An American in Turkey

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.