What Have been Proved Facts in POTO

Truly, this matter is debatable. This has been a nice hobby, but as this matter is too complex for me to solve, I won’t research about it for the time being. I have other pressing matters (including my graduation project).
So now my conclusion on what are facts in Phantom of the Opera:

1. Palais Garnier (and its infamous underground, though I’m not sure about how it looks)
2. The chandelier incident (even though it was only one of the counterweights)
3. The Punjab society & their use of ‘lasso’
4. The curious structure of Yildiz Kiosk in Turkey & its torture chamber (said to be built by an unknown German carpenter, who received much of Sultan’s favor. I’ll let one’s imagination suggest the rest)
5. The phonographic records & a sealed room under the Palais Garnier
6. That the Palais Garnier management had sort of trouble with money at the time POTO supposedly took place
7. That Leroux must be blind to use Christine Nilsson’s as his inspiration for Christine Daae. No offense, but Mme. Nilsson was a diva in her time and she obviously knew it, she was stubborn, rather haughty, and more of a Carlotta type of woman. The New York Times Archives paid attention to her in her active days, even to smallest details of her relationships with friends, etc. This may be subjective, I know.

Yildiz Palace

One of my middle-eastern dream holiday destination is Turkey. I’ve never been there, but from what I’ve heard, the place makes me think of acetylcholine…er I mean it works as a neurotransmitter for the nervous system and also works as a hormone (just having anatomy exam on endocrine ). Call it double agent, then. Turkey works as an Eastern country, and also a Western one. Probably has been said thousand times. But I love one particular place in Turkey, the Yildiz Palace.

Yildiz Palace was built (or completed) under Abdulhamid II’s reign. Modern views on him are much diverse from what people’d see him in his days. 19th century Western papers often cue him as a notorious ruler (but still very clever). Probably because of his Panislamic propaganda, opposing European christendom. Umm…he might also have rather morbid hobbies…decapitating Ottoman nobles (particularly those on the liberal side)…and put prisoners in his underground lairs. Everything you’d expect from reading Poe :p
But today most historians view him as religious, gracious and a generous man. Hmm…amazing to see what time can do for your reputation.

Okay, I’m not much into him, but I like his Yildiz Palace. Abdulhamid II ruled from a nice secluded headquarter, never stepped out of Yildiz, it seemed. So he formed a web of secret agents (kinda like KGB, CIA, British MI6, etc) to bring him news. Polices, spies, special agents in and out the palace through tunnels, secret pasageways. Under the palace is a labyrinth of dungeons, prisons, torture chambers, trapdoors, mysterious rooms, all witness the executions of Abdul’s enemies (or maybe his subordinates used it, unbeknown by him). Wow, doesn’t need a makeover to make it one of the most sensational residence in the world. There are also these mysterious boxes, perhaps used for safety boxes to hid his money and treasures? Papers buzzed around with rumors of his hidden treasures. After all, the Ottoman was very rich, all that arabian nights lovers dream. Only Abdul and his workmen (Abdul was a skillful carpenter, he made a studio for carpenters to work for him) knew the hiding places. People said there’s a chamber under Yildiz lake (a circular lake in the palace ground, it has an island full of animals). Oddly, his workmen died suddenly (or at least people were informed so) after hiding the money. Some money was found inside the furnitures, closed rooms, safety boxes at the beginning of 20th century. Of all his carpenters, Abdul had his favourite, a German carpenter (I’ve been trying to track his name, but still can’t find it) whom he regarded as one of the most amiable and gentlest men he ever met. I have a curious feeling about this mysterious carpenter…or any carpenter worked for Abdul…

I can’t post any pictures…unsure of the copyright thingy. But everyone can use Google, and there aren’t many pictures on Yildiz. Mom said we’d do umrah next year so I hope I can go to Turkey too, but I don’t want to take a tour. I want so much to see the secret passageways and take pictures of them! I’m a bit confused on how do I get to Istanbul from Saudi…the cheapest way…but also safe…?