Sakip Sababcu Museum

Another site near where we will be staying in the second half of the semester is the Sakip Sabnci Museum.  Among their collections is a calligraphy collection, which I'm pretty sure that I will HAVE to see at some point.  It includes a number of illuminated Quran manuscripts.

Click here for information on the museum.

Also, for some information on the importance of calligraphy in Islamic art check out this discussion from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Emirgan Park

During the final portion of our course, we'll be staying in the area of Istanbul called "Istinye."  We'll be near the Bosphorus, as well as Emirgan Park a large historic park that includes Ottoman era pavilions. Although we won't be able to experience the tulip festival, which is apparently quite lovely, it should be an interesting and relaxing place to visit on your own when we have the time.

Orpheus Returns

One of the issues related to the study of ancient cultures is the repatriation of art and artifacts.  In the past decade there has been quite a bit of effort by certain countries, including Turkey and Italy, to have ancient art and artifacts returned to their original historical contexts.  Such is the case with this mosaic of Orpheus, which has been housed in a Dallas museum (click here for article).  In some cases, such as this one, museums holding antiquities from ancient contexts, especially pieces whose procurement might be questionable, are taking the first step, returning pieces to their countries of origin.  This issue raises a number of questions, including who should be responsible for historical artifacts and what are the benefits of having artifacts "in situ."

Archeology, Conflict, and Lawrence of Arabia

T.E. Lawrence (left of relief) at Karkemish.

First, I will admit that Lawrence of Arabia, with all of its problems, is probably one of my all-time favorite movies.

This article is an interesting glimpse into the way archeology and conflict intersect.  In particular, the piece talks about an archeological site where Lawrence once worked as an assistant.  The site, Karkemish, is on the boarder between Turkey and Syria.

And, no worries, we will not be visiting Karmeish . . . even though it would be interesting!

Turkish Economic Statistics

Not sure if anyone is interested in this, but I had to do some research on Turkey's economy for my international relations class, so I thought I'd share some stats I found.

GDP PPP: $1.087 trillion (U.S. dollars)

Budget:

            Revenues: $176.7 billion (U.S. dollars)

            Expenditures: $187.1 billion (U.S. dollars)

Current account balance (negative): -$77.16 billion

Exports: $143.5 billion (U.S. dollars)

            Primary partners:

                       Germany 10.3%, Iraq 6.2%, UK 6%, France 5%, Russia 4.4%

Imports: $232.9 billion (U.S. dollars)

            Primary partners:

                       Russia 9.9%, Germany 9.5%, China 9%, US 6.7%, Italy 5.6%, Iran 5.2%

External Debt: $306.6 billion (U.S. dollars)

Exchange Rates: 1.675 Turkish liras per US dollar

Inflation: 6.5%

Percentage of Population Below the Poverty Line: 16.9%

Tourism, Preservation, and Economics

One of the issues that MVP raised last class was the struggle countries like Turkey face over preserving the past and the need for economic growth.  Should an archeological site be made "tourist friendly" in order to bring in the much needed funds that are required for archeological work and historical preservation?  What if these changes compromise the integrity of the site and the historical record?

A related question is what is the role of museums and other "interpretive institutions" in communicating an historical narrative and to whom should these interpretive narratives be directed?  Does a museum direct it's narrative to tourists who are bringing money into the country or those in country who might have a range of motivations for visiting a museum?

Anyway, these are questions that we will be asking while in Turkey and these are questions and issues that are "real" in Turkish decisions about where to direct money.  See Turkey Embraces Museum-Building Trend.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Elon Honors in Istanbul blog!  This blog is intended to be a place for us (members of the course) to share information about Turkey and Istanbul as we prepare to study abroad together and to share our experiences while abroad so that friends and families can keep up with us. Eventually, we will connect this blog to the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center's web-page, which will allow others in the Elon community to share our adventures and to get a glimpse into all the things we will be learning!

Please feel free to share suggestions for books, articles, and websites that might relate to our time abroad.