Dream Turkey.. Dream..

11th February 2010

Salam..

My winter holiday for this year was in Turkey with other friends. We had a great time there on 31st Jan until 10th Feb.

Turkey is beautiful with east and west blend. Not far from Jordan. Just by taking taxi to Syria and next take bus to Turkey, you’ll be there. Of course, there is also air way. But for this first time travel, I chose more adventurous land alternative.

Adventurous.. That’s what we call TRAVEL!

Our new home for 6 days.

Experience

Seeking for experience is the first priority apart from looking at past historical places of Ottoman Empire, meeting new people and also going new places. Besides, must go somewhere for this holiday.

Must leave Irbid! Aha..

Turkey has enormous number of tourism places.

We went to Hagia Sophia, Panorama 1453 Museum, Sultan Ahmet Camii (The Blue Mosque), Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Taksim Square, Istanbul Modern Museum, Galata Bridge, Galata Tower, Uludag at Bursa for skiing, Archeology Museum, Dolmabahce Palace, Spice Bazaar and also bookshops.

One of museums, Istanbul Modern Museum.

For about 6 days, we went to almost all the famous tourism places in Turkey. Alhamdulillah..

Uludag, Bursa is well-known for skiing and skateboarding.

Refer to my friend's blog for more information on the trip.

http://salamabdullah.blogspot.com/2010/02/my-diary-winter-sonata-in-istanbul.html#links

4000 shops are there in Grand Bazaar, Beyazid.

Ottoman Empire

About hundred years after the ruin of the last Ottoman Empire caliph, Abdulmecit Efendi, Turkey changes and moves rapidly. The Republic of Turkey founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk heads to modernize the country at every aspect, mostly by western idea. Now, Turkey is one of EU candidates.

A lot of historical monuments and footsteps by Ottoman Empire we saw in Turkey.

Panorama 1453 Museum, a newly build museum which was opened on January 2010 tells story on Fatih Sultan Mehmed (II), his conquest to Constantinople.

Sultan Ahmet Camii (The Blue Mosque), was the centre of Ottoman Empire.

Beautiful Sultan Ahmet Camii in snowy day.

Hagia Sophia, known as Ayasofya was a gigantic church, changed to a mosque by Fatih Sultan Mehmed II, and recently became a museum upon the order of Ataturk. 

Notice that, most of the ancient buildings of mosque in Turkey were churches on Byzantine Emperor period.

On the way to Ayasofya.

Topkapi Palace, build by Fatih Sultan Mehmed II, served as the residence of Ottoman sultans and the centre from which the state was governed and where its dignities were trained. Also converted to a museum upon the order of Ataturk.

Dolmabahce Palace, residence of Ottoman sultans after moved from Topkapi Palace. Residence of the last sultan, followed by Ataturk after republic was reformed. Ataturk died in this palace.

Scenery in Dolmabahce Palace.

Turkey was the center of Islam World, yet the world center in 14th centuries. Feel sad as we went through all the buildings. You can imagine by yourselves how it will be if the dynasty is still the world order until now.

Turkish National Dream

On the way back, we took a bus from Istanbul to Antakya. We were entertained with a movie which for me is an outstanding movie reflecting Turkish people spirit to achieve their dream.

The title of the movie, “Devrim Arabalari”. Means, Chariots of Revolution.

Directed by Tolga Ornek in 2008, this movie tells story about dream and inspiration.

Turkey was unable to produce its own cars. But Mr General Central believed that Turkish people can produce their own cars. So, he offered a project to build a car in a term given. Mr Gunduz, accepted the offer and became the manager of the project. Helped by a young engineer, Mr Necip along with other the-best-in-country engineers, they must produce a car in only 130 days!

Along their hard work, there was time when they were encouraged, there was time when they were depressed, there was time when they stumbled, there was also time when they screwed up.

Apart from that, there were also high ranked people, Mr Sami and Mr Rustu who won’t let them succeed. They put controversial in newspaper about wasting country’s money on the project besides dangerous to the environment. They also cut the engineers’ wages and budgets. Making them working in pressure.

Not enough from that, the engineers were urged to build another car, making it 2 cars to be completed in 130 days, before they will be presented to General Central on Republic Day, 29th October. It was a new order after they succeed to build the first car’s engine.

Furthermore, the engineers also had to overcome the negative response from community, as it wasn’t done by anyone before, making a national car despite there was also good support from minority of the people. Even it will be their country’s first car!

Anyhow, Mr Gunduz and the engineers finally managed to build both cars.

Unfortunately, the car that brought Mr General Central on the Republic Day stopped moving due to lack of gas. Only because of the reason, the whole project was labeled failed by newspapers. Poor Mr Gunduz and his hardworking engineers.

But, they proved that they can do it. Their dream to build car had came to reality.

I was mesmerized by the movie. What a good one.

A must see movie.

As a motivational speaker and former collegiate football player, Rudy Ruettiger said,

“Reality… is the enemy of fantasies but not of dreams.”

It is true. We must always dream. Dream to be better. Dreams are not fantasies. Fantasies couldn’t be reality. But, dream can be reality.

Imam Hassan Al Banna said,

“We need spirited, energetic and strong young people whose hearts are filled with life, enthusiasm, zeal, and dynamism; whose souls are full of ambition, aspiration and vigor and have great goals, rising and aspiring to reach them until they eventually arrive at their destination.”

Make Turkish spirit and dream as example. Adapt it in our own way.

Wallahua’lam. Wasalam..