He whare karakia iti te Whare Karakia o Chora, engari he wāhi tino ataahua. He tino pai te taiao katoa. I ngā wā katoa ka haere ahau, ka inu tī tonu ahau i te tapawhā iti i mua i te whare karakia.
I te Rātapu whakamutunga, i tino hiahia ahau ki te mahi i tētahi mea ehara i te noho noa i runga i taku tūru me te mātaki kiriata me te whānau. Nō reira, i whakatau mātou ko tōku whānau ki te haere ki te Whare Karakia o St. Saviour Chora e tata ana ki Edirnekapı. Ahakoa he taitamariki tonu a Şira mō te toro atu ki tētahi whare taonga pēnei, ko taku pepeha, ina tīmata koe ki te toro atu ki ngā whakaaturanga me ngā whare taonga i te wā taitamariki, ka whakamahia koe ā muri ake nei, ā, ko taku tumanako, ka pai ki a koe te haere ki aua wāhi.
He whare karakia iti te Whare Karakia o Chora, engari he wāhi tino ataahua. He tino pai te āhua katoa. I ngā wā katoa e haere ana ahau, ka inu tī tonu ahau i te tapawhā iti i mua i te whare karakia. Ka kite koe i ngā tūruhi katoa e haere mai ana, e haere atu ana, ko te nuinga o rātou he kaiārahi e pupuri ana i te maru ki runga ake i tōna mahunga kia kore ai tetahi o te kahui e kite ohorere i a ia anō me te kore o te rōpū. Ko te wehi nui mō te tūruhi ko te wehe atu i te rōpū, inā koa i roto i te tāone ngahere pērā i a Istanbul. Ki te ngaro rātou, me aro atu rātou ki ngā mea maha i te wā kotahi:
– Te waka rongonui. Ki ngā tūruhi he moemoeā tino kino tēnei – me pēhea te whiti i te huarahi me te kore e pāngia e te motuka, e te motopaika rānei.
– Ngā kaihoko tiriti. Nā te mea kāore rātou i te mōhio ki te reo, kāore te iwi e mārama ki tā te tangata e hiahia ana mai i a rātou. He maha ngā wā kei te ngana noa ia ki te mihi atu, i ētahi wā kei te ngana ia ki te hoko i tētahi mea.
– Me pēhea te kimi anō i te rōpū nā te mea he nui a Istanbul, he tino nui.
Nō reira, ko tāu e kite nei he rōpū, he kahui hipi, e ngana ana ki te noho ki te taiao kotahi o tā rātou hepara. Koinei te wāhi e whai hua ai te maru karakara. He nui te harikoa ki ahau i te mātakitaki i ēnei mahi, ā, ka taea e au te noho me te mātakitaki mō ngā hāora. He mea pai hoki te kai i mua i te haerenga ki te whare karakia, ā, i te noho i te tapawhā iti whakamarie e karapotia ana e ngā whare tawhito ka kitea e koe he wāhi pai i te marumaru. Mā ngā rākau tawhito nunui ka nui ake te mahara ki tēnei tapawhā.
Te hoko kāri whare taonga
Mena kei Turkey koe e noho ana, ka tino taunaki atu ahau kia hoko koe i tētahi kāri whare taonga. Mā tēnei kāri ka taea e koe te toro atu ki te nuinga o ngā whare taonga i Turkey mō te kore utu. He waimarie ahau, he nui noa iho te whakaatu noa i taku kāri pāpāho, engari i tēnei wā, he kuware rawa ahau – i wareware ahau ki taku kāri, nō reira i hoko mai a Gonca i tētahi tīkiti māku.
I mua i te tomokanga ki te whare taonga, me hikoi koe i te whare karakia, ā, he mea tino pai tēnei. He ataahua te tirohanga atu ki te māra iti ataahua ki tētahi wāhanga o te rohe o Fatih, ā, he maha ngā tāngata e whakamahi ana i tēnei wāhi hei kai iti i a rātou e pārekareka ana ki te tirohanga o te whare karakia whakamiharo. Kāore te whare karakia i te rahi rawa, engari ki te titiro atu koe i waho, ko ngā pakitara nunui anake e kitea ana e koe, he matotoru rawa, ā, kua kaha ki te tu atu i ngā rū whenua maha. I te mea kua miharo koe ki aua pakitara pakari o waho, ka tomo koe ki te whare taonga (ki te mea kei te tere koe, kāore e roa ake i te meneti). Tērā pea he uaua te tomo ki te whare karakia i te tīmatanga nā te mea he maha ngā tāngata e miharo ana ki te kitenga tuatahi o ngā fresco me ngā mosaic maha, ā, ka ārai i te tomokanga, ka titiro katoa ki te tuanui.
I taku haerenga ki te Whare Karakia o Chora, ko te mea tino ngahau ki ahau ko ngā tūruhi. Ka piki katoa rātou me tētahi taputapu i te ringa kotahi e whakamārama ana i ngā mea katoa mō ngā mosaic, ā, i te ringa kē he kāmera, he waea pūkoro rānei. I roto i ngā rōpū iti – kia mahara he hipi katoa tātou – ka hikoi rātou i roto i te whare karakia, ā, ka miharo ki ngā mahi a ngā tohunga i hanga i aua mahi toi katoa.
I taua wā tonu, e oma ana a Şira i roto i te whare karakia me te mea kei te uru atu ia ki te marathon o Eurasia; e waiata ana, e karanga ana hoki i ahau i tana kitenga i tētahi mea hou. He mea whakakatakata – i te nuinga o te wā ka tino whakama ahau, engari i konei kāore au i tino pouri. I muri i tētahi wā, ka haria ia e au ki waho, ki te wāhi i kite ai ia i ētahi punua ngeru, ā, i a au i te māra, ka taea e Gonca me taku tuahine me taku taokete-i-te-ture te pārekareka ki te ataahua o te whare karakia.
Kai Ottoman
Hei noho i roto i te wairua o ngā "wā o mua" i haere mātou ki Asitane, he wharekai nō taku hoa a Batur. E 50 mita te tawhiti atu i te whare taonga o Chora, ā, e tuku ana i ngā kai Ottoman tuku iho. I mihi mai a Batur ki ahau me te atawhai, ā, i puta mai he ohorere. I ngā wā katoa he rā motuhake pēnei i a Ramazan, i a Kurban Bayram rānei (te Hakari o te Patunga Tapu), ka tukuna e ia he tahua motuhake. I tēnei wā ka tukuna mai e ia he tahua Kurban Bayram motuhake ki ahau.
I tukuna tēnei tahua kai ki te Whare Ariki o Topkapı e Mehmet IV i te tau 1650 ki ngā Wizier Nui. Mā te toro atu ki te Whare Ariki o Topkapı ka puta he whakaaro mō te oranga tino whai rawa o ngā sultan rerekē, engari me pēhea te tata atu ki te whakaaro ko koe te Sultan mā te kai i āna kai? Āe, ka taea e au te kī atu ki a koe. I taua ahiahi i whakaaro ahau ko ahau te Sultan Wilco I. Tekau mā rua ngā rihi rerekē i tukuna i te raupapa kotahi i kainga e te Sultan me āna Wizier. He mutunga tino pai o tētahi rā tino pai ka taea e au te tino taunaki atu ki a koe – ki te whai manuhiri koe, me mahi i taku i mahi ai. E kore rawa rātou e wareware.
(Mō te kōrero taketake http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/a-visit-to-edirnekapi-for-a-pleasant-weekend.aspx?pageID=238&nID=34557&NewsCatID=379)
(Nā Hürriyet Daily News i tuku pūrongo)
