As we had a really long day ahead of us, we woke up just
before sunrise. We packed our luggage the night before as we were checking out
of the hotel. We were all excited and enthusiastic about the road trip and the
rich heritage the country had to offer us.
But before our road trip began, we first needed to visit the majestic
Blue mosque. We did not visit it completely the day before, as it was Friday
and hence extremely crowded. As we headed for the Blue mosque I was stunned by
the number of tourists that had already made their way to this building of
grandeur even though it was so early in the morning. I always thought that the
early bird catches the worm, but I was proven wrong. The queue was horrendous.
Nonetheless whilst waiting in line, we had an opportunity of chatting to
tourists from other countries. I was quite shocked at the level of ignorance
and disrespect that many of the tourists had with regards to visiting a place
of worship. You would think that a person coming from a first world country
would be educated enough to know about other people’s culture and religion. Yet
again I was proven wrong.
Many travelers pitched up at the mosque in shorts,
sleeveless tops and mini-skirts. Whilst scarves are provided at the entrance of
the building to cover up in the case of indecency, I honestly think that a good
traveler is one who respects the law and culture of the country. I was quite annoyed with an American woman
who told us that her family called her to check up on her. They told her that
she needs to be very careful as she is in a Muslim country. Muslim people are
uncivilized and anything can happen to her. Of course, I could not simply turn
a deaf ear to her statements and so I retaliated. This is what I said to her,
“ My dear, with all due respect, do you see people
walking the streets with guns and grenades. Your government, through the media
have brainwashed you people into thinking badly about one billion people who
follow a religion of peace. You should be more afraid of the American
government than worry about innocent Muslims who are content with their daily
lives. The west invades other countries, rape those countries of their wealth,
minerals and oil due to greed. What business does your government have to poke
their noses in the internal affairs of other nations? Do you honestly think the
world is so stupid into believing everything your government showcases on
television?” The woman stared at me with
a stunned look on her face. She then told me that she works for a department
within the American government and that she does agree with me wholeheartedly.
It was the first time that she actually visited a Muslim country and she was
taken aback by the kindness and hospitality displayed by the Turkish nation
towards foreigners. She promised to return to the USA and change the mindset of
her family and friends towards Muslims people.
Words cannot explain the beauty of the 17th century
Blue mosque, a strong reminder of how mighty and powerful the Ottoman Empire
must have been. After spending an hour
inspecting the architecture of the building, we then headed back to the bus to
commence our road trip through Turkey. Our first stop was Tekirdag, a two hour
drive from Istanbul. Tekirdag is a small countryside farming community. Most of
the meat in Turkey comes from this farming community. At Tekirdag we stopped at
a filling station for lunch.W e enjoyed fresh Gosleme’s , a Turkish cheese
pancake. After lunch we headed towards Gallipoli. “The Gallipoli
Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign, the Battle of Gallipoli or
the Battle of Çanakkale (Turkish: Çanakkale Savaşı), was a campaign of World
War I that took place on the Gallipoli peninsula[6] in the Ottoman Empire
between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916. The peninsula forms the northern bank
of the Dardanelles, a strait that provides a sea route to what was then the
Russian Empire, one of the Allied powers during the war. Intending to secure
it, Russia's allies Britain and France launched a naval attack followed by an
amphibious landing on the peninsula with the eventual aim of capturing the
Ottoman capital of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).[7] The naval attack
was repelled and, after eight months' fighting, with many casualties on both
sides, the land campaign also failed and the invasion force was withdrawn to
Egypt.
The campaign was one of the greatest Ottoman victories during
the war and a major Allied failure. In Turkey, it is regarded as a defining
moment in the nation's history: a final surge in the defence of the motherland
as the Ottoman Empire crumbled. The struggle formed the basis for the Turkish
War of Independence and the founding of the Republic of Turkey eight years
later under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who first rose to prominence as a commander
at Gallipoli. The campaign is often considered as marking the birth of national
consciousness in Australia and New Zealand and the date of the landing, 25
April, is known as "Anzac Day" which is the most significant
commemoration of military casualties and veterans in those two countries,
surpassing Remembrance Day (Armistice Day).”
After visiting the cemeteries at Gallipoli,and paying our
respect to all those soldiers who died during the war, we then headed towards
the Eceabat ferry landing. After a
twenty minute ride on the ferry, crossing the Dardanelles Straits we found
ourselves in the university town, Canakkale. We checked in for an overnight
stay at the opulent Kolin hotel. Over the years, the hotel has received
numerous awards for service excellence and thus played host to many diplomats
and dignitaries including Prince Charles and his current wife. After enjoying a
five star dinner at the hotel dining hall, we retired to bed.
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