Daily Times

I will start my review of Jaffar Hassan Mubarak’s book from its last line. He quotes Homer’s Odyssey when its hero Odysseus when returning from his 20 year journey to his homeland sees his country. This was the best moment and a very memorable one as well. That is exactly what the feelings of our traveller were when he returned to Pakistan from Turkey but what went on there is the topic of our submission here. The author of the book Apne Istanbul May (In My Istanbul) is a PhD and author of six books and hails from Faisalabad. In his travelogue, he has tried to stick to the objective of writing a travelogue which is to translate one’s philosophical thoughts on a piece of paper and introduce the world to the reader in the scenario of history, culture, civilisation, arts and knowledge. Basically, writing a travelogue is not an easy task. It is a balanced form of prose which is beautified by a touch of poetry, novel and short story. This scenario is affected adversely or otherwise by technology explosion where all information is available about the places visited. What lacks is the personal touch and sentiments which is present in the travelogue. Overall, the travelogue by Jaffar Hassan Mubarak is light reading.

Writing about the places he visited and the people he met, the writer uses poetry of his friends.

About the air hostess on Gulf Air, he remembered Khalid Iqbal Yasir’s couplet “Nazar Nazar May Dilon Ko Tatolty Ankhen, Bala Ka Husn Purani Kahanion Wala” (Her beauty is that given in old stories when eyes make way to your heart) – Page 16. This reviewer has wondered as to when the traveller would write on Istanbul. It came after 70 pages where most of his observations were limited to his air travel, immigration and conversations with his fellow passengers/friends. In the chapter ‘Jareeda-e-Raftagan’ when he had to leave for visit to Sea Walls, the writer reveals that it happened in the 7th Century. It used to be the capital of Byzantine when Romans captured it and made it the capital of the Roman Empire naming it Constantinople. With the passage of time, it remained the capital of three big super powers as it was on the bank of two big oceans.

Burak Sansal 1996-2019, a certified professional tour guide in Turkey informs that in 1453, when Constantinople was weakened by almost constant invasions and battles, the Ottoman Turks led by Sultan Mehmet II were able to conquer the city. Renamed Istanbul, it became the third and last capital of the Ottoman Empire. It was the nerve centre for military campaigns that were to enlarge the Ottoman Empire dramatically. By the mid 1500s, Istanbul, with a population of almost half a million, was a major cultural, political and commercial centre. Ottoman rule continued until it was defeated in World War I and Istanbul was occupied by the allies.

When Turkey was established in 1923 after the War of Independence, Kemal Ataturk moved the capital to the city of Ankara. The city of Istanbul has continued to expand dramatically and tourism has grown. It continues to be a city that creates its own history at the meeting point of the two continents; Europe and Asia.

About the bright stars flickering in the skies of Istanbul, Jaffar quotes Ahmad Naveed’s couplet, “Ye Chaand Ik Pyala-e-Mei Se Bhara Hua Hai, Ye Raat Jis Se Pi Kar, Nashe Main Chal Rahi Hai’ (the moon is full of wine from which the night drinks to get drunk) – Page 71.

About the air hostess on Gulf Air, he remembered Khalid Iqbal Yasir’s couplet “Nazar Nazar May Dilon Ko Tatolti Ankhen, Bala Ka Husn Purani Kahanion Wala” (Her beauty is that given in old stories when eyes make way to your heart) — Page 16

It was time to visit the Hagia Sophia Museum with Jaffar’s colleagues trying to impress him over their knowledge about the place without knowing that Hagia Sophia, Turkish Ayasofya, also called Church of the Holy Wisdom or Church of the Divine Wisdom was a cathedral built in Constantinople in the 6th Century under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. By general consensus, it’s the most important Byzantine structure and one of the world’s greatest monuments.

Jaffar met his old friend Shahzeb in his hotel lobby. This guy was fond of using names for his friends. For instance, he called Jaffar as Bhagwan, a title reserved for God by Hindus. His rationale was that in both Hinduism and Buddhism, this word had meanings. In the former, Bhagwan meant somebody who was a master in creativity. Since a human being too had this capability so there was no harm using this title for a human being as well, Shahzeb contented. In the latter, this meant a lucky person. The rest of the chapter discussed the interests of Shahzeb in different religions and the common friends who were poets were remembered as well. Meeting with Jamiluddin has also been mentioned who hailed from Jalalpur Jattan and was settled in Turkey since 23 odd years. He came as a student but got a job and also got married there. He discussed Turkish language and politics with his guests. The next chapter is reserved for visit to a relative Aini Apa and her family. The nature of houses build in Turkey and the greenery is the main topic of discourse. The next day was reserved for visit to Noorul Osman Mosque, Grand Bazaar and Orient Hall at night.

The Nuruosmaniye Mosque is an 18th Century Ottoman mosque located in the Çemberlita? neighbourhood of Fatih. In 2016, it was inscribed in the tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey.

It’s considered one of the finest examples of mosques in Ottoman Baroque style built on one of the seven hills of Istanbul. It’s generally agreed that the architect was Simeon Kalfa. It was commissioned from the order of Sultan Mahmut I beginning in 1748 and completed by his brother and successor Sultan Osman III in 1755. The architects adopted Baroque architectural elements; the mosque is also distinctive with the absence of an ablution fountain. It was named Nuruosmaniye Mosque, meaning The light of Osman, after Osman III, but also because of its many windows which lets a lot of light inside the mosque’s hall. Nuruosmaniye Mosque is located near the entrance to the Kapal?çar?? (Grand Bazaar), Column of Constantine and the historical Gazi Atik Ali Pasha Mosque.

Jaffar was mesmerised with the Russian ballad dancer in the night club. He lamented the exhibitionism under the umbrella of cultural shows. Jaffar picked up an argument with the owner of Orient Hall who tried to get him absolved by offering the explanation that such dances were presented on request that he had to run his night club on profit.

The last two chapters of this travelogue focus on the Turkish Historical Society and The Dolmabahce.

This palace was built in the mid-1800s to replace an earlier structure that was made of wood. The new palace incorporated 16 separate buildings with stables, a flour mill and a clock tower among them. One chapter has been reserved for revealing certain important features of the city by the dwellers. For example, it has two railway stations. The other issue is the use of scarf or otherwise by Turkish women. Overall, it’s a very interesting discourse by Jaffar especially because of his humour in narrative and ample use of poetry. Of course the historical exploration forms the main theme of this interesting book.

The writer is the recipient of the prestigious Pride of Performance award. He can be reached at doc_amjad@hotmail.com