Virtual Trip to Perú

Saturday, 11 May

In April 2009, Mui and I traveled to Perú.  Our two-week adventure took us to Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, and Lima.  We had a fantastic time, and I got to celebrate my birthday at Machu Picchu, even if the sun did not cooperate to give me the sunrise I was hoping for.

So, why this post?  Because we finally completed the editing of the hours of video Mui took on that trip.

If you’d like to take a virtual trip to Perú and walk in our footsteps, click here to go to the online album we created on Vimeo.

If you’re interested in the story of our trip, click here for the blog I wrote.

And you can find the still images I took during the trip here.

Kütahya: Aizanoi

(catch-up Post)

Friday, 12 October

It was a photograph not unlike the one to the right  (sans the fog) that first tickled my fancy and made me look up Aizanoi on the internet.

When I realized that the photo was of the Temple of Zeus, located in an ancient Phrygian city on the outskirts of Kütahya, I figured it would make an easy day trip for mom and me.

misty morning at a mystical temple.

Turns out, it took a bit of work to find a way to get there.  You see, there are no tours going to Aizanoi this time of the year.  I looked at public busses to get us there, but no one could confirm availability of taxis once we got to Çavdarhisar, the town nearest to the ruins.  I suppose I could have rented a car, but unfamiliar with the roads, it wasn’t something I wanted to undertake.

Then I remembered the business card the taxi driver who took us to the citadel (post here) gave me.  I dialed the number, which was promptly answered by the driver.  I had caught him driving a client back from a day-trip to İstanbul, and he asked if he could call me back.  I appreciated his concern for safety and said of course, but wondered if I would hear back from him after I hung up.  My concerns were for naught.  He called within 30 minutes and I negotiated a price that seemed fair to me.

A comfortable, well-maintained cab for our drive to and from Aizanoi.

The logistics out of the way, let me now get on with our day.

Waking up to a pale sunrise, I was excited to see that we would have a nice day for our trip to the ruins.  Not so fast.  Thirty minutes later, a thick fog blanketed the city.

From clear to thick fog in 30 minutes.

Keeping fingers crossed that the fog would lift by the time the cab came by to pick us up at 9:00a, we headed to the Simit Sarayı for breakfast. 

The poster promoting Sİmİt Sarayi proclaims that “the world is going to taste Sİmİt.”

Our cabbie was prompt and by 9:30a we were heading to the ruins of Aizanoi, which are scattered about in multiple sites near Çavdarhisar.  Ten minutes into the ride, the thick fog lifted, giving us clear views of the landscape.  It was disheartening when the fog settled back over everything in short order.  Not because the scenery was spectacular — it wasn’t … in fact, it was boring.  But because I was worried the ruins might be veiled as well.  And so they were … for the first 30 minutes that we were there.

the ruins of Aizanoi are Approximately 37 miles (60 km) from the city of  Kütahya.
[click for larger, more legible image]

Showing the guard my MüzeKart (museum card), we gained free entrance to the site.  Our arrival coincided with that of a group of students from the School of Tourism, who immediately headed over to the focal point of the ruins — the temple.  So, we headed in the opposite direction to check out the excavated artifacts that were displayed in a fenced in area.  By the time we were ready to explore the temple, they were moving on.  Thus, leaving the site for Mom and I to enjoy entirely on our own.

A Phrygian city originally, Aizanoi changed hands several times before ending up as part of the Roman Empire in 133 BC.  It is believed that the name comes from a mythical hero named Azan, who was one of the sons of King Arkas and the nymph, Erato.  Though artifacts from the earlier cultures have been found, the major finds date back to the Roman period.  Rediscovery of the site by European travelers in 1824 led to the first excavations in the 1830s-40s, and again in the 1920s.  The work ongoing today began in 1970.

The Temple of Zeus was built over earlier ruins of Aizanoi.
It is said to be one of the best preserved temples dedicated to Zeus.

The Temple of Zeus looks much better once the veil of fog is lifted.

According to historians, the funds to build the fortress were raised by renting out fields.
Emperor Hadrian was instrumental in recovering unpaid rents for construction to proceed.

The underground chamber is believed to have been a staging area for
ceremonies dedicated to the Goddess Cybele.

From this site, we drove a short distance across the road to the stadium-cum-theater, a structure that is considered unique to Aizanoi.  Studies have found that the ruins date back to the second and third century AD.  Constructed adjacent to each other, the stadium had a capacity of 13,500 and the theater could accommodate 20,000 people.

Mom provides perspective for the doors leading to the center stage of the theater.

one side of the theater seating is in shambles; the other side has held up well and been restored.

Looking back towards the stadium from the theater.

Before leaving the complex, we made a brief stop to wander around the Roman baths nearby.  There wasn’t much to see at these ruins, which date back to the second century AD.  A couple of photos, and we were on to a more distant part of the Aizanoi ruins.

Not much to see at the Roman baths …

… except for a distant and hazy view of the Temple of Zeus.

The final section we visited was a bit of a ways from the temple area, but turned out to be well worth the drive.  Here we found the first stock exchange, which dates back to AD 301.  These ruins were found when a mosque that was built over them collapsed in the 1970 earthquake that hit Gediz.  Excavations uncovered an inscribed copy of the Price Edict of Diocletian, which was an “… attempt to limit inflation resulting from debasement of the coinage” of that period by putting standards in place for the purchase and sale of items.  For example, a 16-40 year old male slave in good health was deemed equal to two donkeys or 30,000 dinars.

The round building (Macellum) with the Colonnaded Street in the background.

Restored in 1971, the walls of the Macellum were found to be inscribed with Emperor
Diocletian’s price edict on goods bought and sold in the markets of the empire.

Well-preserved artifacts of a stoa bordering a colonnaded street were excavated between 1993-1995,
and with the inclusion of some modern marble pieces, part of a stoa was reconstructed.

Glimpse of the village mosque from the 5th Century AD colonnaded street.

The ruins of Aizanoi are not the first ones that I’ve visited in Turkey.  I’ve seen far more elaborate sites of antiquity around the country, not the least of which is Ephesus (post here).  Regardless, I enjoyed this trip to a site rarely-visited by tourists — foreign or domestic.  Hopefully funds will continue to be available for ongoing excavation and restoration of artifacts.

On that note, we began the drive back to the city.  En route, I asked our driver to take us by Çinili Camii (Tiled Mosque), which I was under the impression was an older mosque.  Turns out the octagonal mosque was built in 1973, and therefore, was relatively new.  The exterior was under renovation, but seeing as how we were there anyway, I stepped out to take a few photos before we continued on.

No matter what angle I tried, I just couldn’t get a good one for the exterior of the mosque;
I did better with the interior, but stayed just inside the door so as not to
disturb the sole occupant who was deep in prayer.

Rather than have the driver return us to the hotel, we asked him to take us to the taxi stand in Dönenler Meydanı (Square of the Whirlers [in reference to the Whirling Dervishes]).  As it was after 1:00p, our goal was to find a place to have lunch.  We tried one restaurant that looked promising, but the menu wasn’t what we had in mind.  So, we came up with an alternate plan.

Passing by the city's iconic Çİnİlİ Vazo (tiled urn) fountain, I can’t resist a shutter click.

Detail from the flowering cabbage decorating the perimeter of the fountain.

In the end, we walked back to the hotel via Sevgi Yolu (Love Lane) and had lunch at Karavan, where we’ve been eating dinner since arriving in the city two days ago.  Good, home-style cooking; reasonable prices … why mess with a good thing.  The chef recognized us when we approached the display case to make our selections — sautéed eggplant and squash for me; chicken for mom; and a plate each of rice and thick, creamy yogurt to share.  When the chef showed up with a complimentary plate of tel kadayıf (a popular Turkish dessert made with shredded phyllo dough), we were too full to eat it then and there, but did take it back to the hotel with us to enjoy later in the afternoon when we were having tea in mom’s room.

When I mentioned to the chef that I plan to blog about our many meals at
his establishment, he kindly posed for me …

… and later treated us to a plate of Tel Kadayif,
garnished with grated fresh pistachio and walnut halves.

And so mom and I wrapped up a short, but interesting visit to Kütahya — a city that surprised us in many ways.  I’m glad mom suggested it as the destination for this year’s side trip.

Now to pack up and move on to the second half of our trip … another bus ride is in order for this one.

Kütahya: Archaeology, Tile Art, and Kossuth … An Afternoon at the Museums

(catch-up Post)

Thursday, 11 October (Part V)

After lunch, we set out to visit three museums that were on our list.  Two of them turned out to be just steps away from Ulu Camii (post here); the third, we had given up on finding when we came upon it by happenstance.

Arkeolojİ Müzesİ (Museum of Archaeology)

This small museum is housed in a 14th century medrese (school of theology).  The pieces on display range from the Copper Age, to the Roman and Hellenistic Periods, to the Ottoman Period.  The majority of the artifacts are exhibited in glass cabinets, making photography difficult.  (Admission: 3TL [$1.60]; free with the MüzeKart.)

Left: Hecate, goddess of spells and the moon; Roman Period.
Right: Stele; unidentified.

The centerpiece of the artifacts on display is a 2nd century AD Roman Period sarcophagus belonging to Claudius Severinus and his wife.  Found during excavations in Çavdarhisar-Aizanoi, it is known as the Tomb of the Amazons. The exterior reflects bas-relief scenes of the war between the Greeks and the Amazons.  It never ceases to amaze me that so many of the artifacts of antiquity have survived relatively intact.

Çİnİ Müzesİ (Tile Museum)

A city that is renowned for its glazed tile and pottery work would, of course, have a museum dedicated to it.  This small museum is located in a 14th century külliye (mosque complex).  In one of the rooms off the central courtyard are information panels that outline the tile making process from the biscuit (raw) form to the final glazed form after the design is completed.  Also on display are beautiful urns and decorative wall plates, and in one corner is the tile-covered tomb of Germiyan Sultan Yakup Çelebi, on whose orders the mosque complex was built.  The tile work is displayed in glass cases, thus making photography difficult.  (Admission: Free)

The Kütahya Citadel serves as a backdrop to the tile museum.

The tile work is displayed in glass cabinets in vaulted rooms that branch off this courtyard.

Top right: Fatİh Sultan Mehmet (Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror)
Bottom Right: The Virgin Mary with baby Jesus

One of the most interesting pieces on exhibit is a decorative wall plate that features an image of Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.  What makes the plate special is that the words of his “Address to the Youth” were used to create the head.  We’re not talking a short speech here, so someone spent considerable time and energy inscribing those words to form the image.

Kossuth Museum

This museum is commonly referred to as the Macar Müzesi (Hungarian Museum).  It is housed in the 18th century house in which Lajos Kossuth lived in exile from 1850 to 1851.  (Admission: Free)

Quite honestly, I didn’t know anything about Lajos Kossuth when mom suggested that we visit this museum.  She had seen it featured on a TV program promoting tourism in Turkey and thought it might be interesting, especially since Mui’s father had studied at the University of Budapest during the early years of World War II.  The plaque at the top of the stairs leading to the first floor explained that Kossuth was the leader of the 1848-49 Hungarian War of Independence.  (More info here.)  For me, the more interesting aspect of the museum was the house, which is furnished as a typical Turkish house of the period.

Glimpse of the grounds from the first floor porch.

From the garden, stairs lead up to a porch onto which several rooms open.

The Selamlık is the first room at the head of the stairs … sort of the men's smoking
room of Victorian times … where men gathered to converse.

The dining room: the cabinets on either side of the fireplace and the closet that runs the length
of the wall on the left would have been used to store pots and pans, and other kitchen utensils.

The dining room: Sitting on floor pillows, The household would eat at the
“yer sofrasi” (Literally, the floor table),

The second floor porch onto which the rooms on this level open.

The bedroom of Lajos Kossuth and his wife, Teresa.  It is furnished in the style of a typical
Turkish bedroom of the times.  The mannequin is dressed in period attire known as a "bİndallı."

The private study of Lajos Kossuth.  He is said to have worked on the Hungarian constitution
in this room.  The furnishings for the room were provided by the Hungarian Government.

One of three rooms that open onto the second floor porch.  Furnished as a "memorial room,"
it contains clothing worn in 19th century Hungary and THE uniform of a regent's guard.

The Kossuth family room.

The Kossuth Family Room: Lajos Kossuth is said to have played the piano pictured here.

"Baṣ Oda," literally the "Head Room," was where guests were entertained.
As such it was the most important room in the house. The photos above the fireplace
are of Kossuth and his wife; the closet was used to store bedding for guests.

Completing our self-guided tour of the house/museum, we began the long walk back to the hotel.  Both Mom and I have been pleasantly surprised by Kütahya and all that the city has to offer.  We will continue to explore it tomorrow.