Atlantica - 01.01.2006, Page 26

24 AT L A N T I CA
Women in Istanbul choose
between colorful hijab, full burqa,
or no headscarf at all.
ISTANBUL & YOUa
the Ottomans took over Istanbul in the 15th century, there are mosaics
that are nearly a thousand years old. One, of the Virgin Mary, had been
covered up for centuries when the church was converted into a mosque.
In their wisdom, the Ottoman Rulers had covered the beautiful mosaics
rather than destroying them.
Stepping out of the museum, I was again shrouded in the unseason-
able mist surrounding the city. Turkey was celebrating a national holi-
day, the end of Ramadan, so apart from me and the rest of the tourists,
there was little traffic on the streets. I tried striking up conversations
with the few Turks trying to sell me trinkets or postcards, but they
seemed to have little interest in me other than as a sales target.
“Sir, can I shine your shoes?” said a middle-aged man with a tradition-
al wooden shine box. I looked at him and the falling rain, and shrugged
my shoulders, basically telling him, “What’s the point?”
024-29ATL106 Istanbul.indd 24 16.12.2005 12:22:04