Fatih area of Istanbul

It is interesting that this Arab person bashed Erdogan as almost all Arabs I meet love him.  

He must be a left leaning person. Because most of the lefts do not like Erdogan in Turkey, it is the right wing, plus, older folks, and religious ones that keep him in power. 

Turkey, under Erdogan does not have a good record in jailing so many people.

I have come across many videos on YouTube about people who were jailed for months and years, without cause. They ended up obviously losing their jobs, homes etc. 

What is that phrase, power corrupts and too much corrupts without prejudice. 

One thing I like about Erdogan is, and you might not agree with me was his policy about the Syrians. 

I’m from Fatih, Istanbul. I was born only a block away from the Fatih Mosque, where Fatih Sultan Mehmet’s tomb is at. I tell you this to give you an idea where it is, in case you have been to that area. 

Well that area of Fatih is almost all people from the province of Siirt. That is where my grandparents are from. After WWI, many people from Siirt settled, out of that faraway city (Siirt)  to Istanbul, to find better employment. Similar to Newfoundlanders coming to Alberta for work. 

Anyway, people from Siirt are mostly Turkish Arabs. Because, sorry, this is heading somewhere, but during the Ottoman Empire days, people from El-Sham area, meaning Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria area, settled in Siirt area, because there was wars down in El-Sham. 

So, my ancestors are Arabs from south Syria area, could be Jerusalem area.

But, the Syrian refugees due to the recent wars have settled all around Fatih. Now, that area of Istanbul is full of Arabs. The signs on shops are Turkish, English, and Arabic. Just interesting how my neighbourhood has changed, again it could be worse for some, but good for others, as these people needed a new place to live. 

I guess it is good and bad, I just liked that Turkey took in 4 million plus refugees, while all of Europe complained that 1 million are coming in. 

Also, Turkey taking so many refugees is due to the fact that Arabs and all the other areas around Turkey, even in the Balkans still see Turkey as the grandchildren of the Ottomans, if anyone can save us, it is them, they think. 

Anyway, I wrote too much. 

Take care,

Fatih District of Istanbul

Fatih District of Istanbul 

 historically Constantinople, is the capital district and a municipality in Istanbul, Turkey which hosts the provincial authorities, including the governor's office, police headquarters, metropolitan municipality and tax office while encompassing the peninsula coinciding with old Constantinople. In 2009, the district of Eminönü, which had been a separate municipality located at the tip of the peninsula, was remerged into Fatih because of the small population of Eminönü. Fatih borders the Golden Horn to the north and the Sea of Marmara to the south, while the Western border is demarked by the Theodosian wall and the east by the Bosphorus Strait.

Byzantine eraEdit

Map of the city in the Byzantine period

Historic Byzantine districts encompassed by present-day Fatih include: Exokiónion, Aurelianae, Xerólophos, ta Eleuthérou, Helenianae, ta Dalmatoú, Sígma, Psamátheia, ta Katakalón, Paradeísion, ta Olympíou, ta Kýrou, Peghé, Rhéghion, ta Elebíchou, Leomákellon, ta Dexiokrátous, Petríon or Pétra, Phanàrion, Exi Mármara (Altımermer), Philopátion, Deúteron and Vlachernaí.

Immediately after the conquest, groups of Islamic scholars transformed the major churches of Hagia Sophia and the Pantocrator (today the Zeyrek Mosque) into mosques, but the Fatih Mosque and its surrounding complex was the first purpose-built Islamic seminary within the city walls. The building of the mosque complex ensured that the area continued to thrive beyond the conquest; markets grew up to support the thousands of workers involved in the building and to supply them with materials, and then to service the students in the seminary. The area quickly became a Turkish neighbourhood with a particularly pious character due to the seminary. Some of this piety has endured until today.

Following the conquest, the Edirnekapı (meaning Edirne Gate) gate in the city walls became the major exit to Thrace, and this rejuvenated the neighbourhoods overlooking the Golden Horn. The Fatih Mosque was on the road to Edirnekapı and the Fatih district became the most populous area of the city in the early Ottoman period and in the 16th century more mosques and markets were built in this area, including: Iskender Pasha Mosque, once famous as a centre for the Naqshbandi order in Turkey); Hirka-i-Sharif Mosque, which houses the cloak of the Prophet Muhammad (The Mosque is in common use but the cloak is only on show during the month of Ramadan; the Jerrahi Tekke; The Sunbul Efendi Tekke and the Ramazan Efendi Tekke both in the Kocamustafapaşa district and the Vefa Kilise Mosque, originally a Byzantine church. The last four were named after the founders of various Sufiorders, and Sheikh Ebü’l Vefa in particular was of major importance in the city and was very fond of Fatih. Many other mosques, schools, baths, and fountains in the area were built by military leaders and officials in the Ottoman court.

From the 18th century onwards, Istanbul started to grow outside the walls, and then began the transformation of Fatih into the heavily residential district, dominated by concrete apartment housing, that it remains today. This process was accelerated over the years by fires which destroyed whole neighbourhoods of wooden houses, and a major earthquake in 1766, which destroyed the Fatih Mosque and many of the surrounding buildings (subsequently rebuilt). Fires continued to ravage the old city, and the wide roads that run through the area today are a legacy of all that burning. There are few wooden buildings left in Fatih today, although right up until the 1960s, the area was covered with narrow streets of wooden buildings. Nowadays, the district is largely made up of narrow streets with tightly-packed 5- or 6-floor apartment buildings.

At present, Fatih contains areas including Aksaray, Fındıkzade, Çapa, and Vatan Caddesi that are more cosmopolitan than the conservative image which the district has in the eyes of many people. With Eminönü, which was again officially a part of the Fatih district until 1928, and with its historical Byzantine walls, conquered by Mehmed II, Fatih is the "real" Istanbul of the old times, before the recent enlargement of the city that began in the 19th century.

The area has become more and more crowded from the 1960s onwards, and a large portion of the middle-class residents have moved to the Anatolian side and other parts of the city. Fatih today is largely a working-class district, but being a previously wealthy area, it is well-resourced, with a more thoroughly established community than the newly built areas such as Bağcılar or Esenler to the west, which are almost entirely inhabited by post-1980s migrants who came to the city in desperate circumstances. Fatih was built with some degree of central planning by the municipality.

Istanbul University which was founded in 1453 is in Fatih. In addition, since 1586, the Orthodox Christian Patriarchate of Constantinople has had its headquarters in the relatively modest Church of St. George in the Fener neighborhood of Fatih.

Fatih has many theatres, including the famous Reşat Nuri Sahnesi. The area is well-served with a number of schools, hospitals and public amenities in general. A number of Istanbul's longest-established hospitals are in Fatih, including the Istanbul University teaching hospitals of Çapa and Cerrahpaşa, the Haseki Public Hospital, the Samatya Public Hospital, and the Vakıf Gureba Public Hospital. A tramway runs from the docks at Sirkeci, through Sultanahmet, and finally to Aksaray, which is a part of Fatih.

Also, besides the headquarters, some main units of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, including the city's fire department, are based in Fatih.

Fatih has many historic and modern libraries, including the Edirnekapı Halk Kütüphanesi, Fener Rum Patrikhanesi Kütüphanesi (the Library of the Patriarchate), Hekimoğlu Ali Paşa Halk Kütüphanesi, İstanbul University Library, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa Tıp Fakültesi Kütüphanesi, İstanbul Üniversitesi Kardiyoloji Ensitütüsü Kütüphanesi, İstanbul Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Hulusi Behçet Kitaplığı, İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kadın Eserleri Kütüphanesi, Millet Kütüphanesi, Mizah Kütüphanesi, Murat Molla Halk Kütüphanesi, Ragıppaşa Kütüphanesi, and Yusufpaşa Halk Kütüphanesi.

On the other hand, today Fatih is known as one of the most conservative but peaceful religious areas of Istanbul because of the religious residents of the Çarşamba quarter which is essentially a very minor part of this historical district. Çarşamba is famous with bearded men in heavy coats, the traditional baggy 'shalwar' trousers and Islamic turban; while women dressed in full black gowns are a common sight as this area is popular with members of the Naqshbandi Sufi order affiliated to a Sheikh. Conservative political parties always do well in this area.

Galatasaray'dan Guzel Bir Aciklama

Galatasaray'dan Guzel Bir Aciklama

Galatasaray Sampiyonlar Lig'inden  elenilmesinin ardından, resmi sitesinden bir acıklama yayınladı.

          GS Otebusu

Yapılan acıklama asagida, aynen yazdim:

'''Bu yıl ki Sampiyonlar Ligi maceramıza Stamford Bridge’teki son doksan dakikayla veda ettik.  Hedefi her zaman kazanmak ve daha ileriye gitmek olan Galatasaray icin, (zor bir gruptan cıkma basarısını gostermis olsa da) gelinen sonucun kabul edilemez oldugunu biliyoruz.  Tum Galatasaray'lıları; bu sonuctan cok, takımın ortaya koydugu direncsiz ve mucadelesiz futbolun hayal kırıklıgına ugrattiginin hepimiz farkındayız.  

Basta Londra’da, doksan dakika boyunca takımlarını destekleyenler olmak uzere, ekranları basında macı izleyen tum taraftarlarımız, elestirilerinde sonuna kadar haklıdır.  Bu elestirilerden herkes gereken dersi çıkaracaktır elbette…

Ancak hayat devam ediyor.  

Galatasaray, kurucusu Ali Sami Yen’in koydugu hedef dogrultusunda,"Yabancı olan takımları yenip adını dunyaya duyurmak" icin, gelecek yıl da devler ligi macerasına kaldıgı yerden devam etmek zorundadır.

Bugun cesitli kademelerde Galatasaray’a hizmet edenlerden hicbirimiz, yarın yerlerimizde olmayabiliriz.  Ama, Galatasaray arması gelecek yıl da mutlaka orada olmalıdır.  Orası Galatasaray’ın arenasıdır.

Bunun icin yalnızca dokuz haftamız var.  Bu dokuz haftada, 

- hocanın oyundan aldıgı oyuncular kızmayacak, kırılmayacak.

- Bu nedenle elestiriye ugrayan hoca kızmayacak, kırılmayacak.

- Yonetim kendisine gelen elestirilere kızmayacak, kırılmayacak.

- Taraftar da takımına kusup, kırılmayacak.

Kısır tartısmaların arasında unutulmamalı ki, Galatasaray'ın her yıl Avrupa'da yarısma hakkına sahip olması bile, Turk futbolu ve taraftarlarımız icin baslı basına gurur kaynagıdır.

Ozetle;

Butun zorluklara ve engellemelere ragmen pes etmedik, etmeyeceğiz!  Bundan boyle, Galatasaray armasına yakısir bicimde savasmaları icin oyuncularımızın yanında olacagız.  Ligin sonuna kadar sahamızı kapattırmamak icin hep birlikte gereken ozeni gosterecegiz.  Her sonuca acık olan futbolda, dorduncu yıldız Kaf Dagı’nın ardında degildir.  Tek tek isimleri sayıldıgında rakiplerinin hayal bile edemeyecegi bir kadroya sahip olan Galatasaray, taraftarıyla kenetlendiginde Turkiye’nin en buyuk gucu oldugunu bir kez daha ispatlayacaktır.

Yine unutulmamalı ki; "Savası kaybetmek bir seyi, cesareti kaybetmekse her seyi kaybetmektir."'''

Ben sahsen bu aciklamayi cok begendim,  siz ne dusunuyorsunuz?

Saygilarla, 

Ben

🤓

Horoz

Horoz

'Horozuna kravat taktigim' --- Vahi Oz (Vahe Ozinyan) Legendary Turkish Actor. 

Mesut Ozil Donates

Mesut Ozil Donates

Mesut Ozil, who was born in Germany, from Turkish parents has completed an incredible gesture.  The Arsenal player shows that he has compression and is keeping current with the events in the Middleaest.  

The German National Team football player, who won the World Cup title this year (2016), has donated his $500,000 World Cup winnings share to projects in Palestine.  

Mr Ozil, who is a practising Muslim, has decided to donate his bonus for a good cause of helping the 'children of Gaza’.  

May this good gesture be returned back to you in volumes of success in your future endeavours Mesut. 

Thank you for visiting, 

Ben

Rabbena Atina Min Ledunke

Rabbena Atina Min Ledunke 

I would like to explain what 'Rabbena Atina Min Ledunke' pray means.  First, I will write the Arabic version below, with Latin words. 

(Arapca / Arabic)

'Rabbena atina min ledunke rahmeten ve heyyi lena min emrina raseda rabbis rahli sadri ve yessirli emir'. 

Now, I will translate this Pray to Turkish, and afterwards to English. 

(Bu Dua'nin turkce aciklamasi soyledir)

Ey Rabbimiz! Bize kendi katından bir rahmet ver.  Ve bu isimizde bize dogruluk ver bizim için muvaffakiyet hazırla.  Rabbim gonlumu ac ve isimi kolaylastır. 

(English meaning now)

O God! Give us a favor to your elevated standard.  This favor should be righteous and good for me.  O God, help me open my heart and make my work easy. 

Recite this pray / dua if you are starting a new task.  It will hopefully open your mind/heart to accept this task, and finally will help you to succeed. 

Thank you for reading, 

Ben

Smooth Playmaker of Mesut Ozil

Smooth Playmaker of Mesut Ozil

Arsenal Soccer Club's best player and recent addition from Real Madrid FC, the one and only Mesut Ozil is reportedly set to be the target of a bid from Barcelona FC over the summer season. 

     Arsenal's Mesut O

The former Real Madrid playmaker, who arrived at Arsenal for a club record transfer fee of 42.5 Million Pound, could be the subject of a 30 Million Pound bid, plus a couple of players from the Catalan powerhouse.  

My opinion of the move would make sense for Barcelona FC, and here is my explanation. 

Barcelona's current midfield players are aging, plus they are a team built on passing the ball.  Anyone who watches soccer knows that one of best, if not the best passer and playmaker out there currently, is Mesut Ozil.  He would be a perfect fit for Barcelona's reliance of the ball eventually ending on Lionel Messi's foot, then the back of the net, but first the pass needs to get to Messi.  

Also, throughout the season, it became clearly obvious that aging playmakers mentioned in the above paragraph were relied upon to heavily this season, with no clear option to interchange them throughout the season at Barcelona FC. 

     Real Madrid's Mesut O

According to BTV’s ‘La Porteria’ program Barcelona Sporting Director Andoni Zubizarreta is looking to ensure the long-term success of the club by making waves in the summer transfer market, with Mesut Ozil being their top priority. 

It is unlikely that Arsenal would sell Mesut Ozil after only one season with the club; however there are clear signs of Barcelona wanting to spend money to continue their success in European Football.  Barcelona FC have 'money' and 'ambition' and no trophies after the end of 2013-2014 Football season. 

Sincerely,

Ben

🤓

Dersim Dort Dag Icinde

Dersim Dort Dag Icinde

(Between Four Mountains is Dersim)

Below, I have written the words in Turkish, for the beautiful song.  

         Turkey / Turkiye 

If I receive requests, then I will gladly translate the words/song, from Turkish to English, or another language.  

Without Further delay, the words of the song:

----------

Dersim dort dag icinde, 

Gulum var dag icinde,

Dersimi hak saklasın,

Bir yarim var icinde. 

Ne oldu agama ne oldu,

Sarardı benzin soldu,

Agam burdan gidelim,

Bu yerler viran oldu. 

Harput’un altı kelek,

Dersime gidek gelek,

Elin elimde olsun,

Kapı kapı dilenek. 

-------

         Dersim 

Soz: Anonim

Okuyan: Ahmet Kaya

Cok cok begenen: Bizler

       Ahmet Kaya

This is a song, by Ahmet Kaya, with a YouTube link attached below; if the link does not work, please copy/paste to the address bar.  

http://youtu.be/SW9ID_FWWew

Thank you, 

Ben 

Derin Muhabbet and Love

Derin Muhabbet & Love

I would like to explain what 'Derin Muhabbet' means as it is very interesting. 

'Derin' means 'Deep'.  

'Muhabbet' means 'Conversation', both words are Turkish. 

Therefore, this translates to mean, 'Deep conversation'; however, this does not mean for a conversation. 

In Turkey, when a couple is in love with one another, and seen cuddling, kissing and/or hugging; people say "those two are in a 'Deep Conversation'"; to mean 'they are in Love'.  

Therefore, the true translation of the words: 

'Derin Muhabbet' means 'Love one-another'; and not how it should be translated to be:

'Deep Conversation'. 

I thought it was interesting, and I thought to share this with you today.  

Thank you,

Coach Sergen & Gaziantepspor

Coach Sergen & Gaziantepspor

Today, I would like to flow-up on a previous blog I wrote, titled 'Sergen the Coach'.  If you have not read this yet, please do, as it is an informative blog on the coach of Mr Sergen Yalcin. 

Mr Sergen Yalcin, has declared on January 3rd that he will continue to coach Gaziantepspor Soccer Team.  The team has 4 wins, 1 tie, and 1 loss under him.  

Prior to becoming the coach, 'Gaziantep' was in last place of the 18 team standing of the 'Super Lig' of Turkish Futbol Federation (TFF).  Now the team is in a respectable '12', many points above the bottom 3 that would be regulated to a bottom division, at the end of the season. 

Therefore, I wish 'Coach Sergen' longevity and success in the future.  

Also, I would like to congratulate 'Gaziantepspor' for 'working-out' the 'money issues' with the coaching staff and players, to keep this brilliant young Coach, at the helm.  

Sincerely.  

Sergen the Coach

Sergen the Coach 

I wanted to write about a coach named Sergen Yalcin today. 

Why you ask?

I like to keep current in the game of soccer/football, and look for interesting stories within this sport.  

Here is an a good story, you will not have heard/read on many news channels. 

Sergen Yalcin become the coach of Gaziantepspor Soccer Team, 45 days ago. 

The soccer team fired the previous coach, due to unsuccessful results and ended in the bottom of an 18 team league titled, 'Super League' of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF). 

Since taking over the club as a coach, Sergen Yalcin has won all 4 games in charge for Gaziantepspor.  This is very surprising, as all games were against difficult clubs.  

After 4 weeks, the team went from being 'last' in the table to now in 10th place.  

Here is where the story gets interesting.  

Mr Sergen Yalcin has stated this week that he will quiet his job as a coach after 2 weeks, which will be after the end of 2 games, since the players are not getting their salaries regularly.

After 2 weeks, there will be a 1 month vacation in the 'Super League' of TFF.  

My advise to the management of Gaziantepspor Football Team are:

- solve the financial problem within the club, 

- pay your employees salaries on time, 

- respect each other,

- act professionally,

- try to keep your current coach Sergen Yalcin, and 

- try to sign him for a minimum of 2 year contract. 

I do believe there is success in the future for this club, if the above 'points' are implemented.  

Thank you for reading. 

Tutusur Dizelerim

Tutusur Dizelerim

Below, I have written the words in Turkish, for the beautiful song.  

If I receive many requests, then I will need to translate the words/song, from Turkish to English, or another language.  

----------

Yigidim yigit, olmasına yar,

Yanık turkulere, vurmayın beni,

Tutusur dizelerim, dizelerim sonra,

Her biri yıldız, kendi halinde.  

Geceleri inen, inen sessizlik,

Umarsız acan, eski yaradır,

İste gene yukseldi, duvarlar,

Etme gozlerim, koru kendini.  

Sayiklasam dize, dizelerimden,

Acıyı duvar nemini. 

Kirli gomlegimi, koklarmıs annem,

Koklasın siirimi, sıcak bir ekmek gibi,

Kirli gomlegimi, koklarmis annem,

Koklasın turkumu, sıcak bir ekmek gibi.  

Soz:                       Nevzat Celik

Okuyan:                 Ahmet Kaya

Cok cok begenen: Bizler

This is a song, by Ahmet Kaya, with a YouTube link attached. 

http://youtu.be/f1tgp-HocWc

Enjoy.