The Crunchy Apple: June 2009

Saturday, June 27, 2009

SIMPLE AND GENIUS 1: How The Greeks Estimated the Circumference of Earth

Eratosthenes was a liberian in Alexandria. One day he stumbled upon a curious piece where he read that you could see the bottom of a deep well in Syene at noon on the day of the summer solstice. Alexandria was only 787km away and no such phenomenon occured there. He could tell that the sun was right above the well in Syene at noon whereas Alexendria recieve it at an angle.

He noticed that if he could calculate the angle the sun hits Alexandria with, he could use trigonometry to estimate the circumfrance of Earth. He placed a stuck a stick on the ground and measured the lenght of the shadow. He plugged in the lenght of the stick and shadow in the Law of Sines and found the angle the sun shone with over Alexandria.

Since a perpendicularly placed stick would have to pass through the center of the Earth if extended, he could use Alternate Interior Angles to work out the angle the distance between the two cities would correspond to. The graph below will brush up the high school remains of geometry knowledge you have.

Finally, he could proportion the angle to the distance to calculate the circumference:

7.2 / 360 = 787 / X
X = 39350 km

Friday, June 26, 2009

St Michael of the under-equipped hikers is gone.

The North Star no longer exists!

Apparently, it has supernovaed. The north star will outshine the combined output of an entire galaxy for a brief time and then die over several weeks or months.

What the supernova?

Temperature and pressure in a star's core is so great that it triggers a continuous nuclear fusion inside the star. The star relies on this power to make up for the energy it looses in the form of light and heat. When the hydrogen source runs out, its star can no longer sustain this nuclear fusion.

When this happens, the star is incapable of maintaining its size. The force of gravity makes a star want to shrink, and the above mentioned reactions make the star want to expand. During the life span of a star these forces are balanced, so the star remains at a fixed size. However, when there is no hydrogen to fuel the reactions, gravity wins. The inner parts shrink and the outer parts are discarded into the space.

When a star has 8 times more mass than the sun like the North Star, the outer shell breaks with the catastrophic supernova explosion. So, the sun can not go supernova.

The Little Dipper just got smaller!

I want to go to PERU!!!!

Brown is an unique place on earth. It is full of inspiring idealists (despite its share of engineers and bankers :) - no offense- ).
A good percent of the people I know are working in academia or non-profits. Two friends I know moved to Haiti to fight AIDS. My roommate handed out free condoms for four years on the streets, reached out to the prostitutes and helped them be safe. Standing on the streets though a Providence winter would have been enough of a statement in itself. Another couple I know moved to some remote place in China to teach English. Brown even got a Turk to move to Indonesia to teach English.

The most recent rabbit that Brown pulled out its hat is my dear friend Ben. Ben was in finance for the last 3 years. A month ago, he quit his job at Citi and started a grand tour of Latino America. He sent me an email that made me want to pack my bags up and leave to some place. I am very jealous of Ben.

I am posting in here so that you can reconsider your career plans in your job that you started to like less since the summer.

Greetings from Cusco Peru on the first day of Winter (or Summer in the States)!

A lot has happened in the first two weeks, and I'd like to share with you some thoughts and stories.

I am currently living in Zurite Peru, working alongside my great friend Jasper and his newly founded non-profit (Global Student Embassy) providing cultural exchange opportunities for high school students. We are providing financial support and volunteer labor to help the town of Zurite carry out a massive irrigation building project. Relative to other towns between Cusco and Zurite (about 40 miles) it´s a luxurious village of about 1,000 people nestled under massive, sprawling mountains and one of the widest Incan terraces in Peru. The buildings are well kept, there´s a town square with a church, a new hospital in construction, a new central market, a primary and secondary school, running water (the house I am at for now has a flush toilet, which is new since last year), electricity, and warm people. One phone, no internet, and no newspapers.

We are a group of seven volunteers, living with various host families in Zurite. Jasper and I are living under the bustling roof of Tomas and Gladys Ruiz Lopez and their three bright, cheerful children, Joel, 16, Marilyn, 13, and Johan, 9. Tomas, a high school professor of religious studies, coordinates all religious studies in each of the State of Cusco's 100 high schools. The hush hush is also that he will be running for mayor of Zurite in December 2010. Seeing his work and the way he is received in town, I think he will win. Gladys has an endless number of jobs. In addition to being the nucleus of the family and maintaing a house of 6 people, she manages water usage for all homes in Zurite, breeds prize winning cueys (guinea pigs), and helps us coordinate some important aspects of the irrigation project. The most fun comes after dinner when Jasper and I play cards with 2 of the kids in the family we are living with (Marilyn, 13, and Johan, 9) or try to understand the riddles they tell us. And the excitement begins every day by 5AM with bantar about water usage rights or the sale of a decently-bred toro (Tomas admits they don't have the time to raise prize winning toros go figure!)

Cesar is the most eccentric character I've met in Zurite The first night I met him, we stopped by his shop and started playing poker with him. A few others joined and within 10 minutes a small crowd gathered in his store. The game was Texas Hold em of course. The pace of play was a cheetah running across the desert. I tried to stall on the second hand, but was reprimanded by Cesar (he´s about 78). We played with chips, but no real money. When you ran out of chips, whoever had the most gave you some. I´ve never heard so much laughter and cheer around a game of poker. And after Jasper lost about 8 hands in a row, Cesar called him inutil (worthless). That caused an uproar of course. Cesar´s nickname became La Mafia or La Socialista because he won most hands and redistributed the wealth. Tomas describes him as "no tiene pelos en la lengua" (basically, he's got a sharp tongue). He tries out his few English phrases on us and makes fun of our slow, deliberate Spanish speech.

One of the first lessons I learned about working in an agricultural setting is ¨no golpear sino jalar.¨ Don´t punch but rather pull. It´s about finesse, not strength. This has held true on three types of work I have done so far. Cutting grass for los cueys (guinea pigs). Using pico y pala (pick and shovel) to dig a ditch. And para desgranar el maiz (No word in english. Think of it this way - the corn is dried in the sun for a few weeks. You then twist and turn the corn in your hands to push off the corn kernels. They feel like corn nuts.) Jasper and I did this for about 3 hours and got through about 500 husks of corn. My technique is improving, but I still have blisters and cuts on my delicate city hands after doing some real work. Day 2 of this work, Jasper and I were complimented by Gladys on our speed.

And yes, we did come here to work. It's been a back and forth with the Mayor, who has the last call on the use of the municipality's equipment and money. There´s plenty to talk about regarding the decision making process at the mayor´s office (actually, it went quite smoothly after he tried to stall first our meeting then the project by a week then a day then agreed to the original plan), but the most pleasant and happy sight was on the first Monday in Zurite - the first day of work. The President of Agriculture, Julio (he's puros negocios, pure business) had organized the farmers to meet for La Faena General. It´s like a town hall that takes place at the beginning of each week. Day to day, about 10 - 15 volunteers are needed to help keep the farmer's land and equipment in good repair. But we were in for a special treat on Monday, as it was the launch of a new project. We arrived probably 5 minutes early (I have no idea) and already there were about 70 campesinos. Julio spoke mostly in Quecha but we were told that he used the time to rouse the people and get them motivated about the project. The only line I understood was ¨no va a borrechar¨ (don´t get drunk). By the end of the session, there were about 170 farmers. Every two people were 'assigned' to 10 meters of canal digging (we were widening and cleaning an old canal). The assignment process basically entailed the group walking along the canal and stopping when they found a spot they liked. Jasper and I ended up at the end of the canal. Probably about 1.5 kilometers down. Work started around 10am. At 12pm we were done with our 10 meters (we had a relatively easy part compared to some of the other sections) and went home for lunch. Gladys, the mother of the host family, insisted we eat at home during our first day of work. Lunch started late of course but was mighty delicious (a heaping plate of fish, tons of veggies and lots of rice). We returned at 2pm and headed for the top of the canal to get some video footage. No one there. We started walking. No one. Still more walking and still no people. Within 4 hours, 170 farmers had cleared the way for 1.5 kilometers of cement irrigation to be built. When we put together a video, we´ll have to explain why there´s no footage of the digging! It will be a great story to tell.

For the next 8 days, we have been organizing a team of workers, buying material, and pushing the mayor to let us have our way. Finances are tough, but we've been told by Julio and Ruiz (President of the Zurite Community) that he will try to stall from time to time. When we left yesterday (Friday) for Cusco, all supplies had been purchased and work had kicked off in full force. When we return Friday, we'll start pouring the cement over the wooden frame. Can't wait to get back to Zurite!

Oh, and day 2 of work was unreal. Let's call it Home Depot - Inka Style. Wednesday morning we wake up at 6am for an early start. Our task today is to build a make-shift tent to store the wood and cement as close as possible to the canal. We wait in town until 8:45am for the materials only to learn that they had been dropped off at the camp site, rather than the Plaza. We two step it up to the building site. Our greeting is put down our backpacks and follow them to palos (wood logs). I hear palas (shovels). After 20 minutes of walking, I'm wondering why the shovels are so far off site. A loud crash should have warned me that we were carrying town trees not shovels, but in my state of stomach churning induced delirium, this thought does not cross my mind. Over the next 4 hours, a group of 9 of us carry down about 20 eucalpytus trees, making 2-3 trips each, 2 miles each trip. For the 7 volunteers, it was the hardest day of manual labor any of us had ever done. 12,500 feet altitude, smashing through dried corn fields, keeping balance on over turned grass fields, making small river crossings while carrying a tree between 40 and 90 pounds, 7 to 25 feet long. Not your average trip to Home Depot.

Many nights, we are joined at dinner by up to 6 people. A few nights ago, 4 farm hands and 1 of their children joined us. Their wage: 10 soles/day, plus dinner (3 soles to 1 dollar). After dinner I started thinking about the economics of poverty, as I do quite often. This time I had the beginning of a real observation. One cannot measure the tangible benefit of a meal as payment, the caloric intake aside. It's a social and cultural benefit; a form of human expression. Like most people in the world, these workers live alone or in small families. Dinner, in this form, becomes a gathering place, a social time. The benefit was made more apparent when Juan, the 4 year old, started to cry when his dad picked him up to leave. I asked Gladys why he was crying. She said because they had to leave dinner. He was in a social environment entertaining non-family members with his new radio and boisterous laugh Of course, this is no way a lift out of poverty. Simply one unseen benefit missed when looking at numbers and statistics.

Finally, on the political front, you have probably been reading about the conflict between the government and the indigenous people living in the jungles of Peru. Peru has 28 million people, 8 million of which live in the jungles. The current conflict is not only one of indigenous rights, but also resource and water usage/rights. Las huelgas (the strikes) have closed down road and train transportation between Cusco, Puno, and Arequipa. If you find a picture, you will see why. The streets are packed side-to-side with people and rock barricades. As I write this email, 7,000 protesters are headed to Cusco to arrive on June 24 - Inti Raymi, the most sacred festival of the year. It's attendance across South America is topped only by Carneval in Brazil. Gladys and Julio believe things will get worse after the holiday season ends. Tomas warned that if tensions continue to escalate, a civil war may break out.

Time for La Chifa (chinese-peruvian food) at our good friend Uriel's restaurant. He lives in Cusco and helped to found GSE from the Peru side. More about him later, but he's an amazing 29 year old, in his 4th year of dentistry school.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Kaya's creme fraiche whole wheat spaghetti

Kaya requested that I share his abracadabra recipe with you and since I have (almost) adamant confidence in his cooking skills, I gladly accepted.

serves 4
total cooking time: aprox. 40 minutes

3/4 a pack of trader Joe's whole wheat spaghetti

Creme Fraiche
2 chicken breast
1 small squash
4 cloves garlic
1 large onion
leaves of aniseed root (if not substitute parsley)
10 hedgehog mushrooms
1 glass of quality white wine
black pepper
salt to taste
olive oil
canola oil

mix 1/4 part canola oil with olive oil on a nonstick pan and put the salted and black peppered chicken skin down on high heat for 3 minutes then lower the heat to turn over.
if the breasts are thick make two knife marks to increase heat penetration. Turn over 3-4 times as you cook then set aside. Don't worry if its not cooked entirely inside. Cube the chicken and set aside.

simmer the onion in the chicken pan within the chicken oil along with the garlic. Meanwhile in a different low pan boil the cubed squash with a lid on low heat for about 12 minutes
until a fork can easily penetrate the largest piece. Pour out excess water leaving about 5 tablespoons of the squash water

In a separate bowl whip 1 cup of creme fraiche with 2/3 cups water until foamy. As the onion and garlic turn caramel add black pepper and a little salt then add the cubes of squash
turn to high heat and pour in a glass of white wine let simmer for 5-6 minutes then add chicken and creme fraiche.
Let simmer for 7-8 minutes. then serve with spaghetti cooked 12 minutes aldente garnished with aniseed leaves.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Have a band-aid?

It has been a very tough year.

How did it get here? I was a happily slacking yet still A scoring senior at Brown. Had a great group of friends, a summer vacation to look forward to, a house on the best spot of Providence, healthy family, and no worries on my head expect how to skip my African Dance rituals. I used to wake up at 5 am for my yoga and pilates classes Mon through Thurs, swam at least twice a week, organized basketball games, and partied on the weekends, marched for Darfur, had 5K on my account.

Of course I knew that life would be a bumpy road but I thought things would come one by one and that I would have the strenght to tackle them all. If only one of the ropes of your parachute gets loose, you can still manage. 2009 has been the year of free fall. My parachute seems to disappear in the sky. Shit really hit the fan this time.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Do something!

Your nameYour name

Your email addressYour email address

Country of residenceCountry of residence

Monday, June 15, 2009

ISTANBUL GUIDE

I get tons of emails asking me for recommendations in Istanbul. I decided to post it here, so that I can just direct them to my blog.

To start with, you can't imagine how horrible the traffic is in Istanbul. You will find that cabs are pleasantly cheap here. A ride in a cab will probably cost you as much as you would pay to a bus as a family.

CULTURE

Sultanahmet is where the old city is. Most of the historical sites are here:
(it will take 2 days to finish it)

Topkapi Palace will take at least half of your day. If you are visiting at winter time, wear warm stuff because it is extra chilly in the harem due to the marble walls.
Hagia Sophia is an old church/mosque, now a museum. It is one of the wonder's of the world.
Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Cami)
Water Cistern (Yerebatan Sarinci)
Istanbul Archealogy Museum

You can take a 10-15 min walk to Misir Carsisi (spice bazaar) from here.

If there is something I can't emphasize more, it is the importance of getting a guide in Sultanahmet. In Topkapi and Ayasofia it is a must. It makes a huge difference. I strongly recommend getting a guided tour of the Blue Mosque as well.

The guides will find you at the entrance. Otherwise ask the ticket booth. You can try to work out a deal with the same guide for the three spots.

Other sites worth visiting are:
Istanbul Modern (Istanbul Modern Art Museum)
Dolmabahce Palace (I like it better than Topkapi Palace because it remains furnished )
Galata Kulesi (Galata Tower, where the first man known to fly jumped off from)

POPULAR NEIGHBORHOODS

Beyoglu/ Istiklal Caddesi - The liveliest part of the town and the heart of underground culture. Many night clubs, shops and many many many many people!!! It is a favorite spot for both the tourists and the locals. There are many unique book shops, second hand stores, art studios hidden in the streets branching off of Istiklal.

*** I found a site where they orderly listed things to see as you are walking down Istiklal. It is a very good resource. You must get a print out before going to Beyoglu.
http://english.istanbul.com/Content.aspx?CatId=3624&Type=detail

Taksim Square marks the beginning of Istiklal, and Tunel marks the end. Tunel is a very popular hang out for the young and hip. Asmali Mescit Street in Tunel is full of bars I could recommend:
Here are some nice venues if you are below 30:
Babylon - live music everyday www.babylon.com.tr/english)
Babylon Lounge - latest and everlasting hits www.babylon.com.tr/english/
Otto - DJ performance www.ottoistanbul.com/index_tr.html#/home
Novo - DJ performance
Parantez - a bar with great mohitos for only 8 TL (2009) www.parantezbistro.com/news.html

If you like jazz, Nardis Jazz Club is one of the best jazz clubs in the city. It is even further down Tunel, close Galatasaray Tower. Ask people to direct you towards the Tower, and once you are there, ask for Nardis.

Line is a modest fun bar with a live band which gets everyone to dance to pop rock. Opposite from it is Hayal Kahvesi. Both venues play similar music but the crowd at Hayal Kahvesi is slightly older and has better air circulation. I can not comment on which band is better because there is a different band playing each night. It has a cover charge of 25 TL on Fridays and 30 on Saturdays but you get a free drink with it. Plus, if you are crowded or if it past 2 (they close at 4), you can negociate. It is close to the French Consulate, on the upper side of Beyoglu. Walking down from the consulate towards Tunel, you will see a Mc Donald's on the left. Around it should be Büyükparmakkapı St. A little further down on Büyükparmakkapı, it should be on your right. Alternatively, ask for Mojo which is the neighboring bar.

On Istiklal, there is an amazing restaurant called 360.
http://www.360istanbul.com/
It is costly, but it is worth the view and the food you will get.

Haci Abdullah is a good spot for a quick eat. They have traditional Turkish food, but the bill will similar to eating at 360. If you have time and want to treat yourself, go to 360. However, if you want to eat Turkish home cooking in a traditional setting, go to Haci Abdullah.

Vegetarians have a hard time in Turkey. Zencefil is one of the rare restaurants that offer yummy vegetarian food. It is not on the main street, so locating it may be challenging. Find the French Consulate on Istiklal Ave (on the upper end close to Taksim). Walking towards Tunel, take the first right after the consulate. Then, take the first left. Now you should be on Kurabiye St. Walk about 100 m. It should be on your right.

Fransiz Sokagi (French Street), which is also known as Cezayir Sokagi, is also a nice place to eat or to have a drink. The food won't blow your mind, but the street has a nice, cozy feel.

Cicek Pasaji or Nevizade (also in Beyoglu) is where you should go for a traditional Turkish tavern experience. Live traditional music and maybe a belly-dancer with traditional Turkish food as well as Raki ( very strong Turkish alcohol) is what makes up a tavern experience.
Boncuk in Asmali Mescit has good food but there is no live music. To reserve, call 0212 245 31 69-70. Another tavern you could go to is Cumhuriyet Meyhanesi. They are short on the spectacle side as there is no music, but you get to sit at the tables where Ataturk and his friends frequently discussed national matters.

Take a walk in the Barkac Street next to Galatasaray High School. There are nice art galleries, antique and vintage shops, where you can hunt for design treasures! This street leads to Cihangir.

Cihangir - is a cute bohemian neighborhood overlooking the Bosphorus. Although it is more popular among the performing arts proffesionals, it is the house to many artists, journalist and writers among which are Orhan Pamuk, the recipient of numerous literary awards, including the Nobel Prize in Literature 2006 and Sinan Cetin, the producer of full-length films and television series, and foremost, commercials.

It has colorful streets with little cafe shops and boutiques. Cuppa is my favorite place for brunch in Cihangir. Fresh fruit juices and smoothies, organic sandwiches and all sorts of breakfast food.

Ortakoy - is especially cute on the weekends with the bazaar set up on the streets. It has cozy and laid-back vibe. Here you can visit the Ortakoy Mosque, right by the sea. There is a synagogue and a church which are still in service. Sometimes they will let you in, sometimes they won't depending on their mood. It is worth a try.

Here, I recommend to eat either at Lavanta or House Cafe. You can ask people on the street once you get there. Everyone should know.

Also, you can do a boat tour of the Bosphorus. This tour will take an hour whereas if you hop on the the ones that depart from Eminonu, you will be trapped in boat for four to five hours. Do NOT take the long tour as you will be stranded under the sun staring on bare hill tops after the second hour.

Bebek - This is one of the fancier neighborhoods along the Bosphorus. There is very little to do besides sitting at a cafe and watching people. You could go there for a coffee or dinner. People are very conscious of their appearances here. Casual-chic would be the proper style to dress.

Nisantasi - The fanciest neighborhood of Istanbul. Old, French style buildings, high brands, crowded bars and restaurants, and of course pretty girls make up the streets. Zanzibar in Reasurans Passage is a pricey but good place to have delicious thin crust pizza. As everything else in Nisantasi, it is on the expensive side.

Prince Islands
Take a ferry from Kabatas or Eminonu ports to the islands of Istanbul. They are very remote and pretty. Looking at the architecture in Buyuk Ada (Buyuk Island), you can imagine how pretty Istanbul used to be once upon a time. Cars are not allowed on the islands. Rent a bike or take the horse carriage.

SHOPPING

To buy authentic Turkish stuff visit the Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi). Carpets, leather jackets, jewelry, spice... Also the capital of imitations of branded bags, shoes, watches, etc.. You should absolutely NEGOTIATE!

Besides, check with your hotel reception to go to one of the local's bazaar. Each neighborhood has a bazaar once a week. Check with your hotel where they are. It is a good opportunity to buy textile at a shockingly low prices. Again, you can negotiate here but not as tuff as at the Grand Bazaar.

Shopping malls I can recommend include:
Kanyon
Akmerkez
Istinye Park

DON'T MISS

You should absolutely get a "kese" (kind of peeling) at a Turkish Bath (hamam). The most popular ones are Cemberlitas and Cagaloglu Hamams. Check again with your reception to find the Turkish bath they recommend.

Since you are in Istanbul you should have dinner at the following places:
For an best of the Turkish Cuisine, go to Konyali at Kanyon. I highly recommend the "Tandir".

NY Times selected Istanbul the gastronomy capital of 2008. Three restaurants that they recommend are:
Ciya www.ciya.com.tr/
Muzedechanga www.changa-istanbul.com/v2/muzedechangamain.asp
Mikla www.themarmarahotels.com/The-Marmara-Pera/eatdrink-mikla-restaurant.asp

Will be back with a list of places to stay...
Kybele Hotel is in Sultanahmet. It is a cute, conveniently located hotel which I think you would enjoy. Their number is +90 212 511 7766. Email: kybele@smallhotels.com.tr. Website: http://www.kybelehotel.com/

Friday, June 12, 2009

New Finds in the City

B4 IT WAS COOL > LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
89 E. Houston
b4itwascool.com
It is an amazing shop/atelier with a great collection of industrial antiques from the beginning to mid 20th century. They have a great collection of old industrial lamps. You can see that Engineer, the Machinist and the Stylist were all the same man. The price tags are very scary but it is def worth checking out.

OLIVIA
161 E. Houston
olivianyc.com
Descent looking (didn't eat there) Spanish food
They have a talented 3-person band playing familiar tunes.

CAFE MOGADOR
101 St Marks
cafemogador.com
Yummy Moroccan Tagines and Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food and their prices will def put a smile on your face. It can be a hassle to find seats at lunch time. Outdoor seating is available though it is very limited. Tried 4 dishes, liked them all.

LF
150 5th Ave or 149 Spring St
lfstores.com
This boutique is no secret. It is a chain from LA which was spotted on several celebrities and thus got great publicity. I had no idea until I walked in front of it. Very hip and contemporary. It has a very LA feel.

Friday, June 5, 2009

On Sakirin Mosque

It is said that to be Turkey's first modern mosque. To claim this title, it should have made either an artistic or cultural innovation.

Is it indicative of a cultural innovation?:
This mosque did not make any social or religious reforms. It did not breed a new religious subgroup who associates itself with this mosque. The practices are the same as in the other mosques. Women still don't mix with man and they still have to cover up. What difference does employing a female designer make when the religion remains phallocentric?

Fadillioglu says she did not make it too futuristic so that everyone feels welcomed here. She did not want to discriminate. How ridiculous it is to think that the people who go to mosque on daily basis would feel themselves home here! Nothing can appeal to everyone. Such a mosque surely wouldn't appeal to the core religious. I don't expect it to get a big mass. I think it will become the mosque for the ceremonies of the non-religious people who passed away.

Furthermore, it is very cowardly to try to include everyone so that you don't have to deal with opposition. It is a shame to come as far as to build a modern mosque and to fear attaching it to a cultural reform.

Finally, it does not indicate that the government or the public is more open to modernizing religion as it was a privately founded project by the Sakirin Foundation.

Is it indicative of an artistic innovation?:
Is there an artistic innovation to be proud of? Unfortunately, there isn't. You will be very surprised to find out about the artistic faith of this mosque:

It is the second attempt to build a modern mosque in Turkey but the first to actually succeed.

The first one was intended to be Architect VEDAT DALOKAY's Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara. His project was accepted and started in 1967.

However, as its foundations were being laid, the government decided to stop its construction for not conforming to the norms of traditional islamic structure. Instead, they commissioned a conventional mosque by HUSREV TAYLA.

Ironically, Husrev Tayla, the architect of the traditional replacement mosque, was hired to do the Sakirin Mosque. He must have been intimidated by the task of doing a modern mosque as he pretty much borrowed everything from the plans of the Dalokay's Kocatepe Mosque:

Do you see anything new?

Now, do you agree with me that this mosque fails to live up to its claim or not?

Thursday, June 4, 2009

FIRST MODERN MOSQUE OF TURKEY: SAKIRIN MOSQUE

Thanks to the Sakir Foundation, Turkey now has its first modern mosque rising up from the Uskudar sky. First, I would like to give you a tour of this mosque and after that, I would like to share my thoughts on why think this mosque is a failed statement.

Radical new sanctuary configurations had been experimented with since the dawn of Modernism in the late 19th century. Religion as a whole has been reviewed worldwide. Consequently, as architecture is the spokesman of culture, we witnessed a revolution in the places of worship.

In an attempt to catch up with now a century old trends, Turkey took a big step forward by assigning a woman to be in charge of the design and construction of the Sakirin mosque. Erdogan can now show his 32 just whitened teeth to the army of cameras which want to interview him on Europe’s most recent report on how pathetic of a job Turkey does protecting its woman from their husband’s abuse and proudly say “ but Turkey is officially the one and only country to host a female-designed mosque in history!” A bright red APPLAUSE sign will keep blinking until Sarkozy forges a grin.

Sakirin Mosque was widely publicized in Turkey and abroad. She is not the architect of the project (she is the interior designer), but it is still the first time a mosque gets a feminine touch. Even that is a big step for a country which made only backward progress in this area.

If Islam is not exactly your comfort zone, the fish-scale metallic dome is definitely an icebreaker. It does not feel like you are about to enter a mosque but rather a concert hall.
Crafted by: Kadir Akorak

Let's enter.

The old and the new make several compromises inside.
• The metallic sheer is balanced off with the traditional turquoise
• The structure steps down from its “stage for a spectacle” impression to a mosque, but in turn, it will give up its ‘house-of-Allah-modesty’ to glory
• The mosque keeps its crowning chandelier, yet the crown gets a facelift resulting in a modern chandelier, made up off hundreds of glass droplets, which creates a feeling of the unusual fluidity.
• The amorphous figures on this grill continue to contradict the traditional expectations. Typical Turkish mosques are decorated with geometrical and/or floral designs. Crafted by: Kaya Kalaycı

The fluid metal and glass finally join their mother water in the courtyard creating meditational atmosphere. All religions consider meditation to help the communication between the believer and creater. They employ different tools to densify the faith in humans. Catholicism uses portraits of suffering, Buddhism utilizes the color orange and this mosque used fluidity.

Saidly, Fadillioglu never refers to the fluidity theme in her numerous interviews. I choose to think that it can not be coincidental. She knew this mosque would be widely publicized, and she calls this project the climax of her life. So, I guess it would be safe to assume that she calculated every detail that she put in there.

Her feminine touch does not only show in the zen décor, but also in the acknowledgement of the female presence in the mosque. Some mosques reject woman, saying that their facility is not designed to accommodate woman. Well, this one is. It has a prayer room and absolution facilities for woman. The admission of woman is not an innovation. It was already there, but some mosques chose to ignore it.

Diyanet Isleri (Religious Affairs) found it appropriate to assign here an atypical imam whose unusualness and publicity matched that that of the mosques.

Razaman Kutlu (46) is not your everyday imam. He is a documentarian, musician, orator, TV host, architect, radio newsman, and an actor from a (unfortunately) popular mafia/gang fight series called Kurtlar Vadisi. He does not prefer right over left only because Islam favors right, also because his face pictures better from right.

Now that I made an introduction to out first modern mosque, I can get to the real stuff.