Social Media Clear Out!

It is a very cozy Sunday. I have been cuddling with my doggies, enjoying foamy cappuccinos, just feeling calm.

A week ago my volunteer Sahaja Yoga class was featured on the news and in some magazines. It did not mean so much to me in the sense that I believe that at the level of spirit we are all one, so sometimes I end up sharing my love with housewives at a community center, sometimes with small children in Lebanon or in Istanbul other times at more Hip centers of art and dances. Either way the principle does not change, we meditate together and through the awakening of the Kundalini transformation finds us.

Shri Mataji, the founder of Sahaja Yoga has hundreds of speeches where she always asks yogis to give realization which is the awakening of the kundalini. She had been nominated for a world peace award by the Nobel committee, although someone else got the award that year, there is a reason She was nominated.

The more positive, loving, peaceful people there are, the better the world becomes. Simple as that!

Once the kundalini is awakened, if the person continues to meditate the chakras clear out and they become happier, ideally.

However truly understanding the philosophy is something else. I was lucky to be introduced to it at a young age, thus I was formulated with the knowledge.

So all my life I have had volunteer Sahaja Yoga classes here and there. Last year I met a lady who is elder than me and she had also been in Sahaja Yoga for a long time. She is from Antalya and as we were chatting I told her that I had one appearance at local TV channel in Antalya in 1999 or so, I was translating for a foreigner yogi who was giving realization.

She said “Oh my God! That is when I received my realization. I remember I was watching the show and your voice was so calming that I repeated the moves and it felt so nice that I started joining the local classes.” I was a blonde at the time, so when we met years later, she never knew that I was the person she had seen on TV ages ago.

Anyhow, I was touched by this story.

When I was doing the classes at the local community center I asked other Sahaja Yogis for help so that we can have bigger programs since I had such good relations with the municipality and they have very nice buildings with suitable halls.

For years I brought this up, and got no support whatsoever. Such a program needs to be done collectively with a music program and maybe a classical Indian dance. At least that is how its done everywhere else in the world.

Neither the dancer nor the musicians were interested in supporting me.

Instead of complaining about it, I sought other environments where I can spread the love. So recently I started a new class which was featured on the national news last week.

It seems that suddenly so many yogis took interest in the matter.

I had no idea actually, I called a friend just to ask her to send some positive vibrations my way, because I was feeling very heavy on vibes. She thought I called her in regards to the criticism. I asked her “What criticism?”

Turns out she was being polite. There was a facebook group that I used to be part of, and they removed me, in order to comfortably gossip about me?!?

I did not even realize that I was removed because I never read the posts which were mostly whining about this and that.

She read the comments and I was surprised that some were from people who would smile to my face of course.
The one that most surprised me was from one lady who is closer to my Mom’s age. She and her sister used to practice Sahaja Yoga and then they stopped for 15 years. Then I visited her sister and invited her to the Sahaja Yoga Center.
I was actually warned at the center that she is the worst gossiper who only likes to stir the pot wherever she goes. Of course, being the ever optimist I embraced her with an open heart and defended her behind her back. I never told her that I had to work to get her accepted into the environment, or that she or her sister were in fact unwelcome. A true yogi would not reveal such a thing when it’s her own deed. The end result was what mattered.

Anyway, a few years later she was pushed away and my mom revealed this to her and she was in shock because she felt she was more of a yogi than anyone and everyone.

So considering that their return to practicing Sahaja Yoga happened through me, I was a bit baffled with her comments.

Turns out the lady from Antalya who found my voice calming and came to the Sahaja Yoga Center ages ago defended me and told everyone to be inspired instead of critical of me.
There were other defenders as well and those who were critical were rather petty about it. They were annoyed that it was stated that I have practiced Sahaja Yoga in many countries from Africa to India to Italy to Lebanon to America and so forth. They know it is true so they could not say anything about that but were against it being expressed.

Turns out they had a problem with my Sari as well.

Ironically, Indian Sahaja Yogis always compliment on my Sari and tell me that it looks just like Shri Mataji’s saris. So when they comment on photos I tell them that I bought them from the sari shop where Shri Mataji used to shop in Pune. They act delighted.

The whole story is also sweet.

I was in Indonesia from where I was going to go to India. Yogiji Uncle said I should spend a few days at his aunts house in Mumbai before I arrived to Pune. They are not Sahaja Yogis but his family is very eminent.

They took me to a wedding at the Taj hotel as soon as arrived. I had changed into a nice western evening gown on the plane as their driver took me straight to the wedding from the airport. It was lavish and went on for days and days at various Taj Hotel locations. It turns out a very prominent Bollywood Producer’s daughter was getting married so all Bollywood was at the wedding. I don’t know Indian celebrtities but from the way they carried themselves I could tell who was the megastar and so forth. It was fun.

Anyhow his aunt took a look at my existing saris and told me they are not suitable. She told me that I have to choose the pure silk ones. So with Yogi Uncle’s daughter Pragya we went to the store where Shri Mataji bought her saris and I bought my silk saris.

I love saris for I find them so graceful. During my last visit in the Himalayas, Yogiji Uncle had gifted me a beautiful sari. So his other aunt invited me to their estate. I wore the sari and since it was a short walk from the ashram I insisted to walk instead of being driven there.

As, I was chatting with them, aunties husband told me that I really know how to carry myself in a sari, he said “most westerner women don’t know how to walk in it.” I was very pleased to hear this.

A sari is basically a long cloth with no stitches, if you do not wear it properly it can run off of one.
As they were taping the class for the news the cameraman was asking me to move here and there and he did not understand why I was not swift. There was a slight sense of urgency in his voice. Eventually, I told him “Have you ever worn a sari? You do realize that is just a cloth right?” He looked surprised and started laughing while apologizing for not understanding sooner. I love it that the sari also makes us behave so graceful by its nature.

Anyhow, going back to the topic of gossipers when I heard about it, I was a bit annoyed at first but then decided not to react.

“If they cannot say anything to my face let them remain behind me” has been my policy against gossipers all my life.

If they meditated they would not be able to behave this way. Clearly they like to be part of a community but did not get the essence of the philosophy of Sahaja Yoga.

So I am glad that they are never around to support my programs because they would have misrepresented Sahaja Yoga anyway.

This Saturday I went to the class again and there was this one lady. She had seen us on the news and called the place, asked to come. After mediation she explained that she had lost her father to cancer and during the fight for his life she developed an illness.
She felt the vibrations. I don’t know if she will continue but as I always say, one person that I may reach out to, matters! She did feel the cool breeze on top of her head as we were mediating which is her awakened kundalini.

When I heard her story, it felt worththe unpleasant behavior that I had to endure from so called yogis.

Of course it was nice to discover the defenders behind my back as well.

So today I removed the gossipers from my social media, it turns out they even took screen shots of my instagram to share in this closed group and to gossip under those photos.

Really?!?

Every class I repeat that we have to forgive. I also always explain that it does not mean that we have to keep enduring. So disconnecting from them is my best response. They don’t get to smile to my face while speaking behind my back.

Luckily I am someone who is always more surrounded by sweetness than bitterness, so let them sulk in their misery.

Actually Sahaja Yogis are supposed to be all about joy, because that is what happens when someone’s chakras clear out. Even during class, I mostly advise first comers “Do not try to hold it in if you have to laugh all of a sudden, it is not rude to me, Sahaja Yoga brings out childlike joy and some people cannot hold their giggles during class, which is fine.”

So how other yogis lack this joy is beyond my comprehension sometimes. Obviously they do not meditate, otherwise this would not be possible. There is so much joy in meditating, I find it hard to understand how those exposed to this feeling abandon it and start acting like ordinary souls. The journey of a yogi is about spiritual evolvement of the self. Anyway, today letting go of them by disconnecting through social media felt like a nice clear out too.

It also made me realize what a blessing it is to have the inner peace to simply enjoy cuddling with my doggies and foamy cappuccinos…

Snow Joy

2017 arrived with grief. Reina a popular club by the Bosphorus was attacked on New Year’s Eve, by an ISIS member who killed and wounded people while they were celebrating. Just like that he walked in, shot everyone and walked out. They have not even caught him.

It made me feel really uneasy because Reina is a place where I have celebrated New Year’s Eve in the past and also have had many dinners.  The club part was never my favorite spot but with my family, we did enjoy bringing visitors from abroad there to dine since the atmosphere and view is very pleasant.

Facing that it offered a false sense of security and is in fact so easy to attack has made me and my circles very uneasy, as we considered the attack to be targeted at a symbol of a certain life style. It could happen at any of the places that we like to go to frequently.

As we were feeling down over this reality, just a few days later İzmir was attacked. Luckily a hero police officer spotted the terrorists before they could carry out their plan of heavily attacking the court house and he gave his life to stop the live bomb.

Although we felt really terrible to be so vulnerable against terrorist attacks as a nation, the fact that our police force was at least able to stop and kill the terrorists before they could carry out the plan gave some sort of relief. The Reina attack was worse in the sense that the assassin just walked in, killed people and walked out with no one there to even try to stop him.

Anyway just as we were having days of worry and no joy as a nation we got snowed in. Somehow nature has a way of bringing joy at the least expected instances and she did. We woke up to a white Saturday, everything covered with snow. Of course children and adults all started to play, thus childlike joy found us all. We exhausted ourselves playing in the cold weather and then rushing home for warm cozy treats. Before we knew it, we have become able to enjoy the simplicity of nature.

 

I personally have had a lot of fun since my doggies love the snow. I don’t know what awaits us in the near future but having had a break from such worries and just doing cozy things at home and playing with my doggies in the garden felt good.

     

I bet the terrorists hate these happy photos of people on social media playing in the snow like children. They have just hit us and hit us hard. It’s not that we don’t or won’t grieve but let’s call it Divine intervention. Their aim is to put us all into a deep state of fear and depression and then Divine sends us joy in the form of snow. So we enjoy the moment ❤

What else exists anyway?

Ready for New Beginnings

The year 2016 has almost come to an end. This has been a difficult but good year at the same time. The difficulty mainly derives from the terrorist attacks and loss of ‘sense of security’ which we had to endure as a nation. It has become our new ‘normal’ just like that, as human nature tends to adapt even when conditions are unpleasant.

Having said that, personally I have felt a lot of progress this year. Taking a trip to India was like getting back to my roots. I was a college student when I started my spiritual journey of Sahaja Yoga. It has helped me see things from a different angle throughout my life. However lately I was feeling not completely lost but confused. Sahaja Yoga is all about love and joy and forgiveness. Here I am in a country where aggression has peaked every which way, people are frustrated and miserable, polarization has put a wedge between various layers of the society, which made it tricky to still try and be joyful.

I had started to feel worn down. One of the main disturbances was my encounter with people who are not necessarily well read, yet holding decision making positions. The idea that merit means absolutely nothing was frustrating. I was asked to help a Turkish economics magazine to bring out a monthly English edition. Although I was not necessarily interested in this position I had accepted it as I was promised collaboration on a TV job. They would use their connections to pitch my documentary series idea. Since connections are more important than merit, it all made sense. So, I got to work on a freelance basis with a magazine where none of the owners speak English. The way I was raised kept me from making them feel unwell about it. Anyway it was a bit naïve of me, looking back I realize they were stringing me along to get their English magazine off the ground for which they needed my help but probably never had the intention of sharing my pitch with the connections they claimed to have.

I’ve had so many encounters where people who lack culture happen to hold decision making positions within the media industry that I suddenly had it. My kindness towards such people did not derive from the desire to be on their good side or anything of the sort. On the contrary, it was the way that I was brought up. Compassion was preventing me from belittling ignorance.

Somehow that has changed upon my return from India where I took some time for my spiritual benevolence. I find myself telling people off, left and right. So one of the major changes through 2016 is that, I have lost patience for people with inferiority complexes. There is some sort of relief in telling them off. At the end of the day ignorance is vice and knowledge is virtue and someone needs to tell them. Evidently when nobody does, they feel OK belittling the concept of knowledge as a whole. Lack of it does not hold them back in life since merit holds no value.

Then again, a pleasant aspect of 2016 has been my friendships. I have been in very close touch with my childhood friends. We’ve known each other since we are 12 years old. There is something so priceless about this relation where we give instant childlike joy to each other. Also, we are as real as it gets around each other. Most people need to keep up appearances in their adult lives. They lose the luxury of being fully open and able to share everything without at all being judged amongst their circle of friends. It is not like that for us, we get to share everything, even embarrassing things and laugh like we did when we were kids.  Feeling loved like that with no judgment is wonderful. There have been other people with whom I have grown closer. The common denominator is yet again that they are ”real people.” So this was a good year for friendships.

It was a good year for my health.

I have started working towards different business goals which feels good. I have quit smoking which feels good. I am working out much better than I used to which feels good. I’m properly recycling which feels good. Some weeks, I was unable to put out my collected recycle items for the weekly pick up, because if I put them out too soon, the trash guys were grabbing them. Finally the recycle guys have discovered my hidden spot where I collect them in a recycle blue bag at the side corner of my house. They grab it even if I’m not at home during their weekly pick-up hour. It may sound like a small detail in life but week after week, I have separated recycle items collected them, then the trash guys grabbed them because I could not be at home at the hour of recycle collection, and put them out too soon.

Anyhow, I do not have very many New Year’s resolutions.

However keeping in shape may be one of them.  I’ve gained 3 kg’s upon quitting smoking whereby not even my size has changed but somehow it caused some insecurity. Luckily my good friends snapped me out of it by telling me that I was too thin anyway thus look better.

Saying that is what good friends do….:)

I am hoping that this New Year will bring all the best to me and my loved ones and throughout the year, I’ve made that wish in various temples of different faiths, so I am sure it will….

Happy New Year!

My Heart Sees You

At the end of the summer I took a long needed trip to India. It was the beginning of my “eat, pray, love” days, was my joke when I landed at the Delhi airport. It was 4 am when I landed and the car that was supposed to pick me up was not there. It was dark yet, I smoked a cigarette in front of the airport and took a cab, which I was later told was dangerous.  The cab drove me to Noida where I reached the Sahaja Yoga Health and Research facility.

As soon as I arrived, I felt like I had arrived to heaven on earth. I could feel my Guru Shri Mataji’s vibrations on the premises although She has passed away a few years ago. Her immaculate taste and refine touch was visible everywhere along with the feeling of Her love.

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

It was the break of dawn and there I was sitting with some old Indian ladies who did not speak English but just gave me some chai. Looking at the garden while sipping my tea, I just knew I was going to be ok.

The point of my trip was to be cured. For past three years I had non-life threatening but disturbing health issues one after the other. I just could not lead a regular life. I could not leave the house without having my pills with me in case something happens. My condition was causing extreme bloating whereby I could not breathe. Not knowing where and when it will find me was also very disturbing as it was happening while I am driving or having a meeting.

So although I appeared normal from afar, I had limited my outings to necessities. That was no fun!

I tried to work out of course but the quality of my work-outs were very poor with my breathing problems.

As soon as I stepped onto the premises in Noida, I knew all that was going to be my past. The doctors worked on me from the first day on. In the afternoon, although I was sleep deprived from the night flight, I went out to get a local sim-card. Meanwhile being away from the Health Center, I decided to feed my habit of smoking. In Istanbul you can lit a cigarette on the street, although traditionally a female smoking on the street is not considered very lady like, it has become more normal over the years.

However when I was on the streets of India and not one person smoking, no coffee shop to sit, ‘me holding a cigarette in my hand’ brought my Turkish upbringing conditionings into place and I just threw it away, for I could not appear like a trashy person with no proper manners.

That was my last cigarette so far. It was such an easy way to quit. The vibrations of the Sahaja Yoga Health facility were so strong and over powering that they cut off my demons, thus my addiction.

By the time my stay was finished the doctors had worked on me for many days and I was cured. I was hardly bloating and more importantly I did not have to worry about having shortness of breath while travelling from one spot to the other.

They had worked on many of my chakras but the one blocked and causing the shortness of breath was my heart chakra.

Hmm…

Something I make a habit of ignoring…

As my stay in Noida was completed, I went to Delhi and from there to Dharamsala, the Himalayas. When I arrived I realized that it was like a cartoon fairy tale. I was literally walking among the clouds. My dear Uncle Yogi Mahajan who had taken me to Dharamsala suggested that I burn my heart catch in havans, which is a treatement to burn away negativity.

So I did, and with each Havan the weight on my heart lifted some more…

Vibrations were amazing, a sweet Indian Yogini told me that she could feel so much love pouring out from me, towards her. It was true. The humane kind of love, I have always felt, even for people that I don’t know so well. So in this sense a completely open heart can be misguiding.

There is no vulnerability involved. I can go out of my way to help friends or even strangers, since I would be doing it with no expectations in return, it is easy. It’s just a humane kind of love.

However entrusting a man with my heart…trickier! Of course when you love someone, you love someone, it just happens, that part we cannot stop from happening but the mistrust can mess things up.

Anyhow, upon my return from this incredible trip, not only do I feel cured health-wise but my heart chakra feels so much better in general. Also I feel joy the way a yogini is supposed to feel it, in other words all the time. This transformation feels miraculous. Moreover the physical strength and ability to run or swim the way I used to is so elevating.

Even the ladies in my Sahaja Yoga Class can feel the difference, our group meditations are more powerful than ever. So my ability to spread humane love has increased even more. I don’t know if the joke of “eat, pray and love” will become a reality as in loving a man anytime soon but I can sense my heart regaining the ability to see …..maybe even see what was sitting right in front of me. How that will affect my life is yet to be seen but it appears that I burned my baggage away during the Havans in India and that is incredibly joy giving…

Tranquility, Easy to Reach

It’s raining outside, the sound of the water beating against the pavement is very calming. I have finally had a good night of sleep last night, after a few days of little sleep.

A project that I had been working on for a few months now has kept me very busy lately that I did not have the time to update my blog. It involved a lot of reading on subjects that I like so I cannot complain.

Still when I finished, I found myself feeling happy to be free to read more things unrelated to the topic of my project. Days like today, when I wake up rested after a tired period, I feel blank. It is a pleasant feeling. After having to be focused on something for days, once it is finished my brain seems to relax and by going blank breaking me away from my regular life.

It is a good state to meditate.

I have been a Sahaja Yogini since 1998 yet sometimes, I still find my friends asking me if I continue my yoga practice. I’ve been practicing since college and it has become a life style for me since then. I used give free of charge, Sahaja Yoga classes in college. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, who is the founder of Sahaja Yoga, always explained that sharing love should not be charged for and established the whole organization as a non-profit entity.

Yoga means “Union” It is a way to unite with the whole, call it Divine, call it Universe…depending on one’s spiritual beliefs the terminology might change but through Yoga we connect. The western world seems to have a misconception of the word Yoga assuming that it is about body postures. This is mainly because the west was introduced to the idea of Yoga mainly through practices such as Hatha Yoga, which involve a lot of body postures.

It matched the western culture’s idea of achievement, because when you evolve your physical abilities everyone can see it. So you have proof that you are better at it and can even secretly compete with others should you wish to do so. Whereas spiritual evolvement should make one stop competing with others.

Training the body to bend a certain way also helps one be thoughtless, as one is very much focused on the position, so like some other sports, this type of posture involving yoga relaxes one.

Then again, there is so much more to uniting that seems to be missed in these modern, posture involving westernized yoga classes. The silence of meditation pulls us back into the reality. Especially, if we have lives with a fast pace, to elongate the moment in between two thoughts and go thoughtless might not seem easy at first, but there is a tremendous calming effect once achieved that state.

That blank state breaks us away from all the things that seem to matter and lets us feel the pure joy of THE MOMENT. Although it may differ from culture to culture our conditionings, make us want to mold into a certain form that we feel is acceptable and desirable. Then there are material things that we believe help us have the right look for how we want to be perceived.

Not that I see anything wrong with material achievements, my concern is more on the price that sometimes comes with it. By material, I do not necessarily mean a car or a house but even a position among society.

I feel that as long as we feel free spiritually, it is OK to chase after our dreams of achievement.  How we know whether we are free or not is simple. If we are able to feel inner joy, we are good.

However if the price comes at becoming a sort of dry person, with the inability to enjoy the simple things, there is a problem!

The ideal state should be to make it, (whatever it is we desire to make) while maintaining the ability to feel inner bliss.

One of the keys to that is getting over our conditionings. The ability to have a flexible perception on how things ought to be opens a whole new door.  Still there is more to it than the fact that it makes one, a solution finder in situations where people in the box cannot step out.

The best part is that the invisible strains created by our surroundings cannot capture us. In other words, it becomes hard to make us feel bad about who we are, according to the measurements of society.  Those silent moments where we unite with the whole on a spiritual level, helps us see everything from a different angle when it comes to the encounters with the rest on a mental level.

The clouds of thoughts and shapes disappear, leaving us with pure joy, the way it is with children. Children have the ability to tremendously enjoy playing with something as simple as a gift’s wrap, not even the gift itself. Since no one entered this world as an adult, we were all like that and the ability is actually still there.

Although it may sound, like a far away state to be in, when I try to describe it through words, it is like a type of food that one has never tasted, and understands the actual taste of it, better than any of my explanations once they have a bite of it.

Lately a girlfriend at my gym, catches me after a swim and asks me help her meditate. I love that it happens so spontaneously and it has been while since I’ve given yoga classes.  We sit next to the whirlpool where it is usually quiet and go thoughtless, while the kundalini clears out the catches on our chakras, we just enjoy the moment. Those moments of silence are not only rejuvenating but while we enjoy the moment, our world gets re-aligned.

After twenty minutes, she tells me how relaxed and good she feels. Whatever was pulling her down disappears. Of course the actual experience beats, me telling about it. What is happening is that when we are in balance, our surroundings also fall into the right balance. It is not only our perception that gets fresh eyes but also the detachment from whatever it is that is on our mind, takes away its hold on our state of mind.

The alignment that takes place during our silent moments makes things suddenly start working. Those silent moments might seem inactive but it is our connection with the whole, it is the yoga state. In other words our power to create change is not limited to our physical action.

So we do not have to choose between a joyful state and worldly achievements, they are certainly not mutually exclusive but set-backs which are a natural part of working towards a goal, will bother us less when we have the inner joy on our side.

I should probably give a little more information on the type of yoga that I practice for those readers who might desire to achieve the above explained state.

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Sahaja Yoga

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi started Sahaja Yoga in 1970 by awakening the kundalini of masses.  In the presence of an awakened kundalini, another one can be awakened, should one desire. This realization helps us re-connect with the whole, in a spontaneous way. Sahaja Yoga means “Spontaneous Union”.

The Kundalini resides in the sacrum area of our body, and it is a female energy that we are all born with. Once our conditionings start as we grow up, she assumes a dormant position, thus upon her re-awakening we become able to have the state of joy that we had in our childhood. As the kundalini rises, she works through our chakras, and unblocks them. This spontaneous clear out, has a transforming effect on our whole being. Of the seven chakras (energy centers) each has a negative and positive quality. So if the chakra is clear the positive quality comes out and if it is blocked the negative quality manifests.

I will not go through all of them but as an example, when our center heart is blocked we might feel uneasy and restless for some moments. Some people resort to alcohol or other substances to subdue that state when it happens. Air is the element of this chakra and proper breathing while meditating is a way to clear it out instantly. Once the chakra is cleared, calmness and peace replaces the previous state of anxiety.

This “clear out” is possible during meditation, so other than the inner bliss, there is a practical side to it that helps us evolve while enjoying.

If I caused you to be curious about Sahaja Yoga, you can simply go to any one of the centers that might be in your area, free of charge, as sharing love should not cost money.

Enjoy the bliss 🙂

http://www.sahajayoga.org/worldwidecontacts/default.asp

But We Had More Memories to Make…

Sudden death is hard to cope with, for the ones left behind. I suppose it is good for the one who leaves this earth. Going without suffering much, is ideal. I lost my father last week and it hurts immensely. We have not had the best relation, yet oddly I would always worry about this day. I guess deep down I had hopes to work things out among us, although I was not willing to do much about it. The reason that I could not bring myself to resolve things was mostly because it hurt me too much.

Then a few months ago something changed. I found myself enjoying our little chats, even calling him. I guess I should find solace that I had forgiven him before he passed, yet the pain keeps taking me over. Most of my memories with him go way back to my childhood. I was finally ready to make new memories, but he is gone now.

I find myself trying to justify the pain I feel or the fact that I loved him. I find myself telling people that I am making snow days when I am actually grieving and cannot get myself to do much. I tried to go swimming a few days ago because it usually makes me feel better.  As I was in the water I found myself reminiscing that he was the one who taught me how to swim when I was only two years old. I swim a few days a week and this thought never occurred to me. Since he passed memories seem to flow.

He did not like me to swim in wavy sea waters, but one day when I was around eleven years old, I almost got drowned. The current had pulled me in and I was out of sight. He was a great swimmer, so he jumped into the water with his clothes on, to get me out. He could not find me because the waves and current kept me in. As a large wave kind of spat me out, I found myself on the shore. He was furious that I went into the water when the waves were man high and he had told me not to, but that day he explained to me theoretically how to swim in such waters, just in case it happened again, to ensure that I could survive.

 

“Never go against the waves, rise with them, fold with them and you will be able to go forward. Obey nature and the sea will give you way.”  were his words.

He liked nature, discussions on history and theology and so do I.

He was good looking, charming, humble, and very polite; yet spoke his mind openly without sugar coating what he has to say, while managing not to offend anybody. I never heard him yell at anyone.

As a little girl I thought that he was my ally. I knew he would buy me the facial paint set that mom refused to buy (knowing that I would make a mess), which he did. Mom was the disciplinary, he was the fun daddy. If I really misbehaved, he would just say,

 

“I will tell your mom.”

 

I would object saying “No come on, you cannot do that!” In my mind we had a code of honor, we were good friends.

He had taught me how to play poker when I was six or seven. I have no idea how to play now, I completely forgot, but at the time he let me win each and every time. Of course as a little girl, I was so sure that I was beating him and that I was a terrific card player.

One day as we were walking down the street, he told me that I could go to him whenever I had a problem, no matter what my problem was. I was probably seven years old and had just started school when this conversation occurred.

I said “OK” after a small moment of silence, I asked

 

“Daddy what’s a problem?”

He laughed and told me that as I grew up, I may come across situations when I do not know what to do and that I would never need to hide them from him. I should just go to him and he would help me.

As a child I desired to have a problem to share with him, it seemed like a privileged situation, where I would be sharing a secret with him.

Sadly later in life, he was the last person that I ever felt that I could go to when I encountered a troubled situation. However, recently I had realized that whenever we spoke, his calm voice was calming me too.

When I received the call last week that informed me that he had passed in the morning I found myself bursting into tears hysterically. I did not know what to do with myself, nor called anyone. My mother has a way of feeling me; she popped by unannounced and found me in tears. She tried to ease my pain. It has only been a week, so the sudden crying crises kick in at the least expected moments, but I know that time is the only thing that can help relieve the pain. I have to wait it out.

Meanwhile I have puppies who naturally have no idea of what goes on in my life, who cry when hungry, distract me by being naughty and kiss me relentlessly which in fact helps. My grown doggies make me go out and walk in the freezing weather because they need to relieve themselves, which is good because not much else could get me out the door for a leisurely walk these days. Since they enjoy the snow, they take their time too. They must feel my sorrow as they do not much leave my side, especially Shylo. He is always right by my side these days. Work continues as usual. Actually I had to attend work matters the day I got the news, as the next day. It made me wonder how people manage to grieve by putting things on hold. Silence seemed more painful the first two days. I know time will help me, ease my sorrows.

In movies death always causes people to see things with a new perspective. I realized that it is true. Putting things off when there are emotions involved is really not a good idea. We really do not know what’s next. So I find myself more expressive of my affection, even towards those who might not so much suspect it….

The Art of Communication

Puppies Responding to Words with Kisses

These days I have something special yet temporary in my life. Since I know that it cannot last forever, I try to savior every moment. My doggie had given birth and now the puppies are about two months old. They are such a delight to be around, it is heavenly. I wish they could always remain so cute. Every moment I spend with them they bedazzle me with a different move. A few days ago I noticed that they were responding to the sound of food dropping into their bowl. As soon as they hear it they come running inside from the garden. All of them hop with a sense of urgency, it is cute.When  I am not around to pay attention, I do not like to let them stay outdoors. So when I have to leave the house, to get them to come inside I would pour some food in the bowl and they would all run in. Today they were full and the weather was too nice, so three of them did not come to the sound. I started talking loudly in the high pitch voice that I only talk to them saying “Baby, baby, baby my sweet baby” then I heard them hopping in rush, to come kiss me.

 Of course my heart melted right then and there!

I was so touched that they were showing the same kind of enthusiasm to the idea of coming in to kiss me that they normally show towards food. In a puppy’s life, food is basically all they care for, as they mainly eat, play and sleep. Not that grown doggies are much different but at least they understand when I say “NO” whereas the puppies seem under the impression that “NOOO!” means “Go right ahead!”

Anyhow to make a long story short, their presence and every behavior makes me very happy. I am used to getting covered in tiny little muddy paw prints all over me, as they like to climb onto me, the way they climb onto each other. When I squat, they kiss me, bite me, and pull my hair, all with tremendous enthusiasm.

I go through my days with major contrast in the way I look, as I like chic attires, which is normal but becoming so muddy everyday is new to me. When I come back to my life with fine clothes, business meetings and a polished look, I find myself eager to go back to my muddy little rascals.

Treating Art as a Simple Form of Currency

A short while ago I attended to an art event. This was neither the first nor the last art event that I would visit, but there was something significant about it that made me think of the experience later on. I was invited to a private lounge within the venue and the bank that owns the launch hired an art expert to walk us through the galleries.

I went to college inSan Francisco, so I imagined this occasion would be something like in mySan Franciscodays. People of the Bay Area are very open minded and seeing a new dimension of anything and looking for depth is verySan Francisco. The Hippie move started in Haight Ashbury (San Francisco) toured the world, ended in Berkeley (Bay Area). Therefore gatherings of all sorts were always interesting in this town.

Anyhow, my experience at this occasion was nothing like that; in fact I was surprised with the banking lady who approached me at the VIP launch. She told me that art is a good investment.

Ok it is!

But the way she built up to this sentence made me feel like, in her mind that’s all it is.

I kindly said “Is that so?”

She kept telling me the profits some people made.

As she was going on, I had a flash back vision in my mind the way it happens in movies.

A few years ago at the same event I fell in love with a painting. It was a couple kissing. Nothing original about it, but I could hardly break away from it. My mother bought it and that weekend on the Sunday art section of most papers’, it was featured as one of the most outstanding items. I had no idea when I fell in love with it, but mom was not the least bit surprised. I was drawn to it as it had moved me, simple as that!

For me, in spite of the regularity of it’s theme that was no ordinary kiss!

I had kissed that way, felt that way…it had spoken to my heart

Of course I did not tell this story to the banking lady.

She would probably look at me and think that I am a romantic fool, which I certainly am!

 I just sat there as she went on.

When the tour started, the expert’s lack of passion made me feel a little disappointed but I did not want to disrespect her, by simply walking away.

Then I heard someone whispering in my ear “Have you had enough? Shall I save you?” A friend of mine who owns a gallery was exhibiting at this event, and the person whispering in my air with the most amused facial expression was her father.

I said, “Yes please” 

There I had my excuse to walk away.

Later, my friend introduced me to the artist who was displaying his work through her gallery. The poor man shook my hand and told her, “Yes I noticed her. She actually looked at my paintings.”

So were others just chatting away without bothering to see what’s on display?

No Need for Words When the Heart Speaks

Then a few days later, when I was in my muddy paw print look, walking with my dogs who cannot stop hugging me, right after they jump in mud, the owner of a fish restaurant by the Boshphorus that I walk pass everyday approached me. He asked me if I could maybe help them move their dog Tommy, to the terrace. Tommy is literally bigger than me. He is only seven months old and when he is tied outside he likes to hug Delilah and me as well. (more paw prints) I love the little giant. His owner must have seen us interact. The Chef came as well and they started telling me how Tommy does not want to climb stairs and because of his strength, he cannot be pulled up or anything, he needs to be convinced.

It is not very common in my culture for men, to ask a small framed woman to help with a giant of a dog, so I was pleasantly surprised.

It got me thinking later, why would they think that Tommy would obey me, as opposed to them? Then I realized that they see me communicate with my doggies all the time.

Yes! I talk to my doggies with full sentences and I know they understand me very well. They may not be able to talk back with words but they sure express themselves. The trick is that I talk through my heart and doggies acknowledge that immediately.

It also made me realize that sometimes I am better at understanding what a dog says without words than what a person says with words. So the contrast is not only in my clothes but my worlds.

Why do people have to complicate everything?

The banking lady was standing in a venue surrounded by items created by other human beings who try to express themselves in other ways than saying things directly; possibly more bold, more striking ways, yet all she could focus on was that someone, not even herself, someone could make money off this.

The inability to enjoy beauty for what it is must be some kind of curse.

What I love most about all forms of art, is that very communication aspect that connects us all. A song can make millions of people tap into the same emotion. The one who composed it, not only connected millions under the same feeling, but also let’s them express their feelings through his/hers musical ability. Those who are better at putting their emotions into their work and letting it speak to others are considered better artists, because more are drawn to their work.

A lot of things are much simpler than they seem. People sometimes build a clutter that acts as a barrier of joy. Going through motions for the sake of appearances is one of the sneakiest bliss stealers but people do it all the time.

Whether it is time with puppies, an art event, a concert or a good dinner, we all try to relax and enjoy in our spare time, that only happens when we simplify it and appreciate the actual thing instead of getting lost in the sideshow, such as who we see there, who gets to see us, what is profitable…..

Could a Religion be About Terrorism?

It has been a decade since the 9/11 attacks. The world was shocked to see how vulnerable America was against such a horrible strike. At first, the enemy was the terrorist organization Al Qaeda headed by Osama Bin Laden. In time the enemy became Islam. It was interesting to see the change in perception.

In 2003 Al Qaeda bombed the HSBC headquarters, the British Embassy and some Jewish Temples inIstanbul. In spite of the strategic places where the bombs were placed, the people who died were mostly Turks, Jewish and Muslim. Bin Laden had no problem attacking a Muslim nation and he was not yet perceived as the symbol of Islam by Christian countries.

How that happened often puzzles me, although I recall reading articles on the subject in the late nineties, long before 9/11 had occurred. Political forecasts at the time were suggesting that the threat of communism is going to be replaced by the threat of Islam. Frankly, it seemed a bit far off at the time. I had grown up in a secular Muslim country. The pieces I read were suggesting that the American public needs an enemy and with the cold war ending, communism could no longer be considered much of a threat, so it was going to be Islam.

Time proved the argument to be true. Fifteen years later we see an American public, with the idea that Islam means terror.

Could that really be the case? Could a religion that has the second largest following in the world be about terrorism?

“Come on who is going to believe that?” is what crossed one’s mind back in 1997.

Hollywood movies from the cold war era always picture the Russian as the bad guys and movies dated after 2001 always portray the Muslim, mostly Arabs as the bad guys.

How is this relevant?

It is no secret that the majority of the public is very much influenced by such movies. Not only in America but in most countries the general public does not have in depth information on history, or cultures of different nations.

The fact that Al Qaeda placed bombs in Istanbul makes them the enemy to Muslims as well. Yet the perception was never so, it was more like Osama calls for Jihad, he does it in the name of Islam so all Muslims shall be in agreement with him.

Really?

The world of Islam may not at all be in agreement with Al Qaeda but there is another point that seems to be missed, which often puzzles me. Millions of Muslims had died in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine.

 How is that they do not matter?

What kind of mindset justifies attacks when they come from one side and condemns them when from a different side?

This draws my attention back to the Hollywood movies. They create a myth that is fun to buy into. In most of these movies,  American values are highlighted in every possible way, where people matter! America is mostly featured as the invincible police of the world, the country that ends disputes and makes things right. The truth however turned out to be a little different. When Housni Mubarek, tried to hold on to his dictatorship, before it was known to the world that the people of Egypt were ready to die, before backing down, President Obama made a statement saying ” Our priority in the region is stability, over democracy.”

The rest of the world interpreted this as “We get on with this dictator, he listens to us, tough luck that the people are not fond of him.”

After a courageous fight of the people, everyone decided to support the public as opposed to the dictator.

How is this relevant?

Well, all these movies make it look like American soldiers are in the Middle-East or Afghanistan, trying to establish democracy for the people. Those who fight back are never perceived as people who defend their country, but surely terrorists.

Arabs live in caves, in most of these movies. I’m sure the writers of those movie scripts have no idea that the Algebra class that they possibly struggled with is named after the Arabian chemist Al-Gebir. 

Yes! It is the Arabs who advanced the world in something that is needed in many fields from Aerospace to computing.

The word Checkmate comes from the Arabic Shah-Mat. French borrowed their word from Arabic shah mat “the king is dead”. The Arabic phrase is made up of shah “king”, a word borrowed from Persian (as in the Shah of Iran) plus mat “died” from Mata “to die”.

The oldest known Chess books or parts thereof are in Arabic, written about 850 AD.

Yes! Arabs were writing books on chess, long before the western world ever heard of the game.

Aristotle’s teachings were first written in Arabic and later translated into Greek from the Arabic, scriptures. Guess why? Because the Eastern world had the appreciation to write his work before the rest could recognize his importance.

“Ibn Sīnā, or Avicenna as he is better known, was an outstanding Persian scientist around the beginning of the 11th century; he was the true successor to Aristotle. His writings on medicine and drugs, which were particularly authoritative and remained so until the Renaissance, did much to bring the works of Aristotle back to Europe, where they were translated into Latin from Arabic.” (http://www.britannica.com/facts/5/498724/Avicenna-as-discussed-in-biology)

Ibn Sina recognized and made Aristotle known to the East in 11th century, the Renaissance happened between the 14th and 17th century.

It took the European three to five hundred years to acknowledge their own philosopher and for that they needed the Arabic scripts.

Ibn Sina also wrote medical textbooks in Arabic, which doctors like Maimonides used all over the Abbasid Empire and (once they had been translated into Latin) all over Europe too all through the Middle Ages. Ibn Sina may have been the first person to realize that you could catch diseases like measles or smallpox or tuberculosis from other people.

I could go on with many more examples, but the point that I’ve been trying to establish is that Arabian or Persian scientist and philosophers have advanced the world in vital areas such as medicine, science, philosophy and much more. Portraying them as tribal people living in caves is simply absurd and shows ignorance of the portrayer. I do not mean to blame the world’s chaos on a bunch of movies but no one can deny their influence. The entertainment industry has no obligation to enlighten people. Then again all that misleading might have caused people to have a false sense of security while trapped in those buildings during 9/11 and kept them from trying to find a way out when they had the chance.

Al-Qaida’s attack on innocent civilians has been condemned by the world, but as mentioned earlier in the article they had attacked Istanbul as well, and killed Muslims. Terrorism is a terrible thing to suffer from but the assumption that anyone who follows the same faith or speaks the same language with the attacker is also a potential terrorist is just absurd.

Considering all the help of advanced technology in this time and age one would hope that members of different civilizations would understand each other, as opposed to clashing with one another. When a movie like the Avatar comes out, suddenly everyone loves and understands each other and nature…..One can only hope that that is the direction mankind will eventually be headed towards…..we are meant to complete each other not omit…..

Follow me on Twitter@banugokyar

Sources:

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/fs/pnorris/Acrobat/stm103%20articles/Fox_Clash_Ext_Conflict.pdf

http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definitions/Algebra

http://www.alphadictionary.com/goodword/word/checkmate

http://www.silk-road.com/newsletter/volumeonenumberone/origin.html

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/islam/science/ibnsina.htm

http://www.britannica.com/facts/5/498724/Avicenna-as-discussed-in-biology

http://www.nature.com/nrm/journal/v2/n6/box/nrm0601_475a_BX2.html

Was Looting Symbols of Deities Such a Good Idea?

Mexico is suffering from the looting of their historical artifacts.  According to the BBC report the spectacular headdress of Mexico’s last Aztec ruler, Moctezuma showcased at Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology is a replica.

                                                                                                                                                               *The original lies thousands of kilometers away in a collection at Vienna’s Ethnology Museum. Mexico has long wanted to see the original returned

It is a shame that the natives do not get to see or showcase artifacts of their own land. Looting of artifacts has been on going for a long time. Especially before and after the world wars, a lot of artifacts have been taken from their original locations.

**A magnificent 3500 years old Hittite Sphinx had been unearthed around 1906 in Turkey. It was considered one of the greatest discoveries. The Sphinx had been taken to Berlin to be restored, not to be kept, only to be restored, yet had never been returned and was still in the Pergamon Museum until recently. Turkey’s minister for culture Ertugrul Gunay had to give an ultimatum that German archeologists will not be allowed to continue, digging in Turkey, if they do not return the Sphinx.

It worked. Germany decided to return the master piece to Turkey.  One could argue that these items are universal treasures and it should not matter where they are displayed, as long as future generations get to see them, but it is hard to know who would be a better guard.

***Forty giant statues, were taken from a temple in the ancient settlement of Tell Halaf in what is now northern Syria, by German adventurer and diplomat Baron Max von Oppenheim, and caused a sensation when they came to Europe. Baron exposed them to a private museum in Berlin between 1930 and November 1943 when an allied bombing destroyed the place. The fire roasted artifacts of basalt, and water used to douse the flames caused the material to splinter into a thousand pieces.

They have recently been reassembled, after nine years of reassembling effort of 25 000 pieces. That was probably the most rewarding puzzle to be completed. The Pergamon Museum in Berlin presented the restored objects.

The point is that if they had remained in Syria, they would have been safe during World War II which is when they were destroyed.

Artifacts looted during that period are still being discovered, some of which are being returned to their rightful owners. ****According to the New York Times article, 370-year-old painting that belonged to a Jewish art dealer who fled the Netherlands around the time of the Nazi invasion in 1940 will be returned to his family by the J. Paul Getty Museum. (The Associated Press reported.)

The painting, “Landscape With Cottage and Figures,” done by Pieter Molijn around 1640, belonged to Jacques Goudstikker, a prominent dealer who died in a fall on a ship while fleeing the Nazis with his wife and son. His collection was looted, and some of the art ended up in the hands of the Nazi leader Hermann Goering, according to the Associated Press report.

In a written statement released Monday, museum officials stated: “Working in cooperation with representatives of the Goudstikker heirs, the Getty’s research revealed that the painting was in Goudstikker’s inventory at the time of the invasion in 1940, and that it was never restituted after World War II. Based on its findings, the Getty concluded that the painting should be transferred to the heirs.”

It sounds fair that the painting gets returned to the heirs of the original owner. Maybe the same principle should be applied to all looted artifacts and they should all be returned to their rightful claimers.

One of the world wonders had been removed from Turkey, Halicarnassus .The Halicarnassus Mausoleum had been shipped to England decades ago and is on display at the British Museum. Legend says that a Halicarnassus fisherman was very sad while the artifact was being uprooted from where it had been built around 350 BC, by architects Pytheos, Satyrus.  Skopas, Timotheos, Bryaris Leochares were the famous sculptors to work on the sides. It had been built by the Karian, who used to reside in the area at the time. (An ancient Western Anatolian Civilization) They worshipped the Anatolian Goddess Hecate. Ancient Egyptians  called the Karian” The bronze people who come out of the heart of the sea”. The fisherman said that the artifact will miss its home, miss the sea. They said “No worries we will paint the room that is displayed in blue.” It was blue for a while and then everyone forgot.

Looted items seem to be returned to their original spots. Who knows maybe one of these days headdress of Mexico’s last Aztec ruler, might find its way home or the Mausoleum might find its way back to Halicarnassus.

Most of the artifacts of ancient times, mean more than art, as they represent spiritual beliefs of the time. The forty giant statues, clearly did not agree with their new location, after being removed from Syria. Did bombs destroy them or did they destroy Berlin for all the cruelty happening at the time.

Who knows?

Mankind is still cruel and the hope is that one day that shall change.

The world is going through floods, wars, Tsunamis…. Would returning ancient spiritual objects home, be a symbol of the end of looting and help Aztec, Karian or other deities put the world right?

Maybe or maybe not, the point is that having looted artifacts decades ago, should not be an excuse for holding on to them.

Follow me on twitter@banugokyar

Sources:

*http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12404699

**http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14875550,00.html

***http://www.gospress.com/entertainment/berlin-museum-restores-artifacts-destroyed-in-the-2nd-war.html

***http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/getty-museum-will-return-painting-looted-by-nazis/?partner=rss&emc=rss

*****http://www.kulturturizm.gov.tr/TR/belge/1-1493/bodrum—halikarnas-mausoleumu.html

Ottoman Royal Family Stories Told By Turkish Princess

Yesterday, I was watching a history show, which is one of my favorite shows. Historians gather and talk about the past. They show real documents and always have very interesting guests. It was interesting to see “Princess Hanzade Özbaş” on air. She is the great grand daughter of the latest heir to the Ottoman Empire. Her great grandfather Sultan Vahdettin had been pictured as a traitor in Turkish history books.

She explained how difficult history class had been for her as a child. Her teacher was making her, read out loudly the passage that explains what a traitor, a terrible person Sultan Vahdettin was. Of course being only a little girl, she ran out of class crying;

 “My Grandfather is not a traitor!”

It is very well acknowledged by historians now  that he was never a traitor, yet I am not sure if they changed the context of school books. Either way, it was ridiculous of her teacher, to torture a little girl like that, knowing who she is. Although she was living with her grandmother “Who in fact, is Ottoman History” little Princess Hanzade kept failing Ottoman History classes throughout high-school. She went to college abroad.

Princess Neslişah Evliyazade

It had been a littler easier for her daughter  Neslişah Evliyazade. She says, it feels interesting to realize that her grand parents lived at the Dolmabahçe palace which she only gets to visit like a regular tourist. Although, the family has no influence or title anymore, they represent Turkish royalty and set an example of the traditions of Turkish aristocracy.

Princess Neslişah explained in one interview that the importance of education preceded everything. Ladies of the royal family were very well educated; they spoke minimum three foreign languages. Sultan Vahdettin’s grand daughters supported themselves through working hard, as everything was taken away from them. Unfortunately the princes were unable to do so, as most had been educated by the military, to become great soldiers, which left them unqualified to find immediate jobs while in exile.

Princess Hanzade’s mother met her husband while she was an instructor at Princeton University in America during World War II. Her husband was teaching at Princeton just like her. He was Turkish as well, although not royal, he came from a very wealthy family.

Princess Hanzade was telling these little stories about Ottoman life that opened yet another window to the Emporium’s ways. She explained that, daughters of Sultan’s were getting married with the husbands they chose. The grooms had no choice of refusal. The marriages were taking place on paper, prior to meeting each other. Then the husband still had to go ask for the bride’s hand. At that point some brides were known to make the husband wait, for up to four hours, or rejecting him a few times, before they agreed. It is a little funny considering that they are the ones who chose the man, to make him suffer a little before taking his hand was possibly a form of flirting. The fact that the groom could not refuse seems harsh, still Ottomans were beauties, as I had explained in previous articles, the Sultans had procreated only with the most beautiful women for centuries, therefore that gene pool was filled with gorgeousness. The groom had not much to worry about her looks.

Pictures of Some of the Born Turkish Princesses:

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Once married to the daughter of a Sultan, he could not get a second wife, nor could he divorce her. However by law she could divorce him and marry someone else, should she chose to do so.

I find this interesting as the Ottoman Empire was Islamic. Yet, none of the rules of Islam were applied towards royal ladies.  

Another interesting story was about one husband who was the son of a Sadrazam, which is a title similar to being a Prime Minister. During a heated argument, things got out of control and he slapped his wife, as soon as she opened the door, guards jumped on him, to beat the hell out of him, for he could not touch “The Lady” even if she was his wife. The fact that he was the son of the highest ranking officer, after the Sultan did not help him the least bit.

Ottoman tradition and upbringing is still present in the royal family, and stories of old customs shed more light on Ottoman culture. Princess Hanzade was explaining how important modesty was, and how any other way was unacceptable for a member of the imperial family. This explains the “scandal free” life they all have leaded. Even if they were not at all strong financially, they are who they are and that cannot be taken away from them.

Scandals of European Royalty have kept the tabloids busy over the years. Yet Ottomans always kept a dignified, quiet life style. Clearly it was part of the culture, to always remain noble, including during times of lacking financial means.

Rumor has it that Sultan Vahdettin had been offered palaces to stay and a steady income by King Emanuel in Italy. He refused the courteous offer and endured poverty for he was an Islamic Leader. Accepting, hand-outs from any Non Muslim was unacceptable, living in hardship was better. Pride precedes comfort according to the Turkish culture and these are some examples to that aspect.  

*In 2001 The Habsburg family (Austrian Royalty) gathered with the Ottoman’s in a summer resort in Turkey. These families had been at war with each other for centuries, yet after they both lost their throne, the old enemy made a good friend.

I have been judged for calling members of the Ottoman family prince or princess, as they do not rule anymore. I see no harm in respecting those who are direct lineage of the majestic family. They represent glorious history.

During the History Show, Princess Hanzade demonstrated the latest “Imperial Signet” It belonged to her great grandfather Sultan Vahdettin and as he was the last Sultan, she has the last signet. It is pure gold. She also showed a royal necklace that weighed maybe a kilogram of gold. It was beautiful. The Sultan passed it on, and never considered selling these items despite, the financial hardship that he went through.

I find it hard to believe that he could be a traitor, when he valued all that he represented more than his comfort till the day he died. It is sad that books have portrayed him with no justice. Fortunately, his name has been cleared, and stories of his gracious life shall live on.

Source:

*http://webarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/2001/08/26/20617.asp

Follow me on twitter@Banugokyar