Istanbul, Turkey

Yesterday (Monday) I visited the graveyard of the 19th century Ottoman sultans, where I was able to witness some quality tomb-veneration. Afterwards I headed to Topkapi Palace, the one major tourist attraction I missed during my last visit to Istanbul. The palace was quite beautiful, and the harem warmed my heart, but the highlight of my visit was the Sacred Safekeeping Rooms that housed an impressive collection of Islamic relics. Much to my delight, I was able to see golden, bejeweled reliquaries containing hairs from the Prophet Muhammad's head and beard (the kinds of things you wouldn't want to find in your salad), dust from his tomb, a tooth from his mouth, a letter he composed to the leader of the Copts, and even his footprint. The rooms also contained swords that belonged to the Prophet Muhammad and the Rightly Guided Caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, the first four political successors to the Prophet Muhammad), as well as the Prophet's standard, bow, and seal. The relgio-political highlight of the collection was the mantle of the Prophet Muhammad, housed in a solid gold chest (Mullah Omar, eat your heart out!). They also had a nifty collection of items taken from the Kaaba in Mecca, including a dozen or so locks and keys, raingutters, a door, and the golden cover that once surrounded the Black Stone. (The caretakers of the Kaaba must have loved to see the Ottomans coming to visit.) All of this was presented in a very solemn atmosphere (in spite of the tourists who refused to acknowledge the "no photography" signs, and the museum guards who ran about frantically hissing in strained whispers, "no pictures, no pictures!") accompanied by live Qur'anic recitations.

In a nearby room they kept the royal treasures of the Ottoman sultans, including the (famous?) Topkapi Dagger and the 86 carat Spoonmaker's Diamond (I tried to steal it, but the security guards got all huffy -- some people have no sense of humor). The Royal Treasury also boasted the skull and arm of John the Baptist, lifted from their original resting place in Damascus, Syria.

All told, it was a very satisfying day.

(Photo by Eric: The Golden Horn as seen from the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey)