Omar Faruk Tekbilek - Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia)!

A masterpiece from the Album "Dance Into Eternity" (2000). Listen & Enjoy it.

Omar Faruk Tekbilek had been studying Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, with the thought of becoming a Sufi cleric. At 15, he quit school to become a professional musician. "But I never quit studying, though," he maintains. "In fact, I am still studying; it's endless. Music for me is not something to show off. It's my life. It's the shortest path to God. Playing is prayer for me." He went to Istanbul and at the age of 17 met the Mevlevi Dervishes, the ancient Sufi order of Turkey. He did not join the order, but felt profoundly influenced by their mystical approach to sound and to the spirit. Another, almost equally mystical influence would soon appear, from an unlikely source. The young Tekbilek became friend with flute and saxophone player named Ismet Siral, who had some unusual ideas about music theory. "He would say things like, let's play for birds, let's play for pictures." OFT says about Burhan Tonguch, his rhythm teacher: "He put the idea in my mind that everything is a rhythmic instrument. And everyone is a percussionist. Without the strike, there is no sound."

Despite, or perhaps because of, this unconventional outlook, Faruk's skills were much in demand in the studios of Istanbul, and in 1971, at the age of 20, made his first brief tour of the United States with a Turkish classical/folk ensemble. The Tree of Patience was about to put out an unexpected limb. "I try to play a song the way it's supposed to be," Faruk explains. "If I play an Arabic song, I use an Arabic style; if I play a Turkish song, I use a Turkish style."

Faruk feels a strong affinity for Arabic music, which differs in several important ways from the Turkish tradition. As a child he spent a lot of time listening to Radio Kairo and became acquainted with the giant musicians of that time like Umm Kulthum, Abdul Wahab, Abdl Halim Hafez, Farid al-Atraš, Fairuz, Sabah Fakhri. Because he was playing the flute he was inspired by the melodies and the sound of ney (nay). He was also inspired by Sheikh Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad recitations of the holy Qur'an whom his father was listening a lot.

Faruk pauses, considers, and then admits, "Sometimes I can't keep myself from making a bridge between them. I just try to listen to the song; it will tell me what it wants to be." The process of creating his own songs is similar: "There is no set formula or method", he says. "Each song comes out in a different way."

Btw: The grandfather of Faruk's mother is originated from Egypt, so if you want Faruk is "Egyptian in 3rd generation". But much more he is Turkish. ;-)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• ömer
• dance
• eternity
• turkish
• arabic
• ney
• nay
• jazz
• instrumental
• world
• music
• sufi
• great
• quality
• masterpiece
• melody
• tiad

[tiad]

Please avoid comments offending people, nations or religions! Comment only the music and the artist. Thank you. *** Tiad

[Osprey1790]

Just to let you know... it's not "Saint Sophia". There is no Saint Sophia, or at least that's not what this church is dedicated to. Hagia Sophia means "Holy Wisdom", so you might wanna change the name of your video.

[tiad]

@Osprey1790: The names are exactly taken from the album "Dance into Eternity"!

[AquarielCharm]

This is so Lovely. The first few seconds I first heard this song I knew it was a great one & unpaused the button on my stereo and recorded it in1994 from the radio station called Hearts of Space. That's what I wrote on that cassette. As luck would have it I found it today. However, you only have half the song here and was wondering why you didn't include the entire song because I recorded the 2nd part that night? Thank you.

[tiad]

Thanky you for your comment. I don´t know what you mean by ".you only have half the song here...". Look at the track listing of the album "Dance Into Eternity". There is no 2nd part. Maybe you mean an other track..?

[tiad]

Put, "&fmt=18" (without the ") after the URL to listen in Stereo and much better Audio Quality!

[Patrinos00]

Very nice.

I hope Agia Sophia stands there for ever.

[DRAGOVODA]

...at only 25 years old to conquer such wonder...

God willing !:)

[christianotelo]

who greeks built this??? i've been there and it's amazing..!

[zhalt123]

Great song. Even greater when you listen to it inside Ayasofya.

[ThePhoeniiciian]

it was a church before the mosque but when they rebuilt it they keep the pictures and the representation of Holy Mary and Sofia?

[TheEgyptianOne1]

it looks alot like saladdin's castle her in egypt and i m shocked to those who say its greek made....dont tell me that the pyramids are greek made to...and tht u checked underneath them and found a little note that says (Made in Greece)...!

[TheEgyptianOne1]

@marcotheon yh and the pyramids are greek made to...if u check underneath them u will find a little note that says (Made In Greece)....!!!

[has42kahraman]

since1453 going to forever türks müslims......ayasofya mosgue

[has42kahraman]

since1453 going to forever türks müslims......

[Angles786]

@marcotheon it was never greece mate

[Boyka4050]

zemljace aju sofiju je podigao car Konstantin 2 -360. god.,koji je bio hriscanin,tako dakle da hocu da kazem da aja sofija je hriscanski hram,i ostace tako,a to sto vi imate muslimani svoje neko 16 misljenje to je vas problem,a i onako ste izmesljeni narod...:D

[Boyka4050]

zemljace Aja Sofija nije ni Grcka ni Vizantijska,Aja sofija je Hriscanski hram,koga je podigao Alexandar veliki,vi mozete da se pusite samo,i da izmisljate neke svoje teorije!!!!!!!!!!!!!!