Lauren Booth – Islamic Heritage – Istanbul’s Holy Land

			Salam Alaikum brothers and sisters, I pray this finds you well and blessed. In today's video, you're
going to be looking around my hometown Oscar da on the Anatolian, that is to say, the Asian side of
Istanbul, or as we call it on this side of the Bosphorus, Loreal. Istanbul. Welcome to the culture,
the sounds and the history.
		

			I just have so many favorite places here. And you know, what I really love about Oscoda today is
that it's built on this great history of stones, and faiths, but it's still a vibrant center today.
And the area I'm going to walk with you right now, it's been an intellectual hub, shall we say, for
men speaking right into the night with a girl was cigarettes and their Turkish coffee, right from
the 1700s to now. And of course, it's all backed up by this incredible Well, guess what a massive
		

			you know, something I've learned is that cats and dogs to a degree live better outside, I've never
really got that being an English person. We're so obsessed with having them in our lives. But when I
see the cats here, they have their own kind of community. They have their own jazzy stuff going on.
And they run things here. Look how cute they are. And it's by the way, it's not just women who feed
them. It's the men too.
		

			So the interesting question is, how did was Qatar and this side of the capital, Constantinople
become so homogenized and Turkic? Well, that's because when the bailiff separated and pushed up
towards Constantinople, the Turks separately amongst the Greeks, the Armenians and some Jewish
communities as well as already lived here, but the feel of Constantinople on the European side is a
bit of a pool to people who are of other faiths. So naturally, the Turks crowded here, and they love
to build their Sufi takers. And that feeling remains today. It's so typical of an ottoman design,
and the ideal for a mosque in general for Muslims, that they include places to drowse. So often,
		

			you'll see men in between their working shifts sleeping on these benches, you'll see sisters taking
a break and having their lunches together. And amongst the animals and the birds, well, it's a real
congregation of worshipers, very relaxed setting and beautiful.
		

			It's getting hot here in Istanbul, and the tradition is that you could go to most mosques, and they
will have a word for a fund where you can actually have your water given to Subhan Allah that's a su
sabini there and you can see actually working but who gets the Agile that's the question who gets
the ADGER. So this particular fountain rerouted so they can give it out over there now, it was a
memo of method the force mother calls will lead to self harm so cannula so this idea of giving out
water is such an Islamic principles. It comes with the idea of the Rama from the sky from Allah to
Allah is free for all humanity. It's free for the birds and the animals and the soil, and the plots
		

			and of course, that human beings should share it, because it's a human resource. And that carries on
today I love these traditions that are still living
		

			something else I love about a cigar but actually Turkey generally, is that the water fountains are
just a part of life. They're literally everywhere. You stop noticing them after a while, in fact,
there's a huge fountain over there. I didn't notice six months. Look, you got your shopping center
there and you're just walking past and you're a bit hot, new splash water on your face, and it's all
drinkable, Allahu Akbar. Honestly that's that's caring for people. From the time the Prophet peace
be upon him. This idea that water is in Yama a blessing from Allah that we must share and that we
get blessings from it if we do share. Well, that's continued all over the Ottoman Empire. Here you
		

			can see right in the heart of this guy, you get off the ferry. First thing you see is where you can
get some water. So just think of this as soon as you get off that ferry that boat or the train. The
first thing people would have wanted was whether I get some water you didn't have to shop to buy it
you don't have to buy in plastic tastes pretty good.
		

			You can just go right here. And if you look at the design it's really interesting because Turkey
gets pretty hot right? I can tell you it does. And this I reckon can shave What do you think? 3040
people underneath it mashallah
		

			free water sources, ottomans
		

			was built in 1728 in memory of Mr. Tiller, Rabea salt tablets and mother after the third year
		

			I always think when these things are delegated to him and that just shows this isn't a face of
misogyny it's a faith of loving the mother if anything. Royals in Europe didn't love their parents,
right? But I think what Islam gives us Subhanallah is that we have a way of showing our love even
when they've left us so you can build a waterwheel or a fountain or you can feed the poor and set up
a whack we have things that still serve them and I think I feel really blessed that we have that as
a community so Pamela
		

			okay.
		

			My god Ramsey review is three times the price and not bad when you eat it. Well, what do you expect
from a port right? So I'm going to eat all of this I'm hungry.
		

			I'm
		

			asked about traditionally was the point of Ottoman hajis. To set sail to Damascus on route to Mecca
and Medina Subhan. Allah, this would have been if you can imagine it, a scene of great color,
excitement, drumming, horses coming, a parade, people cheering and saying, Allahu Akbar, Allahu
Akbar. And the Sultan's traditionally, as well gave special gifts for the governors of Mecca and
Medina, and these would cover the expenses of those projects that they had their Subhanallah and
they'd go with the hedgies as well. And what a beautiful thing to imagine.
		

			If you've been following me on social media, you know that I have had some interactions with the
local birds. I've had some seagulls nesting right on my balcony, and we came to a kind of agreement,
and you have to come to an agreement with the birds here in Oscoda. And then if you can pick that
up, but there are dozens and dozens of birds here right now mostly seagulls but there are over 30
types of seabirds that specialize in getting the fish and the human waste of this area as well. So
here is another mosque by the great architect meme I see now. The narrative goes that the legendary
architect did not want to harm bird whilst making the mosque but did want to keep them away from the
		

			worshippers and the beautiful stone so he found with his engineering genius, the precise spot on the
Bosphorus where the two winds met and made it impossible because of the air currents for birds to
fly over and to this day the mosque is known locally as birds can't perch mosque
		

			so it's gonna make you laugh Okay, or don't laugh at me all right, don't judge me all the beautiful
mosques here. This is actually my favorite mosque to pray in as a woman right? So the big one over
they had you have to go upstairs and it's so winding that I ended up kind of slumped and crawling on
my hands and knees which is always embarrassing. And then the Mecca Marcel Tom, which is beautiful,
but you always pray outside so it's a bit like you know, Hamdulillah you could be in your own garden
but this one actually gets to go in and feel I don't know it's a bit optimally inside
		

			so what do I love about living in Oscoda today, okay, it's easy to say everything but I love the
fact that those Islamic traditions that heartfelt goodness of people still exist here so, so when
you get to know the shopkeepers, they will let your five liras or you know, little bits and pieces,
but it's the Sufi traditions that carry on the Islamic traditions
		

			candelilla hamdulillah mashallah, these look nice. Pancakes
		

			Yes, he can day if you're
		

			okay, Michelle. Oh, these are my fish guys. They ended a Santa Monica Bay.
		

			Santa
		

			tomorrow in sha Allah.
		

			Thank you. We need to get some sweets. Let's get some sweets to give out to the kids to eat right? I
guess this is where you get
		

			what I find really
		

			special about this area is that that memory of Islamic adab remains today. There were stories, for
example, not long ago, of the shopkeepers in Iskandar, they would look away when the person opened
their wallet in case they didn't have much money, in other words, not to embarrass them. And they
would also when they bought things that people have asked, or they would do great lengths in order
not to show them to people. So the poor wouldn't have to see food that they weren't party to realize
the opposite of posting things on Instagram. In all, I think it's just a mirror of the Islamic
values that were put down in this place by our forebears. It's easy to live here, there's kindness
		

			here, and it's just not as busy as the rest of the world. hamdulillah come to a SCADA come and visit
history, modernity. It's a good place to live and move the Muslims be blessed wherever we live to
bring goodness, I mean, I hope you liked this episode. Don't forget to like and subscribe to the
channel and I read all of your comments, so keep them coming, especially places you'd like me to
visit and see Salam Alikum