2010.07.26 - 08.02
Turkey: NORTH AND CENTRAL
[Ankara - Bogazkale (Hattusa) - Ankara (Anitkabir)- Safranbolu]
We were supposed to leave Trabzon in the evening at 19:00, but the bus was nearly an hour late (due to traffic)! This was only the second time in our two months' bus travelling in Turkey that the bus had been late. If you could see the number of bus companies and the hundreds of buses on the roads, you would realise why we felt that two delays in two months was not bad at all.
Another matter which deserves mention, is the fact that all long haul buses serve cold water, tea, coffee, colddrink, cake and sometimes even ice cream(!) during the trip. Truly grand style which we appreciated very much. The attendant also makes a note of each person's destination. He checks that you alight at the right place!
Inge managed to sleep on all the overnight trips. Mrad only managed to snooze. We arrived at ANKARA at 8am the next morning.
We made the snap decision to continue to Sungurlu which is the closest bus "stop" to Bogozkale (the village built next to the Old Hittite capital of Hattusas. This meant that we virtually retraced the last section of our night's journey, but as it was daytime we could appreciate the lovely country side.
As always, the work put into farming was impressive.
The development of infrastructure was encouraging.
The existing road system showed why roads were the preferred mode of travelling.
The summer harvest left beautiful patterns on the mountainside.
Our road gently descended into a enormous low veld decorated with large patches of dark red lands beautifully manicured for the next season.
The hills in the distance were a hazy blue.
We reached SUNGURLU safely only to be accosted by taxi drivers who insisted that the only way to get to Bogazkale before dark was to use their services.
However, we had met Ulricke and Danielle, two French ladies whose Lonely Planet book warned tourists against this ploy.
Additionally, one of the locals whom Mrad had "met" on the bus, virtually took Mrad by the hand (once he saw that Mrad trusted him) and put us onto the free service bus to the centre of Sungurlu. He gave the driver instruction to take us to the dolmus which serviced BOGAZKALE.
This was it!
Our rucksacks were loaded onto the top of the dolmus. See Mrad's backpack fly on to the luggage rack?
We were packed in like sardines in a tin.
We happily went to our room to rest - the heat (+-43 C) made anything else impossible. Later in the afternoon, we wandered through this little one-horse town - or should we rather call it a farmyard?
See the man walking home after working with hay all day. Just look at his vicious pitchfork!
These geese were making their way home after a day's browsing in the nearby fields.
These two passed quite close to us.
This herd of cows went down the village street past the restaurant where we were eating to their barn.
And many men came home on their tractors -- sorry, it was too dark to capture a photo.
We found a small (very local) eating house where we had supper.
And the next morning before our tour, we had breakfast in bed - no, I mean - breakfast on bed. Turkey is famous for their yellow melons - they were delicious!
Our dapper taxi man, Murat, chose to take us to the Hattusa site first.
And duly stopped at the ticket office to legalise our visit. All taxis in the whole of Turkey are bright yellow.
We drove to the south-west side of the fortification which has a double wall.
The Lions Gate has two parabola-shaped arches (the doors are long gone) and takes its name from the two lions facing outward either side of the exterior door.
Can you see the lion's head quite low down in the photo?
Just look at the lion's mane carved into the marble.
Here the two parabola arches can be seen clearly.
Hattusa covers a large area.
We continued our drive south to the highest point: Yerkapi and the Sphinx Gate.
The Yerkapi is a 70m "door in the ground" / tunnel which runs underneath an artificial bank/mound of ground. It was quite dark in the tunnels leading through the bank.
Once through the tunnel we went to the western end of the bank - remember that this was built 5000 years ago!
Some archaeologists say it rivals the pyramids!
Some archaeologists say it rivals the pyramids!
The area is beautiful.
By fencing off the area and preventing grazing, trees have grown here as of old.
On top of the bank, the southern Sphinx Gate only has a few sad remains. The threat of fire damage prompted archaeologists to remove the surviving sphinxes (such as in the picture on the information board) to the Istanbul and Berlin museums.
And this is all that is left of one exterior sphinx - we thought it just looked like a damaged piece of rock.
In the valley below us many temple foundations could be seen - Hattusas was known as the "City of a Thousand Gods" - and each god had a dedicated temple.
Inge standing at the King's Gate in the eastern part of the city walls. The original King statue is in Corum Museum (but at least they put a replacement here!!)
The double wall can be clearly seen here too.
Nisantas (="stone with signs") takes its name from the badly weathered hieroglyphic Luwian inscription (1200BC) which can be seen on the smoothed rock face. Even up close, we did not see much!
Typical of archaeological sites, a later civilisation built on the same spot. A Phrygian fortress (7th century BC) was built over the Hittite cult chamber (1200BC). The fort is ruined, but the cult chamber is behind bars so it is well-preserved.
The inscriptions in the cult chamber (1200B). The last king of Hatussas, Supiluliuma II, tells of his conquests and he dedicated this chamber to the god which he venerated.
The remains of the royal citadel seen from the fort area.
The ruins of the "Big Castle" which was renovated in the 13th century BC. However, the earliest traces of habitation go back to the Early Bronze Age!
An aerial view on the information board shows just how impressive the city must have been.
Exploring archaeological sites is hot work - a shady tree invites one to rest a while. Ulricke, Danielle, M&I and taxi driver.
If you know Mrad's photographing strategy, then you'll know how he made it into the picture!
If you know Mrad's photographing strategy, then you'll know how he made it into the picture!
Below the Royal Citadel stretches the area which was inhabited by the original peoples of Anatolia, the Hattians (end 3rd century BC).
This water basin, known as the Lion Basin (guess why?) was carved from a single block of lime stone.
The "Green Stone" (original purpose unknown) served as a display table for vendors.
The site is still being excavated by archaeologists.
These gigantic storage jars probably originate from a later time when the Hittites had resettled the area and Assyrian merchants used the site (beginning 2nd C).
Just look at the wide street which graced the city.
We left Hattusa and drove 2km to Yazilikaya (="written rock") which is the largest known Hittite rock sanctuary hidden amongst high rocks.
Room A: on the left hand wall the male gods (only two females gods) face the main facade. Here are some of them.
The main façade shows the Tempest God and his wife the Sun Goddess.
The woodwork which you can see on the left and the right? Well - we'll leave you guessing ...
The woodwork which you can see on the left and the right? Well - we'll leave you guessing ...
On the right hand wall, some female goddesses appear.
I know it's my lack of education, but I think archaeologists must have a wonderful imagination!
The wall opposite the main façade, depicts King Tuthalia II. He is larger than the other figures (kings seem to have this tendency!) and holds a rod with a curved end to symbolise sovereignty.
See the wooden ladder?
See the wooden ladder?
Guess what?
All the wooden structures - Room A was being renovated.
On through a narrow passage to Room B (only excavated end of 20th century and thus well-preserved as it was buried for a long time).
Here too, a line of gods of the underworld guard the sanctuary which was dedicated to King Thutalia V in the 13th century BC - this makes the site nearly 3300 years old!!
This figure represents the Sword God Nergal - can you see the large sword between his legs?
This figure depicts King Thutalia IV (large figure) being accompanied by his protector god, Sharruma (small figure on right) to the underworld.
This picture gives you an idea of the size of the rock shrine. Can you see the row of gods on the left and the Sword King Nergal on the right?
We went back to the hotel to have lunch, rest and recover from the heat (+-45C). At 1:30 we continued our Hittite sight visits when we travelled 35km to the third site through countryside where harvesting was done.
Alacahoyuk is the oldest settlement of the Chalolithic Age (5000-3000C). Excavations done since 1835 have established that at least 6 civilisations settled on this site. At present, excavations are still being done.
The Sphinx Gate is most famous, but (as the case is with all the sites which we visited) most of the artifacts have been taken to the Ankara Anatolian Civilisations Museum.
Fortunately, the stones that were taken away to the museums, have been copied in order to give visitors an idea of the original site. Inge liked the guitar player and the man carrying the "riton" (ceremonial drinking glass).
Mrad liked the double headed eagle.
It was verrrry hot, so a cool passage like this was very welcome.
Mrad found an air shaft and called to us. We had to search for him - hide and seek?!
The jewellery found in these graves have been taken to safety - we saw the original pieces in the Ankara Anatolian Civilisations Museum.
That ended the day. Time for "cay"/tea - the cafe's emblem copies the design of an item found on the premises.
The next morning we left for Ankara (again!) But the dolmus first went to fetch a sick child and her mother to take them to hospital - so we had a tour of Bogazkale.
These girls are off to school / medresse.
We stopped at this hospital in nearby Sungurlu to drop off the mother and sick child.
At the Sungurlu Otogar, we boarded an autobus to return to Ankara - once again we enjoyed the fields on our way to Ankara and
the rock formations along the way.
We were grateful that we were not in a car negotiating heavy traffic and road works.
The Ankara Castle announced to us that we were back in Ankara.
We found Hotel Zumrut (thanks to Massimiliano's recommendation) and booked in.
Can you see the hotel's sign? We had to look twice to find it!
Then we walked to the Ankara Anatolian Civilisations Museum through the renowned Bazaar Quarter.
Here are a few of the items which impressed us in the museum. These come from the Early Bronze Age (3000BC).
Gold jewellery (3000BC).
Clay letters in clay envelopes (2000BC).
Bronze cuneiform table (1235BC).
Phrygian pottery (+-1200BC)
Urartian amber necklace (1200BC).
Late Hittite reliefs such as the three-headed sphinx (900BC).
Can you find all three heads? .
One of the original sphinxes from Alacahoyuk's gates. It seems to be easier to appreciate such items when one's been to the original site!
And a 2002 addition to the museum - the statue of Dionysus - transferred to Turkey after an international court ruled that the statue (found in Switzerland, then housed in the British Museum) should be returned to its country of origin.
Turkey has made many similar requests for other stolen artefacts - to no avail! No wonder they shipped Dionysus home the very day he was handed over to them!
And finally some Roman statues - Ankara often changed rulers.
Previously a market with workshops / "han", the Ankara Anatolian Civilisations Museum was well-worth a visit. No wonder it was given Best Museum Award in 1997.
As usual, after such an exhausting visit we were hungry. Should we buy a kilogram of biscuits?
Or should we have a tavuk=chicken gozleme? We settled for this option - a good choice.
The next morning we passed Ulus Maydani where another impressive Ataturk statue stands.
The surrounding bronzes depict war situations. See the Arabic inscription on the base? The statue was erected before Ataturk's language reform in 1928.
Yes! Ataturk actually changed Turkey's alphabet from Arabic script to Roman script!
In Cankiri Caddesi we found the ancient Roman Baths. Did we think an oval pool was a modern idea?
And admired the "Phrygian doorway" tombstones (19th C) which were fashionable in the Roman times.
Then we walked 500m down Cumhuriyet Caddesi to catch a dolmus to Anitkabir.
The driver told us where to get off and pointed out the direction that we had to walk to Antikabir. As usual a Turkish person invited us to walk the 500m to the entrance with her. We were "scanned" at the entrance, and walked another 500m to the mausoleum complex. Security is tight.
Antikabir is a 3-in-1 museum as it houses not only the Mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, but also the Ataturk Museum (Ataturk's personal belongings) and the Museum of the War of Independence (opened 2002). This was our first view of the complex.
The "visit plan" sets out the tourist route well.
The massive figures depict Turkish people's anguish at the death of Ataturk (Father of the Turks).
The Path with Lions leads one to the Mausoleum.
The Mausoleum itself with scenes on the left from the 1915 defence which was orchestrated by Kemal Mustafa (later to become Ataturk).
A soldier standing watch at the Mausoleum's entrance.
This picture gives you an idea of the size of the mausoleum.
Can you see Mrad? Look just right of the corner where the two walls meet.
Found him? Well done!
The sarcophagus. Ataturk's body is, however, buried far below.
The golden mosaic on the ceiling high above the sarcophagus - spectacular!
The courtyard in front of the mausoleum which leads to the museums.
A photo of Ataturk's mother in the Ataturk Museum - soon after this we were told that photographing was not allowed.
A photo of the wall panel at the entrance of the War of Independence Museum.
The museum was inaugurated in 2001 & 2002 after it had been developed with the help of the Russian government - the depiction of the 1915 battle and the sacrifices made by the Turkish people to carve a country of their own out of the post WWII situation, was effective and touching. It was a MUST-DO visit.
A dolmus took us to the big Otogar as we were heading out of town. How did we find the right dolmus? Just ask ...
At the otogar we had time to look at Turkish styles. Isn't she elegant?
Or do you prefer one of these styles? We saw every possible combination of head dress and clothes during our visit.
We were headed for SAFRANBOLU +- 4 hours by bus north of Ankara. The countryside is renowned for its plantations.
At one of the otogars we stopped at, we again saw how involved Turkish fathers are with their children.
We spent four nights in the comfortable Kalafatoglu Konak Otel.
Konak refers to the large Ottoman houses in which at least three generations lived.
We rested but also visited the sites of Safranbolu. The town was famous for its saffron trade, now it's focussed on its tourist trade and it is also famous for its "lokum" = Turkish Delight. The show is on - this is how lokum is cut!
A young girl sits and creates a locally famous table cloth (when she is not serving customers in the family restaurant).
The quartyard of the modernised Cinci Han - originally built in 1645.
A cobbled side-street - just look at the pattern of the wall.
A closer look at the "date". Can you see the time on the clock?
13:32.
That's the date this fountain was built!
The Safranbolu Castle. It is still used as an administrative building.
A konak restored to its previous glory as an upmarket hotel - the interior pool, tables to relax around the pool, and a lion which spouts cool water.
But not all houses have been restored - they are a sorry sight.
Many millennia ago, Safranbolu lay next to the sea - see the layers in the cliff?
An view of Safranbolu.
Time for Turkish coffee.
Mrad and Ali from our Kalafatoglu Konak Otel. His English was good - and he helped us book our ticket when we decided to leave.
It was time to say good-bye.
We were off to the Safronbulo Otogar and on to the autobus to Iznik.
_____________________
Soos gewoonlik is blogskryftyd 'n rustyd vir ons.
Ons kan geen rede vind om onsself te druk om meer dinge te sien of te doen nie. Dit maak nie saak as ons iets mis nie.
Mens kan in elk geval (selfs in die twee maande wat ons het), nie alles in Turkye sien nie. Die Turke wat ons vra waar ons was, is grensloos be~indruk met ons program: "You have seen more of Turkey than we have", maar dikwels moet ons se^: "No - we did not go there / see that ...". Hierdie reuseland met sy bakermatbeskawings kannie so maklik deurgrond word nie.
Op hierdie stadium begin ons klere van ons lywe afval - wel, dis verblyk en moeg. Mrad moes al sy sandale & kortbroek vervang. Dis nog net 4 slapies (insluitend vanaand se deurnagbus) "en dan asem ons Suid-Afrika se skoon lug" (om Liesel aan te haal)!
Ons is baie lief vir julle en sien daarna uit om met julle almal te kuier.
Liefde
M&I
Oops - our bus was pulled over - is this a routine check-up or did he drive too fast?
At one of the otogars we stopped at, we again saw how involved Turkish fathers are with their children.
We arrived at Safranbolu at 18:22 and were shepherded to the service dolmus which took us to the centre of the "new" city. Here we caught a mini-bus which regularly runs to the "old" Safranbolu - accredited with UNESCO World Heritage status in 1994 due to its delightful and well-preserved Ottoman houses.
We spent four nights in the comfortable Kalafatoglu Konak Otel.
Konak refers to the large Ottoman houses in which at least three generations lived.
Our hotel's garden.
We rested but also visited the sites of Safranbolu. The town was famous for its saffron trade, now it's focussed on its tourist trade and it is also famous for its "lokum" = Turkish Delight. The show is on - this is how lokum is cut!
The local hamam / bath house.
A young girl sits and creates a locally famous table cloth (when she is not serving customers in the family restaurant).
Entrance to Izzet Pasa Camii - built in 1796.
The quartyard of the modernised Cinci Han - originally built in 1645.
A typical old Safranbulo street.
A cobbled side-street - just look at the pattern of the wall.
One of the famous fountains - its date of origin is given on the left top part of the pillar.
A feature of the fountains in Safranbulo is that if your property has a strong fountain, the extra water is channelled to the village!! Prosperity is shared with others!
A closer look at the "date". Can you see the time on the clock?
13:32.
That's the date this fountain was built!
Our tour vehicle and guides - canned MP3 comments are played at relevant locations - very effective.
The Safranbolu Castle. It is still used as an administrative building.
Safranbolu is renowned for its consideration towards its people - this house's corner is literally cut to make driving in the city easier.
A konak restored to its previous glory as an upmarket hotel - the interior pool, tables to relax around the pool, and a lion which spouts cool water.
The typical Ottoman ceiling above the pool. The ceiling n our hotel room was just as beautiful.
But not all houses have been restored - they are a sorry sight.
Look at the use of space - small triangular property? - don't worry - we'll enlarge the floor space as we build upwards!
Many millennia ago, Safranbolu lay next to the sea - see the layers in the cliff?
The erosion seems to continue. The Silver River Gorge which divides old and new Safranbolu.
A house perched on the side of the gorge.
Only three copper/metal smiths are still active in Safranbolu - it's a dying trade. Their work is beautiful.
An view of Safranbolu.
From a road which runs under an overhang.
Time for Turkish coffee.
Will I survive?
Mrad and Ali from our Kalafatoglu Konak Otel. His English was good - and he helped us book our ticket when we decided to leave.
It was time to say good-bye.
We were off to the Safronbulo Otogar and on to the autobus to Iznik.
_____________________
Soos gewoonlik is blogskryftyd 'n rustyd vir ons.
Ons kan geen rede vind om onsself te druk om meer dinge te sien of te doen nie. Dit maak nie saak as ons iets mis nie.
Mens kan in elk geval (selfs in die twee maande wat ons het), nie alles in Turkye sien nie. Die Turke wat ons vra waar ons was, is grensloos be~indruk met ons program: "You have seen more of Turkey than we have", maar dikwels moet ons se^: "No - we did not go there / see that ...". Hierdie reuseland met sy bakermatbeskawings kannie so maklik deurgrond word nie.
Op hierdie stadium begin ons klere van ons lywe afval - wel, dis verblyk en moeg. Mrad moes al sy sandale & kortbroek vervang. Dis nog net 4 slapies (insluitend vanaand se deurnagbus) "en dan asem ons Suid-Afrika se skoon lug" (om Liesel aan te haal)!
Ons is baie lief vir julle en sien daarna uit om met julle almal te kuier.
Liefde
M&I
