Time travel : between istanbul and tunis

by Hzami Farouk (Tunisia)

A leap into the unknown Turkey

"are you ready ? we are leaving in few days ! " "yes i'm" that was the conversation between me and my friend about our trip from tunis to istanbul which i realised after it that i dont have a passport ... the trip started with running between offices where i tried to have a passport in four days and end up with me sitting in the airport watching the airplane takeoff with my friend on board alone... two hours after that i recived a call telling me that my passport is ready , i took and went to the company's office and asked him can you make anything for me , "let me check if we have any available sit on the next flight sir " he said ... and there i'm leaving the ground for the first time experiencing gravity , it wasmy first eye contact with ths sky from the other side. my friend did not in front of the hotel room and refusedto open the door for me because he did not expect that.the lock turned after explaining that there is something called next flight mixed with luck. Istanbul have its own magic,people from diffrent backgrounds , advanced infrastructure thats really moved me. at the second day after a long jurney between malls and historical places in "sultan ahmet" i was very exited to explore more . i was taking picture with my eyes instead of my smartphone , as an IT student and researcher i know that the best way to save a picture is to keep it in memory . with its roots dating back to the 15th century istanul was stunning ,at the "bosphur" bridge and during sunset with the rays of sun touching my face. that night my friend refused to take a walk with me, i left alone the hotel , i was riding a tram to the last stop just to end up in a new and unfamiliar place . after a couple of hours there where no more sound only i can hear my steps and no more surprise after my phone turned off , i was in a hidden place away from the big buildings , I lost my ability to navigate the maze of confusing old backstreets and i realised that i was totally lost inside a mix human been creation from a long time ago , i freaked and started walking fast , Every door, every window frame and even rain gutters was the same and rain starts droping and my heartbeats starts following the speed of rain ... i stoped and took a look and it was so dark but something Tighten my attention this style looks familiar for me , it was similar to what we have have in tunisia and we call it the old city , its the beaten heart of downtown built before 1000 years ago including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains, testify to this remarkable past.In view of the historical and religious link between Tunisia and Turkey and the passage of the Islamic and Ottoman civilizations, this link is embodied in the architectural character. The layout of the city streets is far from being straight. It derives very often to the right and left to give birth to the narrow streets, blind alleys and dead ends in large number. Browsing the Medina and its suburbs gives you the impression that no specific regulation intervened.when we kids we use to have a technique to escape this maze by walking stright forward avoiding turning left or right ... at the same time I had a feeling of reassurance and safety lik i was in my country, my senses touched the entourage and traveled in time, by that i was able to identify the bond, and I adapted like a baby does when he tries to swim by nature. feeling safety makes walk straight to light and in 20 minutes using childhood technique i reached the main street , took a long breath of freedom and fresh air in my new home , i continue to walk to the hotel and it was was a great experience which changed me from a tourist to time traveller and maybe i was lost in a maze but i was finding myself.