Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [223]
Some other excellent and related books that come highly recommended are Islam, by Fazlur Rahman (University of Chicago Press, 1979); Muhammad, by Michael Cook (Oxford, 1983); Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices in two volumes, by Andrew Rippin (Routledge, 1994); and Textual Sources for the Study of Islam, an anthology edited by Andrew Rippin and Jan Knappert (University of Chicago, 1986). Five of my own favorites are The World of Islam: Faith, People, Culture, by Bernard Lewis (Norton, 1992); Cradle & Crucible: History and Faith in the Middle East, introduced by Daniel Schorr and with contributions by David Fromkin, Sandra Mackey, Milton Viorst, Andrew Wheatcroft, Zahi Hawass, and Yossi Klein Halevi (National Geographic, 2002); and Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World, by Thomas W. Lippman (Meridian, 1995).
Two more works by Karen Armstrong are Islam: A Short History (Modern Library, 2000) and A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Knopf, 1993). Armstrong’s books explore a number of themes central to Islam that I feel are essential, though I’m not sure my scholar friends would consider them so. But as a parting thought, I would like to share one of them. Fundamentalism is not unique to Islam, and fundamentalists come in nearly every religious stripe—the word was first used by American Protestants, in fact—and it is a false stereotype to believe that Muslims are filled with hatred of the West. (It isn’t difficult, however, to understand why some Muslims might be.) Muslims worldwide admire the efficiency and technology of the West, as well as some of our democratic ideals. In fact, what many Muslims dream of is a balance between modernism and Islamic traditions. In her book Islam, Armstrong writes, “The West has not been wholly responsible for the extreme forms of Islam, which have cultivated a violence that violates the most sacred canons of religion. But the West has certainly contributed to this development and, to assuage the fear and despair that lies at the root of all fundamentalist vision, should cultivate a more accurate appreciation of Islam in the third Christian millennium.”
Istanbul Modern
The first modern art museum of its kind in all of Turkey, the Istanbul Modern (Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi, Liman İşletmeleri Sahası, Antrepo 4, Karaköy / +90 212 334 7300 / istanbulmodern.org) is a terrific showcase for Turkish and international contemporary art. The museum was converted into a sleek, ultramodern building from a nineteenth-century former customs house for the Turkish Maritime Organization. Indeed, the museum’s exterior doesn’t look like much more than a spruced-up warehouse, but don’t be fooled: the interior is attractive and filled with light. It’s also completely wedded to the waters of the Sea of Marmara, which can be glimpsed periodically from large windows in the upstairs galleries. The museum opened in 2004 and I think it’s not only a resounding success, but it adds an important imprimateur to Istanbul’s commitment to modern art.
Istanbul Modern was mostly funded by the Eczacıbaşı family, noted arts patrons and pharmaceutical entrepreneurs. (Süleyman Ferit was the first Turkish pharmacist in Izmir, and with the introduction of surnames in 1934, the family decided upon Eczacıbaşı, meaning “chief pharmacist” in Turkish.) The permanent collection, housed on the first floor, features Modern Experiences and From Ottoman Empire to Turkish Republic, which I highly recommend. Among my favorite works on this floor are Han Coffeehouse, by Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu; The Door, by Burhan Uygur; and On the Road to Revolution, by Zeki Faik İzer. I also love Stairway to Hell, the sculpture of chain and bullet-shattered glass by Monica Bonvicini that connects the two floors (this was shown at the Istanbul Biennial in 2003 and donated to the museum by a local collector). The collection spans all styles of Turkish painting, which developed in the mid-nineteenth century and includes movements most visitors have never heard of: the 1914 Generation,