Blogs from Urfa, Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey, Middle East

Before returning home from the Livestock Market, Mehmet took us high into the K mountains in search of a Nomad Family, this was not a pre-arranged thing and we stood the chance of not seeing a family at all. The Nomad's live for 7 to 8 months of the year in the high country, grazing their animals in mountain pastures and moving on frequently as the food for the animals runs out. They always camp near water and live in various tents of all shapes and sizes. We were lucky as after about an hours drive we could see a camp in a flat area it seemed to consist of about 5 tents so probably would be a family. As we got out of the car Mehmet spotted a turtle on the road, bear in mind ... read more

The village of Yuvacali has about 800 residents, unfortunately there is very little employment apart from agricultural work so many of the men spend 6 months or more away on the Mediterranean Coast working at various tourist locations in the entertainment and hospitality trades. The Nomad Tours project has given employment to several families and income for the village. There is a high infant mortality and birth defect rate amongst the families and in fact there is only 3 seperate surnames in the whole of the village. I was told that there is a lot of cousin inter marriages. As a result of the project there is now a full time funded teacher for the village school, water to all homes since 2008 and a sewerage systen has recently been put through. Gifts are encouraged and ... read more

Urfa & surrounds Woke early in our lovely rooftop bed & listened as the village slowly awoke. Animals, people starting to stir. Halil and Pero were up early, moving around the house and yard, feeding cleaning, preparing. Had cay sitting out the front and then it was time for Pero to make the bread. In the storeroom she measured out the flour into a plastic tub, added what may have been salt, added water and began to skillfully mix then knead the dough. The kneading is quite a vigorous activity, kneeling on the ground, using the knuckles with body weight behind - better than a workout at the gym I think! After that she went off across the yard and came back with an armful of sticks. She set out everything she needed - a hotplate ... read more

Další den jsme se vypravili dvouma dolmušema (minibusy) do Urfy. Sanliurfa je město ležící poměrně blízko k hranici se Sýrií známé tím, že zde bůh učinil zázrak a zachránil Abramáma odsouzeného k upálení tím, že oheň proměnil ve vodu a dřevo v ryby. Urfa má hodně mešit, hrad, kdes se inkriminovanej zázrak odehrál, nádhernej park s vodníma kanálama pod hradem a směřuje sem poměrně značný množství turistů. Většinou ale spíž z turecka a okolních muslimskejch států, takže anglicky se tu domluvíte jen těžko. Kvůli zachování původního rázu města nesmějí mít domy víc než dvě patra. Náš hotel se nacházel v centru, kam nás osobně dovez majitel rovnou z nádraží, které je naopak jak je místním zvykem od města co nejdál. Zrovna byl den voleb a tak v autě spolu s náma jela celá rodinka vracející se ... read more

14. Gün Nemrut dağında Gündoğumu, Kommagene Krallığı ve Harran Otel odasının Telefonu sabaha karşı 02:30’da çaldı. Özkan o saate kadar uyumamıştı. Üstümüzü giyerek Battaniyelerimizi aldık ve bizi Nemrut dağına götürmek üzere bekleyen Minibüslere bindik. Minibüsler yaklaşık 1 saat yol aldıktan sonra bizi Nemrut dağının zirvesine yakın bir yere bıraktı. Şansımıza hava çok güzeldi. 10 dakikalık bir tırmanıştan sonra Nemrut dağının Tümülüsüne ulaştık. Çevresinde hala kar vardı. Daha önce de Malatya üzerinden Nemrut’a çıktığım için aşağı yukarı neler yaşanacağını biliyordum. Tapınağın en önünde yerimi aldım ve battaniyeme sarılarak beklemeye başladım. Herkesi sessizliği davet ettiğim halde, bağrışmalar arasında güneş doğdu. Fazla etkilenmedim çünkü daha önce gündoğumunu daha önce görmüştüm. Aslında Nemrut’un Günbatımı daha güzel. Nemrut dağından indikten sonra minibüslere binerek 15 dakika... read more