En Route to the Mediterranean

After three wonderful days in the magical land of Cappadocia, we set out on a day-long drive southwest to the city of Antalya on the Mediterranean coast. At first, the flat landscape looked dry and colorless but Ulaş told us that the soil was very fertile. We gazed out at sugar beet and alfalfa fields and noticed tents belonging to migrant workers. These workers are mostly Kurdish, from southeast Turkey, where the majority of the country’s 15 million Kurds live. 

 

Our route followed the old Silk Road, and when we made a brief rest stop in the town of Sultanhani, we found ourselves across from a caravanserai that once provided lodging for traders and their merchandise laden camels. 

 

It was late morning when we reached our next stopping place, the city of Konya. Konya is a large city, with a population of 1,600,000. According to Ulaş, it is one of the most religious and conservative cities in Turkey. Konya draws visitors from around the world because of its association with Rumi, the 13^th century Persian mystic, poet, teacher, and Islamic philosopher. Rumi came from a family of mystics and spent his early years in greater Persia, where Sufism was already well established. He came to Anatolia at the invitation of the Seljuk Sultan when the Mongols invaded Persia. The Sultan built a monastery for training Sufi monks in the city of Konya, the Seljuk capital in central Turkey. Training at the monastery was very rigorous. For example, prospective monks were required to complete 1001 days of “suffering.” The Mevlevi Order of Sufism (aka the Order of Whirling Dervishes) was founded in Konya by Rumi’s followers after his death in 1273. 

 

We immediately went to see the lavishly decorated shrine containing the tombs of Rumi and other important Sufi figures. Since it was Friday when we visited, the shrine was especially crowded. 

 

Several old illuminated Qurans and poetry books were on display in a small adjoining mosque.

 

There were also model rooms set up to show scenes of dervishes going about their daily activities.

In the Mevlâna Museum, housed in the former Sufi monastery, we learned quite a bit about the training and practices of the dervishes. The exhibits, along with descriptions in English as well as Turkish, were very informative. I wondered why the monastery was no longer operational, given the great interest in Rumi and Sufism. In answer to my unspoken question, Ulaş reminded us that there are no more monasteries or madrassas (religious training schools) in Turkey because of the secular nature of the republic.

Afterwards, we walked a short distance to a 200-year old restaurant which specialized in Anatolian cuisine. Our lunch included a very tasty dried okra soup, salad, pide (Turkish bread) with a meat topping, a dish of fried beef with vegetables and rice, and for dessert, a simple halva made of only two ingredients, flour and butter. The restaurant is also known for its many varieties of pickles.

As we continued traveling southwest after lunch, the land became hillier and greener. Winding roads led us through the Taurus Mountains that separate the central Anatolian plateau from the Mediterranean coastal region. Cedars grew on the mountain slopes at higher elevations while red and yellow pines covered the hills at lower elevations.

 

Descending towards the sea, we passed groves of apricot and olive trees and greenhouses where bananas were grown. Residential areas appeared, surrounded by palm trees, orange trees, and pomegranate trees. It truly was starting to look like the Mediterranean that I remembered! 

 

Late in the afternoon, we stopped once again, this time to visit the archaeological site of Aspendos, about 10 miles inland from the coast on a formerly navigable river. The ancient city dates back to the 6^th century BCE. The Romans took over the city in 190 BCE. Several structures survive from ancient times. The most important is the large marble theater, which is the best preserved Greco-Roman theater in the world. (It’s considered Greco-Roman since it was built by Romans but shares many characteristics with Greek theaters.) The theater was designed by the Greek architect Zenon, a native of Aspendos, and built during the reign of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius in the 2^ndcentury CE. Originally, several marble statues stood at the back of the two-story stage. These are now in Antalya’s museum. A statue of Dionysus, god of the theater, remains in place. The theater has excellent acoustics and is still in use today for concerts, operas, and music and dance festivals. 

Finally, around 7pm, we reached our destination, the city of Antalya. Since our big bus couldn’t drive into the Old Town, where our hotel was located, we made our way on foot through the narrow streets. The banners overhead reminded us that the country would soon be celebrating the centennial of the establishment of the Turkish republic. The image of Ataturk, founder of the republic, was everywhere.

 

Within minutes of our arrival, we sat down to dinner. One new appetizer that I enjoyed was a vegetarian version of çiğ köfte. They looked like raw meatballs but were actually made of bulgur, nuts, olive oil, tomato paste, and spices. In the photo below, they're on the far left.

I’ll tell you about this lovely city on the Mediterranean coast in my next post.  

Another Day in Cappadocia

All of us were looking forward to an early morning hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. According to the balloon operators, it was too windy. I was slightly disappointed. However, there was plenty to keep us busy. 

 

Right after breakfast, we drove 30-40 minutes to the village of Çat (population 2100) for our Day in the Life experience. On our way to the village, we passed through the streets of Nevşehir, one of Cappadocia’s larger cities, where we noticed many new apartment buildings. Ulaş told us that many people who can no longer afford the housing costs in Istanbul have resettled here. A large, modern three-bedroom apartment in Nevşehir would cost about $50,000, which is considerably less than in Istanbul. 

 

When we arrived in Çat, Ulaş led us on a walking tour from the center of the village. Many of the buildings looked fairly new and others seemed to be under construction but we also passed by several buildings that were abandoned. Until the 1950s, the majority of Turkey’s population lived in rural areas. Nowadays, only about 20% of the population lives in farming villages like Çat. 

 

I was surprised that on our walk around the village, we didn’t see very many people. Ulaş explained that most of them were busy with the grape harvest. We did, however, see a couple of older women who were sweeping in front of their homes. They joked with Ulaş but were a little shy about posing for photos. When we asked about the women’s head coverings, Ulaş said it was just traditional attire and had no religious significance. 

 

As we walked towards the outskirts of the village, we passed many beautiful larger homes with carefully tended gardens. In fact, as we were looking over a wall and admiring one garden, the homeowner came out and indicated that we should open the gate. She welcomed us into the garden and pointed out the gourds she had painted for decoration. 

 

Then we continued walking until the area of homes gave way to the fields set into the strange landscape. 

Turning back towards the center of the village, we came to one of the village’s five mosques. Ulaş ushered us inside, emphasizing that anyone, of any religion, is allowed to enter a mosque. Compared to the elaborately decorated mosques we’d seen in Istanbul, this mosque was quite simple. 

Do many villagers come to the mosque to pray on Fridays, we asked. Only 5% of the local residents attend on a weekly basis, Ulaş told us. And he reminded us that the prayers are in Arabic, which few of the people understand. We also learned that only about 40% of the villagers observe Ramadan. 

 

As a member of a religious minority, I was very curious as to whether religious instruction is provided in public schools. Ulaş answered that two hours a week of religious instruction is compulsory for Muslim students. However, parents can opt their children out. And students who are not Muslim are not required to attend. 

 

He also informed us about Turkey’s Alawite population. While 90% of Turkey’s Muslims are Sunni, about 20 million Alawite Muslims live in the country’s southernmost province, bordering Syria. Alawites are followers of Ali, the fourth Caliph. They don’t accept the rules imposed by Osman, the scribe who compiled the written Quran shortly after the death of Mohamed. The Alawite branch has its own mosques, where men and women pray together (unlike in Sunni mosques). They also have their own rules. For example, women don’t wear head coverings. Alawites tend to be much more secular than other branches of Islam. For many centuries, the Alawites in Turkey were persecuted by the majority Sunni Muslims. 

 

Shortly before noon, we stopped at a coffeehouse in the main square for refreshments and restrooms. This where the older men of the village congregate and spend most of the day. They were all smoking cigarettes, which they rolled themselves. One gentleman even offered us hand-rolled cigarettes, which we all politely declined. 

We didn’t linger after drinking our coffee and tea, as we were expected shortly at a farm just outside the village for a home hosted lunch. But as we walked to our bus, we came across a group of village women making pekmez, the grape molasses that, mixed with tahini, I’d been enjoying on my bread at breakfast since Istanbul. Of course, we made an impromptu stop to observe the process of boiling, skimming, straining, etc. The women also offered us a taste of the chewy candy they made from the pekmez. Its sweetness comes only from the natural sugar of the fruit. 

Finally, it was time to head out to the farm. It’s the property of Çat’s assistant mayor and his wife who also have a house in the village. At this time of year, they spend most of their time at the house in the fields. They have 13 hectares (about 32 acres) of land where they grow wheat and pumpkins. They also have a vegetable garden. Right away, I could understand why they prefer to stay here. It was an incredibly idyllic setting. 

I noticed an older family member seated under a shelter, rolling out dough. Once she rolled out the dough, she spread some melted butter in the center, sprinkled it with cooked ground meat and crumbled cheese, and folded the sides of the dough over the filling. The filled dough was taken out to be cooked over an open fire. Within minutes, we had our first taste of gözleme. These traditional stuffed flatbreads can be made with a variety of savory fillings. I definitely need to learn how to make gözleme!

 

The weather was ideal for al fresco dining. The gözleme were just one of the appetizers. There were also grape leaves rolled around a vegetable filling, a tomato and onion salad, and two types of melon. Next came manti, the Turkish stuffed dumplings topped with yogurt and a tomato-based sauce. We finished off the meal with coffee or tea and roasted pumpkin seeds. 

 

I could have sat on that lovely, shady patio all afternoon, gazing out at the bucolic landscape.

When we left the farm, we drove to a ceramics workshop about half an hour away in Avanos. The potter we observed was making a very complicated piece – a traditional wine jug, the same design that dates back 4000 years to the time of the Hittites. The Hittites, who worshipped a sun god, used wine at many of their ceremonies and holiday celebrations. The decanter’s circle represents the sun. When you’re pouring wine from the jug, you can slip your arm through the circle. 

After we learned about the steps involved in creating the beautiful surface decorations, we looked at the display of stunning ceramic pieces in the showroom. 

I wasn’t in the market for a wine jug or a platter or anything large – but since I had been admiring Turkish tiles ever since my first day in Istanbul, I focused on getting a framed tile to hang as a decorative piece in my new home. The one I picked out is an Iznik tile, named for the city in central Anatolia where they were first produced in the late 15^thcentury. I learned that these are the highest quality tiles made in Turkey, and consequently, they’re the most expensive. The tiles that decorate the Blue Mosque and the Rustem Paça Mosque in Istanbul are Iznik tiles. 

 

Iznik pottery is a type of fritware, i.e. it’s made of clay combined with quartz sand and finely ground glass. The rich blue color comes from cobalt and the vibrant turquoise color comes from copper oxide. A transparent glaze containing lead, silica, and tin gives the tiles their special luster. I debated about spending the money, as the cost seemed excessive at first, but I’m glad I eventually decided to purchase this tile (which measures 20x20 cm, or approximately 8x8 inches) as a souvenir of my trip. 

After 3 days in Cappadocia, our last night in this magical region finally arrived. Someday, I would love to come back. Maybe then I’ll be able to take that hot air balloon ride! Thank you, Ulaş, for adding a quick stop to allow us to take photos of the balloons on our last morning.

But in the meantime, I was excited to be heading south to Turkey’s fabled Turquoise Coast.