Turkish Travels

From the magnificent palaces, mosques, and bazaars of Istanbul, to the incredible geological formations and underground cities of Cappadocia, to the rich religious and archaeological history of Ephesus, Turkey is undoubtedly a country with something to offer travelers of all interests, a country that is undoubtedly a genuine crossroads of civilizations. I have spent the past 8 days traveling throughout this amazing country and seeing some of the most amazing sights.

We flew from Istanbul to Izmir Sunday morning and from there rented a car and drove to Selçuk. Here, we wandered through the archaeological museum which houses a large number of the finds from nearby Ephesus, enjoyed tost and çay outside in the park, visited Isabey Camii (Christ Mosque) and explored the ruins of the Basilica of Saint John. That evening, we drove up into the mountains to stay in Sirince, a small town perched upon the hillside. Here, the streets are paved with cobblestones, cars are parked in the otopark at the foot of the towns and you climb up to your house, and the streets are filled with vendors selling their wares while Turkish music and amazing aromas dance through the air until long after the sun has set. As picturesque as Sirince was, all good things must come to an end. For us, this was a nosebleed just before breakfast Monday morning. When it wouldn’t stop on its own, Mehmet decided he should probably go to the hospital in Selcuk and get it looked at. So 20 minutes later, we were packed, checked out and on our way down the mountain for my first glimpse of a hospital here in Turkey. Although I know that the little clinic in town shouldn’t be compared to a more modern institute in cities like Ankara or Istanbul, I can’t help but think that I do not want to find myself in a hospital here in Turkey anytime in the next few months.

This was followed by a trip to Ephesus, one of the most well preserved ancient Roman civilizations and one of the best kept. While admittedly I knew very little about this city going into this trip, I was amazed to learn that Ephesus was one of the most important cities of ancient times- during Greek and Roman times it served as the most important city to those empires on the Asian continent. To that end, it was a cultural capital, had one of the largest populations and the third largest library in the world. It had seen the original roots of Amazon warriors, sheltered Greek mythology, gave rise to Roman rule and Christianity- John the Baptist spread the gospel here and the Virgin Mary is reputed to have lived nearby- and finally was a vital city under later Muslim rule. The history of Turkey continues to amaze and it truly is one of the countries with the greatest amount of historical twists, turns and preservation that one could ever lay eyes on, a true gem to the world today.





After Aunt Diane and I visited Ephesus, we met up with Mehmet and Resa for lunch and a quick trip to the Seven Sleepers farther up into the mountains. As the legend goes, during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Decius (around 250 AD), seven young men were accused of Christianity. They were given time to give up their faith before being killed, instead they gave up their worldly goods to the poor, and retired to a nearby mountain to pray, where they fell asleep. The emperor, deciding that their attitudes towards Christianity and Paganism had not changed, ordered the mouth of the cave where they slept to be sealed. Almost 150 years later, the cave was unsealed and the sleepers were awakened thinking they had only slept for a day. One of the sleepers returned to Ephesus and is astounded to find buildings with crosses attached and Christianity openly practiced throughout the city.

Following our visit to the hillside where the sleepers slept, we kept going up the mountain to the house of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Though small and secluded, people travel from all over the world to the place where it is believed that Mary moved to after the crucifixion and later died. The stone house is not much beyond a small alter and prayer room, but it is a miracle it is still standing today. A few years back, fire was set to the trees on the mountain that houses this serene spot. These flames traveled up the side of the mountain wiping out all the vegetation up to the crest before being put out. Mary’s house is just below the crest on the opposite side of the mountain and not a single tree surrounding it was touched. It is absolutely amazing considering how much forest was wiped out in the process. After this, we hopped in the car for the hour drive back to Izmir to grab some coffee and pastry and wait for our flight to Ankara.

We arrived in Ankara on Tuesday night, and all plans to visit museums and the castle/citadel the next 2 days were cast aside for relaxation in Resa and Mehmet’s garden and a tour of ODTU, the university where he teaches. After days of busy sightseeing and late nights of catching up with each other, we were all exhausted and opted to lie low and put our feet up.

We spent 2 days in central Turkey, in an area called Cappadocıa, famous for its strange caves and geological formations that extend across the valleys creating a landscape far more captivating that of the Grand Canyon. Deep layers of volcanic ash settled into easily carved Tufa, which has offered shelter to people creating cave homes from prehistoric times, including whole underground cities. Added bonus features include pillars, outcroppings, towers and caves in the volcanic tuffa which is light enough to be eroded or carved easily. Early Christians lived in these caves, to escape persecution, and local folk created underground villages to escape violence and war over the centuries, first by Romans and then by Muslims. The heart of this area is the little tourist town of Göreme, where in recent years numerous restaurants, bars, and "cave hotels" have been carved into the rock.





The attempted bombing in Ankara by Kurdish rebels on Wednesday has had relatively low impact on the tourists here. The only effect that I've seen is tighter security. As we arrived at the entrance to the Kayseri airport for Aunt Diane and I to fly back to Istanbul, were sternly greeted by policemen checking each car inside and out with mirrors and metal detectors. Cars are put into park, passengers step out of the way, and suitcases are removed from the trunk so that everything can be searched before a quick nod and we’re all packed back in to go park the car to unload for real this time.

Despite all of my adventures so far this trip, I’ve got many more ahead of me in the next few months. Next up, moving into the dorm and getting to know the campus of Bogazici University!