Ataturk made sure there would be no fighting over it as a museum.
After the Ayasofya experience we went to a special dinner to meet the Meher Baba group of Turkey. It was a splendid lovefest at the restaurant of one of the premier universities of Istanbul. We felt welcomed, even adopted by our Turkish Babaloving sisters and brothers. Jai Baba! Now that Aspen was happy, I started to think about how to get to Konya. I didn’t even know where it was in relation to Istanbul, except that it was somewhere South. After visiting different travel offices, and comparing prices and options (bus vs. plane, etc.) we were off on a short flight to Konya. I knew no one there, and decided on a small hotel nearest to the tomb of Rumi. We arrived at night, and struggled to find a restaurant still open. We did find one, and the most intriguing item on the menu was “containing cheese bread.” I ordered that! Inside there are two levels to explore, filled with architecture, art, and much spirit. We took a lot of photos, and pointed a lot, and absorbed quite the atmosphere which was a profound mixture of Christian, Muslim and other types of worship over the years since it was first constructed in 360 CE.[2] Of the many marvels, some the most inspired are the mosaics. The ceilings are domed masterpieces of architecture, now containing Christian and Muslim art.
It was like a cross between garlic bread and grilled cheese, and boy was it yummy at almost midnight! We went back to the hotel, Aspen went to bed, and I went to find an “international phone card” to speak with Lilly and Cyprus in America. I asked at the front desk, and they gestured to where the phone card could be purchased, roughly “across the street.” I looked here and there, and there were two open shops. One sent me the other, and the other sent me down an alley. I ventured down the dark alley, and sure enough there was a tiny shop, with a sign hanging that said, “phone cards.” The shop keeper welcomed me, and started to find a phone card for me, and then asked why I was in Konya. I explained I came on pilgrimage to Rumi. I asked where the dargah is located, and he gestured, saying it was extremely close. Then he explained that he is a Sufi, and a taxi driver, and that he is only watching the shop… he asked if I was interested to meet Rumi’s 22nd
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