My First Time in Turkey – İlk Defa!

Monday, 05 October 2009 11:45

By Mark Meirowitz

Having studied Turkish for over a year, I have always felt a strong connection to Turkey and its culture. I finally made the trip there in August and it was extraordinary. I’d like to share some of my impressions and insights. My wife and I recently visited Turkey but we were only in İstanbul (sadece İstanbul’da).

Professor Stephen Kinzer in his book Crescent and Star – Turkey Between Two Worlds observes that Turkey is very much like Rakı, the popular drink which is clear when first poured, but when water is added, as is the fashion, it becomes cloudy. Turkey is mystical and magical, a country full of excitement and many contradictions. Even now, as I think of Turkey, its beauty and the warmth and the hospitality of its people, Turkey draws and beckons me back in my thoughts and hopes that this will be the first of many trips to this amazing country.

The people – the people are friendly, warm and wonderful and they just love someone who speaks Turkish (or tries to). My approach was to tell everyone “İngilizce bilmiyorum; Sadece Türkce” to see if I could provoke a Turkish conversation. On the Bogaziçi Turu, the boat tour up the Bosphorus, I actually had a wonderful conversation with Hüseyin from Erzurum, who, with his wife, was on vacation in İstanbul. We told each other about our families (in Turkish) and exchanged phone numbers and e-mails. On that very same tour boat, I met someone who was making a film about tourism in Turkey – and she filmed me giving my impressions – on camera, I said “Türkiye seviyorum!” (I love Turkey) and explained how impacted I was by the warmth and friendship of the Turkish people I encountered and urged everyone to visit Turkey.

In my hotel, the Main Desk Staff (Resepsiyon) got to know me because I kept asking them constantly to tell me what various Turkish words meant. I spoke to people on the street in Turkish, and found the people, without exception, very helpful.

I noticed that every time I asked directions, I was told that my destination was “yirmi bes metres ilerde” (25 meters further down); for example, after taking the ferry from Karakoy (on the European side of Istanbul) to Kadikoy (on the Asian side), I needed to find a bus which was supposed to be near the area where the ferry lets off its passengers. As I walked down the crowded street, every person without fail told me that the bus was “yirmi bes metres ilerde” and guess what – eventually I found the bus with about 5 minutes to spare. That was truly a miracle.

My wife and I saw the usual tourist attractions which were just striking, including the Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque)(Sultanahmet Camii), Hagia Sofya (Ayasofya), Topkapi Palace (Topkapı Sarayı), and the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı) which is truly unbelievable (an underground cistern – truly a wonder of the world). And – by the way, I was amazed as a student of Turkish to learn that the architect of the magnificent Blue Mosque misunderstood the Sultan’s instructions to make the minarets of altın (gold) as a directive to make six (altı) minarets. The Grand Bazaar is beyond belief (I did all my bargaining in Turkish) and the Spice Bazaar is awe inspiring. Crossing the bridge over the Bosporus is truly a lovely experience (the traffic is also something to behold). By the way, the view from the café at the Topkapi Palace is just jaw dropping beautiful, a marvel!

I enjoyed using my Akbil (sort of like a Metrocard) to ride the Tramway back and forth on Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Avenue) – its main thoroughfare and back streets are just fascinating  -- and the shops are fantastic, especially the book stores. The pulsating energy of Taksim Square was wonderful to experience. The beauty of the Bebek area – impressive. I noticed that Turkish has lots of words for how great things are (Çok güzel! Harika! Mükemmel!, Muazzam!, En iyisi!), and I found out why when I visited the country.

We visited a family in a town outside Istanbul and that was such a treat; this is the family of a friend of mine in New York. We really had a wonderful time, and I even was able to speak Turkish with them (they spoke no English). Their hospitality was just out of this world and we had a glorious time!

We took the ferry to BüyükAda and marveled at its stunning beauty. I also had the opportunity to visit a number of universities and speak with professors there – that was very interesting and gave me a great deal of insight.

Music – we heard Turkish (Ottoman) classical music which is very ancient and fascinating with a singer and musicians playing zithers and other instruments. I also loved MTV Turkey, and the great popular music in Turkey – Sertab Erener (Bu Böyle!) (what a great song with numerous arrangements and great lyrics) – and Yakin (Ah Be Kardeşim), to name just two - I have them on my IPOD now along with the “Hepsi Hits” CD. Turkish music is lively and fun. I also loved Turkish TV.

All in all we had a wonderful time and I found out what all of my Turkish friends have been telling me  -- you have to go and see Turkey – so I urge everyone to go to Turkey as soon  as possible. Do not wait! And I am looking forward to many future trips to Turkey to explore the many other exciting sights in this fascinating country. This was just the beginning of my exploration of this great country and its culture!

My trip to Turkey – was great! Harikaydı!

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Mark Meirowitz is a business lawyer in Manhattan. He also holds a doctorate in Politics and teaches undergraduate courses in Politics, History and Law at various colleges in the New York City metropolitan area. He is studying Turkish, and is active in a number of Turkish American organizations. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (212-918-0645).