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Published: February 24th 2007
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TURKIYYE! The bridge between the Eastern and Western worlds... We arranged to meet up with Scott´s Mom in Turkey (Istanbul, not Constantinople). She had been wanting to visit the area for some time now and it was great to have some family along for a portion of the trip. Being that our visit was in wintertime and exploring beaches was out of the question, we decided to limit our travels inland and to places of historical significance. What a history lesson we received! We began in Istanbul...
ISTANBUL (Sultanhamet): Sultanhamet is the older part of Istanbul and is filled with interesting places to see. We chose a hostel only a few blocks from the famous Blue Mosque, a huge and beautiful mosque still used today. Just across the park is Haghia Sophia, another ancient mosque turned museum that bears the marks made by the crusaders when they invaded this area.
The Grand Bazaar is an underground shopping center that goes around in circles for miles. The shops sell all sorts of wares from spices to carpets. There is an ancient Roman Basilica Cistern, an interesting Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, and the original grounds of the Hippodrome
a roman arena where they used to have chariot races. Topkapi Palace is the old palace, built in the Moorish style...the Ottomans lived well during their reign in Turkey.
Turkey is famous for producing beautiful handicrafts such as Onyx stone vases, intricately painted Iznic pottery and millions of differently colored and patterned carpets originating from mulitiple tribes such as the Kurdish nomads, who are found all over the Middle East. We ended up finding a few (um, 6) between the three of us that will grace our homes. Come for a visit and a history lesson anytime!
On the other side of the waterway that divides Istanbul you can climb Galata Tower for a 360 degree view of the city, visit the more modern Dolmabahce Palace built in the Western style of palaces in the late 19th century. The highlight for Alyssa and Barbara was a chance to see the Whirling Dervishes dance at their training center in this area of the city. They dance in a trance like state by spinning around the room in simple white robes and tall conical hats. Sufism is a popular and more mystical Islamic sect that uses dance and poetry as
a way to connect to the Prophet.
PAMUKKALE, or "Cotton Castle": (Also the location of the ancient Roman city of Hieropolis) is one of the world's natural wonders due to its scalloped shaped white travertine terraces that cascade down a large hill. It looks like snow from afar, but it's actually calcium carbonate that has been deposited from the thermal hot springs and turns into travertine. At one time, people were invited to climb into any number of the pools created by this natural phenomenon and bathe, but alas, no longer. Decades of too many tourists have destroyed much of it and the Turkish government declares it under restoration. As hinted at earlier, this destination is also very interesting for its historical significance as a major Roman city founded by the King of Pergamon. It is comprised of a huge theater, the Temple of Apollo, and a necropolis that extends over 2 km. Here we saw some impressively preserved tombs. Our guide stressed to us that Hieropolis was the place all of the Romans went prior to death to relax and ease their bodies' stress in the thermal pools before dying, hence the extensive cementary.
There are many
interesting Greek and Roman archeological finds in Turkey than in Greece or Italy. The cities of Troy for instance lie on the West Coast of Turkey. It makes sense as Turkey, being the bridge between Europe and Asia was a strategic point for all Empires to control and ths area chnanged hands often.
EPHESUS: Ephesus is the site of a large Roman city that is only 17%!e(MISSING)xcavated to date. The library of Celsus, market center, original marble main street, giant greek theater, and an extremely well preserved display of homes with frescoes and mosaic floors with kitchens still present for visitors to enjoy. You are truly taken back in time when wandering through the maze of columns and carved marble with inscriptions about the city's past. There is even an ancient advertisement for a brothel carved into the stone leading from the port up to the city center.
CAPPADOCHIA: Our tour to the heart of Central Anatolia and its myriad tourist activities started off one VERY cold morning when our bus driver kicked us off the bus in the wrong city at 3 a.m. We spent a couple hours wandering around Urgup in 30F weather. What
started off very cold soon turned very warm to historically and geographically beautiful places like the Goreme Valley. Gigantic rock formations surrounding Urgup many of which were used for homes like the cliff dwellings of Southwestern Native Americans. We even stayed in a hotel that featured "cave rooms" which were actually quite comfortable!
We also visited the underground city of Kaymakli. The extremely complex tunnel system goes more than 7 stories underground and was used as hiding places by Coptic Christians to evade their enemies.
The long distance bus travel to connect our whirlwind tour of Turkey was a bit tiring, but it was well worth it to see the incredibly diverse and beautiful landscapes to the East. We didn't get a chance to visit the South Coast on this round, but Alyssa and Barbara vowed to return soon. Anyone up for a sailboat trip from Fetieh to Olympus?
We head into Central Africa next....
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