Trip to Turkey :  March-April 2010

More on Turkey, my other blog posts…

Turkish Delight : Istanbul
Turkish Delight : Cappadocia
Turkish Delight : Ephesus and Pamukkale

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Our decision to visit Turkey was based on what we had heard (about its history, culture and the geography) and we were more than surprised about the wonderful experience we had there.

Turkey is a transcontinental  Eurasian country.  Asian Turkey (made up largely of Anatolia), which includes 97% of the country, is separated from European Turkey by the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles  (which together form a water link between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea). European Turkey (eastern Thrace or Rumelia  in the Balkan  peninsula) comprises 3% of the country.
Historically,  this was the center of powerful empires – Hittites, Byzantine, Roman and more recent Ottoman Empire  till it became a democratic republic in 1923.  Some sites date back to 3000 BC and even before, for early inhabitants esp. at Underground city in Kaymakli, Cappadocia.

Pottery, an ancient art founded by the Hittites

The legendary city of Troy where the Trojan wars were fought is also in Turkey.
Geographically, the location is strategic. In olden days, this was the final destination of the  Silk route. Using this advantage, the respective empires have thrived controlling the land and sea trade routes.
Culturally, one of the richest countries in the world. There is a great infusion of eastern and western cultures.  Originally, Turks came from Central Asia (near Mongolia) and then mixed with the Greeks and the Anatolians.

Surreal landscape in Cappadocia and Travertines in Pamukkale

The people
The Turks are friendly, helpful and forward looking. Whoever we met made it a point that Turkey was a secular state and not a typical conservative Islamic country. One could sense their hands off attitude to the Islamic fundamentalism across the world, and their eagerness to be part of Europe culture/union. As we visited various mosques/religious  and met people, the experience did help us understand Islam and Christianity (as well) better.
While the history of the region is so well documented, it is often accompanied by myths and old wives’ tales. e.g. How the Bosphorus river was formed? According to some Turks (read our guide during Bosphorus), the river was formed as a result of the great flood some 7000 years back (of Noah’s ark fame) further pushing water and forming a huge water reservoir in the form of Black Sea.
There are incidences of cheating esp. during cab rides and shopping, but overall people are honest.  Turks are sensitive to certain issues around Armenia, Kurds and Cyprus. These are best avoided during a conversation.

The cuisine
Coming from India, the land of spices, one would definitely appreciate the food here. The food is NOT bland, the meats, esp. the kebabs are delicious and esp. when it goes with the local wines or their local spirit “Raki”.

Similarities with India

Because of the trade, and the fact that there was movement of people in earlier days, there is a lot of similarities in the the language as well apart from the mouth watering cuisine.

At the start of the trip, I tweeted asking for words common to Hindi/Urdu and Turkish. And I was flooded with replies. Here goes Ashq  or Ishq (in Urdu ) – love, al-vida (farewell), tamam (finished), hamam (bath),  sabun (soap), bahar (spring), atish (fire) and more…
There were “other unrelated” replies  as well  – naber bebek ( What’s up baby?), Bogeju chok gyuzelsin bebek (you look lovely this morning).

Well, there’s more as we discovered when we spent time in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Pamukkale….more about them in subsequent posts

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More on Turkey, my other blog posts…

Turkish Delight : Istanbul

Turkish Delight : Cappadocia

Turkish Delight : Ephesus and Pamukkale

Trip to Turkey :  March-April 2010

More on Turkey, my other blog posts…

Turkish Delight : Turkey
Turkish Delight : Cappadocia
Turkish Delight : Ephesus and Pamukkale

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Istanbul (historically also known as Byzantium  and Constantinople) is the largest city in Turkey and fifth largest city proper  in the world with a population of anywhere between 15 – 18 million.Istanbul is also a megacity, as well as the cultural, economic, and financial center of Turkey.   It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbour known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) sides of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents.
In its long history, Istanbul has served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330–395), the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire (395–1204 and 1261–1453), the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922). The city was chosen as joint European Capital of Culture for 2010. The historic areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.

Istanbul in the night

Beyoglu and Meyhanes (Day #1 )

The Air France flight from Paris to Istanbul was uneventful except for the unpalatable food served.  As we landed, we were welcomed with a long immigration queue which took a good one and a half hours.  Finally, we came out and sped towards our hotel Miapera in Taksim, Beyoğlu.
It took us one hour because of the evening traffic, but it is typically half an hour from the Airport to Beyoglu.
We were relieved and happy to see the hotel, our room and the facilities (sauna, spa etc.). Highly recommended !!

While we liked the Hotel, we loved the location i.e. Beyoğlu is the most active art, entertainment and night life centre of Istanbul.  In short, a happening part of town. Right next to Istiklal Caddesi , a 3 km pedestrian street, laced with exquisite boutiques, music stores, bookstores, art galleries, cinemas, theaters, libraries, cafés, pubs, night clubs with live music, historical patisseries, chocolateries and restaurants. It was a weekend and with difficulty we found a Meyhane for dinner. (its advisable to book the place before going).
Some of the good Meyhanes in Beyoglu are Sofyali 9, Galatea, Buncok.
And awesome places for Turkish cuisine are Hamdi Steak House (Eminonu) and Haci Baba (Istiklal Caddesi).

Sultan Ahmet : Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia and Topkapi Palace (Day #2 )

Sultan Ahmet is in the old part of Istanbul. The square was known as Hippodrome of Constantinople during the olden days and was the centre of the city (Constantinople).  Today, the Hippodrome has disappeared but it still has obelisks from Egypt and the magnificent Sultan Ahmet Mosque or popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning its interiors. There are more than 20,000 such tile hand made at Iznik.  In addition to that , there are 200 stained glass windows along with the huge low hung chandelier with just enough light to view the beautiful mosque.

The mosque was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I, to match the splendor of Aya Sofia ( built initially as a Church in the 6th century AD). Incidentally, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Blue Mosque in 2006 and paused for a full two minutes, eyes closed in prayer, standing side-by-side with Mustafa Çağrıcı, the Mufti of Istanbul and Emrullah Hatipoğlu, the Imam of the Blue Mosque.

Please ensure that you are dressed appropriately and have covered your head (for women) to enter the mosque.

Hagia Sofia or Aya Sofia is a former Orthodox patriarchal  basilica ( initiated by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian) , later converted into a mosque (by the Ottoman ruler Sultan Mehmed II in 1453), now a museum.  Famous for its massive dome, it is the epitome of Byzantine Architecture. It was the largest cathedral and the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the religious focal point of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly one thousand years. While it was converted into a mosque, many frescoes depicting Jesus Christ were not vandalized or damaged as Christ was revered as a prophet in the Holy Koran.

Topkapi palace was the official residence of the Ottoman Sultans for almost 400 years from 1465 to 1856.  The palace is a complex made up of four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. The palace, now a museum houses treasures of the empire – 80 carat diamond, a jewel studded throne (brought from raids in India by Nadir Shah) and more. The palace is also a major tourist attraction as it houses holy relics such as Prohet Muhammed’s cloak and sword, St. John’s hand and skull, Moses’ rod.

After, a sumptuous lunch at  Konyali Restaurant at Topkapi, next to the scenic Bosphorus river, we were taken by our guide to Pottery and Carpet & Kilim stores.  While we were shown the art how they are made along with cups of apple tea, but the demonstration was smoothly followed by aggressive sales pitch.  We somehow  managed to squirm out of the place with buying anything.

Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar and the Bosphorus Cruise (Day #3)

Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, so we missed out yesterday. And so we decided to recce the Grand Bazaar today, before heading for the Bosphorus Cruise and Spice Bazaar later in the day.

The Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning Covered Bazaar) in Istanbul  is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. Opened in 1461, it is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops.  Its a beautiful market for the photographers and for souvenir hunters. However, one has to be prepared for the aggressive shopkeepers and bargain hard for the wares.  Carpets and pottery might not be authentic in this place.
We took the Tramway back to the hotel, just in time to be picked up for the Spice Bazaar tour.

The Spice Bazaar, (Turkish: ‘Mısır Çarşısı’, or Egyptian Bazaar) in Istanbul, Turkey  is one of the oldest bazaars in the city.  Located in Eminönü, it is the second largest covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar. Istanbul or Constantinople was the final destination of the ancient silk route, which used to carry spices from various countries like India, Persia etc.  The bazaar has all the spices from around the world. Needless to say, bargaining is a must here as well.

The Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait  that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles. The world’s narrowest strait used for international navigation, it connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara (which is connected by the Dardanelles  to the Aegean Sea, and thereby to the Mediterranean Sea).  Bous is cow in ancient Greek and poros is the crossing place, so Bosphorus is the place where the cow crossed.
Legend has it that the river was form as part of the great flood 4000 years back (of Noah’s Ark fame). Incidentally, as I write this post, the Ark has been supposedly discovered in mountain of Ararat, Eastern Turkey.
The cruise was marred by rain and the visibility was bad. However, we were able to see both sides  of Istanbul i.e. Asian and European.

Later in the evening we went to Hodga Pasha culture center to watch the Sema (performance) by the Whirling Dervishes . The whirling dance or Sufi whirling that is proverbially associated with Dervishes, is the practice of the Mevlevi Order in Turkey. The sema accompanied by sufi music was tranquil and serene.  Please note that this is a religious ceremony , wherein the adherents believe they are attaining a higher union with God, therefore, do not talk, take photos or leave your seat during the performance.

Basilica Cistern, Sultan Ahmet and the streets of Istanbul (Day # 8, 9)

We came back to Istanbul after touring the countryside and decided to roam around on our own without the help of any guides. Since we had figured out the Tramway, we took off to Sultan Ahmet.

The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns  that lie beneath the city of Istanbul  (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located 500 feet (150 m) west of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. The cistern’s water was provided from the Belgrade Woods—which lie 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of the city—via aqueducts. It is an architectural marvel. One of the highlights are the two Medusa heads which form the base of pillars. While one is not sure of why they are kept there, one could speculate that these would have been bought from elsewhere (maybe Greece) to be used to build the cistern.

The lunch followed next, at the panoramic Four Seasons hotel, which was a jail in olden days.  We were late for the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, so instead we walked inside the beautiful Gulhane Park and  had coffee next to the Bosphorus.

The next day, was the Easter Sunday and with difficulty we found a Church (Greek Orthodox) near Istiklal Caddesi in the morning. It was a beautiful Church.

Finally, we checked out of our hotel, Taksim Gonen (highly recommended) and headed to the airport to fly back to Paris.

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More on Turkey, my other blog posts…

Turkish Delight : Turkey

Turkish Delight : Cappadocia

Turkish Delight : Ephesus and Pamukkale

Trip to Turkey :  March-April 2010

More on Turkey, my other blog posts…

Turkish Delight : Turkey
Turkish Delight : Istanbul
Turkish Delight : Ephesus and Pamukkale

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Cappadocia is a region in central Turkey, largely in Nevşehir Province. Cappadocia was known as Hatti in the late Bronze Age, and was the homeland of the Hittite power centred at Hattusa.
The name was traditionally used in Christian sources throughout history and is still widely used as an international tourism concept to define a region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage.  The region was the marred by multiple volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, which resulted in solidified lava. The softness of the same has resulted in naturally built cave dwellings perfect for the persecuted (Christians) to hide. And with the help of primitive architects, underground cave city like Kaymakli has been built.

Kaymakli, Monasteries and Cave Hotels (Day # 4)

We landed at the Nevşehir airport and straight away were taken to Kaymakli, the underground city. First opened to tourists in 1964, the village is about 19km from Nevşehir, on the Nevşehir-Niğde road. The ancient name was Enegup. Hittites were supposed to be the first inhabitants of the town around second millenium B.C. The houses in the village are constructed around the nearly one hundred tunnels of the underground city. The tunnels are still used today as storage areas, stables, and cellars.  There are seven floors, but only three were open. It is estimated that around 3000 – 4000 people lived here.  The city has  granaries, wineries, kitchens, pottery wheels etc.

After Kaymakli, we were taken to some old cave churches where the early Christians had settled in the ancient times to escape the persecution by the Romans. After Lunch we visited a quaint Greek House.

Finally, we reached Gamirasu Cave Hotel where we were staying for these two days. And what a place it was !! The hotel was actually built within existing caves and had amazingly beautiful rooms. The food was delicious and so was the overall service we received from the staff.

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Lunar landscapes & Fairy Chimneys, Goreme open air museum, Pottery workshop (Day # 5)

A hoodoo (also called a tent rock, fairy chimney, and earth pyramid) is a tall thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland.  Hoodoos are composed of soft sedimentary rock and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements.
The entire landscape was surreal. Centuries of erosion had created the awesome “lunar landscapes” and the fairy chimneys.

People of Göreme, at the heart of the Cappadocia Region, realized that the soft rocks (formed after the volcanic eruptions involving Mount Erciyes) could be easily carved out to form houses, churches, monasteries. These Christian sanctuaries contain many examples of Byzantine art from the post-iconoclastic period. These frescoes are a unique artistic achievement from this period.
The Göreme open air museum houses the Nunnery and many Churches like St. Barbara Church, Apple (Elmali) Church, Snake (Yilanli) Church, Dark Church (Karanlik Kilise), Carikli (Sandals) Church.  Three prominent saints – St. George, St. Basil and St. Denis were living here and were supposed to have been visited by St. Paul.

After the amazing sight seeing, we went to a pottery workshop and bought quite a bit from there. (Carpets and Pottery should be bought from Cappadocia and not bigger cities like Istanbul, as it is less expensive and genuine here).

Sumptuous lunch was at an amazing place – Firca, which was followed by some more sight seeing and wine tasting.

Later, in the hotel we called in an early night as we had to leave for the Kayseri Airport at 4 am to take a flight to Ephesus.

We had a great time at Cappadocia and it was not only because of the natural beauty and history, but also because of the warmth and friendly nature of the Cappadocians.  Special mention to Zeynap Aktas, a funky red haired girl, our guide. And also to the entire staff at the Gamirasu Cave Hotel. We wish we could’ve stayed there for more days.

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More on Turkey, my other blog posts…

Turkish Delight : Turkey

Turkish Delight : Istanbul

Turkish Delight : Ephesus and Pamukkale

Trip to Turkey :  March-April 2010

More on Turkey, my other blog posts…

Turkish Delight : Turkey
Turkish Delight : Istanbul
Turkish Delight : Cappadocia
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House of Virgin Mary, Ephesus, Tomb of St. John (Day #6)

We reached Ephesus, after an early morning flight from Kayseri (Cappadocia) to Istanbul to Adnan Menderes Airport (Ephesus). After delays, we managed to reach at around 11 am. We were warmly welcomed by our guide, Inaan and straight away driven to the House of Virgin Mary.
The House of the Virgin Mary is a Christian  and Muslim  shrine  located on Mt. Koressos  in the vicinity of Ephesus (7 km from Selçuk).
It is believed by many Christians and Muslims that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by Saint John and lived there until her Assumption into Heaven according to many Catholics, or the Dormition according to the Orthodox. Now this was a surprise as we didn’t know about this at all. The entire complex was a serene place. We offered our prayers and according to the custom, tied a knot (using a paper) so that our prayers would be heard (Incidentally, similar concept is in many cultures incl. in Rajasthan, India). The complex was also a source of hot spring water or holy water, which we took.

We had lunch at a carpet store ( a co-operative), where we were shown the art of carpet making and how silk is weaved out of silk worms. Amazing !! We somehow avoided the aggresive sales pitch and went on our way to the historic city of Ephesus.

Ephesus (Turkish Efes) was an ancient Greek city on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era. In the Roman period, it was for many years the second largest city of the Roman Empire; ranking behind Rome. Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which also made it the second largest city in the world.

The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The temple was destroyed in 401 CE by a mob led by St. John Chrysostom.  All that is left is a pillar (a real disappointment from what we had expected). Emperor Constantine I rebuilt much of the city and erected new public baths. The town was again partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614. The city’s importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Cayster River (Küçük Menderes).

Main attractions of Ephesus are the Theater, Temple of Hadrian, Library of Celsus, The Odeon (a small roofed theater),  Temple of Domitian, Fountain of Pollio and Basilica of St. John (built by Emperor Justinian).

There was a beautiful statue of Nike – Greek goddess of victory. We also came across an interesting stone on the street, which gave direction to the brothel. A foot was engraved on the stone, highlighting that the minors (and therefore with smaller feet) will not be allowed in the brothel.

Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation.The Gospel of John may have been written here. It is also the site of a large gladiators’ graveyard.

This must be one of the best preserved Roman ruins in the world incl. the ones in Italy.

We stayed the night at Hotel Kismet, which was a very beautiful hotel, with our room overlooking the Aegean Sea and the port. The hotel has been frequented by many famous celebrities like Queen Elizabeth, Queen of Netherlands, President  Johnson, many members of the Ottoman Imperial Family, Joan Baez, President Carter and so on.

We had dinner overlooking the sea and slept early in anticipation of the drive to Pamukkale the next day.

Aphrodisias, Hierapolis, Pamukkale (Day #7)

We started early at around 8 am. The drive from Ephesus to Pamukkale would be around three and a half hours. On the way we stopped at Aphrodisias.

Aphrodisias (named after Aphrodite – Greek Goddess of Love) was a small city in Caria, on the southwest coast of Asia Minor.  The city was built near a marble quarry that was extensively exploited in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, and sculpture in marble from Aphrodisias became famous in the Roman world. The city was famous for building sarcophagus.

After quickly looking around, we stopped for lunch and then headed towards Hierapolis which is adjacent to Pamukkale.

Hierapolis was the ancient Greek city on top of hot springs.  The hot springs there have been used as a spa since the 2nd century BC, and people came to soothe their ailments, with many of them retiring or dying here. The great baths were constructed with huge stone blocks without the use of cement, and consisted of various closed or open sections linked together. There are deep niches in the inner section of the bath, library, gymnasium and other closed or open locations.  The complex housed a hospital and a majestic theater.

Adjacent to Hierapolis is Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish. Pamukkale was formed when warm mineral water cascaded over the cliff edge, cooling and depositing its calcium.  In the present form, its a beautiful sight of gleaming white  calcium formations (travertine pools) and terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. Picturesque !!

It was a pleasure, walking on the travertines and warm spring water. After much reluctance, we headed towards the waiting car to be driven to the Denizli airport for our flight back to Istanbul.

After Cappadocia’s welcoming nature, these two days were a bit let down as we were a bit pushed to see what we didn’t want to (like the pottery co-op, and further attempt coaxing us to buy) and were asked for tips, which shouldn’t have been as it is voluntary.

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More on Turkey, my other blog posts…

Turkish Delight : Turkey

Turkish Delight : Istanbul

Turkish Delight : Cappadocia

Mahabalipuram visit : Feb 2010

Post the Auroville Marathon and celebrations we decided to go via Mahabalipuram (60 km from Pondicherry) – Chennai bypass. It would be a long ride and still we started late aft 10.
Mahabalipuram (also known as Mamallapuram  is a town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has an average elevation of 12 metres (39 feet).

Mahabalipuram was a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas around 60 km south from the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. It is believed to have been named after the Pallava king Mamalla. It has various historic monuments built largely between the 7th and the 9th century, and has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As we reached Mahabalipuram we quickly bought the tickets and started out date with history. Now Mahabalipuram has a lot of monuments intact and it seems Tsunami in 2004 also uncovered some of them.  The details one could get at http://www.mahabalipuram.co.in

These are Panch Rathas, Trimurthi cave, Mandapams, Arjuna’s Penance, Adivaraha Temple and Krishna’s Butter Ball.

At Panch Rathas

There were some amazing stone carvings we discovered in many temples as in the pic below. The Shore temple (below) was the highlight centuries old still standing there majestically.  Roy had joined us at the Shore Temple. After a trailblazing photography session with our SLRs.

Engravings and the Shore Temple

Carvings (at Shore Temple) and Hotel In Deco (formerly a prison)

We decided to have lunch at the Hotel In Deco, adjacent to the Shore temple. It was a sumptuous lunch and the ambience of the hotel was also nice. Highly Recommended. The Hotel was formerly a prison.

Hotel In Deco

Finally, at 4 pm we set off towards Chennai – Bangalore. As we approached Chennai, we missed the bypass road and had to turn back to take the same (one has to take a right turn at  some 35 km before Chennai). We had a tough time finding the Chennai bypass road as there were no signboards and we had to ask the pedestrians for direction. It took us close to 2 hours to cross Chennai bypass and get on the Chennai-Bangalore highway. And further had to drive quite a bit some 2.5 hours more (150 km from Bangalore) to find a good hotel for coffee. It was a long, straight highway however with unexpected intersections, so one had to be very careful while driving. In spite of the route, we had our bit of fun with the music in the car esp. ones by RD Burman and some hard rock, played by the PJs i.e. Pod Jockeys – Kiran and me.

We finally reached Bangalore at 11 pm. And one week later as the tiredness has disappeared, can’t help thinking what a fun trip it had been.

Till next year…cheers