For Ahmet Atmaca, the imam of the historic Bebek Mosque, life is a rhythmic journey that oscillates between the spiritual heights of the Islamic call to prayer and the winding asphalt roads leading to the Belgrad Forest.
Atmaca, who has served as a religious official for 34 years, 25 of them at the iconic Bosporus-side mosque, is not a typical imam. He is a master of Turkish classical music, a student of the legendary professor Alaeddin YavaΕΓ§a, and a dedicated cyclist who finds God in both the "makam" of a melody and the silence of nature.
Atmacaβs journey into music began in his childhood in GΓΌmΓΌΕhane, but it was in Istanbul wh
Continue Reading on Daily Sabah
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.