Gaziantep (October 17-October 20, 2011)

From Cappadocia we headed further east into Turkey to the city of Gaziantep. This city initially intrigued us because of its reputation throughout Turkey for its cuisine, baklava in particular (fabled to be the best in Turkey). What we found when we got there was a city of delicious food, friendly and curious people, an interesting history, and a fabulous archaeological museum.

Gaziantep’s reputation for its cuisine is deserved. There seemed to be baklava shops on every corner (and we tried as many as we could in our short stay, but there are supposedly more than 180), but the city also has several wonderful restaurants showcasing regional cuisine. At one wonderful lokanta the waiter took pity on us (and our total naivety about the menu) and brought us small plates so we could try a little of everything. At a kebab and baklava restaurant – what more could we ask for – we discovered what might have been our favorite type of kebab, ali nazik: grilled ground lamb served over pureed eggplant and yogurt.

In between visits to baklava shops we found some time to visit the city’s archaeological museum devoted to mosaics from the nearby Roman city of Zeugma. Excavations started at the city in 1987 and uncovered a large number of beautiful mosaics, but there was little action at the site until 1999, when archaeologists rushed to excavate and preserve the mosaics before the newly built Birecik Dam flooded the city in 2000.  The museum has an amazing collection of mosaics saved from the ruins just before the flooding, and while about 800 square meters of mosaics are displayed in the museum, many were lost forever as a result of the flooding and, sadly, still others were looted by collectors after the discovery of the site but before they could be moved to the museum. The most famous piece in the collection, “Gypsy Girl,” is a fraction of one of these looted mosaics. The fact that only part of this girl’s image remains – her bangle earrings, head scarf, and severe stare – make the work even more intriguing.

Finally, at another city museum, we found that Gaziantep played a memorable role in Turkey’s eventual reunification. After WWI the Ottoman Empire was divided among European powers, with the French, Italians, Greeks, and Russians all laying some claim. When French soldiers attempted to siege Gaziantep (then known only as “Antep”) in 1920, the citizens resisted. The French cut off all supplies, essentially starving the city into submission; some 6,000 Gaziantep citizens died before the city surrendered 10 months later. Though they lost the battle, the city’s courageous stand was made an example of the need for Turkish solidarity and independence and held up as an example by General Kemal Mustafa (eventual founder and first president of modern Turkey). Just as this General would take the name “Ataturk,” meaning “Father of Turkey,” Antep would take the prefix “Gazi,” meaning “war hero."

Click on the photo below to view our Gaziantep photo album.

Cappadocia (October 13-October 17, 2011)

Located in central Turkey on an arid, 1000-meter high plateau dotted with dormant volcanoes, the geologically- and historically-rich Cappadocia region was one of the highlights of our six weeks in Turkey. Relatively recent volcanic activity in the region deposited a thick blanket of soft tuff (rock formed from volcanic ash) and harder lava across the area, and subsequent erosion of these rock layers has created a unique and fascinating landscape featuring tall columns, cones, and spires of rock, locally referred to as fairy chimneys.

The region also has an intriguing history: between the 4^th and 11^th centuries, Christians seeking refuge from religious persecution by the Romans carved their churches and monasteries into the soft tuff to keep them hidden. The result is a landscape scattered with the spectacular remains of their efforts. These range from small fairy chimneys with one-room churches (complete with small windows and doors) to large, multi-story churches with high-arched ceilings and beautiful, well-preserved frescoes, to complete monastic communities with living quarters, dining rooms and kitchens. The best are generally preserved and protected, but many other amazing structures are open to anyone who can find them. Meanwhile, hundreds are being used for storage by local farmers.

With so much to offer, it is not surprising that the area has become popular with both foreign and Turkish tourists. We stayed in one of the many popular “cave hotels” in Goreme that offer rooms carved into the bedrock (though much more recently). The town is surrounded by a number of valleys, each with a unique landscape, and we spent much of our time here hiking through them in the crisp fall weather.

We visited the Goreme Open-Air Museum, which protects a monastery with some of the most well-preserved frescoed churches in Cappadocia. The best was the “Karanlik Kilise” (Dark Church) – every inch covered in frescoes of the holy family and important saints. In most churches with paintings of people the eyes were later carved out by Turks who were wary of the “evil eye”. Other churches, from the iconoclastic period (when images were outlawed), are simply painted in red and white patterns with no images of people or animals.

Our hikes included a walk through the “Rose Valley” and “Red Valley” areas to the town of Cavusin, and another to the Devrent Valley and Pasabagi Valley. The Rose Valley and Red Valley trail system meandered through a series of deeply incised canyons along the face of a high plateau. We encountered numerous churches along the way, but fortunately, not many people. This hike ended at the village of Cavusin, with a spectacular abandoned old town cut into the rock face. We climbed to the top of the old town and watched the sun set over the area with our feet dangling off the edge. Our trip to Devrent Valley and Pasabagi Valley happened to be on a Sunday, and we found that locals were also out exploring in full-force. These valleys are both pretty small, so our plan included taking a public bus to a starting point, walking along the road to Devrent Valley (known for rock formations that look like animals), and then walking along the road to Pasabagi Valley (known for its mushroom shaped pillars). In reality, though, we found that we never had to walk because generous Turkish locals would pull over and offer us rides (without our even asking). One such vehicle was a mini-bus full of college-age Turks. When we got in the van they put on Turkish music and danced and sang along in the aisles, presumably for our benefit, but all in good fun. Many of the locals were equally intrigued by our presence and asked to take photos with us as we explored. One young girl and her grandfather chatted us up at the bus station and later added us as facebook friends!

The Cappadocia region is rather large and there is a lot to see, so one day we joined an all-day tour group that took us hiking in the Ilhara Valley, on a visit to Selime Monastery, and to one of the region’s several “Underground Cities." Built by Byzantine Christians in the 7th century, Kaymakli was a defensive stronghold that extended 8 stories underground and could house up to 3000 people and their supplies for several months at a time. The conditions would have been cramped, but the architecture of this structure was impressive.

On our final morning in Goreme we woke before sunrise and hiked to a view point above town to watch hot air balloons take off at dawn. This is an extremely popular tourist activity in the region, and we can only imagine that the scenery viewed from above at first light is particularly dramatic and spectacular. Unfortunately, our budget didn’t allow for a trip ourselves, but even watching the balloons light up and soar across the landscape made for a pretty sight and a nice way to spend our last morning in Cappadocia.

Click on the photo below for our Cappadocia photo album.

Pamukkale and Hierapolis (October 10-October 12, 2011)

Our next stop took us east to the town of Pamukkale (Turkish for “Cotton Castle”), home to some distinctive terraced travertine deposits and the ruins of the Roman city of Hierapolis. The tiny town itself doesn’t have much to offer (though we did find some half-decent Korean bi-bim-bap), and we spent one of our days here watching movies in our room while we waited out a rain storm. We spent the following day exploring the bleached-white travertines and the ruins that sit above them. The unusual landscape is the result of a series of hot springs along the top of the steep, 200-meter high slope that emit mineral-rich waters that deposit white calcium carbonate as they flow down the hillside, creating a series of pools and terraces.

As you walk uphill from the town you follow a path across the travertines (no shoes allowed!) to get to the ruins of Hierapolis. Here you get fabulous close-ups of this unique geological formation, nice views of the town and countryside, and can enjoy the warm waters that still flow down the terraces. Fortunately for us, few people took the time to walk up the travertines; most people, it seemed, got dropped off by their tour bus at the ruins at the top and only explored the upper 100 meters of the path through the travertines. These tourists did, however, make for excellent people watching: for some reason the site is popular among Russian tourists who pose provocatively for photos in their bikinis and speedos around the travertines; an interesting and peculiar contrast to the modestly dressed Turkish tourists (we also noticed this, to a lesser extent, at Ephesus).

At the top of the hill are the ruins of the Roman city of Hierapolis, founded as a spa and healing town in the second century BC (they believed that the waters had therapeutic properties). The site is extensive and contains the ruins of a Byzantine church and several temples, a 12,000-seat theater, agora (one of the largest ever discovered), baths and a public latrine house, and a large necropolis with hundreds of tombs overlooking the travertines. We spent an entire day exploring the fascinating site (and gaping at our fascinating fellow-tourists) then caught another overnight bus further east to the town of Goreme, in Cappadocia.

Click on the photo below to view our Pamukkale and Hierapolis photo album.

Selcuk and Ephesus (October 8-October 10, 2011)

From Istanbul we took an overnight bus south to the town of Selcuk, jumping off point for a visit to the ruins of Ephesus. Since our bus did not depart until 11:30 p.m., we watched Turkey lose to Germany in a Euro 2012 soccer match while we waited at the main Istanbul bus station. The circus-like atmosphere that erupted at the station during the game, however, did not cease when the game did. In fact, it seemed to increase. The Turks continued to beat on drums, sing, chant, and race around the large, oval-shaped station honking and hanging out the windows waving flags. The bus boarding area was swarmed, fireworks were being shot off, and young men were being picked up by groups of their friends and tossed in the air. After we pushed our way through the crowd and boarded our bus, we discovered that the celebration was for the young Turkish men departing for their mandatory military service, and the mobs of people were friends and family. Eventually, the enthusiastic young men boarded our bus, and the mob surrounded it, rocking it and slapping the sides and windows (the same scene was playing out at the other 30 departing buses). The angry driver had to literally inch his way out of the station. At one point, a crowd blocked the path of the bus, and a man lit a red torch and held it in the air as the group sang the Turkish national anthem. The young soldiers moved to the front of the bus to salute them during the anthem as tearful mothers and girlfriends waved goodbye. When we finally departed the station about 45 minutes late, we both breathed a sigh of relief. We didn’t know at that point, though, that the same scene was about to replay four more times as we stopped at different Istanbul stations to pick up more passengers, ultimately putting us about 2½ hours behind schedule!

Needless to say, we were a little tired when we reached Selcuk, but we found our way to a nice pension in town and, after a long nap, set out to explore the town. Selcuk is relatively small, but has some interesting ruins that we wandered through, including the Basilica of St. John, built by Emperor Justinian and dedicated to the Saint who is said to have visited Ephesus twice, and a Roman aqueduct, now a nesting place for storks. In the afternoon, we stumbled upon the huge Saturday market. For a ridiculously small amount of money, we stocked up on grapes, tomatoes, fresh feta cheese, and olives, which made for an excellent lunch the next day while exploring Ephesus.

Founded in the 10^th century BC, Ephesus became an important Roman port, growing to an estimated 250,000 residents during its peak in the first century BC before eventually falling into decline as its harbor silted in. The city was most famous for its Temple of Artemis, dedicated to their goddess of fertility. The temple was the largest in the world at the time, earning it a spot as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today, however, one reconstructed column and the foundation are all that remain.

Though only about 20% of Ephesus has been unearthed so far, what exists is certainly impressive. Curetes Way, the main thoroughfare of Ephesus, is lined with the ruins of shops, fountains, baths and latrines, and even a brothel. The beautiful Library of Celsus, now not much more than a façade, was once the world’s third largest library, and the Terraced Houses of the city’s wealthy class have beautifully preserved frescoed walls and mosaic floors (currently carefully being excavated and reassembled by a team of Austrians).

We also visited the Ephesus Museum, in Selcuk, where many of the statues and artifacts found at the site are now located, including several versions of the multi-breasted Artemis herself. Other gems included Priapus, the Phallic God, an infantile head and arm from a 7-meter tall statue of Emperor Domitian, and innumerable statues of Eros.

Click on the photo below to view our Selcuk and Ephesus photo album.

Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (September 25-October 7, 2011 and Ocotber 28-October 30, 2011)

Simply put, Istanbul exceeded all of our expectations. It’s a city of contrast – old and new, east and west, traditional and cosmopolitan – melded harmoniously into a bustling, pulsating metropolis in a beautiful setting. The Bosphorus splits the city, and the European and Asian continents, making Istanbul the only city in the world to straddle two continents and creating stunning waterfronts and skylines everywhere you turn. Add to this 13 million residents (or 17 million, depending on your source) who exude a contagious zest for life, packing every street corner, tram, teahouse, café and bar and you have a vibrancy unrivaled by any other city we have visited. We fell in love with this city almost as soon as we arrived and relished every moment of our sixteen days here.

Our stay in Istanbul began with a bang. We spent two jam-packed days and nights exploring the sights, eateries, and nightlife with Patrick’s friend Alan, who managed to schedule a quick visit to Istanbul to coincide with ours. During the day we walked through the gardens of the beautiful Topkapi Palace, where Ottoman rulers lived from the 15^th to 19^th centuries, admired the architecture and intricate Iznik tiles of the 17th century Blue Mosque, stood in awe of the spectacular Aya Sofia (completed in 537 by Roman Emperor Justinian), and wandered through the maze-like Grand Bazaar (which we thought was relatively tame after the chaotic medinas of Morocco). In the evenings we puffed apple flavored shisha, tried Turkish coffee, and watched a Whirling Dervish show in the shadow of the Blue Mosque; we sampled meze (small plates of Turkish dishes) in meyhanes (taverns) and doner kebaps at late-night eateries; but mostly, we drank rounds of “buyuk Efes” (big Efes beers) while surrounded by locals who were enjoying the pleasures of an evening on the town as much as we were.

After Alan left we slowed our pace down a bit, eating in a bit more and drinking a little less Efes, as we explored the city by foot, tram, and boat. We visited many of the city’s wonderful Ottoman-era mosques including the Suleymaniye, Rustem Pasa, Beyazit, and New Mosques and also the Chora Church, a beautiful 11^th century Byzantine church covered in splendid mosaics. We spent an afternoon and an evening with Casey and Kami (friends of our friend Jayme), who graciously gave us a tour of Kadikoy, a vibrant neighborhood on the Asian side of the city, and Yesilkoy, their enjoyable (and tourist-free) neighborhood in the western part of the city. They showed us around markets, took us to local eateries, and taught us a little Turkish too. We also explored the waterways, taking a ferry part way up the Golden Horn and another up the Bosphorus, admiring Istanbul’s skyline, with close-up views of Dolmabahce Palace, Rumeli Hisari (The “Fortress of Europe,” built in 1452 by Mehmet the Conqueror to cut Constantinople off from resupply, making it vulnerable to his siege), and the modern bridges that connect the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. We haggled for souvenirs at the Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar, though we mostly wandered aimlessly, getting lost among the stalls of antiques, rugs, tiles and lamps, and we visited the Istanbul Modern Art Museum with an impressive collection of Turkish artists.

We capped our trip here with a visit from Nora’s uncle and aunt, Brian and Elsie, whose cruise ship stopped here for 24 hours at the end of our stay. Again, it was a whirlwind visit. We wandered the backstreets while catching up and visited the 6^th century Basilica Cistern before heading to a rooftop bar for a beer and sunset view of the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia. On day two we rushed around trying to find a pleasant lunch before their cruise ship departed, settling on a nice little lokanta directly opposite their ship. Though their visit was short, we loved seeing them and meeting up with them in this unexpected location (and are grateful for the hiking socks and crossword puzzles they brought from home)!

We also ate, a lot, while we were in Istanbul. We could devote an entire post to the meals we had here. It goes without saying that we sampled our fair share of kebaps (in many forms – doner, shaved, and skewered; some with fries and ketchup, others with grilled vegetables and yogurt sauce, but almost always served with Ayran, a salty yogurt drink). But we also had quick meals of borek (filled pastry), gozleme (filled crepes), and pide (Turkish pizza); we tested all the best baklava and lokum (Turkish delight) shops; we found a small and busy shop near the bizarre that sold only a chicken-and-rice dish and honey-soaked cakes  (we went here twice); we had manti (Turkish ravioli in yogurt sauce) and kofte (meatballs); and grabbed balik ekmek (fish sandwiches) grilled directly on tumultuously swaying boats and passed to you on shore. Everything was fresh, and quick, and with few exceptions, excellent. 

Istanbul was a mesmerizing place – unlike anywhere else we visited in Europe or in the rest of Turkey. The sights, the food, the people were all extraordinary, and we were lucky to be able to share it all with friends and family. After travelling around the country for another three weeks, we happily returned to Istanbul for a final three days of wandering the streets and soaking it all in one last time before catching a flight to Dubai and beginning our Asian adventure.

Click on the photo below for our Istanbul photo album.