We visited the Atesbaz Veli mosque near Lake Beyseyhir. This 700 year old mosque is noted for it's construction, primarily made of beautiful cedar wood beams and intricate wood carvings at the top, a rare thing to see in Turkey. We were given a tour and explanation of the mosque's beautiful and intricate mitzrah and calligraphy by the mosque's imam.
Then, a surprise! The imam took us to the corner of the mosque, lifted up the carpet and a door, which led down to a prayer area underneath the floor of the mosque. "This is where those who are ready for chilehaney, a spiritual retreat. They do not leave the mosque for the forty days of Ramadan. They have forty olives placed before them, and each day they break the fast with one olive a day. They do not sleep lying down; they have a cane under their chins so they must sleep in a seated position. When the cane falls, they must wake up and begin again."
This rite of passage for a devoted dervish monastic impressed us deeply and scared us at the same time. Solitary retreat is something both Wayne and I have dabbled in, but not explored very deeply in either the Christian or Buddhist traditions. The depth of spiritual practice in the near and middle east among both monastics and lay people is something that we will carry with us.
Forty days ago we were in Hebron, in the West Bank, a city of holy sites and intense conflict about who controls them and who can live near them. It seems like so long ago. Every day of this sabbatical journey has brought so much rich experience. Could forty days alone, just me and my mind and my prayers, possibly be even more valuable to my spirit?
Location:Lake Beyseyhir, Turkey
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