>> Judy O'Bannon: When invited to join a group of fellow Hoosiers on a journey of friendship to Turkey, I jumped at the chance.

The terrorist attacks of September 11 created a rush to fear in our country, as we suddenly came face to face with ideologies and religions with which we had previously With friendship and a desire for understanding as our tools, we set about to help build a bridge across the gap between We've all got a lot of bridge-building to do that we might get along in this I invite you to come with me now to savor Turkey's sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures and to get to know the Turkish men, women, and children who reached out to us as we reached out to them, to create a bridge of friendship >> Jack Wineman: Our world needs a whole lot of people building bridges, not walls.

I just think of all the places in our world now where we are building walls.

And we need to build bridges, one brick at a time.

One conversation.

One person.

And I want to be on the side of those who are building the >> Announcer: Generous support for this program provided by: Marcia V Mayo and the Mayo charitable Foundation, Washington, DC.

The Owsley Brown Charitable Foundation.

And the O'Bannon Foundation, a fund of the Indianapolis >> Interpreter: You will see so many hospitality and friendship in this land.

I hope you will explore this >> Judy O'Bannon: How better to feel the essence of a place than to share a meal with a family in their own home?

For isn't it really our homes that speak of who we are, and represent what we hold >> Teri Thomas: We give thanks for this family, that welcomes us into their home, and ask that you bless our time together.

>> Judy O'Bannon: It is our first evening in Turkey, and we have accepted the gracious invitation of Fahri Yuksel to spend some time with him and his family at their home It seems when we gather around a table in a shared meal, camaraderie and chatter just >> How did you meet, >> Judy O'Bannon: That's Munevver, Fahri's wife, seated next to him and their daughter Kibra, >> Kibra Yuksel: My family, >> Judy O'Bannon: It was a marriage arranged by the elders of their families-a concept seemingly out of date to we westerners, but viewed quite positively by both young and old in other >> Judy O'Bannon: With the yummy meal, the great conversation, and the straightforward pleasure of their company, I was confident that this trip to build our bridge of understanding was off to a great >> Judy O'Bannon: My traveling companions in Turkey were a group of men and women from Central Indiana.

We were brought together by the Holy Dove Foundation, an Indianapolis-based Muslim group.

Their mission: to promote the concepts of Peace, Dialogue, and Understanding between cultures, in hope that we might rise above the differences that all too >> Kazim Eldes: So thank you very much, and welcome again and we are >> Judy O'Bannon: Our shepherds were the husband wife team of Kazim and Turna Eldes, Turkish natives, now living in Indianapolis, who kept their flock informed and together through some complex and geographic I couldn't have asked for a better group of people with which to travel, everyone eager to listen and learn from our hosts, from the historically significant places and events, >> Ann Updegraff Spleth: In my heart of hearts the thing that I always long for is that somehow, we can be a part of healing the world a little bit.

With the relationships we make and with the contacts we have with individuals, time in people's homes, and so forth that, somehow, the fabric of the earth will be strengthened just a little bit by people working to understand >> Judy O'Bannon: How's your geography?

Find a good map of Europe and look way out east.

Or find a good map of Asia, and look all the way to the west.

In either case, what you'll be looking at is Turkey is a place of profound connection.

It connects the land masses of It has been a strategic location on east-west land trade routes since people first began to wander in search of food and shelter, and later sought new people with which to trade what they produced for different goods and >> Judy O'Bannon: A present-day reminder of the ancient trade routes can be found in bazaars like the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul.

This labyrinth of covered streets lined with booth-like shops was established in 1453 by Mehmet the Second, shortly after his conquest of the city, >> Judy O'Bannon: How much are >> Merchant: The hats for you >> Judy O'Bannon: If you like the excitement of the marketplace, the Grand Bazaar is the place to go.

No price tags mark the sale-bartering between local shop keepers and buyers is the >> Judy O'Bannon: I like these three little ladies; I think they are just the cutest things.

>> Merchant: Yes, of course.

>> Judy O'Bannon: And this.

>> Judy O'Bannon: These transactions are an animated example of the give and take of negotiating with people of different cultures in order that everyone might end up with what they need to make their lives >> Judy O'Bannon: I can't pay you 60 U.S.

bucks.

>> Merchant: OK, you are my grandma.

How much you going to pay?

>> Judy O'Bannon: Fifty US bucks.

>> Merchant: Fifty-five, done.

>> Judy O'Bannon: OK, you've got a deal.

>> Merchant: Thank you very much.

>> Ismail Baykurt: Now we are >>Judy O'Bannon: In addition to the East-West land link between two continents, Turkey also provides a critical north-south connection by water, >> Judy O'Bannon: Here on the Bosphorus you can really see what people mean: "location, location, location. "

It's a connecting body of water that not only brings the ability for northern countries to ship into a southern port, but also we have Europe on one >> Judy O'Bannon: This is Europe over on this side.

>> Ismail Baykurt: Here's Asia.

Yeah, I know people who live 60, 70, 80 years in the same city.

For me for example, I cross continents every day.

You know, I make my breakfast in Europe, then I go to Asia, >> Judy O'Bannon: It's about the only place you can say that, isn't it?

>> Ismail Baykurt: Yeah, >> Judy O'Bannon: So people have always come here with differing ideas, different agendas, and it's been a trade route that's brought different religions and different cultures >> Judy O'Bannon: The bridges across the Bosphorus were built to cut the time it takes to cross from continent to continent by boat.

And most of the time they do just that.

But in modern day traffic, and when you're stuck on the bridge in one of Istanbul's legendary traffic jams, it's hard not to think of the necessity of other kinds of bridges-like the bridges of the The internet can carry me across the Bosphorus in no time, even from my home in Indianapolis.

It's kind of amazing to think about, isn't it?

>> Judy O'Bannon: I'm standing in front of the Dolmabache Palace.

It was the last palace built by At its most far-reaching and powerful, the Ottoman Empire dominated an enormous area stretching from Southern Hungary to Yemin, By the time this palace, the Dolmabache, was built in 1856, just 70 years before the end of the Ottoman Empire's 600 year-long reign, the empire was in serious decline.

But that didn't inhibit its opulence and extravagance.

It's interesting to ponder why we humans sometimes grasp for visual signs of strength when we feel the loss of inner >> Judy O'Bannon: This palace is beautiful; it's filled with ornate gorgeous pieces.

But you have to always ask that same old question: When is excess in institutions and for leaders out of proportion for what you can provide for the people, and for the growth of the whole (Call to Prayer) >> Judy O'Bannon: There's little question about the predominant religious faith in Turkey.

Listen!

(Call to Prayer) >> Judy O'Bannon: Five times a day you hear the Muslim's call to prayer.

>> Judy O'Bannon: Behind me is the beautiful Blue Mosque of Istanbul.

It's not very blue on the outside, but inside it's filled with >> Judy O'Bannon: The Blue Mosque is probably the most recognizable symbol of Turkey's Islamic faith, but in this country, mosques are everywhere.

They dot the countryside, their tall thin minarets extending beyond the rooftops, much like church steeples do in It is at these mosques that many people gather, when they hear the public call Muslims are called to prayer five times each day as a normal part of their life intended to acknowledge their relationship with Allah, their God.

Just as the women in their distinctive headscarves, it is a statement that they are Muslims, and for them their faith is a To non-Muslims many of these public demonstrations of allegiance seem a bit mysterious Our country often emphasizes our independent nature.

But we too make statements about what we are or what we think by what we wear, It is true that today 98% of the Turkish people are Muslim, but that, historically, has not always been the case.

In this land that sits at the crossroads of the world, people of diverse thought and practices have come and gone, always affecting the landscape of people and places they leave There was a time, a millennium and a half ago, when Christianity was the predominant faith in what is now Turkey.

And Istanbul, known at that time as Constantinople, was the undisputed spiritual capital for Christians everywhere.

Today, there are still many reminders of Turkey's rich Christian In far west Turkey, we visited what is said to be the house in which the Virgin Mary lived her final years.

This humble place, so different from what you witness in the world's enormous, elaborate mosques and cathedrals, is a shrine revered by According to the New Testament of the Bible, the Apostle Paul wrote to the people who lived here, in the city of Ephesus, to encourage their embrace of Christianity.

To touch this past with my own feet and hands gave me an intense sense of our kinship with the total spectrum of life.

I am but one of the many humans who have wrestled with the Just as in Paul's day, I am asking questions, praying for guidance, and seeking help from my fellow man.

This connection with the past formed a spiritual bridge to yesterday, today, >> Judy O'Bannon: In the Central Turkish region of Cappadocia, we witness enduring testimony to human ingenuity and Carved by hand from a landscape of hardened volcanic ash, these dwellings, high in the sides of cliffs and deep in underground passages, provided what all living things They provided shelter, protection from the elements and from enemies.

But these communities also provided places to gather such as: kitchens, school rooms, centers for worship: the same building blocks that are still so important to our communities Things change.

One minute there are twenty thousand people, living together in an underground city.

The next minute, a 21st century Hoosier peers into the empty, One minute a nation is the capital of Christianity, We ask ourselves how does it happen?

And sometimes, as with the underground cities, we never really find an answer, but other times the answer rises Back in Istanbul, >> Judy O'Bannon: The interior of the Hagia Sophia was designed so that it was an earthly mirror >> Judy O'Bannon: The Hagia Sophia was built in 537 AD as a church by Christians.

But when we look at this magnificent structure today, we see the Godly heavens of >> Judy O'Bannon: The Hagia Sophia had a lot of different uses didn't it over the years?

>> Necip Edis: Yes, in the beginning it was the main church of the orthodox world.

Actually it was the greatest church of the world.

>> Judy O'Bannon: And that's Christian church?

>> Necip Edis: Yes, Christian church, right.

But when the Turks came here in 15th Century, it became the main mosque of the >>Judy O'Bannon: First a church, and then a mosque, as one empire faltered and another rose to take its place, the Hagia Sophia seems to want to tell us that sometimes a nation's predominant religious faith changes to agree with the At a former synagogue in Istanbul, now the Jewish Museum of Turkey, we learned the story of the peaceful co-existence of Turkish And we got a chance to speak with the museum's director, >> Judy O'Bannon: So you're very much in the minority.

What's that feel like?

>> Nisya Allovi: Well, it doesn't feel like anything bad; I mean, we've been here for centuries and I feel like I'm a part of here.

We've been practicing our religion since hundreds of years, centuries, and Ottomans were always like that, I mean as a culture.

Although they conquered many places, they let people have their own culture and beliefs and they didn't interfere, and today we still practice our Judaism by going to the synagogues, you know, >> Judy O'Bannon: As the Turkish people see it, this open expression of welcome and inclusion is an integral part of the Islamic teachings by This acceptance and respect for the ways we are different, this overwhelming tolerance, actually emerges from their Islamic faith, a faith all too often And yet, no one is completely free of >> Newscast: Three police officers and three gunmen were killed in an armed attack on the United States Consulate in >> Newscast: Gunmen ambushed the American Consulate in Istanbul >> Judy O'Bannon: This is the news we woke up to on our fourth day in Turkey.

Just the day before, a terrorist attack had taken place across town from our >> Newscast: The shootout was at >> Judy O'Bannon: It's so hard to put this kind of act into perspective, but it does bring home a simple, unsettling truth: There are bridge builders, and there are those who want to It's up to each one of us to do what we can to make sure the In Ankara, Turkey's bustling, ultra modern capital city, we had the chance to make the acquaintance of a member of >> Mehmet Sahin: This is >> Judy O'Bannon: Besides his role in government, Congressman Mehmet Sahin is also an educator, and, as you can see here, >> Judy O'Bannon: And now you are a practicing congressman.

How do you see all that fitting >> Mehmet Sahin (through interpreter): I have some specialties because of my art and my educator side, and I bring always new ways, new thinking models, new imagination models, to establish new ways between >> Judy O'Bannon: Notice that when he's drawing, Congressman Sahin speaks to us in beautiful and understandable English.

But when he speaks in his official capacity as a Congressman, he's required, by law, to speak only in his native tongue, in order that there might be official, >> Mehmet Sahin: There, as you see, three lines vertical, >> Judy O'Bannon: Congressman Sahin specializes in a style of calligraphy known as "Turna, " in which every stroke of the pen reaches out to us with its >> Mehmet Sahin: Three lines vertical, these mean love, peace, and tolerance.

>> Judy O'Bannon: Love, peace, and tolerance.

>> Judy O'Bannon: Through his calligraphy, Congressman Sahin is trying to build a bridge between the way we live our lives in the 21st Century, and the teachings of the Islamic world's beloved 13th century mystic poet, Mevlana, better known to us all today as >> Mehmet Sahin (through interpreter):Rumi loves people regardless of their color, religion, sex, and language.

Today, in this world, >> Judy O'Bannon: Those are the words we need to hear from our The poet Rumi was also the founder of an order of philosophical and spiritual expression practiced by the >> Judy O'Bannon: In these rooms around this courtyard, Rumi drew in the followers that became his disciples, and he selected and trained those folks who became the >> Orhan Celik: When the dervishes start the ceremony, they open their arms, their right hand facing upward their left hand facing downward, turning around their heart so when they are turning, they can see God everywhere, and they can embrace everyone Whatever you are, whoever you are.

Even if you are agnostic, or atheist, or you worship fire, or you worship idols, even if you are a Christian, Jew, whatever you are, you can come.

We are all humans.

We can find the common thing in our being human.

To understand each other better, we should be together.

We should share some of our People are the enemy of what they don't know.

So, if we know each other better, we can understand each other better, so we can live a peaceful life >> Judy O'Bannon: I guess that about says it all.

Except maybe to add that the bridge we began to build in Turkey is nowhere near When you talk about "understanding, " as in "bridge of understanding, " you're talking about an open-ended, on-going process.

No honest attempt at understanding anything (or anybody! )

is ever fully realized.

There are always new things to think about.

As long as we can share our experience, and as long as our sense of understanding still has room to grow, a bridge like the one that began in Turkey can, as it should, remain a Bridge very much still I'm Judy O'Bannon.

>> Announcer: Generous support for this program provided by: Marcia V Mayo and the Mayo charitable Foundation, Washington, DC.

The Owsley Brown Charitable Foundation.

And the O'Bannon Foundation, a fund of the Indianapolis