Honors in Turkey 2026: Day 12: Cold Day and Warm Memories

Salam,

As we embarked on one of our final days in Türkiye we were greeted on the early morning walk with a beautiful snowy scene. Congenial Turkish men met us by trying to paint a warm lasting impression of Türkiye. Our first stop today was St. Anthony’s Church, it was built in 1724, as the Franciscan monks were pushed out of their initial residence of Galata (a nearby neighborhood of Istanbul).

Although the church was empty inside there was a considerable viewing area that allowed us to see multiple parts of the church contrary to some of the Mosques we have visited that do not allow visitors to wander around as much. There could be many reasons for this, but I presume it to be a different approach to inviting potential converts. More room to walk around leads to a more welcoming atmosphere encouraging people to inquire about the space or even the religion. One thing I found particularly is that along the vistor section walls there were eight glass cases with small tokens or rosaries inside. A few us speculated as to what they could be, some ideas were relics or even religious items you can borrow while at the church. After inquiring they turned out to be handmade gifts by the people dedicated to the divinty of each box. I found this especially interesting because it shows an increased devotion or belief in a nonhuman figure since they are esentially giving physical items as tribute or in gratitude.

Next, we visited a Sufi lodge. Sufism is a sect or branch of Islam, but others and many of the religion see it as its own religion. Unfortunately, the lodge was closed so we were not able to look inside, but within the gates there is a lodge, where the religious figures live, a school, cemetery and a garden. Below pictured is the inscription of the entrance gate:

Then, we proceeded down the street to visit the famous Galata Tower. First constructed in 1343 as a watch tower for the Byzantine Empire. Then in 1453, when the Ottoman Empire conquered the city, it was turned into a jail, next a restaurant, and now a museum.

The center of the tower is a museum while the top is a viewing area. From the top we can look over the Golden Horn and see sights that we previously visited, such as the Hogia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and the Suleymaniye Mosque.

Hogia Sofia is pictured on the left while the Blue Mosque can be seen on the distant right.

Snowy Istanbul with a centered Turkish Flag.

Snowy Istanbul with the Golden Horn centered.

Nolan pondering the spectacular view of Istanbul across the Golden Horn.

Priyal and Daniela investigating a sky view map of European Istanbul.

Priyal walking down the small staircase of Galata Tower.

The last official stop of the day was the Galata Synagogue, a regional famous Jewish place of worship, notable for many terrorist attacks and a beforehand boarding school for young Jewish men. After getting through the tight security, administered by the Jewish version of the CIA, we were able to take a special look inside the famous synagogue and take in the modest but highly regarded decor.

One fun fact we all learned through the exploration of the synagogue was that due to the long-ago bombings, there happen to be hard hats strapped underneath every seat. An unusual precaution necessary due to the synagogue’s tumultuous history. Our reading for the day brought to light this commonly known conflict but also surfaced the idea that Jews do not traditionally clash with Muslims: “Jews in Turkey publicly celebrate a long history of coexistence and tolerance in the region, yet live with ongoing security concerns bred by anti-Semitism and periodic attacks against members of the community and their institutions” (Brink-Danan, 2022, Introduction). Also inside the building was a Jewish history museum where we were able to view old documents from the previously inhabited boarding school, old Torah scrolls, and traditional Jewish belongings. The museum was centered around the Jewish exodus from Spain and refuge in Turkey where they formed a Judeo-Espanyol language that today sounds very similar to Spanish.

Ancient Torah with pointer stick.

Diploma from boarding school.

Handcrafted Wooden Menorah

Jewish Calendar.

Top balcony picture of the Galata Synagogue.

Even though this was the end of the planned day, Professor Huber recommended a nearby spice bazaar, which the entire group minus a few, jumped at the chance to explore. To get to the bazaar, we had to cross the Galata bridge, a two-level bridge with restaurants on the bottom and wide sidewalks on top that spans the Golden Horn. Pictured below you can see Kendall imitate the famous picture of poet James Baldwin on the Galata Bridge:

The spice bazaar was slightly overwhelming with hundreds and maybe a thousand people confined within a couple of small hallways. Although not my favorite experience, I can speak for all of us when I say we all have stories of trekking through and out of the bazaar. Especially after leaving the bazaar, it happened to be snowing quite hard with the wind shifting frequently making it difficult to see and imitating freezing conditions. It took most of us roughly an hour to make it back to the hotel, a mere 1.5 miles away due to the horrid conditions we endured. Ultimately, as we wind the trip down to a close, we again come away with fun and amusing stories that we will tell friends and family upon our return and for years to come!

Until next time.

Güle güle