An American in Turkey

It has been a little while since I've last posted, mostly because I haven't done a whole lot of exciting things in the past week. I did get a nice response for the bit on food that I did a week or so ago and it has given me an idea. There are lots of things about Turkey I feel relatively qualified to expound upon, but I'm wary to go into some because I don't want to use this board as a rant. From now on though, you guys should feel free to post or shoot me an email with questions or things you'd like me to write about (could be anything from nightlife to politics) and I think I will either pick from the group something each week to do a full column (if it warrants) or do a short answer mail bag sort of thing. This will be aside from the travel writing I'm planning on doing which will include a post next week on my upcoming short trip to Safranbolu. More pictures from Ankara will also join whatever pictures I take in Safranbolu.

That's it for now, I look forward to your input.

I have been here in Ankara for almost 3 weeks now and I feel like I can now comment on the nature of the city in adequate fashion. So here it goes,

This is a city that consistently get a bad rap. Tell anyone from Istanbul, Izmir, or Antalya that you are travelling to Ankara and the reply will undoubtedly be "Why? Why are you doing such a thing?". To most Turks, Ankara is a large dirty city in the middle of nowhere with nothing beautiful around it, and by beautiful they mean water or mountains. Certainly when compared to Istanbul there is much less to do there, it really isn't fair to compare the two however. It is sort of like comparing New York to Washington D.C. This city does indeed have a lot to offer, but lacks the truckloads of history that Istanbul has. The first thing to understand about Ankara is that there are really two cities, one old Roman-Byzantine-Ottoman garrison town and the other the gleaming ideal metropolis of Ataturk. It is organized with the old Roman city (which used to go by Angora or Ankyra) whose most notable monument is the citadel. I took a trip there a couple of weeks ago and it is a very interesting site. The two fortresses lie on either side of a canyon that now has a highway running through it. As you walk up to the citadel you notice that it is not cordoned off by any official state sanctuary, but rather the neo-ottoman village is built in around it and literally runs up onto its steps. Other than the citadel there are a few roman ruins of baths and temples, but much is in a sorry state of disrepair. The metropolis has many different neighborhoods, squares and districts, much like any modern city in the US. The district known as Kızılay, which I visited yesterday in search of a bookstore, is the closest thing to Times Square I have seen in Turkey, Istanbul included. While a bit more spread out than the heart of Manhattan Kızılay is a uber-busy square with a central monumental statue and any business imaginable. Bilkent University lies on the outskirts of the city in a very secure, cordoned off campus, which is much different than what I'm used to in Chicago (and in my opinion it takes something away from the university, but that might be a different post). The third aspect of the city, while a large aspect of other cities, Ataturks presence is felt here in a tremendous way. While today's ruling party might stray a good bit from his principles, his personality cult is still incredibly strong here. You absolutley cannot walk into a market, store, foodstand, club, mall, or restaurant without a picture of his magnanimous person somewhere. Turkish flags and oversized portraits are hung out of skyscrapers often. From his colossal mausoleum to the döner shop on the corner, this city, more than any other, is Ataturk's city, and it seems to me that it has stayed true to him and his vision for Turkey.

Here is the link for pics of the Ataturk Mausoleum, Citadel, and Kaş!

http://uchicago.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2018787&id=2903913&l=67733

Hey, I just made it back from Kaş which was absolutley gorgeous. I am now convinced that there is only one way to see the Meditteranean (especially on a budget) and it is Turkey. The Turqouise Coast is a protrusion of the Turkish coast that has an enumerable number of coves and bays that have turned into small inexpensive (though some mroe than others) mediterranean resorts. To give you an idea, 90 YTL (60USD) got us one night in a hotel plus an overnight bus ride to and from Ankara. The hotel alone was about 35 YTL(27USD). We snorkeled for about 3 hours for 15YTL (10USD) and had an all day boat trip with swimming and lunch for 20YTL(15USD). The town itself is beautifully situated at the bottom of a cliff, as most of the Turqoise coast does. There are two peninsulas and the Greek Island of Kastleorizzo sits less than 2km off the coast. If you are ever thinking of coming to this beautiful country, I strongly suggest visiting this small beach town as opposed to the larger more touristy locations such as Antalya, Mersin or Bodrum. It certainly was all of the great things about the mediterranean without any of the hassle.

Also, Facebook now allows me to share my pictures with everybody, and a lot easier than snapfish, so from now on when I make a new facebook album (which uploads a lot faster) I will post the link here and anybody can see it. Here are two new albums with photos from the Aegean trip:

Troy-Altınoluk-Bergama: http://uchicago.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2018362&id=2903913&l=85292

Sardis-Aphrodisias-Pamukkale: http://uchicago.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2018429&id=2903913&l=f4184

More coming soon!

I have been here more than a month now and I figure since the sightseeing is going to become more sporadic, I'd give a couple of post on culture type things that I have experienced so far. It seems like food is a good place to start. Here is a run down of the good, the bad and the ugly of Turkish cuisine:

The Good:

Gözleme - This is the Turkish variation on the crepe/quesadilla staple in other western countries. It is a very thin pastry folded over and and typically stuffed with minced meat, feta cheese (peynir), kaşarlı cheese (white cheese), patatoes or spinach. It is almost exclusively made by older women on a hot stone. It is a delicious snack and can be found just about everywhere.

Döner - Essentially the Greek gyro only spiced differently and served without tsaziki sauce. It is usually served in a sandwich or in lavash wrap with tomatoes, lettuce and occaisional french fries. It is also found just about everywhere and is probably the cultural equivalent to the cheese steak.

Mantı - More substantial than the previous two items. It is a variation on ravioli, small pasta packets with lamb inside served in two sauces, one creamy and another tomatoe. Not quite as common, but not really a regional dish.

Borek - Pastry appetizer made from filodough and usually stuffed with feta cheese or meat. Comes in regular and sigara shapes.

Pide - Long loaf like pitas with any number of toppings including both cheeses, egg, lamb, minced meat and chicken. Delicious and everywhere

Çay - The ubiquitous national drink. The delicious tea is served everywhere (and I do mean everywhere, I got some when I bought my cell phone here), and usually on the house. It is more a customary greeting (would you like some çay?) than a
companion to a meal.

Türk Kahvesi - Otherwise known as turkish coffee, incredibly strong and served in little cups usually post-meal, a delicious treat, not really an everyday thing though.

The Bad

Pizza - They just haven't figured out how to do this right. The only place that has pizza that is anything close to America is Pizza Hut. Usually they serve it without much tomato sauce, really odd assortments of toppings (corn? hot dog?), and have no conception of pepperoni. This is depressing, it makes me miss home a lot.

Hot Dog - Again, the west introduced the Frankfurter to the Turks, but didn't tell them how to use it. It is a ubiquitos topping and subsitute for pepperoni. You almost never see it in a bun with ketchup and relish. Again, depressing...

The Ugly

Kumpir - The Turks have taken the idea of "loaded potato" and crossed the line. These baked potatoes are stuffed with everything imaginable from hot dog to olives to egg salad. It makes one very, very sick after demolishing one, trust me.

Nescafe - Aside from Türk Kahvesi the only coffee available (outside of Starbucks) is the instant Nestle brand which is a poor substitute for the ground we find in America, I'd take two cups of çay over this any day.

Alright, so reliable internet access has been found. We made it into Ankara two days ago and we are now somewhat settled in at Bilkent. I have a post here on a site we visited on our way to Ankara, but it might be my last post for a little while, unless something really cool happens. I might be going on a weekend trip to Kaş next weekend which is on the Turqouise Coast and hour south of Antalya. The details on that are not solid yet, but check back in a bit I might have more info. Anyway, here is a little something about Şehri Midas.

On our way from Karahayıt to Ankara we stopped at the Phrygian rock fortress and temple known as Şehri Midas. The site is some 30 or 40 km east of the main road that leads from Afyon to Seyitgazi. It is hardly ever visited because it is very difficult to get to without your own transportation. The town surrounding it is without a doubt the poorest of the mountain towns we have been to. Most of the houses are made of mud brick and seem relatively deserted with the rare exception of old men hanging out on street corners. This massive site proved to be a very adventurous alternative to the stop at Gordion that we had previously planned. The Phrygians held their capital at Gordion, and this site was used as a military outpost after they took over central Anatolia from the Hittites in the tenth century BC. The side of this large hill has several cave and tomb formations carved into it, as well as one separate rock formation that used to be a sort of monastery. We climbed our way to the top of this formation (it certainly wasn’t easy, but the breathtaking view was well worth it. The hike continued for another hour and a half up to the plain at the top of the hill. The carvings and writings are fairly faint with the exception of one face of the hill that has a large frame like inscription stretching at least 20m up the side of the hill. In all it was a great way to break up the six hour drive to Ankara.

Pictures will be coming soon, as usual if you are a college student you will see them on Facebook, if not send me an email or post on the blog with your address in the text and I will invite you to my Snapfish account.

'Till next time.

ok, i've made it to ankara, my internet access is currently quite limited. once i get better internet on my own computer i will have a more detailed post, for those of youwho needed a map of turkey, i found a good interactive one at this site: http://www.adiyamanli.org/MapofTurkey/turk_map.htm

be back soon...

It seems I have wrangled some wireless internet here during my second night in Karahayıt which is less than a mile outside of Pamukkale. The trip so far has been fantastic (if not so academic, I'm starting to appreciate the possibility of being led by a professor as opposed to a tour guide). So without further ado, here is a summary of my trip so far:

Troy

After roughly a three hour trek down the west coast of the Marmara sea we had lunch at Galibolu which is a large town on the Gallipoli Peninsula, site of the WWI battlefield where 500,000 Turks, Russians, Australians, New Zealanders and Brits lost there lives. From here we crossed the Dardenelles to Çanakkale on a car ferry. From there we trekked down by the Hellespont, or the narrowest point of the Dardanelles where the Aegean Sea begins. Not long after passing the Hellespont we arrived at the ruins of Ancient Troy. The Troan plain extends about 6km to the sea, but at the time of the Trojan War the sea was much closer. There were subsequently nine cities built on this site stretching over 3500 years. The Trojan War took place on the site of either the sixth or seventh city around 1250 BC. The remains are relatively sparse (that is when you compare them to other Bronze Age ruins in Turkey and Greece), but with a little imagination (and a copy of the Iliad) one can easily imagine the oldest story ever told unfurling in front of you. One can easily imagine where Priam cried as his brave son Hektor was dragged across the plain. This was truly an impressive site.

Altınoluk

We stayed the night in the small beach town of Altınoluk. This small beach town in the north Aegean is very nice and afforded me my first dip into the sea. The Aegean is very calm and has a higher salt level than the Atlantic Ocean so it is easier to float. The hotel was nice, and it was fantastic to wash away the Istanbul grime in a quaint beach town. Upon leaving in the morning we stopped in a small Alivi village. The Alivis are a very liberal sect of shi'i Muslims who hold very true to the old Turkic nomadic lifestyle. They open up their villages to tourists to help support their lifestyle and it is truly something different. We didn't get to see a whole lot of the village, due to the main tourist season ending the day before we got there (some tour company...), but we did get to look at their museum and soem of their own brand of carpet, which is undied and completley in beige and brown colrs that are natural to the sheep. After a short stop there we headed down the road to Bergama.

Bergama

After a two-hour drive to the south and east we entered the province of Izmir and landed in the city of Bergama. The main attraction to the city of Bergama is the site of the ancient Greek and Roman acropolis of Pergamon. The acropolis is probably a thousand feet above sea level and soars over the valley and city below. The ruins are extensive with the Agora (market), Temple of Athena, and most of all the Greek theater in excellent condition. This is the first time I've been to sucha set of ruins and so far has served as a point of comparison for the rest of the ruins and cities on the trip. At the bottom of the hill is a site known as the Asklepion, what is thought to be the first hospital. While not much of a hospital, it did dedicate itself to the warding off of death, at one point stating at its entrance “No Wills Accepted Here” and “Death May Not Enter”. Most of the “treatment” consisted of opium and wine. The ruins are also extensive with a full theater as well as many columns, a tunnel, and many rooms. The town of Bergama is very interesting in that it does survive as a tourist town, but not nearly to the extent of other towns we have visited. The village houses, stores and other facilities are all in close contact. We also visited a larger store where we got a look at one of Turkey's industries, onyx. Onyx is similar in look to marble, but is not crystalline, and thus a little more pliable and more easily sculpted. While it was sort of a tourist trap, and the salesmen were quite pushy (another reason to avoid places crowded with europeans and other tourists), the art was interesting at times. We spent the night in Bergama and headed out for Sardis in the morning.

Sart (Sardis)

About two and a half hours down the road lies the ancient city of Sardis. Sardis' oldest remains date from roughly 2000 B.C., (older than Pergamon, about the same as Troy) and is mentioned in many famous stories. The inhabitants were mainly Lydian until they were conquered by Romans sometime around the 4th century AD, who were in turn conquered by the Selçuks and alternately the Ottomans before the city was destroyed by Mongol conqueror Tamerlane in 1400 AD. Perhaps the most famous inhabitant of the city is believed to be King Midas who turned the city to gold with a single touch. Sardis is also one of the Seven Cities of Asia mentioned by John in the book of Revelations. The main parts of the city that have been reconstructed are the Gymnasium, Bath and Synagogue. The Gymnasium is quite massive and due to fantastic reconstruction looks as if it has not aged at all. The Synagogue is an intriguing site and has been very well reconstructed thanks to a lot of overseas donations. Apparantley there was a large enough Jewish community to merit a synagogue given to them by the provincial governor. After a two hour stop there it was back on the bus to Pamukkale.

Karahayıt

The town we are staying in is a nice mountain town that has exploded (relative term) in tourism latley due to the hotels being kicked off of the Pamukkale ridge (more on that later). The town benefits from many sulfur hot springs which also attract a lot of European tourists. The town has a lot to offer, particularly some fantastic gözleme (crepe-quesadilla like meal), as well as shops and the typical Turkish thoroughfare. Sociologically speaking there is a lot to see in a town where traditional back country Turkish culture oddly mixes with an awkward tourist industry.

Aphrodisias

This is another ancient Greek and Roman city that has a lot to offer. As far as land area is concerned this is perhaps the largest site we have visited. It boasts a 5,000 seat Greco-Roman theater and a 30,000 seat stadium. The remains of the governmental buildings are also extensive, it was very interesting to stand in the fully reconstructed odeon where members of the Senate would debate. The center of the town is the temple to Aphrodite. Because of this Temple the city often played host to many visitors from other principalities, so many of the town structures outsized its humble 50,000 person population. The monumental entrace gate is a good example of this in that it was never actually used as an entrance to the city because it did not sit paralell to the road. Definitely the most impressive site from an archaeological perspective, though it did not boast the breathtaking views of Pergamon.

Pamukkale-Heirapolis

Pamukkale literally translates to "Cotton Castle" in Turkish, and there are two reasons why. First the hillside is covered with the plants and second the calcium springs which flow down its cliffs paint them a bright white color. Since 1970 hotels peppered the top of the cliff claiming the springs and chraging exhorbitant fees for their use. Now the springs have been damaged ehavily by construction and a few years ago the government forced them off the cliff and handed it over to the University of Pamukkale. Now people are allowed to walk down the cliff in restricted areas and wade in the water, yet it remains a crowded area. It was truly one of the more breathtaking sights I've experienced as the sun gleams right off the calcium which cascades down the cliffs forming beautiful, blue natural pools.

Hierapolis is the name of the Greek and Roman city that has stood above the springs for 2,500 years. It has three main features. First it boasts a giant necropolis (fancy word for cemetary), where many of its famous inhabitants and heroes are supposedly buried. Second is a much larger Greco-Roman theater of about 12,000 seats which serviced a population between one hundred and one hundred twenty thousand inhabitants. The third area of interest has a deep history in Christianity. The Apostle Phillip, whose gospel is considered the center of the gnostic gospels, was martyred here around 70 AD and is supposedly buried somewhere near the top of the hill near the site of a Roman basilica built in his name some three centuries later.

Whew, long post, pictures will be coming once I get internet in Ankara. We leave at 9 am tomorrow for Gordion and Ankara. I'll keep you posted.