Exploration of ethos in Seoul

February 3, 2015, Tuesday morning. I was all hyped up about my first visit to Bukchon Hanok Village. Less than a month in the new city and Bukchon, one of the few places I wanted to visit, awaited me. No excuses, no sleep, I rode toward Bukchon with all my excitement… and of course, my 70D Canon.

As many tourists explore the narrow alleys, a tourist takes a selfie at Bukchon Hanok village with towering structures casting shadows over her.

What was interesting about that Tuesday was that I visited two places: Bukchon Hanok Village in Jongno-gu and Seoul Central Mosque in Itaewon, which is the only mosque in Seoul. Both places overflowed with serenity and beautiful architecture. Bukchon and the mosque in Itaewon showed the balance of different cultures in the same city. I found the tourists and natives basking in the tranquility of the scenery in both places. I found the juxtaposition of similar postures and documentation of experiences quite interesting: cameras hovering over faces, smiles in the shadows and the magnificent structures towering over the tiny mortals.

Korea is a majorly homogenous society, but a common ground for some foreigners and Koreans alike is religion. In this photo, a mix of foreign (esp. Pakistanis, Arabs, Iranians and Indonesians) and Korean Muslims can be seen praying at the Seoul Central Mosque in Itaewon.

Queues of tourists exploring Bukchon to relive the 600-year-old Joseon Dynasty atmosphere and rows of foreigners and native Korean Muslims praying in the mosque; the door signs welcoming seasons in Bukchon and the large sign stating “God is great” at the mosque left me with an interesting day with exposure to the multiple cultures co-existing peacefully in Seoul.

A view of the Seoul Central Mosque, showing the magnificence of the giant structure standing tall in Itaewon. The interesting fact is that the minaret of the mosque can be seen from far away even though the mosque is surrounded by other buildings.