Inventory
Here's an abbreviated list of the treasures found at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul:
Partial skull of John the Baptist, rod of Moses, turban of Joseph, hair of Muhammed, sword of David, an 86 carat diamond - note to self, buy a lotto ticket, hair from Muhammed's beard, emeralds the size of your fist, saucepan of Abraham. The buildings and grounds were nice as well.
This all raises a number of questions: was DNA analysis conducted on the turban to confirm it did indeed belong to Joseph? Does the sword belong to David of sling-shot and giant fame or some other David? It is a common name. Moses' rod looked pristine - I'd expect some wear and tear due to parting rivers, turning into a serpant, etc. Did he have more than one? Did Abraham moonlight as cook? And for god's sake, did they PLUCK poor Muhammed before putting him in his tomb?
We've left Istanbul and are now in a region called Cappadocia, which is about 4 hours south of Ankara by bus and and 2 hours from Bagdad by plane (an interesting thought). The draw here is the landscape which must have been copied from a Salvadore Dali painting, but that deserves its own email.
This morning I left early to get some pictures in the dawn light; the pinkish light makes the rocks that are around, over, under and beside us positively glow. I ran out of film quickly and was lollygagging around when I was asked if I'd like a coffee by an older Turkish man sitting at an outdoor rug market. I accepted (you really have to, which is a little annoying. As our rug man pointed out, "you walk down the street and it's 'would you like a tea', 'have a coffee,' 'can I get you something to drink'. What do they think I am, a f**king camel?"). A short time later I was sipping my first Nescafe (can't wait for my welcome home latte) and learning to play backgammon with a man who's lived in this little town his whole life. We discussed his kids and my parents and he invited us to his cave for dinner - which sounds funny but you'll understand with my next email - while watching the village wake up.
Time for dinner - I'm off for a kebab.
Partial skull of John the Baptist, rod of Moses, turban of Joseph, hair of Muhammed, sword of David, an 86 carat diamond - note to self, buy a lotto ticket, hair from Muhammed's beard, emeralds the size of your fist, saucepan of Abraham. The buildings and grounds were nice as well.
This all raises a number of questions: was DNA analysis conducted on the turban to confirm it did indeed belong to Joseph? Does the sword belong to David of sling-shot and giant fame or some other David? It is a common name. Moses' rod looked pristine - I'd expect some wear and tear due to parting rivers, turning into a serpant, etc. Did he have more than one? Did Abraham moonlight as cook? And for god's sake, did they PLUCK poor Muhammed before putting him in his tomb?
We've left Istanbul and are now in a region called Cappadocia, which is about 4 hours south of Ankara by bus and and 2 hours from Bagdad by plane (an interesting thought). The draw here is the landscape which must have been copied from a Salvadore Dali painting, but that deserves its own email.
This morning I left early to get some pictures in the dawn light; the pinkish light makes the rocks that are around, over, under and beside us positively glow. I ran out of film quickly and was lollygagging around when I was asked if I'd like a coffee by an older Turkish man sitting at an outdoor rug market. I accepted (you really have to, which is a little annoying. As our rug man pointed out, "you walk down the street and it's 'would you like a tea', 'have a coffee,' 'can I get you something to drink'. What do they think I am, a f**king camel?"). A short time later I was sipping my first Nescafe (can't wait for my welcome home latte) and learning to play backgammon with a man who's lived in this little town his whole life. We discussed his kids and my parents and he invited us to his cave for dinner - which sounds funny but you'll understand with my next email - while watching the village wake up.
Time for dinner - I'm off for a kebab.
posted by Imle at 10:51 AM
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