by Christos Zabounis

A well-presented lady is dining alone at “Trechantiri.” It’s early—7:30 p.m.—and the usual line of eager patrons has yet to form. She orders six large prawns and becomes absorbed in her phone. Her name is Merve, and she has come to Patmos seeking spiritual and professional inspiration. Though Muslim, she visited the Cave of the Apocalypse in the morning to pray. Afterwards, she climbed to the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and wandered through the medieval alleys of Chora, a setting she describes as “Umberto Eco-esque.” Merve is one of the leading executives in the Turkish television industry. At the same time, she is preparing two series for Netflix and three international film productions, with transatlantic emails interrupting our conversations. At the “Aktis” hotel, she greets half the “population” there—fellow Turkish nationals from the upper echelons of society. They are all elegantly dressed, well-mannered, and multilingual. “Why did you choose Patmos for your holidays?” I ask a bespectacled gentleman with the look of an intellectual. “It is one of the major centers of Christianity, along with Jerusalem, Mount Sinai, and the Vatican,” he explains in flawless French. “It is for upper class souls,” adds his wife, in the language of Shakespeare. “It has a mysterious energy that either draws you in or repels you,” she continues.