous Turkish saying, “Dreams keep men alive.” You’ll have a vision someday or a dream takes shape in your mind. Years pass and you don’t even remember that dream. In fact it hasn’t gone anywhere, it’s still standing at some place in your mind but you just can’t recall it. Hüsamettin Kocan too had a dream, stablishing a museum in his village where he was born and raised. He never forgot his dream and despite many hardships he faced in life he built the museum that he was dreaming about in 2010. A few years after opening the museum, in 2014 to be precise, it received the Council of Europe Museum Prize. This prize is given by the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The Council of Europe Museum Prize has been awarded annually since 1977 to museums that have made a significant contribution to the understanding of European cultural heritage.

In this article I want to write about an artist who never stopped pursuing his dreams, Hüsamettin Kocan and his mangnificent museum, Baksı Museum, which has been in my “Must Visit” list since I have heard about it.

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Calm and Tranquil City – Copenhagen

copenhagen

Copenhagen always reminds me of the famous Copenhagen criteria that are the entry conditions to EU. I decided to visit Copenhagen to meet my friends who live in Europe a few years ago.  While I was on the plane, I was thinking “What are the famous and important landmarks of Denmark?” It didn’t occur to me at first but then my memory showed me the famous beer brands; Tuborg, Carlsberg and Lego; One of the most beloved toys in the world.

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