ON OPPOSITE SIDES of Sultanahmet Park, two venerable landmarks embody the complexity of Turkey’s identity: layers of history laid down by Hittites, Hellenistic Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, and Ottomans; territorial and philosophical connections bridging East and West; contrasts between the nation’s modern secular ideals and its rich Muslim traditions. Red-walled Hagia Sophia to the northeast was built in the year 360 as a Christian church. Rebuilt in 537, it stood for seven hundred years as the largest cathedral in the world. In 1453, it was converted into an imperial mosque when Mehmed II captured Constantinople and renamed the city Istanbul under the Ottoman Empire. Today, it is a secular museum where an original mosaic of the Virgin Mary is flanked by calligraphic roundels bearing the names Allah and Muhammed. Sultan Ahmed Mosque across the park is more commonly known as the Blue Mosque for the color of the tiles that line its interior. Completed in 1616, it was built by Sultan Ahmed I to rival the Hagia Sophia mosque in splendor, and today it remains an active place of worship that is closed to visitors during midday prayers. The intermingling of past and present, secular and religious is also evident beyond the confines of Istanbul. We fly south to the Mediterranean coast city of Antalya, where the triple arches of Hadrian’s Gate, built in 130 CE, stand as the last remaining portal through the Roman fortifications around the ancient city and harbor. Crossing a busy modern thoroughfare to enter the old town of Kaleiçi, we serendipitously meet Mustafa Temimhan, a man on a mission to educate locals and tourists on the pleasures of today’s acclaimed Turkish wines.
在苏丹艾哈迈德公园的另一头有两座令人肃然起敬的地标，是土耳 其复杂身分的体现。一层层由西台人、希腊人、罗马人、拜占庭人、 赛尔柱人与奥斯曼人所缔造的历史脉络，是东西方领土与思想的交 界处，更是现代无宗教理想与丰富穆斯林传统的冲突激荡。 红墙壁的圣索菲亚大教堂位于东北方，在公元 360 年建造，是 一座基督教教堂。经过公元 537 年的重建，七百年来一直维持全球 最大教堂的地位。1453 年，当穆罕默德二世占领君士坦丁堡，将之 重新命名为奥斯曼帝国的伊斯坦堡时，圣索菲亚大教堂也被转作皇 家清真寺之用。时至今日，它已经是一座非宗教的博物馆，其内有 圣母玛利亚的原始马赛克图案，两侧伴有以书法写着阿拉与穆罕默 德之名的小圆窗。 苏丹艾哈迈德清真寺在公园的另一边，由于室内布满蓝色磁砖 构成的线条，因此常被称作「蓝色清真寺」 。这座清真寺在 1616 年 由苏丹艾哈迈德一世建成，原是用与圣索菲亚大教堂一较高下，现 今仍是活跃的宗教建筑，中午祷告时间不开放参观。 历史与现代、非宗教与虔诚信仰的融合，不只在伊斯坦堡出现。 我们往南飞到地中海沿岸城市安塔利亚，一窥公元 130 年建造、具 有三道拱门的哈德良门，这也是这座古老港口城市最后保留的罗马 要塞之门。穿过繁荣的现代通道，走进古色古香的卡利西城，我们 意外碰到 Mustafa Temimhan，一位喜好向当地人与游客介绍土耳 其酒之美的男人。
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TK | a land between