...The Blue Mosque, and the Hagia Sophia. I'd also love to see some of the old wooden houses or perhaps a Yali, if possible. The Hippodrome of Constantinople, the Walled Obelisk, the Obelisk of Thutmose III and the Serpent Column would all be on my list. Soak up all views of the Bosphorus I could. Of course, which of us would not be keeping an eye out for an eye bead or any bead of interest. And, I'm guessing a trip to Haci Burhan is almost a prerequisite.
I will be there for about a week, and it will probably be a mix of a wide range of things.
Have been to Eastern Turkey on my long Silk Road trip, and had a layover of 12 hours in Istanbul once.
For me, when I travel, I don't have to see all the sights. Often the most memorable times are having a picknick in the park or a square and watch people and let everyday life pass you by.
But obviously, there will be some not to miss cultural sights as well. And a boat trip is on my list too.
In the Netherlands, there are large numbers of Turkish immigrants, since the 1950's. That means that it is quite a familiar culture in a way.
Will hopefully take a cooking class. I can do quite a bit of Turkish cooking, but want to extend my range. Love Turkish food.
And, about the beads......
The Turks are know for their specific type of eye beads. They are generally made in a different region than Istanbul. However, there is a glass school not too far from Istanbul that has built a traditional brick & mud furnace where they make these beads and pendants. I am hoping to go there and see it in action.
Also, shopping around for antique-ish beads will be fun too.
I've had a selection like the round one with a "star" on it, as well as one with a carved African man (similar to yours) for a long time, a dear friend would have purchased them in the late 80s...the strange thing about them is they all have a funny odor I can't describe - it's not revolting or anything, but it's just weird. I have a broken piece of one of these, and the inside is sort of beige, and hard to damage with my fingernail.
Just a couple of months ago I found a full strand just like your graduated white "floral" one, complete with the little ones at the back with concentric circles. Along with the white, I got a full strand pretty much the same, but black. The black coating has chipped off of a couple of the beads and the inside is exactly the same as the white beads. A couple of the white beads are broken and are showing themselves to be rather fragile - the substance is rather "chalky" and I can easily scrape bits of it with my fingernail....this material seems much lighter, less dense, than the ones from Tanzania.
Do you really think they are the very same material? I would have thought the floral ones to be some sort of casein rather then meerschaum....
Thanks, Stefany! I will try to get an image of mine this weekend.
