|
|
 |
Women's Pilgrimage
to Turkey, May 2006
|
 |
|
Islam
– A Return to Abrahamic Religion |
 |
|
Sanliurfa in southeast Turkey is believed by Muslims to be the
birthplace of Abraham. According to Muslim tradition, King Nemrut
demanded that Abraham worship Nemrut’s gods. When Abraham refused, he
was thrown from this cliff into a big fire, but the fire turned into
water (now the Pool of Abraham) and the hot coals became fish (the Holy
Carp) preserving Abraham’s life. Kay Gaisford and Doe Daughtrey. This
is the border of Kurdish territory, and Doe’s lavender scarf is the
Kurdish style. |
 |
|
Genesis mentions Haran and the sojourn there of Abraham in about 1900
BCE before he went to Canaan. In Haran Rebecca drew water for Jacob.
From here, Abraham decided to make his move into the land of Canaan. The
design of the beehive houses dates back at least to the 3rd century BCE.
The ruins of an ancient mosque in Haran are said to stand on the site of
an even more ancient temple to the moon goddess. Kay Gaisford and Sue Werner. |
 |
|
Whirling Dervishes trace their origin to Celaleddin Mevlâna Rumi in the
13th century Ottoman Empire. Whirling is one of the tools used by Sufis
(Islamic mystics) to come closer to Allah. When the Dervishes enter the
pavilion, they are wearing black cloaks which symbolize the tomb. The
long, white skirts represents the shroud. They hold their right hands
palm-up to receive the blessings of heaven. They hold their left hands
palm-down to transfer the blessings to earth. It’s a slow, mesmerizing
dance. |
 |
|
Circumcision day! Most Turkish boys are circumcised between the ages of
three and nine, dressed in colorful pasha-style costumes. It’s the
occasion for dancing, celebration, and photo-taking. It means the boys
are now part of the Islamic brotherhood of men. There is no
coming-of-age ceremony comparable for Muslim girls. |
 |
|
Mohammed taught that religion needed to return to the purity of
Abraham’s religion. But clearly it’s difficult to keep modern influences
away, as these young teen girls show by their adherence to the fad dress
code of their particular group, wearing pastel blazers and shiny,
colorful scarves. |
|
Return to Top |
|
|
|
|