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By Root 874 0

religious scholar. He wrote a six-volume masterwork called the Masnavi, which is a mix of fables, scenes from daily life, Koranic verses, and metaphysics. Rumi believed in the use of music, poetry, and dancing as a path to God, and for him, music helped followers to focus their whole being on the divine; he believed in doing this so intensely that the soul was both destroyed and resurrected. From this passionate belief the practice of whirling dervishes developed into a ritual form. Mevlevi refers to the whirling dervishes and the sema is the dervishes’ sacred “turning” dance. See my Web site for much more background on the dervishes, and note that there are several different Mevlevi groups that whirl on different days in Istanbul. Tom Brosnahan’s Web site (turkeytravelplanner.com) details them and includes information on how to buy tickets.

Wine

Jancis Robinson, in The Oxford Companion to Wine, notes that archaeological finds support the theory that wine was produced near Mount Ararat—part of the region most closely identified with the origins of viticulture—at least six thousand years ago. Today Turkey is one of the world’s top growers of grapes (though most are destined for table grapes or raisins) and the country has the fourth-largest vineyard area in the world. Atatürk founded the country’s first winery in seven centuries in 1925 as part of his modernizing program, and in recent years Turkish producers have been focusing on higher-quality wines. I am a big believer in “what grows together, goes together,” and I wouldn’t dream of drinking anything but Turkish wine when I’m in Turkey. Three of the biggest names you’ll see on store shelves and on restaurant menus are Tekel (the state-owned company), Kavaklıdere, and Doluca. I have tried them all, plus many others, and they are unequivocally terrific partners with Turkish food (and a few are perfectly great aperitifs all by themselves).

A great and atmospheric place to try some Turkish wines is Viktor Levi, a wine bar (şarap evi) that dates from 1914 (Hamalbasi Caddesi 8A, Galatasaray / +90 212 249 6085 / viktorlevisarapevi.com. In 1999 the bar was restored to its former glory. Viktor Levi pours special Turkish wines, a few imports, and some of its own label (I am partial to No. 59, but I also like Viktor Levi Red and Viktor Levi White); there are good hot and cold mezes, plus nonalcoholic drinks. There aren’t many more pleasant places to stop for a break than this.

X

The letter x does not exist in Turkish, though it does in Greek. I could find no reference to a single historic site, still standing or completely destroyed, in Istanbul beginning with the letter x, though John Freely, in the Blue Guide: Istanbul, briefly mentions Xenophon and the survivors of the Ten Thousand, who arrived in Byzantium on the last stage of their memorable march back from the heart of Persia in 401 BC. “Xenophon and his men were treated so inhospitably by the Byzantines that they took control of the town and threatened to sack it, leaving only after they had exacted a large bribe from the city council.” Xenophon recounted the journey in his famous work, Anabasis.

Y

Yok

According to Eric Lawlor, in Travels with Osman, yok is much more than a word. “While intended to discourage, the extent of that discouragement depends entirely on the way it is uttered. A yok can be nothing more than a demurral, albeit a firm one. Or it can be a door slammed in your face. A yok can mean ‘I’m sorry,’ and it can also mean ‘drop dead.’ You can’t appeal a yok. A yok is final. Categorical. Unambiguous.” And Jan Morris, in her Rolling Stone essay “City of Yok,” relates that “the favorite epithet of Istanbul seems to be yok. I don’t speak Turkish, but yok appears to be a sort of general-purpose discouragement, to imply that (for instance) it can’t be done, she isn’t home, the shop’s shut, the train’s left, take it or leave it, you can’t come this way or there’s no good making a fuss about it, that’s the way it is.”

Z

Zeytin

Zeytin is the Turkish word for olive, and zeytinyaglı yemekler refers to an