Throughout the ages in Anatolia, many different rituals regarding death and burial have been applied. Types of graves have differed. Graves under the floors of houses, wooden rooms, tumuli, chamber-like graves, rock-tombs, sarcophagi, domed or conical tombs (turbe, kumbet) and mausoleums are some places where the dead have been laid.

Although it is difficult, death is considered to be as a natural part or aspect of life. There are many people who prepare themselves for death by putting necessary amount of money for funerals in their bank accounts, keeping winding sheets ready, or buying land in a cemetery in advance. Dying as martyrs is an honorable thing. In Islam, it is believed that martyrs go directly to heaven.

When somebody dies, the corpse is laid on a bed in a separate room, the head facing the direction of Mecca, eyelids closed, the big toes are tied to each other and the two arms rest on both sides next to the body. Burial has to take place as soon as possible during the daytime. If somebody dies in the late afternoon, he is buried the next day. The corpse might rest for a period of time in a cool place or a mortuary but only if there are close relatives coming from a far away place.

According to religious belief, if somebody is buried without an ablution, he is not allowed to enter heaven. Therefore, dead people have to be washed by authorized people, and always women by a woman, men by a man. Meanwhile the death is declared from a mosque minaret by a muezzin with some words from the Koran together with his name, funeral time and place. After the ablution the corpse is dressed in a white shroud, put in a wooden coffin covered with a green piece of cloth. A martyr´s coffin is covered with the Turkish flag. The coffin is carried to the table outside in the courtyard of a mosque on people´s shoulders before prayers. Nobody stands in front of the funeral procession and people in the street stand up and salute the funeral motionless and in silence.

While the coffin rests guarded on the table outside, people perform their regular prayers. From within the mosque, following the prayers, they all come out and line up in front of the coffin to take part in the funeral service under the leadership of the Imam. Women are not allowed to join this service. At the end of the service, the Imam asks people what they thought of the deceased and answers are always positive: "He was good. May God bless him. Mercy be upon his soul, etc."

coffihttp://www.turkishodyssey.com/turkey/culture/people.htmn

Iran refurbishes Soltanieh Dome

Iranian experts have finished the restoration of the country´s 700-year-old Soltanieh Dome, located in the western province of Zanjan.

Iran´s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) refurbished the brick structure´s exterior with azure tiles made in traditional kilns over a four-year period.
“Some 100,000 tiles were used to restore the structure, all of which were produced in the area,” said head of the restoration project, Mohammad Reza Qorbanzadeh.

“Experts will also use strengthening material to protect the tiles from the area´s cold and windy climate,” he added.

Soltanieh Dome, built during the Ilkhanid era, was the world´s tallest building of its time and currently ranks third after Italy´s Saint Mary church in Florence and Turkey´s Aya Sofia Mosque in Istanbul.

The 200-ton structure was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006 after the Naqsh-e-Jahan square, Persepolis, Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat, Takht-e-Soleiman, Pasargadae, and Bam citadel.

Press TV

Smuggling Benzin. OMG!

Now have a look at this dare devil, Azade:

Esther, what is happening here, I think this is near the Turkish Iranian border?

Deli_Kizin, here is anotherone taken in Turkey:

Azade, your observation is right. Have you ever been to Amsterdam? Everywhere you go. Come, have a look. Also in Germany.

Painting of Edirne: Selimiye Camii. I was there not too long ago.

This detail in stucco is from the Salon de Embajadores (Ambassador´s Room) in the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. This is where the Muslim ruler received senior dignatories and is the grandest room with a high ceiling and stunningly decorated walls. It is also the most dimly lit room and as a result has preserved some of the colours. Again, you see all the three elements of Islamic art here: geometrical patterns, vegetal patterns, and Arabic calligraphy. The calligraphy is simple stuff and is just two words, literally, Help (top) and God (bottom). I´m of the view that perhaps no building in the world has the word God or Allah inscribed on it as many times as in the Alhambra. The last Muslims rulers of Spain, the Nasirids, were well aware of their position and, I think, decorated the Alhambra fittingly: imploring God for His help and protection. Everyone interpretes the Alhambra as royal palace, a secular place, but it is, I believe, a masterpiece of the Sufi artists and a significant piece of Islamic religious architecture and decoration.

source: flickr

They fascinate me:

I am an avid cyclist, but would not attempt biking in Istanbul:

Biking in cities doesn’t have to be hazardous to your health. But in Istanbul, you must be extra careful. Besides traffic and air pollution – the usually problems faced by urban cyclists – Istanbul riders have to deal with flooded cycle paths, barbecues, trees, bushes, and garbage bins in cycle areas, and lack of bicycle parking.

But even with these problems there’s still reason to be excited about biking in Istanbul. Recently, Gizem Altin, a Turkish cycling advocate, organized Istanbul’s first ever symposium on urban cycling. In attendance was a representative from the city government who announced that Istanbul could have 101 km of dedicated bike lanes right away without any major structural changes, if the mayor were to give his support. The city official also talked about the city’s master plan for building 670 km of bike lanes. But alas, there is no time frame for such a project, an indication that it might never be implemented.

In the meantime, cycling in Istanbul continues to be an extreme sport. After the leap, check out the photo essay on biking in Istanbul by Murat Suyabatmaz, a Turkish cycling advocate who also attended the bike symposium.