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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE September 12, 2006
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| August 26, 2006 |
Istanbul, Turkey – Cultural Exchange with Students of Bosphorus University |
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| The Bosphorus Sea |
Istanbul is a beautiful city. It is expansive and mysterious, with beautiful cafes where you can sit on cushions and drink Turkish coffee, play backgammon and smoke apple tobacco out of beautiful glass water pipes. Mosques are neighbour to churches, which in turn are neighbor to synagogues. One of the Peace Boat exchange programs visited Bosphorus University, where we spent the day with university students. |
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| International Student onboard Peace Boat, Basel Nasr from Palestine, trying his hand at the popular game of backgammon |
Bosphorus University was the first United States university outside of the country. The campus is reminiscent of ivy-league universities in the US with grassy quads, large greystone and redstone buildings, and spiraling staircases. It sits on top of a hill, overlooking the Bosphorus Sea after which it was named.
Students and participants enjoyed a traditional Turkish tea ceremony in the sun, after which we attended a lecture by Mr. Naim Guleryuz, the curator of the Museum of Turkish Jews (www.muze500.com), who spoke about the history of the Jewish population in Istanbul and the rich multiculturalism that can be found in Turkey. |
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| Religious leaders meeting together with Peace Boat participants |
After lunch in the cafeteria, participants joined students for a tour of an Armenian Catholic church, a synagogue, a Greek Orthodox church and a mosque, while wandering through the beautiful alleys that wind through the city. Outside of the mosque, leaders from different religious traditions gathered for a photo opportunity with Peace Boat, signifying the harmony between the religions in Istanbul. |
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| Participants talking with Turkish university students |
We then returned to the campus where we sat in groups on the grass to discuss various issues including secularism, the political situation in Turkey, Turkey in the European Union (EU), youth movements, NGOs and more. |
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| The spontaneous peace event quickly drew a large crowd |
Following the exchange program, participants joined a peace event organized jointly by Peace Boat and local partner The Coalition for Global Peace and Justice, voicing solidarity with the victims on all sides of the recent war in Lebanon, calling for support for the victims and for strong adherence to the ceasefire by all sides. Cultural performances of dances from Hokkaido and Okinawa by Japanese participants, as well as speeches by guests, drew a large and supportive crowd. The event concluded with a candle-light vigil which drew locals and Peace Boat participants together. |
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