To İzmir via “Kuladokya”

Monday, 31 October

An overcast, cold morning with the temperature at 36F (2C) found us saying our goodbyes to Hakan and getting on the road back to İzmir.

Once out of the city traffic, we made good time, arriving in Afyon for our mid-day meal right about noon. This time, the restaurant at the popular rest facilities was open and we had a home-style meal that we topped off with ekmek kadayıf, a type of bread pudding served with a thick hunk of kaymak (clotted cream) almost as big as the slice of dessert itself. Actually, you need a lot of clotted cream as it helps to cut down the sweetness of this dessert, which is drenched in heavy syrup. Very good, but one portion was plenty to split amongst the four of us.

The drive back to İzmir was just as boring and uneventful as the one we made to Ankara just a week ago — with one exception. This time, we made a detour to see the Kula Peri Bacaları (Kula Fairy Chimneys).

Fairy Chimneys, sometimes referred to as hoodoos, are the result of erosion where soil conditions are just right. They are formed in areas where soft rock is topped by harder, less easily eroded rock. As the softer portions erode, the column that starts to form is partially protected from the elements by the harder cap rock, thus resulting in some interesting shapes.

A glimpse into the formation of fairy chimneys.

The best known fairy chimneys in Turkey — perhaps in the world — are found in Kapadokya (Cappadocia), in the central region of the country. In ancient times, people lived and worshipped in dwellings they dug inside these natural towers. I visited that part of the country in 2007 with Mom and Aylin, and even went ballooning over the fantastic landscape — WOW is about all I can say. (Online galleries from that trip are here.)

PaşabağI — Kapadokya; one of the most scenic valleys in the region. (2007)

To get back to the fairy chimneys of Kula …

Nicknamed Kuladokya, for its similarity to the fairy chimneys of Kapadokya, the formations here are on a smaller scale and give a sense of what their more famous cousins may have looked like thousands of years ago. They are not far from the town of Kula in the Manisa Province; at about mile marker 97 (156 km) of the İzmir-Ankara Highway. In fact, they are visible from the road, but to get the best views, it’s better to drive at least a short distance up the unpaved road to the base of the formations. It would have been nice to go for a hike, but after a long day on the road, we were all anxious to get home. So, we made do with a short walk to stretch our legs this time.

Aylin provides perspective for the size of the fairy chimneys.

This is a perfect place to let your imagination run riot.

We all agreed that the formations on the opposite side of the road were more impressive. Alas, backlit as they were, most of the scenery was hidden in deep shadows. Nonetheless, I found one area that allowed me to shoot a couple of reasonable photographs.

This side would be best photographed in the early morning hours.

After this nice break, we continued on with our drive, arriving home as dusk fell. I’m very pleased with all that we managed to do in Ankara, and thank Murat, Aylin, and Mom for suggesting we go there for this year’s side-trip to my visit to Turkey.

Now, let’s see what kind of trouble I can get in for the remainder of my trip :-)))

We Have Gold and Silver

Sunday, 30 October

As the sun rose in the wee hours of the morning, this is what the scene outside my bedroom was like.  There are a lot of trees and neighborhood parks in this subdivision.  In the dim light of dawn, the buildings looked like they were peeking through a jungle canopy.  Sort of reminiscent of the pyramid we climbed in Coba (Mexico), but that scene was more interesting.

Everyone else was still snoozing when I woke up, so I read for a while until the rest of the household started the stir.  Hakan had suggested last night that we have breakfast at one of his favorite haunts today, but the temperature was much too cold to sit outside and he didn’t think the ambiance inside the eatery would suit us.  Instead, he corralled mom into showing him how to make pancakes — the crepe-like ones that we all prefer — and cooked up a big batch of dollar-size goodies for breakfast at home.  I can tell you that not a crumb was left.

The Aytaylan and Erkun men are all handy in the kitchen.  Aren't we the lucky ones!

We spent a quiet morning at home before we headed to the grocery store at the strip mall to pick up snacks for tomorrow’s drive back to İzmir.  From there, Hakan drove us to one of the many mega malls in the area.  In past years, I’ve replenished my wardrobe with stylish clothes that I’ve purchased in Turkey.  Won’t be doing that this trip.  Prices are now much higher and I can actually get better buys in the US.

After strolling around the mall for a while, I treated everyone to lunch at a franchise eatery called Kayseri Mutfağı (Kayseri Kitchen).  I have to admit that I had an ulterior motive.  I love mantı — Turkish dumplings filled with minced meat, boiled, strained, topped with yogurt, garnished with red pepper melted in butter, and sprinkled with dried mint and sumac.  Yummmm!  The city of Kayseri is said to have 40 different recipes for this dish that dates back to the Ottoman Period; miniature dumplings (not that these dumplings are big to begin with) being one of the most popular.  You see where I’m going with this, don’t you.

(Picture above is of Mui rolling out the dough to make mantI at our apartment in Tacoma, Washington; 1982.)

I ordered what I came for and was very pleased with it.  Aylin had the yaprak sarma (stuffed grape leaves), Hakan ordered the eggplant stew with a side of rice, mom ordered another specialty of the city: yağ mantısı, a deep-fried version of the traditional dumplings.  I think we all agreed that a little less of the fried dough and a little more of the filling would have made for a better dish.

Kayserİ MutfağI serves tasty home-style cooking.

Our afternoon was quiet and not that much different from yesterday, with the exception that those of us leaving Ankara tomorrow spent time packing our bags.  Oh, and Murat came home with his loot — five … count ‘em, five … medals of the gold and silver variety for personal races and certificates for the relay races he swam.  (He didn’t wait for the medal ceremony for the fifth one, so there’s only four medals pictured in the photo below.)

Congratulations, Murat!

See you all in İzmir.

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies …

Monarch Butterfly – Arlington, Virginia (October 2011)

[author of quote: Unknown]

Today is Cumhuriyet Bayramı

Saturday, 29 October

We’re taking a break from sightseeing today.  You see, 29 October is one of Turkey’s major national holidays.  It’s the day on which 88 years ago a young republic was born following the demise of a 624-year-old empire.

Benim nâçiz vücudum birgün elbet toprak olacaktır. Fakat Türkiye Cumhuriyeti ilelebet payidar kalacaktır. MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK

Said on the occasion of a visit to Balikesİr on 19 August 1926, the words translate as:
 my humble body will someday become dust.  But the Turkish Republic will endure forever.

Growing up in Turkey, Cumhuriyet Bayramı was commemorated with skits, parades, and gala balls.  I remember throwing off the uniform I wore daily to grade school, donning my finery — often sewn especially for the occasion — and participating in skits recreating the events leading to this auspicious date or singing marches written to celebrate the republic.  When I got older, I participated in the parades that marched the length of the waterfront promenade.  Didn’t much care for those as the weather didn’t always cooperate with outdoor activities.

I remember my dress was yellow with brown trim and ribbon; I remember we sang
the Onuncu Yil Marşi to close out the celebratory skit.  But I don’t remember
what grade I was in and there’s nothing written on the back of this “blast from
the distant past” photo — I’m guessing second grade.  Looking on proudly
from the sidelines is Rabİa Hanim, the teacher who taught me for five years .

Why, if it’s a national holiday, did we not go into the city to join in the celebratory excitement.  Even though most of the parades and parties have been cancelled because the country is mourning the loss of life, injuries, and damages resulting from the Van Earthquake, the city is bound to be a zoo.  You know me and crowds — I stay away from them when I can!  Besides, after being on the go almost from the moment I stepped off the airplane on 21 October, a day of rest is well earned I say.  (P.S.  As of today, the death toll from the earthquake is at 582 with 4,152 injured.  There have been 1,301 aftershocks since the first temblor hit on 23 October; my post is here.)

So, what did we do today?  Not much really.  One of the reasons we came to Ankara is because Murat is competing in a national swim meet.  He’s off at the meets, staying with his teammates at a hotel near the university swimming pool.

(Left: Scene from my bedroom window at the apartment; almost every building in the city is decorated with one or more Turkish flags.  Below:  educational Insert from today’s newspaper provides highlights of the  difficult road to freedom.)

Earlier, Hakan drove us to the supermarket at the mega strip mall nearby.  We’ve been eating him out of his stores, so it was time to replenish the larder.  I took some photos to show you the impressive array of foodstuff on the shelves and in the glass display cases, but security asked me to delete them.  Apparently they were concerned about the competition getting ahold of pricing information and display “secrets.”  Like there aren’t secret shoppers doing that all the time.  Oh well, no skin off my nose; they’re the ones that lost out on some free publicity.

A light lunch; a bit of laundry and ironing; afternoon tea; a bit of blogging and puzzle solving; a tasty dinner; a couple of shows on TV to wrap up the evening.  That was pretty much the rest of our day.

Not sure what we’ll be doing tomorrow.  For the first time since my arrival in Turkey, we have rain in the forecast, which makes going out a bit less attractive.  I guess we’ll wait to make plans tomorrow morning.

Ankara Devlet Resim ve Heykel Müzesi

Friday, 28 October (Part III)

After our visit to the Museum of Ethnography (post here), and our stroll and lunch at Hamamönü (post here), we returned to where we started our day of sightseeing to visit one more museum — the Ankara Devlet Resim ve Heykel Müzesi (State Art and Sculpture Museum). Admittance 3TL [approx. $1.75]; Müzekart accepted, but even without it a bargain to be sure. (As it was impossible for me to find a good place from which to photograph the building, I scanned the image to the right from the museum’s brochure.)

The museum is housed in the building that was constructed as the Türkocağı (a Nationalist organization) Headquarters in 1927-1930 on the orders of Atatürk. Located next door to the Ethnography Museum, “edifice” is probably the most apt word to describe the building where a rich collection of paintings, sculptures, prints, and other forms of art from Turkey’s pre-Republic period to present day is exhibited.

The building served as the Ankara Community Center until it was restored and opened
as a museum in 1980.

At Atatürk’s behest, the building was constructed by Turkish workers
and Turkish decorative elements were used.

The main entrance opens up to an impressive marble lobby flanked by red-carpeted
stairs that lead to salons filled with all sorts of art.

Glimpse of Ankara from the museum.

I don’t claim to be an art connoisseur; far from it. I couldn’t tell you the difference between the various art movements, though I could probably say what is abstract and what is not. I have to admit that some of the things that I see exhibited as art make me shake my head and wonder … like the sculpture of a giant typewriter eraser in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in DC. What makes that art? I have no idea, but since I chuckle each time I see it and remember the days when I used one, perhaps that’s enough.

“Composition” by Serap Demİrağ (1951 – …)
This one falls into the “I don’t get it” category; looks like a bunch of apples floating in
space along with some asteroids and space debris.

How did I choose the art I photographed over the ones I didn’t? There’s no rhyme or reason … some were of places that I’ve visited myself; others were of historic significance; still others were quirky or somehow charmed me.

LEft: Karagümrüklü Hüseyİn (… – 1913) — Karİye Camİİ (Karİye mosque)
right: Karİye/chora …church-turned-mosque-turned-museum (İstanbul 2010 trip)
this one falls into the “I’ve been there” category. My blog post is here.

Left: Nurİ Abaç (1926 – 2008) — Kervansaray II (Caravanserai II)
right: Nevzat Akoral (1926 – …) — SIğIrtmaç (Drover)
I had to smile at the quirky painting of tourists visiting a caravanserai; and I was charmed by the smile on the drover’s face and the modern footwear on his feet.

Left: Mustafa Esat Düzgünman (1920 – 1990) — Ebru
right: the ebru I created in beypazari a few days ago; post here.
this one falls into the “see what you can create if you know what you’re doing” category.

In addition to paintings and sculptures, there’s a permanent exhibit called Şark Odası/Türk Salonu (Oriental Room/Turkish Hall) where Turkish furnishings and art collected by Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu (architect of the building) and his friends is on exhibit. The furniture, which was used by Atatürk, was brought here at his behest from Dolmabahçe Palace in İstanbul.

A glimpse into the Turkish Hall.

If you’d like to see more from the museum, you can take a look at the slideshow that follows, or visit my online gallery, where you’ll find captions that go with the art. I opted to present the paintings without the distraction of frames, except in one instance where I thought the antique framing itself was impressive.

Enjoy … we'll be taking a break from sightseeing tomorrow, but perhaps I’ll find something to blog about anyway.

Hamamönü

Friday, 28 October (Part II)

When the Ethnography Museum closed for lunch, we took a break too. Jumping into a taxi, we headed to Hamamönü, a neighborhood in the Altındağ Municipality of Ankara. The cabbie was none too pleased with us since the ride was really short, but boosting the 3.5TL fare to 5TL (about $3 vs $2) partially satisfied him. Had we known how to get where we wanted to go, we would have walked — and did so when we headed back to the museum after lunch.

Hamamönü is just about a 10 minute walk from the Ankara Ethnography Museum.
(Note the location of the university where I studied in the lower left corner; so close
to the museums we visited today, yet I dared not go into that neighborhood in the late 1970s.)

The literal translation for Hamamönü is “in front of the hamam (Turkish bath). The more accurate translation would be “around the hamam” as it refers to the neighborhood in the vicinity of the historic Karacabey Hamamı.

The efforts that have brought new life here are part of the municipality’s plans to once again make this area the city’s “cultural arts center.” As a result, 300 historic buildings that had fallen into ruin have been renovated, and 22 of them have been allocated to artisans involved in different fields of art. There’s more work to be done, but these initial efforts have proven successful in drawing both locals and tourists alike to the restaurants, cafés, and shops that line the narrow streets of the neighborhood.

Scenes — old and new — from Hamamönü.
top left and right photos are the before and after of Hamamönü Street;
middle and bottom left photos are the before and after of Mehmet Akİf Ersoy Street;
bottom right is the clock tower in Hamamönü Square.
[collage from images on the billboard describing the municipality's plans.]

As it was just past the noon hour, we decided to look for a place to eat before meandering around the streets. Many of the eateries had sidewalk seating, which would have been great if the temperature had been warmer. As it was only around 50F (10C), we opted for seating indoors at Gamze Ev Yemekleri (Gamze Home-Style Meals). Our timing was perfect. There were plenty of tables available when we walked in, but by the time we were served, there wasn’t an empty seat to be had. The chicken and vermicelli soup was tasty, as was the eggplant stew with potatoes — and it had plenty of yummy juices to sop up with the fresh, farm-style bread.

I always enjoy the home-style meals some of the Turkish restaurants serve.

After lunch, with no specific destination in mind, we wandered around for a while. As this neighborhood borders the Hacettepe University dormitories, there was no lack of youthful enthusiasm in the streets. When the call to the noon prayer issued from the loudspeakers of the minarets, the streets filled with believers hurrying to the mosques. I thought it was especially interesting see the university students pouring out of their dormitories and classes to participate in the five-times-daily ritual.

The Çelebİ Mehmet Camİİ was one of the few mosques that wasn’t open for the
noon prayer; I believe it is still under restoration.

Mehmet Akİf Ersoy is the poet who wrote the Turkish national anthem. These restored
buildings house the Literature Museum named in his honor; unfortunately it is closed today.

While the houses on this street have yet to be renovated …

… the ones on this street sparkle bright with a coat of whitewash and gleaming wood trim.

This Ottoman period cemetery is located on the grounds of Sarikadi Camİİ.

Erguvan Konaği (Judas Tree Mansion)
some mansions have hand painted signs displaying their name.

BeynamLIzade Konaği was the home of one of the representatives elected to the last
Ottoman National Assembly, which was dissolved in August 1920, shortly before
the turkish republic was formed.

Time to leave Hamamönü to continue with our sightseeing.

… and on that note, I’ll bring this post to a close.

Etnoğrafya Müzesi

Friday, 28 October

Merriam Webster defines Etnoğrafya, or ethnography in English, as “the study and systematic recording of human cultures; also: a descriptive work produced from such research.” I knew there were museums in Turkey that used the word in their name, but until I visited the İzmir Ethnography Museum last year (post here), I had no idea what the word meant. I enjoyed that museum visit; but the rundown conditions, with thick dust covering the exhibits, had me anticipating today’s visit to the Ankara Etnoğrafya Müzesi with a bit of trepidation. My worries were for naught. Perhaps because the building in which the museum is housed was once a temporary mausoleum for Atatürk, conditions here were pristine. (Admittance Fee: 15TL [approx. $9]; free with the Müzekart.)

Today’s sightseeing took us to the area circled with the dotted red line.

The museum sits high on a hill in the Namazgah district of the city. Once the site of a Muslim cemetery, the land was turned over to the Ministry of Education for the purpose of establishing a museum. Construction of the sandstone-plated building with carved, marble pediments took place between 1925-27. During that time, a committee worked on building a collection for display. When it opened to the public in 1930, 1,250 artifacts were in the museum’s curatorship.

Twenty-eight marble steps lead up to the tripartite entrance with four columns.

Following his death in İstanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace on 10 November 1938, Atatürk’s body was brought to Ankara, where it was temporarily laid to rest at the museum until Anıtkabir was built and he was reinterred there 15 years later. Today, the inner courtyard where the marble sarcophagus that contained the lead casket was displayed is maintained as a symbolic mausoleum in his memory. On the walls of the courtyard are historic images that show the public outpouring and how people filled the streets, climbing minarets and other high places to catch a glimpse of the catafalque as it ceremoniously made its way from one city to the other.

For 15 years presidents, ambassadors, foreign delegations, and the Turkish public
came here to pay their respects to Atatürk.

Collage of historic images taken during the transfer of Atatürk’s body from
İstanbul to Ankara (19-21 November 1938). The picture in the lower left corner
is the official notice of death published by the government on 10 november 1938.

After Atatürk was reinterred at the monumental mausoleum built for him, the museum went through a period of restoration, re-opening to the public in 1956. Exhibited here are examples of Turkish art dating from the Seljuk Period (1077-1307) to modern day Turkey. On display are a selection of folk attire, clogs, shoes, and ornaments; embroidered handkerchiefs, towels, and waist bands; kilims and rugs from some of the well-known carpet centers around Turkey; examples of ironmongery and Ottoman Period armament; delicate porcelains, ceramics, and glassworks; calligraphy books of ages past; and some carved wood pieces such as a hundreds of years old throne, sarcophagus, and pulpit.

In addition to individual items, scenes from cultural traditions — kına gecesi (henna night – think bachelorette party); sünnet (circumcision — passage of rite for Turkish boys); carpet weaving; coffee culture; hattatlık (calligraphy) — are displayed behind glassed-in rooms featuring life-size mannequins.

I’d refer you to a website for more information, but I can’t — there isn’t one … very odd in this internet age. Anyway, here’s a selection of photographs from amongst the hundreds I took of things that caught my eye as I wandered around the museum. Sorry about the reflections and glare; unavoidable I'm afraid.

Embroidering a towel, perhaps for a bride's çeyİz (trousseau).

Embroidered towels (left) and waist bands (right).

Left: The art of weaving knotted carpets entered Anatolia in the 11th century with the Seljuks.
right: The art of metalworking is one of the oldest in Turkish culture.

Left: Decorative oil lamp casing; Seljuk Period.
right: censer made from tombac (brass alloy with high copper/zinc content); Ottoman period.

Examples of metal working. The pot in the top left corner dates back to the Mameluks of
the 15th century; the image in the lower right corner is a sefertasI (portable lunchbox).

Coffee originated in Africa, where Abyssinian monks noticed that goats became livelier
when they ate the seeds of what turned out to be coffee plants. Coffee was first
introduced to the Turks after Egypt was conquered by Sultan Selİm I in the early 1500s.

Decorative coffee pots.

İznİk and Kütahya are well established centers for ceramics.

While the ateliers in İznİk produced high quality ceramics for use in palaces,
Kütahya produced ceramics for use by the general public.

Glass has been part of daily life for over 5,000 years; not always in such delicate form.
[above and below]

Collection donated by Besİm Atalay, seven-term member of the Turkish Grand national Assembly.

Left: Catalog of types of calligraphy dating back to 1845.
right: muslim calendar

Manuscript of a 16th century Kuran (Koran),
left in trust by Rüstem Paşa, the grand vizier of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent.

Prayer book printed in 1878, during the reign of Sultan Murat V.

Sarcophagus from the Ahİ şerafettin Tomb (15th century).

Left: 13th century throne of the Seljuk Sultan GIyaseddİn Keyhüsrev III.
right: 12th century altar from the tashur Paşa camİİ in ürgüp, Nevşehİr.

Sünnet (circumcision) is a rite of passage for Turkish boys.

By the time we were done wandering around, it was just past noon and time for the museum to close for the lunch hour. Postponing our visit to the art museum next door until later in the afternoon, we decided to check out a recently renovated neighborhood and get a bite to eat. But that’s for the next blog post.