Past and present in Istanbul

ISTANBUL—I had imagined doing many things during this visit to Turkey. But lying prone on a towel draped over the lip of a marble pool—naked and covered in soap bubbles as a woman rubbed and stroked my body—was not one of them.

But this is just one of many surprises that await the visitor to this city and country.

I am part of a group of mostly business writers—with the exception of Domini Torrevillas, columnist of the Philippine Star and myself—touring Turkey on the invitation of the Turkey Flour, Yeast and Ingredients Promotion Group. The visit is meant to provide background to the current imbroglio between local firms importing flour from Turkey and local flour milling companies that import their wheat mainly from the United States. I’ve written previously on this tug-of-war, particularly on the accusation of local flour marketers that Turkey exporters are “dumping” their products on the Philippine market. But as Turgay Unlu, chair of the Turkey trade group, insists, their trading practices are entirely “within the framework of World Trade Organization rules.” Turkish flour millers, says Unlu, export flour to 120 countries, but Unlu admits that protectionist efforts in some countries, including the Philippines, have somewhat affected the volume of their exports.

Later this week, we are scheduled to visit an ancient city in southeast Turkey where wheat has been grown and milled for centuries—almost from the beginning of human settlements and even before the Egyptians started growing wheat on the banks of the Nile, according to Unlu. We also expect to visit a flour milling operation. In other words, Turkish wheat-growing has proud and ancient roots, and the country itself has long been a major player in the global wheat and flour trade.

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But to return to that Turkish bath…

The Turkish bath has figured in many historical accounts and fictional depictions. This particular one was called the Hurrem Sultan Hamam, Hurrem Sultan being the official wife of Suleyman the Magnificent, the 10th and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Hurren Sultan herself has quite an intriguing back story, being born a Christian named Roxelana and joining the Sultan’s harem, eventually emerging as his most influential wife.

Our tour guide says the Hamam, built in the same district that contains the most historic and prominent structures in the city—the Hagia Sophia, the “Blue Mosque” or more officially known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and the ancient Hippodrome—was constructed to serve as a meeting place for Hurrem Sultan and her women friends. Today, the low, small building is divided into sections for men and for women.

But the purpose remains the same: to provide cleansing, relaxing treatments and massages for those willing to pay for the privilege.

The procedures for undergoing cleansing and massage remain much the same as in any sauna bath and massage establishment. But at the Hamam, one is led every step of the way by a solicitous, but firm, attendant, who attends to one’s naked form with brisk efficiency that cancels any embarrassment one might feel in the presence of other naked bodies, and at being treated like an infant.

As we women journalists observed at the end of our treatments, we were now “close,” having glimpsed more than we might have wanted of each other’s flesh. Still, after walking through the Hagia Sophia, and earlier that morning through the sprawling Topkapi Palace in the searing summer heat, a steaming soak and massage was a welcome, invigorating treat.

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It has been but a brief stay so far in Turkey, but our tour has shown us a rich and ample tapestry of the country’s rich past and bracing history.

Istanbul is a treasure trove for anyone interested in history and culture—a history that dates back to the beginnings of human community, and for one largely educated in the Western traditions, an eye-opener to the “other” history of a region that has birthed the world’s major religions and continues to figure in contemporary conflicts and struggles.

Istanbul is famous for spanning both Europe and Asia, with bridges across the Bosphorus, a deep-water channel between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. It also spans historical eras—as its place names indicate, from Byzantium to Constantinople and then Istanbul. The city has served as the capital of four empires: the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Latin Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Though Turkey is today a republic, Istanbul reminds the world of the power and riches, knowledge and influence that arose from these empires.

Temples, mosques, museums, palaces, marketplaces, fountains, parks and plazas—all dot the city landscape, fascinating the eye and filling one’s senses.

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The best views of the “Golden Horn,” the spot where the two seas join in the Bosphorus, are seen from the Pierre Loti Hill, named after a famous French writer who penned his works from the terraces of the hill.

In the afternoons—as we saw for ourselves—tourists and residents of Istanbul would grab tables scattered along the terraces, enjoying cups of strong Turkish coffee and drinking in the views. Others prefer to wander through the haphazard bazaar that has sprung up, with peddlers pushing their trinkets and souvenirs.

It was heartwarming to see locals mingling with the touristic hordes, enjoying the breeze and the shade provided by trees that bend over the café tables. Nearby is a cemetery, but no one seems to mind this juxtaposition of mortality and making merry. For in Istanbul, the storied past, the hectic present and the exciting future mix and mingle in a heady brew.