Random Reflections on Turkey - 3

Touring and Praying – June 2

I prayed in a mosque. I trust that’s not a blasphemous thing for a Christian.

We had visited several mosques on our travels: in Istanbul, Hagia Sophia – a Byzantine church converted to a mosque and now a museum – and the Blue Mosque; The Ulu Mosque in Bursa; a mesjid (prayer room) in a shopping mall in Afyon. Then in Konya, we visited the Mevlana Museum, the monastic complex and teaching center of the poet and Sufi mystic Rumi. This is the home of the “whirling dervishes.” Part of the complex is a mosque which we toured, then went shopping in the nearby bazaar.

As we gathered back in front of the mosque, our host took time for prayer. I went with him. The mosque was nearly empty; I found a space near the back and knelt. I don’t know the Muslim prayers. I do of course, know Christian prayers, but none that came to mind seemed suitable to me for that moment, so I spent the time in silent contemplation. After about 10 minutes I noticed Ferhat walking back toward me. I rose with a sense of deep peace, and together we went to join our group outside, two friends of different faiths who had prayed together, each in our own way.