Blogs from Antakya, Mediterranean, Turkey, Middle East
May 22nd 2012
As happens here - we got a last minute invite to attend a special concert from the Choir of World Civilizations. I appologize ahead of time for the lack of quality in the video but the song and the solo singer is amazing so it's well worth the listen/watch. For those of you who don't know, the Choir has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and encompasses religious songs from all the local religious groups here in Antakya. The choir is actually being studied at length by my musically talented friend Chris who can offer a much more sophisticated view of their performance. For me - it would have been nice to have a program with the names of the songs listed. As I don't speak any of the languages - it was enjoyable yet ... read more
May 19th 2012
My day began with a short and odd trip to the Synagoge. Apparently there was a miscommunication and the person I thought would meet me there did not show. Shrugging it off I walked toward the St. Pierre. IPOD in ears and water bottle close I started the roughly 2 mile hike. Along the way I found an odd blown glass museum. The bottles were supposed to keep the holy water from the pilgrimage sites. As I left and continued walking – I ran into this guy that I had met a week or so before. He gave me a ride up to St. Pierre. We took some photos from inside and he showed me the hidden cavern that the Christians used to hide from the Muslim invaders before. These caverns make a weird honeycomb into ... read more
May 17th 2012
So I went to the museum today. It was stunning! There were so many mosaics, busts, sarcophagi and coins. Many of them were from the 2nd and 3rd century. I'll let you do the math quickly.... Ah - but there was more. Satyrs and Goddesses, Oceanus, and even Hercules. It just made my little historian heart go Thump Thump! I am planning on sending a few of the photos to one of professors for translations. (as none in these cases had been provided) You could touch the art too which was nice. It was strange to run my hands over something so old, so cherished - and in some cases so religious. I stopped at the gift shop on the way out and picked up a few things. It was fairly cheap. It was a beautiful ... read more
May 16th 2012
Just about anything you might need can be found in the bazzar...a seemingly endless network of store fronts with quality goods and fair (and negotiable) prices. It's only a short walk from our house and an interesting place to just hang around. Check out the photos.... read more
May 15th 2012
They are called minarets... In a different era there would have men on their balconies - singing the prayers - today they have speakers attached with a man in the bottom - singing the prayers. They are a constant reminder that this place is steeped in faith. It is not the occasional bells of a church - but a visual and auditory reminder that I am in fact "not in Kansas anymore". Not to say of course that people in Kansas are godless - only that they are in possession of "god light" - think Miller (or Bud). Here - everyone wears their faith, it is open and evident and something that I am always lacking. It is hard to understand such complete surrender - this modern field of Atheism does not seem to exist here. ... read more
May 14th 2012
Saturday, May 12th was the final match of Turkey's Super Lig (soccer). We went to watch the game at a nearby hookah bar called Oasis, where they had cleared out all of the usual furniture to cram in some 400 plastic chairs. For 10 lira (about $5-6) you could watch the game on a projection screen, and with the audio blaring and crowd chanting you'd swear you were at the game. Although Fenerbahce dominated the entire game, with about 80% of the total possession, they were unable to score, and due to the league standings, Galatasaray took the championship. Needless to say, the Fenerbahce fans were pissed. Several clips on youtube demonstrate the degree to which they were pissed. I'll post one here. However, I was told later that the Fenerbahce fans were actually reacting more ... read more
Some photos of the neighborhood
Published: May 12th 2012Middle East » Turkey » Mediterranean » Antakya
May 12th 2012
I had a few minutes so I thought I'd upload a few photos of the neighborhood. It's a fairly dense community with a labrynth of narrow, winding alleys and high walls on the sides. There's lots of shops, businesses, small grocers, cafes, and places to eat mixed in with residences. It's pretty easy to get anything you need just by walking around.... read more
May 10th 2012
The celebration of St. George/Hz Hizir/Elias took place in Harbiye, Samandag and Iskenderun on May 5th, 2012. So the story goes, Hizir and Moses met in Harbiye and walked together until Samandag where they split and went their separate ways. Along this path at several locations there are tombs of Hizir that are recognized by the Alawis as a place where Hizir has appeared. These sites are considered sacred in the Alawi Islamic tradition.... read more
May 7th 2012
So, this is the house where we are staying. A typical house in this area has an entry way into a patio/courtyard with a small garden or a few trees. Surrounding this will be separate rooms like a kitchen/mealing room, washroom, bathroom, bedrooms and living room. This house even has a well, although not in use. Pretty amazing tile work and architecture all around in this area. So far we've been fairly busy traveling around, checking out the religious sites and celebrations in Antakya, Harbiye and Samandag. I plan to post some of those pictures next. Keep in touch, Chris... read more
May 5th 2012
Hello All! Thanks for being interested in my endeavors. Well, I've arrived safely and have been recovering from the five flights and exhausting 24 hours of travel. This place is simply amazing with the best food I've ever had, and super friendly people. Antioch will be my (our) home base throughout the summer. We're staying in an old style house in the historic part of Antioch/Antakya at place devoted to travelers from all ethnic and religious backgrounds nicknamed the "Peace House." The city has ancient roots and rests in lovely mountain valley. I promise to post pictures at some point, but for now I just wanted to get this blog up and running! Be sure to check this from time to time to see what I've been seeing. ---Chris... read more
