Turkey

The flight to Turkey was uneventful. We arrived in Istanbul early in the morning and proceeded to the transit area. The other passengers who were not staying on in Turkey went to their waiting area and we parted company.

We had to purchase visa to enter Turkey - 20 bucks a head - and the airline arranged a hotel for our one day stay. We piled into the hotel shuttle and we were off. The weather was cold - much like that of New York. In fact, much more than the weather was like that of New York! Turkey was supposedly 99% Muslim but you couldn't tell by what you see - no hijabs (of very few) , European dress, bars, music - basically a European culture. The only telltale sign of Islam is the numerous minarets in every direction of the 3 thousand Masjids in Istanbul.

The shuttle driver tuned his radio to his local favorite station and puffed away at his cigarette. The fast rock-type music brought us quickly to the reality of the state of the 'Ummah. "Don't you have some Qur'an?" quipped Abu Bakr under his breath from the back seat.

We arrived at the hotel about 10am and inquired about tours. The attendant said that had a six hour tour around the city that will cost $50 each. We sighed up. We had breakfast, freshened up and boarded the small bus again.

Our $50 each was able to solicit the services of a tour guide as well. Our first stop was the New Mosque. The New Mosque, full name The New Queen Mother's Mosque, is not so new - it was built in the 1600s. Designed by the architect Da'ud Aga, a pupil of Sinan, the New Mosque has become a defining feature of Istanbul's skyline.

New Mosque

Next stop was the Blue Mosque or Sultan Ahmed Mosque. We drove along the Sea of Marmara which is also called The Golden Horn which divides Turkey into two. Turkey is actually part Europe and part Asia. 97% of Turkey is in Asia and 3% of Turkey is in Europe and The Golden Horn runs in between. We passed by an old station of the famous Orient Express which in 1883 ran from Paris to Constantinople.

According to our guide, Turkey has some 85,000 Masjids with 3000 in Istanbul alone. There are also about 157 Churches of Greek Orthodox and about 17 Synagogues.

We arrived at The Sultan Ahmed Mosque or the Blue Mosque as it is also known. It was built in 1616 at the request of the Sultan who was 14 years old! He was said to be extremely religious minded.

Blue Mosque

This is the only Masjid in the entire Turkey with six minarets. It is said that the Sultan gave command to build a Mosque with gold minarets. However, the word 'gold' and 'six' was the same or similar and so, the architect mistakenly build a Mosque of six minarets instead!

Courtyard of the Blue Mosque

Wudhu stations

Also, since his Mosque now had six minarets which competed with the Masjid AlHaram in Makkah at that time, he sent money to Makkah to build a seventh minaret in Masjid AlHaram.

Overlooking the Blue Mosque was the Hagia Sophia. The magnificent Hagia Sophia was originally built by Justinian and used as a church for 916 years. It then became a mosque for 481 years and Ataturk declared it a museum in 1935.

Hagia Sophia

We prayed salaatul zuhr in an old Masjid that was undated - the constructor of the Masjid died in 1492 so you can guess the date it was built!

Next stop was the famous Topkapi Palace Museum. This museum holds a lot of ancient islamic relics from the treasures of the Sultans to the sword of Rasulullah (swt).

Entrance to Topkapi Palace Museum

Topkapi Palace was home to all the Ottoman sultans until the reign of Abdulmecid I (1839-1860), a period of nearly four centuries. In it are housed portraits of the Sultans, the Imperial Treasury, books, maps, guns, suit of armors, the famous Spoonmakers Diamond which is 86 carets, etc.

We also saw old locks and keys of Al Ka'ba as well as some old gutters of Al Ka'ba in addition to one of its (old) doors.

Old Ka'ba Door

Of all the exhibits, there was one room in which we were all more interested in. This is the area where the relics of Rasulullah were kept. We were not allowed to take pictures , of course. Some of the relics we was were the swords of Rasulullah (swt), Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Ali (RA). We also saw what is claimed to be the footprint of Rasulullah (saw), some hair from his beard and his tooth - all of which are in containers.

Footprint of Rasulullah (saw)

We also saw the letter of Rasulullah (saw) to Muqavgas, leader of a Coptic Christian tribe inviting him to Islam. At the bottom of the letter was the Seal of Rasulullah (saw)

In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

There is safety and security for those believers who follow the correct path. Therefore, I invite you to accept Islam. If you accept it, you shall find security, save your throne, and gain twice as much reward for having introduced Islam to your followers. If you refuse this invitation, let the sin of calamity which awaits your followers be upon you. You too are People of the Book; Therefore, let us come to a Word Common between us, that we worship none but Allah and shall not equalize anything with Him. Let us not abandon Allah and take others for lords other than him. If you do not consent to this invitation, bear witness that we are Muslims....

In another room, we saw what is allegedly the arm of Yahya (John The Baptist) and a part of his skull as well.

Alleged arm and skull of Yahya (AS)

For lunch, we went to theTopkapi restaurant overlooking The Golden Horn. We had lunch in Asia overlooking Europe! Lunch was lamb kebab, rice, potato salad and vegetables.

Our last stop was The Mosque of Sulaiman.

Suleyman the magnificent ordered a mosque appropriate to his title to be built by the architect Sinan, whereupon the present mosque was begun on one of the hills dominating the Golden Horn. The mosque, and its attendant structures, madrasa, arms—houses, infirmaries, caravansaries, a medical school, hamams (bath houses), Qur'an school, a hospital, cells and shops were begun in 1550 by the architect Sinan and completed in 1557.

Sulayman's Mosque

We went back to the hotel...had dinner and hit the sack. Tomorrow we go home!

Departure Day

So today we leave. The Hajj is finished; the sightseeing is done - everyone is satisfied. We had fulfilled, to the best of our ability I hope, the last pillar of our Deen - may Allah (swt) accept it . After breakfast, we spent the rest of the morning packing, weighing and securing our suitcases.We were allowed only 2 50lb suitcases each. We purchased many gifts for friends an relatives as well as for ourselves - clothing, books, CDs, perfume, etc.

Imaam Zameer said we have to be ready by salaatul Zuhr. We lugged the suitcases out of the hotel and on to the curbside and the scouts/helpers loaded them onto the roof of the buses. We boarded the buses and we were each given a 5 liter container of zamzam water compliments of Sara International Travel.

We departed at about 4pm and arrive at the Hajj terminal of Jeddah airport around 8pm. Traffic was horrendous for this normally hour and a half trip. The Hajj terminal at Jeddah is usually chaotic during hajj season with delays of 8-12 hours being not uncommon. Fortunately for us, we were one of the first groups to depart after the Hajj and the terminal was practically empty!!

This terminal - called The Hajj terminal - is used only during the Hajj season and is dedicated only to the service of pilgrims. It is the world's fourth largest air terminal, after Hong Kong International Airport's, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport's, and Seoul Incheon International Airport's terminal. It sits over 100 acres of ground area, and it is known for its tent-shaped roof and open design. The roof is not actually a tent, but a white colored fiberglass. This terminal has a Masjid, and it can accommodate 80,000 travelers at the same time.

We were able to check in with no delays and no difficulty whatsoever.

Most of the hujjaaj from our group were travelling directly to JFK with only a few hours stop over in Istanbul while some of us will be staying in Istanbul for a day of sightseeing. My family was among the latter group and we were looking forward to it. We planned on visiting some of the old Masjids and a museum where some relics of Rasulullah (swt) is being kept.

Last Day of Hajj - Jamaraat again

Today was basically a repeat of yesterday in terms of ritual - we have to stone the Jamaraat again.

It so happened that a friend of one of our group leaders is studying here in Makkah and he invited us (no not the entire group :-)) to have lunch at his residence. So we piled into a 'taxi' - Saudi style - and we were off.

The 'taxi' was a 1960s Chevvy Suburban that had already driven its best days. It was originally white and was made to carry 9 passengers. But today, this was not to be so since there were 18 of us. So, 9 of us assumed position in the manufacturer's suggested seating inside the vehicle while 6 of us clambered onto the roof of the SUV. The roof was reinforced with racks for just such situations. The other 3 from our adventurous group got to stand on the bumper area behind the vehicle while holding on to the roof racks silently hoping that this was not the day that the racks take leave from the host roof.

Traffic was slow and so we were able to call out to similarly juxtaposed passengers on other 'taxis' passing by. We smiled broadly at each other.

We got to our destination, paid the the driver 10 Riyals each as was negotiated prior to the trip.

Lunch was a sort of Beef stew and a Lamb Stew with a kind of Nan - we all enjoyed it.

We still had to do the stoning today as well and so we decided to do that immediately after lunch as we were now not too far from the Jamaraat - about half an hour's walk.

We negotiated our way through crowded streets, with hawkers competing for our attention.

We arrived at the Jamaraat, did the stoning, and proceeded back to our hotel. When we go back to the main road, traffic was literally at a standstill. Drivers can be seen sitting on the sidewalks, out of their vehicles, trying to ease themselves from the frustration.

Needless to say we decided to walk. Motor cycles drove on the sidewalks, mush to the annoyance of the pedestrians, attempting to get ahead. After about 45 min walking, I noticed a brand new Toyota Landcruiser on the opposite side of the street where the traffic was moving - albeit very slowly. The Toyota was trying to forge ahead of a dilapidated minivan (called a minibus here) - these are also used as taxis. The minibus stood its ground. The Toyota continued to intimidate its predecessor.

Bang! The Toyota bumped the minibus. They stopped. To a New Yorker, the most funny incident ensued. Both drivers came out of their vehicles and approached each other. The driver of the minibus said something in Arabic and then stuck his hand out. The two drivers then shook hands vigorously, hugged each other, and then returned to their respective vehicles and continued on their way! They did not even look at the vehicles! I wondered about the job opportunities for lawyers here :-)

We went back to the camp at Mina. This was the last day of Hajj - those who wish can stay for one more day, but our group would be leaving. We had dinner, gathered our belongings and prepared for departure tomorrow.