Istanbul: Home to ‘the rod that parted the Red Sea’

WHEN I set off from Kigali to Istanbul at 2a.m, I didn’t know that my journey would lead me to exciting historical discoveries. After an eight hour flight, the Turkish Airlines booing safely landed at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. As soon as I disembarked, Istanbul welcomed me with chilly temperatures at seven degrees Celsius. It was my first time to experience such cold. I had to brave this body cutting cold for the next five minutes drive to WOW Hotel & Convention Center, where I stayed for the four days I stayed in Istanbul. I was in Turkey for the Turkey-Africa Women Entrepreneurs Trade Bridge 2014 conference, organised by Confederation of Business and Industrialists of Turkey (TUSKON) and the African Union Commission last month. A standard bed and breakfast bedding accomodation at the hotel cost about $120 which is equivalent of Rwf82, 000. The area was crowded with shops and eateries - Burger King was just right opposite the entrance to the hotel. Considering I was in a foreign country, communicating with family and friends back home was an obligation. I don’t know if it’s because of the same time zones between Kigali and Istanbul, but mobile network roaming services made me feel closer to home because I could talk to friends and family without using a Turkish simcard. Prior to the day of the conference, together with other journalists, we visited different Turkish companies such as Kimse Yok Mu, a Turkish charity organisation and the Journalists and Writers Foundation which is a Turkish group of intellectuals who believe humanity’s ultimate problem lies in poverty, ignorance, and conflict. It set out to fight poverty with aid, ignorance with education, and conflict with dialogue. We had lunch at the premises of Journalists and Writers Foundation. The menu at other places I went to did not disappoint. I enjoyed common Turkish foods such as the Turkish Cig Kofte which is a traditionally made starter that is prepared with either beef or lamb. I also had the Lahmacun, which is a round, thin piece of dough topped with minced meat, herbs and minced vegetables including onions, tomatoes and parsley. One of the most popular things in Istanbul eateries is Turkish tea served in a tiny glass cup with a tiny spoon. I really enjoyed it and now miss it! However, for a country that shares a name with the famous thanksgiving delicacy, Turkey, one would think that Istanbul is home to the delicious bird. It is quite shocking that their menus do not have Turkey at all! After our meal, we proceeded to visit Istanbul’s famous Hagia Sophia Museum (Ayasofya in Turkish) formerly a church for 900 years but later became a mosque from 1453to 1931. In 1935 it was turned into a museum because of its historical life. It’s visited by hordes of people every day. However, there is one particular treasure this city holds - an asset that attracts flocks of people just to have a glimpse – Moses’ famous rod in the Bible. To be more precise, it was the same rod Moses held out to part the Red Sea on God’s orders to save the Israelites from the Egyptians. It sits at Topkapi Palace. For a second, I was tempted to break the glass that protected it, touch it and witness its power. Topkapi is a large palace in Istanbul which was a primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years of their 624-year-reign. Besides Moses’rod, the palace is also home to other holy relics including Muhammed’s cloak and sword. The Topkapi palace’s construction began in 1459 under the rule of Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Byzantine Constantinople. In the same area are other historical buildings like the The Tower of Justice (Adalet Kulesi) which was the base of settling disputes during the Ottoman empires reign that lasted hundreds of years. However taking photos is prohibited in these areas, especially where Moses’s rod and Muhammed’s cloak and sword are displayed. To visit these places you will have to part with 50 Turkish Lira about $25 and visting time is strictly 09:00a.m – 04:00p.m. There were other historical buildings in Istanbul that we didn’t get time to go to although we did pass by them like the Old Turkish town, Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Dolmabahce Palace and many others. Despite its historical nature, Istanbul is actually a ‘shopper’s city’. It has almost all top designer shops. I was able to get a few things at pocket friendly prices. Although we were honoured to have Adem Sanliturk, the Secretary General of Rwanda Active Businessmen Association (RWABA), take us around and explain the different things about Istanbul, I recommend a tour guide if you want to find your way around because very few Turkish people speak English. A small number can speak French, but signposts and billboards are written in Turkish. One of the most thrilling moments was travelling in the undersea rail tunnel under the Bosphorus strait that comes from Halkali on the European side to Gebze on the Asian side. Also, I noticed that even though Turkey is a Muslim dominated country, many women did not wear veils. By my light, Turkish people are very hospitable and it is extremely hard to get people staring at you in a rude manner like it is in some countries.