New Frontiers of Ayurveda
New Frontiers of Ayurveda – 4. Turkey Prof. Emeritus Subhash Ranade Dr. Sunanda Ranade
Officially it is known as the Republic of Turkey, and is country in Eurasia, located mainly in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, the Azerbaijan and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the south. The country is encircled by seas on three sides, with the Aegean Sea to the west, the Black Sea to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles, which together form the Turkish Straits, divide Thrace and Anatolia and separate Europe from Asia. Ankara is its capital but Istanbul is the country's largest city. Ethnic Turks are more in number and Kurds are in minority.
Turkey is a secular, unitary, formerly parliamentary republic which adopted a presidential system with a referendum in 2017; the new system came into effect with the presidential election in 2018. Turkey's current administration headed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the AKP has enacted measures to increase the influence of Islam, and also reversed earlier reforms such as freedom of press. Within this unitary framework, Turkey is subdivided into 81 provinces for administrative purposes. Each province is divided into districts, for a total of 923 districts. Turkey is also subdivided into 7 regions and 21 sub regions for geographic, demographic and economic purposes.
Our Visits to Turkey – International Academy of Ayurveda had signed MOU with Israeli Center of Ayurveda affiliated to the University of Tel Aviv and we were conducting 2 year Ayurveda Certificate course for 7 years. During this time IAA has deputed 12 of its Faculty members to teach Ayurveda and we also visited Israel 4 times for supervising the course and giving lectures to the students. Dr. Eran Magon of ICA conducted this program very efficiently. During this time we used to fly to Tel Aviv by Turkish Airline. Turkey has good relations with Israel and hence this is the only Arabic Airline which is allowed to fly from Istanbul to Tel Aviv. https://ayurveda-foryou.com 1 www.ayurved-int.com New Frontiers of Ayurveda
Istanbul - Istanbul, historically known as Byzantium and before 1924 as Constantinople, is the most populous city in Turkey and the country's economic, cultural, and historic center. Istanbul is a transcontinental city in Eurasia, straddling the Bosporus strait between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its commercial and historical center lies on the European side and about a third of its population lives on the Asian side. The city is the administrative center of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, both hosting a population of around 15 million residents. Istanbul is one of the world's most populous cities and ranks as the world's fourth-largest city proper and the largest European city. Istanbul is viewed as a bridge between the East and West.
The Bosphorus Bridge, known officially as the 15 July Martyrs Bridge and unofficially as the First Bridge, is one of the three suspension bridges spanning the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey, thus connecting Europe and Asia.
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Hagia Sofia– Hagia Sophia is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Built in 537 AD at the beginning of the middle ages, it was famous in particular for its massive dome. It was the world's largest building and an engineering marvel of its time. It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture.’
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Sultan Ahmed Mosque -It was built between 1609 and 1616, by the architect Mehmet Ağa, instructed by Sultan Ahmet I. It was designed as an imperial show of strength to complement the imposing Hagia Sophia, which faces it across Sultanahmet Square. Because blue tiles have been used for its construction it is known as Blue Mosque.
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Topkapi Palace -It is a large museum in Istanbul, Turkey. In the 15th century, it served as the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans. Its construction began in 1459, ordered by Mehmed the Conqueror, six years after the conquest of Constantinople. Topkapı was originally called the "New Palace" to distinguish it from the Old Palace in Beyazıt Square. It was given the name Topkapi meaning Cannon Gate, in the 19th century. The complex was expanded over the centuries, with major renovations after the 1509 earthquake and the 1665 fire. The palace complex consists of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. Female members of the Sultan's family lived in the harem, and leading state officials, including the Grand vizier, held meetings in the Imperial Council building.
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Turkish Bath – Hammam- is a type of public bathing associated with the culture of the Ottoman Empire and more widely the Islamic world. A variation on it as a method of cleansing and relaxation became popular during the Victorian era, and then spread through the British Empire and Western Europe. The buildings are similar to the thermae (Roman baths). Unlike Russian saunas (banya), which use ambient steam, Turkish baths focus on water. The process is similar to that of a sauna, but is more closely related to ancient Greek and ancient Roman bathing practices. It starts with relaxation in a room heated by a continuous flow of hot, dry air, allowing the bather to perspire freely. Bathers may then move to an even hotter room before they wash in cold water. After performing a full body wash and receiving a massage, bathers finally retire to the cooling-room for a period of relaxation. The difference between the Islamic hammam and the Victorian Turkish bath is the air. The hot air in the Victorian Turkish bath is dry; in the Islamic hammam the air is often steamy. The bather in a Victorian Turkish bath will often take a plunge in a cold pool after the hot rooms; the Islamic hammam usually does not have a pool unless the water is flowing from a spring. In the Islamic hammams the bathers splash themselves with cold water.
Turkish coffee - Turkish coffee refers to a method of brewing very finely ground coffee. Any coffee bean may be used; arabica varieties are considered best, but robusta or a blend is also used. Fortune Telling - Superstition says the grounds left after drinking Turkish coffee can be used for fortune-telling. The cup is commonly turned over into the saucer to cool, and it is believed by some that the patterns of the coffee grounds can be used for a method of fortune telling known as tasseography. https://ayurveda-foryou.com 6 www.ayurved-int.com New Frontiers of Ayurveda
Sufi Whirling – It is a form of physically active meditation which originated among Sufis, and which is still practiced by the Sufi Dervishes of the Mevlevi order and other orders such as the Rifa'i-Marufi. It is a customary meditation practice performed within the Sema, or worship ceremony, through which dervishes aim to reach the source of all perfection, or kemal. This is sought through abandoning one's nafs, egos or personal desires, by listening to the music, focusing on God, and spinning one's body in repetitive circles, which has been seen as a symbolic imitation of planets in the Solar System orbiting the sun.
Healing herbs - There are more than 10,000 plant species in Turkey, more than in all the countries in Europe combined. Many of these are edible, and many grow only in Turkey. The smells and tastes of the plants featured at the stalls of vegetable and herbalists around the country from the Aegean region to the eastern region. Some herbs are - thyme, olive, onion, garlic, pepper, rosemary, coriander, cumin, bay laurel, oil seed crops like rapeseed and mustard, anise, dill, fennel, saffron, artichoke, caraway, chrysanthemum, citrus peel, hibiscus, lemon, St. John's wort and basil.
Yoga and Ayurveda Retreats – Many retreats are popular and one can find these at various cities like – Turgutreis, Bodrum, Dalyan and Fethiye.
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