Reg Info Q&A Today, July 8, 1-2pmET
And an image of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
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Every Friday I include an image. If you have a special place, send me a photo at contact.ruthbenghiat@gmail.com. I’ll assume you want to be anonymous unless you tell me to credit you.
Today I am featuring the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. I have been fascinated with this building ever since I took a course in Byzantine history at UCLA. It was built in 537CE as a cathedral, then was a mosque for centuries after the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, and in the 1930s became a museum. Now it is a mosque again as despot Recep Tayyip Erdogan pursues his goal of being a global leader of political Islam.
For me the Hagia Sophia is also a reminder to go places and see things while you can. I have never visited Turkey, even though there have always been Benghiats/Bengiyats/Ben Giats there. An ancestor, Alexandre Benghiat, was an important journalist, publisher, and translator from Smyrna/Izmir who was active in the late 19th-early 20th century. I always thought “I’ll go next year.”
Now I will wait until Erdogan is no longer in power, since anyone who denounces his crimes or irritates him or one of his cronies is fair game for arbitrary detentions or lawsuits.
Where have you wanted to go, but have put off visiting? If your health, finances, and political conditions permit it, make that journey.
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As an ex-pat living in the Mediterranean area more than half my life, I know well the draw to the history of this area. The blue of the sea and sky and the green of the olive and pistachio trees all give one pause. Haghia Sophia is a marvel, as is its neighbor, the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet). Alexander the Great passed through Ancient Smyrnh. The towns in this land were ancient before Rome existed. Sephardic Jews have been my friends since my arrival. "See Rome and die" but visit Turkey and wonder.
Thank you, Ruth, this is an important reminder. I would also add: Go visit the people you care about while you can.