The Land of the Sufi

Istanbul – almost exactly a year ago, I spent almost every evening eating at a small place near Topkapi palace.

It was an open air restaurant with a basic menu of Turkish food – with seating under many trees. The temperature was perfect – not too cold and the basic fare, was just right for my kind of daily eating habits.

The best thing about the place was the little Sufi devotional music and dance show that was put on every evening. It was easy to spend the sunset hours watching them.   Their music, the beautiful visual they presented made is easy to expend my curiosity in creating imaginary scenarios about their lives. Every day spent in  Istanbul was magical and this was the perfect way to end the magic.

The beauty of the day would increase the adrenalin levels and then at dinner time, Sufi visions would calm me down.

A few photos:

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This vision – with the divine light shining upon the devotional dancer- is unforgettable!

How can it be that a place that gave me and millions of other travelers so much joy, itself faces so much strife today?

🙁

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jm

July 2016