DBWI: Tour of the Ottoman Empire

Salonica is a must for anyone who's interested in scholarship! The University there is probably the best in the Empire (and thus the best in the world ;)), and they tend to have a few lectures every day open to the public. I swear, the faculty of their Law School are probably the only people anywhere - including the Sultan's palace! - that understand all the intricacies of the law.
 
Having been there:

If you're going to cross the Sultan Bayezid Bridge across the Bosporus, do so as early as possible - the traffic at rush hour is horrendous.

Baghdad is pretty nice, too, and if you're a techno geek, it's worth it touring the Baghdad Institute of Technology there - ever wonder where the call-center folks with the Arabic accents graduated from? This is it. Don't visit during football season, though - Baghdadis are fucking obsessed about soccer, and wearing the wrong colors on game day in the wrong neighborhood... well, it's a good way to shorten your life expectancy... and never, ever make the mistake of calling them Persian, even the Shiites. Given that a ton of them still remember going to war with the Shah, that's also bound to get you beaten up.

Karbala is pretty good, for the historical and religious value - it's like a time capsule for what life in the Empire was like before all the skyscrapers, smokestacks and Starbucks outlets.

Beirut used to be pretty OK, but these days it's practically part of France, with all the French expats owning villas. They've been trying to get in nude beaches in the area for years, but it's not going to happen. Basically the only attractions there are the pot (technically illegal, but the provincial authorities look the other way) and the prostitutes (also technically illegal, and also pretty much ignored by the cops.)
 

Keenir

Banned
I know a few friends who managed to sneak into Mecca and Medina. They say that the architecture is great, though they admitted that the visit was more for the thrill of avoiding detection for Non-Muslims than just sightseeing.
;)
I wonder how many of the people going on Hajj these days are people who think its dangerous and thrill-filled.

Really, as long as you keep your head down and at least try to go through the motions, the Medinans will let just about anybody in. (I suspect - but have no evidence - that this state of affairs arose in the wake of the Sultan going down there after The Hippie Incident)
 
Well, apparently the new Mayor of Mecca's wants to go back to the old ways... some obscure guy named Bin Ladn... or something like that... of course, Medina is another story, so...

By the way, I saw the Konstantinyye-Abu Ghraib premiership game last Thursday, on satellite TV... seriously, that last-minute goal by al-Dosari... priceless. You think he's going to make the national team for the World cup?
 
;)
I wonder how many of the people going on Hajj these days are people who think its dangerous and thrill-filled.

Really, as long as you keep your head down and at least try to go through the motions, the Medinans will let just about anybody in. (I suspect - but have no evidence - that this state of affairs arose in the wake of the Sultan going down there after The Hippie Incident)
Hey, how long do you intend to hold that against Canada, Keenir? Give it a rest already. :mad:


Come to think of it, where's Abdul? You'd think he'd have all the best spots to suggest.
 

Burakius

Banned
Recommend: Antakya, Aleppo, Bagdad (altho its not safe), Sarajevo, Istanbul, Bursa, Ankara, Aksaray, Adana, Kars, Vienna (altho Ottomans were never there, there are alot of statues representing them), Belgrado, Edirne, Jerusalem, Beirut, Damascus, Cairo (only the Muhammed Ali mosque), Tunis, Oran, Al djezair, Rhodes, Cyprus, Iraklion (Crete).

And thats just a little grasp.

p.s.

If you are Muslim: Mekka and Medina
 

Burakius

Banned
;)
I wonder how many of the people going on Hajj these days are people who think its dangerous and thrill-filled.

Really, as long as you keep your head down and at least try to go through the motions, the Medinans will let just about anybody in. (I suspect - but have no evidence - that this state of affairs arose in the wake of the Sultan going down there after The Hippie Incident)

I'm a Muslim so I went to Mecca and Medina without trhill (spiritual thrill more). But I can't imagine the two city's are even worth visiting for someone who is not Muslim. It will be all meaningless. So way the go for those friends, total waste of money lol.

Cool remarker: There is a hadith that if even a kafir (kuffar) has visited the coffin of the prophet Muhammed (pbuh), he will go to heaven (eventually after some burnin'). Dont be too sure about this hadith tho, because I dont have evidence. Just rememberd it.
 
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