土耳其伊斯坦堡旅遊記之一 Travel Istanbul, Turkey-1

土耳其伊斯坦堡旅遊記之一 Travel Istanbul, Turkey-1

（Scroll down for English Version / 英文版向下看）

(translation by Tanya / 英譯：殘編）

Blue Mosque, Istanbul
(image credit: theistanbulinsinder.com)

對一個走遍世界的人來說，伊斯坦堡往往仍是最令人流連忘返的地方。倘若你問我哪一個地方是儘管年邁了、對世界毫無願望了，總有一個記憶的角落仍牽念著，想靜靜地在那兒住上一陣子？我的答案會是伊斯坦堡。拿破崙也曾說：「倘若世界是一個國家，那麼這它的首都必是伊斯坦堡。」

English Version / 英文版:
For most world travelers, Istanbul is one of the most memorable destinations. If you ask me where I’m willing to travel when I’m old, weak, and losing hope, Istanbul would always hold a special place in my heart. I’d spend some quiet time there anytime. Like Napoleon once said, “If the world was one country, Istanbul would be its capital!

• 融合東西方、古代與現代、基督教與伊斯蘭文明之美 / A place where the East and West, Past and Present, Different Religions coexist in harmony:

伊斯坦堡迷人之處不只是因為它有讓人嘆為觀止的雄偉建築–藍色清真寺或聖蘇菲亞教堂，也不是因為它蘊含著讓人折服的帝國霸氣，而是因為它處處散發著「融合」之美；融合東方與西方、古代與現代、基督教文明與伊斯蘭文明。

English Version / 英文版:
Besides breathtaking and majestic buildings like The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, its imperial city, Istanbul‘s itself is a beautiful mesmerizing fusion of East and West, Ancient and modern, as well as Christian and Islamic civilization.

• 伊斯坦堡的歷史 / A Brief History of Istanbul:

伊斯坦堡的古名是拜占庭，公元330年君士坦丁大帝將此城設為羅馬帝國首都，因此它又有「君士坦丁堡」之稱，意為「君士坦丁之城」。1453年鄂圖曼土耳其人征服君士坦丁堡，並設為首都，將之改名為「伊斯蘭堡」（Islambul），意為「伊斯蘭之城」，此後，許多不同的名稱相繼出現，譬如「幸福之都」、「至高都」、「首都」…等等。鄂圖曼土耳其帝國的郵政制度建立之後，便統一此城的名稱為Istanbul，做為官方名稱。Istanbul一詞取自希臘文，意為「到城裡去」。

English Version / 英文版:
The ancient name of Istanbul is the city of Byzantium. In 330 AD, Constantine, the first Roman emperor, proclaimed the city the Roman Empire’s new capital, and renamed it Constantinople, which means “City of Constantine”. . In 1453, the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople and set it as the capital. Since then, It was renamed “Islambul,” which means “City of Islam.” Since then, Istanbul was known by several different names. The Ottomans officially changed its name to Istanbul. The word “Istanbul” is taken from the Greek, meaning “to the city.”

• 伊斯坦堡震撼景點處處可見 / Istanbul, Every Corner is A Breathtaking Destination:

Bosphorus Bridge, Istanbul, Turkey / 土耳其伊斯坦堡博斯普魯斯大橋 (image credit: sisgeo.com)

Bosphorus Bridge, Istanbul, Turkey / 土耳其伊斯坦堡博斯普魯斯大橋 (image credit: sisgeo.com)

伊斯坦堡的古蹟保存良好，連空氣中都瀰漫著古味。由於它橫跨歐、亞兩洲，中間有博斯普魯斯海峽(伊斯坦堡海峽)分隔歐、亞，人口約一千四百萬，是世界性都市。許多東西方的文明特色與遺跡都可以在此窺見。第一次旅遊我們在此停留了一星期，仍無法遍覽所有的內涵。除了橫跨博斯普魯斯海峽的大橋上美麗的黎明曙光震撼我們的視覺之外，我們每走到一個景點總會發出心底的讚嘆，是對時間與空間連結的讚嘆，也是對人類智慧的讚嘆。但無可隱瞞的是我們也心生莫名的悵惘，對文明掩蓋的人性缺憾以及貪婪…這些都反映在我們眼前所見的自然與非自然的產物。

English Version / 英文版:
Istanbul’s heritage is well preserved; every breath we take is filled with history. Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia, with the Bosporus Strait dividing the Asian and European sides. It is a large cosmopolitan city with a population of about 14 million. Both Eastern and Western relics can be seen here. A week’s stay on our first visit was not even close enough to appreciate half of the city’s beauty. Besides the stunning Bosphorus bridge at dawn, every other corner is a breathtaking destination.

• 藍色清真寺 / The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii):

Blue Mosque, Istanbul / 藍色清真寺
(image credit: theistanbulinsinder.com)

我們首先駐足的是藍色清真寺。藍色清真寺又稱「阿賀瑪德蘇丹清真寺」（Sultan Ahmet Camii），因為這清真寺建於十七世紀初鄂圖曼土耳其帝國的阿賀瑪德蘇丹執政時期。這座清真寺外觀有五個圓頂、八個小圓頂、六柱宣禮塔，有些建築元素取自聖索菲亞教堂的拜占庭基督教藝術。內部頂端大小圓頂交錯，由無數的彩色窗陪襯，非常壯觀。它的獨特還在於使用約兩萬片藍色磁磚以及藍色大理石，以及外面的六柱宣禮塔。當時麥加禁寺也同樣有六柱宣禮塔，據說這種不敬的建築是出自語言溝通上的誤會；阿賀瑪德蘇丹對建築師說要使用「金」，建築師誤聽為「六」，因為土語中兩詞發音相近。為免穆斯林的誤會，阿賀瑪德蘇丹命人在麥加禁寺多建一柱宣禮塔。後來沙烏地阿拉伯在禁寺不斷增建宣禮塔，今日已增達十三柱。

Blue Mosque, Istanbul / 藍色清真寺 (image credit: masrawy.com)

English Version / 英文版:
Our first stop was the Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque is also known as the Sultan Ahmet Camii because it was constructed during Ahmed‘s rule in the early 17th century. The Mosque has five main domes, six minarets, and eight secondary domes. Architectural elements include Byzantine Christian art from the Hagia Sophia. The interior’s top is staggered with large and small domes, and countless stained glass windows illuminate the lower stories. Its uniqueness lies in the use of about 20,000 sculptured marble, as well as the six minarets. There was also a six-pillar minaret at the Al-Haram Mosque at the time. It is said that a misunderstanding of language communication caused this kind of construction. The Sultan Ahmed requested “gold,” and the architects misunderstood it as “six,” because the two words’ pronunciation in the native language is similar. To avoid Muslims’ misunderstanding, Ahmed ordered one more minaret to be built in Mecca‘s Al-Haram Mosque. Later, Saudi Arabia continued to develop more minarets in the Forbidden Temple, and today it has increased to 13 pillars.

• 聖索菲亞大教堂 / Hagia Sophia (Church of Hagia Sophia):

Hagia Sophia Mosque / 聖索菲亞大教堂 (image credit: www.hurriyetdailynews.com)

位於藍色清真寺對面的索菲亞大教堂建於公元六世紀，十五世紀鄂圖曼土耳其穆罕默德二世蘇丹時代將它改為索菲亞清真寺（Ayasofya Camii）。二十世紀土耳其共和國國父凱末爾為推展世俗化，將它改為博物館。今年（2020）7月土耳其政府再將它恢復為清真寺。這段坎坷的歷史也烙印在建築裡，伊斯蘭與基督宗教建築元素，以及其雕刻、繪畫、文字都同時存在這座大教堂裡。兩種文明遺跡的交融似乎在啟示人類：宗教和平有那麼難嗎？

English Version / 英文版:
Hagia Sophia, formerly the Church of Hagia Sophia, is located just across the Blue Mosque. The monument was built in the 6th century and converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. To promote secularization, the Turkish Republic established it as a museum in the 20th century. However, In July this year (2020), the Turkish government revoked the monument’s status as a museum, and Hagia Sophia reopened as a mosque. The turbulent history is evident throughout the building through its Islamic and Christian carvings, texts, and paintings. The conflicting elements leave us wondering if peaceful coexistence between religions is so challenging to achieve?/旅