Friday, November 24, 2006

art remains.. life is short..

no crafts but some photos that came to my e-mail.. I wanted to share..
photos..of the city where I live..
to everyone.. his own nest.. city.. country is dear.. But Istanbul becomes dear to anyone who sees..
there is no city like it..
no city can hug all.. traditions of hundreds of years.. and modernity.. mistiscism and technology.. in one grasp..
the east and west meeting.. this is the description everyone makes.. well it maybe right .. but not enough to tell about it.. or her let us say..because.. Istanbul is referred as a beautiful and immoral lady by most of our poets..
there even was one saying
'' cover up ..you mistress
cover up..yes you city..
cover up.. and sleep forever..
you woman of all men..''
when he wrote a poem about Istanbul in fog..
the silhouette is not the same as in my childhood .. now it became undescribable.. can you believe these so different views.. being intertwined.. so nice.. and so harmoniously..
the view from the port of Karaköy.. on the seaside ..on the right is the Dolmabahce Palace.. last residence of the Ottoman Emperor dating from 19 century.. now a museum..and on the left is the Dolmabahce Mosque .. .. and look behind.. this could be Manhattan ..
the bosporus bridge.. at the sunrise.. when we return to Istanbul from any trip.. we have to cross the bridge..and if this happens in the morning.. at the sunrise.. it seems as though the sun.. is rising in you..in your body..and the golden orange light reflected by the sea is projecting from inside towards outside from your proper body.. you fill up with energy..
the pointed tower..is the Galata tower dating back to 1300 .. has an interesting story..the name 's origin.. and the purpose of built are not for sure.. .. it is told it was build as a lighthouse..or a fire controle tower.. the name Galata may be originated from the ''Celts '' who resided in this area for a while during Bizantyne Empire.. or to the words 'gala' and 'galatas' from greek language meaning mikl and milkmen .. or from 'Caladdo ' of italian ( genovese ) language meaning uphill..
living in Istanbul.. makes you more researching.. and fatalist at the same time.. even history has indecisions.. so you seek out for the truth.. the past.. you can dig as deep as you wish.. and never come to an answer for sure..and when you never find it.. you understand that nothing stays on earth as it was meant to be.. and that what is important is to stay where you are.. trying to be the best thing around.. standing proud..and waiting to be discovered one day..


the Topkapı Palace.. another residence of the Ottoman Emperors.. build in 15th century..

as the parts of the city just behind this palace is full with old historical buildings the silhouette is not pierced by high buildings.. so when you stand in the middle of the beach.. and look to the left .. you go back in time.. and turn your head to the right.. there lies the future.. isn't that wonderful to caress the eras of human existance on earth at one glance .. you would wish to be a part of it.. time machine.. is Istanbul.. back and forth.. forth and back.. in a glace..

and if you are in the middle of the you will also see this the giel's tower.. with many mithological tales.. and still you'll never know why who and on which purpose someone decided to build it..

can you believe that this city which 1500 years old has been struck by 2 invasions.. the crusaders..and the ottomans..

by two big earthquakes.. many fires.. and kept so many of his art.. and beauty

what you learn in my city.. is that.. life is the only important thing.. what you try to achive will be past.. in a few years.. conquerors.. even emperors.. don't leave anything but art behind..

debates and wars.. will be gone.. forgotten.. harming just those who lived it.. but not leaving a permanent sign..

as they say.. ars longa.. vita brevis.. the art remains.. and life is short.. we can add.. even history is not reliable..

so live.. enjoy and keep creating your art..

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow Pinar. Beautiful photos of a beautiful city. And a beautiful written tribute.

Unknown said...

Oh, Pinar, this is just a fabulous tribute to your city! It gave me shivers as I read it.

I love the part where you say that you feel the sun rising in your own self. Wonderful.

I'm sure it is humbling to walk the streets of Istanbul. That's how I felt in France when I lived there. Unimportant.

You last line about life and art went straight to my heart. Making art is new to me...at the age of 47! I sometimes think it is frivolous, but in my heart I know that it is important.

Cok cok tesekuler!

Anonymous said...
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Tongue in Cheek Antiques said...

Stunning! What an amazing city with usch views!! I long to visit!

Anonymous said...

Oh my how lovely those pictures are of your city. Thanks so much for sharing those with us.

Have a wonderful day.
Hugs,
Connie

MariaJ said...

The winners, the loosers...they all leave their fingerprints. Your city is very fascinating!

Annie Jeffries said...

Good morning Pinar. I loved getting a tour of your beautiful and amazing city of contrasts. But more than that, I was deeply moved by your insightful words at the end of this entry. "debates and wars.. will be gone.. forgotten.. harming just those who lived it.. but not leaving a permanent sign"

jessica said...

as you know i love your country. the photos are so beautiful as is istanbul. your words tell such passionate story.

One Crabapple said...

THis is so fascinating. I can see where it must be as you say....life grows with a bit of fatalistic music to it .

These pictures are really spectacular but your words and thoughts are the real beauty (As usual) to this post.

It must be quite amazing to see and to LIVE there and see it.

Thank you for sharing it. I am even more intrigued with this country.

Love, S.