In a rich man’s house (Șanlıurfa)

Mehmet and his wife Mehtap own a flat of 200 square meters on the fourth floor of a new apartment building in Șanlıurfa. An average German couple would look jealous at the kitchen equipment, the rich carpets and the huge flat screen in the TV room (and the second, only a little smaller, in the kitchen). The couple and its three children obviously enjoy displaying its wealth and it can do so without being angered, as in the Turkey from 1971 that I remember, by bad roads leading to the house, poor gardens and a general feeling of disorder in front of one’s door.

We found fine solid roads even far east in Anatolia, the automobiles sheltered by security rails against accidents. The Aut0bahn-like roads that connected the mayor cities in the South East had toll-stations where you paid a cheap fee for travelling. We found a vivid but nevertheless comparatively well ordered traffic in the down town areas. Traffic lights were everywhere, and they were, again others than in former years, respected. Above all we found, most visible of all, an enormous amount of new buildings under construction. This is a country on a giant leap forward into a completely modernized economy.

Our tour guide’s interest in historical sites and old buildings lead us most of the time to the inner cities with their old bazaars and small shops. They looked like the Turkey I had remembered. But driving into town we would pass supermarkets, mainly run by the French Carrefour but also by Migros and others. We saw Burger Kings and signs of all the big global firms that deliver their goods to the Grand International Bazaar.
Ömer told us about his conversion to the Gülen-Movement 9 years ago. He was looking for something deeper, something that his wealth could not buy. Now he is glad to be member of a vivid community, many of them, as I guess, as successful as Ömer and as welcoming to new international connections as he is.

Serving a crowd of 14 guests and 5 family members a rich dinner he and his young sons did a great job. There was nothing left of the old Pasha-mentality that Old Turks often display. This was a modern man, and a pious one.