The marvels of ancient civilizations - snapshots from Turkey (part 1 of 2)

Going through my pictures from last year's Turkey trip reminds me I have only partially covered that memorable trip in previous blogposts. In a span of ten days, my friend Neeta and I covered a wide range of places from the cross-contintental Turkish capital of Istanbul, to Cappadocia region and Pamukkale in central Turkey, and from there on to Selcuk, Sirince and Ephesus in south-western Turkey.

A key reason behind the planning of this trip was to see and experience what this land holds in terms of the many spectacular locations of ancient civilization dating back to our earliest existence as humans. This trip definitely brought alive the thirst to understand more about how some of our ancient civilizations arose, lived, flourished and faded (some of this interest also led to my Ignite talk on ancient civilizations from this trip). 

To appreciate the historical riches the land of Turkey holds, one needs to appreciate the history of ancient civilizations. Records of the earliest human civilizations date back to 3300 BC. And Turkey has formed an integral part of ancient civilization right since then due its location in the "Fertile Crescent" region. As our early human ancestors moved from Africa upward and westward, the earliest humans set civilization and flourished in this region  with adequate water supplies and fertile lands, that came to be known as the "cradle of civilization", and later as Asia Minor.

I have previously written about the other-worldly natural formations of the Cappadocian region and exploring its hills and valleys. We continue our stay at our quaint cave-roomed hotel in Goreme, and soon head to the Goreme Open Air Museum. Plan for a minimum of two hours to walk around this museum, which is actually a large monastic-like complex that has some of the best examples of rock cut churches from the 10th and 11th centuries. Its numerous frescoes, painted in natural dyes, represent scenes from the Bible. Some of them have tombs inbuilt, and if you peek into a few, do not be too surprised to find a skeleton of two grinning at you (I am not joking, there are some very old and well-preserved glass-cased remains here). The  Dark Church (Karanlik Kilise) has the best preserved frescoes, given that it has stayed in the dark for centuries (even now, the entrance is opened only as required and for an additional fee of 10 Lira). Fortunately photography within all churches is prohibited enabling some more generations to view these ancient works of art and architecture. By the time we leave the museum, the setting sun has cast a magical golden glow on the rocky churches and mountains around us.

The day long "Green Tour" of Cappadocia has us meandering through a comfortable 3 hour trail through the deep gorge of Ilhara valley along the Melendiz river, stopping by to see for some more stone cut churches (though these are not to beat the ones we had seen in Goreme), a leisurely Turkish lunch at a log restaurant in the middle of the river, and quick detour aided by our guide, Gulchin, to see an opal blue tinted volcanic lake. 

But the high point of this tour is very low..180 m low in fact! At Derinkuyu in Nevsehir province of Cappadocia, there is an entire ancient underground city. Carved into the rock here around 4000 years ago by the Phyrgians (an ancient Indo-European people), 

in later centuries to be consecutively occupied by the Romans, Greeks, Byzantine and early Christians as a hiding place from the various invaders of their times. Dug into the soft volcanic rock by the most primitive tools of those times, the city expanded to 8 floors (levels), 4 of which are now open to visitors. The underground city was large enough to shelter around 20,000 people, together with their livestock and food supplies, and provided refuge during war times for months together. As I descend into the network of underground pathways, tunnels and steep inclined corridors, I am well and truly stumped by the level of planning and thought that has gone into building this entire subterranean city dwelling. 

To sustain a "normal underground life" during invasion, there are places cordoned off for family rooms, large dining areas (with their stone dining tables), wineries (stone pits to extract and collect wine that flows down), prayer rooms, burial grounds (at the bottom levels), stables for the livestock and cattle (in the higher uppermost level so as to allow their odours out faster). The planning of air (and water) ducts made sure these utilities could circulate right down to the lowermost reaches underground, and at the same time, can be hidden to avoid contamination and poisoning from above by the invaders. Large round stone doors, that can only be operated from within, could be quickly slid into place during an attack. 

The next day, we make a quick 20 minute ride by local bus from Goreme to Avanos to check what has been a beautiful hub of Turkish pottery since the period of the Hittites in 2000 B.C. situated on the banks of the Kizilirmak, the Red River. Next is a long 14 hour bus ride with a day long stop-over at Pamukkale. Pamukkale (meaning Cotton Castle) is famous for its travertines (terraced mountain layers) made of limestone deposits formed over 15,000 years giving it its striking snow-white colour and cotton-puffy look. The hot water springs flowing from the mountains gave it its unique terrace formations. The water temperature ranges from 52 deg C at its source (where it is also rich with sulphur fumes) to ice cold at the bottom of the terraces, that contain its own unique shades of opal blue waters to wade in. These very thermal springs and hot spas are what drew some ancient people to settle here and there are some awe-inspiring testimonies of ancient cities right here in Pamukkale too. But more on these and fascinating places in the next posts. As you walk through the travertines barefoot (this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that prohibits footwear to preserve the fragile ecosystem), you also appreciate that Pamukkale is also just the right place to get roasted if you ever want to in one quick day. So make sure you carry your hat, water and sunscreen along. 

In these ten days, we have had glimpses of human civilization spread over thousands of years. Time takes a completely different dimension here. When I visited places that have been built and inhabited by humans from several centuries B.C., it's truly strange how those built as long back as 1375 A.D. (Isabey Mosque in Selcuk) or or 1609 A.D. (Sultan Ahmet Mosque, aka Blue Mosque) seem very recent by comparison! 

- Pictures and Content Copyright - Dipali Ekbote

Afiyet olsun!

Turkey offers numerous opportunities to food lovers to explore - in its restaurants but more so on the streets. Istanbul, Selcuk, Goreme, Sirince all have interesting eating joints lining up the streets. Some of the best eating joints in Istanbul are the ones dotting both sides of main road at Sultanaahmet Square near the Blue Mosque, and along the walk from the Topkapi Palace toward the Spice Market. Am sure Taksim Square has its share of good eating joints too but could not check out any given the midnight hour we visited there! 

We also had the pleasure of spending leisurely afternoons in the local markets at Goreme, Sirince and Selcuk where the senses are heightened with the smells and colours of local produce that ranges from about two dozen+ varieties of Peynir (cheese), honey and edible honey comb (I tried the latter too...a first for me), assorted fresh and dried vegetables, spices and dry fruits, freshly squeezed fruit juices...I fell in love with the fresh fruit - a couple of times such as at the Goreme local market after our quadbiking ride, I just made do with the juicy pears and peaches for lunch.

On reading my earlier blogposts, some of my Facebook friends wanted to understand about Turkish food, especially if there was enough available among the vegetarian fare. So dishing out here through my experiences and pictures, a little from what I tried out.

Breakfast
Leaving aside the lavish spread for the first 2 days at Istanbul, our typical breakfast on the rest of the trip consisted of slices of tomato, cucumber, olives, watermelon, grape,bread with butter / jam / honey, with an egg preparation, and one or more varieties of cheese. A couple of places also served Simit, a sesame covered bread 
ring, but I found this too dry for my liking. Before long, I was addicted to having my salad and fruit with a bit of fresh feta cheese and was it delicious! 

I also ordered Menemen once. It's a nice Turkish version of our very own egg bhurji with lots more vegetables loaded. A good option for breakfast, it can also serve you well for lunch if you're not too hungry. 

Meze
This consists of several types of mostly vegetables mixed with herbs and spices. You can eat these individually as an entree, or as a combined ‘mezze plate’ where you can choose from the counter (or the menu) an assortment of vegetable dishes. 

Clay pot Turkish dishes
The clay pot has a special place in Turkish cuisine, given that it renders itself wonderfully to slow cooking and gives the food a unique taste of its own.

A must-have among these is the Testi Kebap, which is a meat and vegetable dish slow cooked in a sealed clay pot over a fire oven. And...now here's the dramatic touch...it is brought from the oven to your table, where the waiter breaks open the clay pot with a flourish of gentle taps (ofcourse which also necessitates not having bits of the pot get into your food). I had this in Cappadocia, which is said to the origin of this dish, as well as Istanbul and was satisfied with both preparations. While I did not try it myself, the vegetarians may want to check if there is a non meat version available as the sauce, herbs and spices definitely do justice to all those vegetables in the pot. 

The clay pot lends its special flavour so beautifully to other dishes too such as the mushroom n cheese preparation that we had at The Ulan Pide and Restaurant at Sirince, along with the Pide. The pide is the Turkish equivalent of the pizza, but unlike the round pizza we are familiar with, it is long and rectangular. Would recommend that you have your Pide in specialist pide restaurants that are equipped with wood fired ovens where it is also a pleasure to watch them roll and bake one right in front of you. 

The best pide I had was at The Ulan at Sirince, a quaint little old Greek village on the hillside above Selcuk, known for its wines, orchards and some very well preserved houses from the 18th and 19th Centuries. The Ulan is a lovely 100 yr old structure run by Ibrahim whose wife worked at our hotel down in Selcuk. The warmth and charm of the place reminded me of the old Iranian cafes in Mumbai and Pune, many of which have now sadly vanished.

Many of the village homes in Sirince had assorted stuff and vegetables drying out in the sun, some of them to be used as decorative items in their homes, and some to be used as food items, especially during the winter. A few homes at Sirince are run as hotels and while checking out the Oz Garden House the owner, Rahima, taught us to prepare Tarhana, a Turkish tomato soup made from dried powders that she had just prepared from tomato, red bell pepper, onion, flour, herbs and yohurt.

Soups, locally known as Corbasi, are also available in other varieties, both with and without meat. If you are particular about vegetarian, you may also want to make sure your soup is not cooked in chicken broth. 

Gozleme
A traditional specialty of the Central Anatolian region, this turned out to be a particularly huge favourite with me. It is similar to the Indian paratha, in that it is hand-rolled and filled with various stuffing, and cooked over a griddle. This again is available with meat or non-meat stuffing. An absolute must-have is the spinach and feta cheese Gozleme, which we were lucky to have prepared for us in its native origin land while meandering through the Ihlara Valley along the Mendeliz river on our Cappadocian Green Tour. You can also get to try this in Istanbul.

Sarma and Dolma 
These are again vegetables either fresh or dried eggplants, peppers, tomatoes or zucchinis stuffed with a mixture of rice and onion with various spices. When wrapped within vine leaves, they are served as Sarma (Yaprak Sarma). These are available with meat and non-meat stuffing.

Kofte (meatballs) and Kebap (Kebabs or roasted meat) 
These are must-haves for the meat lovers. Our most popular Turkish staple was the Doner kebab - especially as it was the easiest to pick up and munch on when on the road. It comes close to its Arabic equivalent "shawarma". Of all the places where I had the doner I loved it best in Istanbul...I am unable to remember the name of the place, but it was the first restaurant on the side of the Blue Mosque at Sultanahment Square. 

Desserts
For the sweet toothed, there is lots to tempt - but decent helpings of Turkish icecream and the famous baklava, which is just heavenly when had fresh at the sweetshop and which has too many varieties to choose from, are enough to keep one satiated. 

Beverages
The Ayran (a cold yogurt beverage mixed with salt - similar to the Indian Chhaas) is lovely and always a refreshing choice between long walks as well as to end meals. Turkish tea is nice, especially the apple tea (which interestingly has little trace of tea!), but Turkish coffee?...well, not my cup of tea! 

Overall, if you are a vegetarian, you needn't find the prospect of feeding yourself all that daunting as the vegetarian options are many and interesting, as long as you are open to different types of vegetable, especially eggplant and mushroom :)

On that note, Afiyet olsun!...if you didn't already know / guess that..that's Turkish for Bon appetit!.

Fruit lunch purchase at Goreme  

Sirince and Pamukkale had the most amazing pomegranate

Cucumbers and pumpkins soaking in the sun. Some will be used as decoration in the house, some will be eaten.

A dried pumpkin lamp at Rahima's cozy home stay in Sirince

Ibrahim baking our pide and mushroom n cheese

Our spinach and feta cheese Gozleme being rolled out in Ihlara Valley 

  

The honeycomb was a new one for me

One of the many restaurants lining Istanbul's streets

Wrapping the Sarma in vine leaves 

Exploring the Cappadocian hills and valleys

Cave rooms at the Shoestring Cave House

Our research on hotels in Goreme ended with the Shoestring Cave House, a good find overall. Situated right in the center of Goreme and its various cave houses, most of the hotel's rooms are dug out of caves, which were surprisingly warm in the chilly weather of Cappadocia. Based on your budget and group size the hotel offers deluxe rooms with spacious bathrooms complete with bath et al, as well as dorm accommodation which for some reason reminded me of Snow White and the seven dwarfs with its many low ceiling-ed winding interconnected stone cut rooms :) This being the first location of our trip, and not wanting to lose any time, Neeta and I immediately set out for a hike in the valleys. Even before we checked in!

Our first walk was through the Pigeon Valley - a 5km trail from our hotel to Uchisar that offers spectacular views of the natural cliffs and man-made caves, intermittently winding through tunnels carved into the rock. You also see hundreds of pigeon houses carved into the rock formations by the early inhabitants - the story goes that these were made to make it easier to collect the concentrated doses of pigeon poo to make their soil richer for agriculture.

Our hike turned out to be more adventurous than we had planned for. We got lost almost at the start, but quite blissfully unaware of this fact, we followed an unpleasant peasant lady (or maybe she was just not in the mood for friendly banter), and came upon the sweetest and coolest wild grape shrubs scattered on the hill slopes. An absolute treat it was to be devouring bunches upon bunches of them till we were quite sick! Clambering over steep and flaky rocky hills, we finally reached Uchisar, a castle dug out from the rocks, and which offers a panoramic view of the hills, canyons and valleys.

There were more valleys to traverse...Rose Valley, Red Valley (because of the colours of the rock) and Love Valley (that is named for its interestingly shaped natural rock formations), but famished, we decided to return to Goreme, and settled into a nice open air restaurant for a nice hot Turkish meal (but let's leave more on the Turkish food for another blogpost).

Most of these locations are packaged as the Red Tour, but if you're ready for adventure, would recommend you do it on your own, rather than spend on a tour guide.

Over our three days stay in Goreme, we had walked, hiked, quadbiked, and pre-dawn hot air ballooned our way through and over other hills and valleys. Please do not give the quadbiking a miss - while this is not as heavily advertised / written about as the hot air ballooning, it is a great way to experience the valleys and canyons from right within the center of them!

On our way through Pigeon Valley

Mountain-fresh grapes

On the road - to the land of caves and fairy chimneys

We set out on the roadtrip (most of it by bus) on the night of Day 3.

Most of our bus travel was through the nights, making it efficient time wise as well as cost wise. If you want to do these places, be ready to traverse 600-700 kms by road, and between 8 to 13 hours of bus journeys. Neeta, in all her diligent research before the trip had also checked out the railways. But as they were then undergoing renovations on our route, we chose to take the next cheapest option.

We found bus travel in Turkey to be pleasant and safe. There was a uniformed steward in every bus, complete with tie and crisp white shirt. That they doled out complimentary juice, water and some delicious cake with chocolate filling increased the pleasantness quotient multi-fold. It is likely that the cakes get distributed in the middle of the night, so leave instructions with the attendant to wake you up / keep it aside for you as those supplies can be limited :)

Generally speaking, all public toilets in Turkey are clean - so every Lira you've gotta shell out for a pee is quite worth it.

Cappadocia, in the Anatolia region of central Turkey, was where we were headed first. Because it is nestled this much in the center of the country, a lot of tourists give it a pass. We met with a lot of cruise liner tourists who either made it to Istanbul....or came in to Kusadasi and Ephesus from the Aegean Sea....and got out of Turkey.

Giving Cappadocia a miss is not a good idea. Rich in its peculiar landscape and history, this area here has been formed over 60 million years of volcanic eruptions ((Mount Erciyes being the big one among three volcanos) that covered the plateau with layers of ash, lava, basalt and soft rock called tuff. Earthquakes and ongoing effects of erosion from wind, snow, rain have contributed to form the unique landscape that can be seen today - miles of cliffs and valleys in beautiful shapes and colours. Some of them are known as "fairy chimneys" where only the basalt lava stayed on the top, and the rain and snow and wind eroded the rock below.

The very soft rock also rendered it easy for early inhabitants to create caves with even primitive tools. Communities took advantage of this to make their home in the rock and under the ground. Which means some of what we see here are evidences of some very old human civilizations and their homes, churches and whole cities!

There are not too many buses that ply the Istanbul to Goreme route. Goreme Tours, Metro Tours, Cappadocia Tours are some of them. When doing bus travel in Turkey, and especially to the Cappadocia region - Make sure you know where the bus is going to drop you off. Some tourists have posted online about how they have been dropped off at Nevsehir with the assurance that there will be a shuttle from there to Goreme (or Urgup, another favourite tourist destination in this region), only to find upon reaching there that either they have to either fend for themselves or the shuttle is many hours away. We almost saw this happening ourselves. So check and double-check on this at the time of booking your tickets.

We reached Nevsehir early in the morning after a surprisingly fitful night of sleep. You start to really get a sense of "Cappadocia" only about 1 hour into your drive from Nevsehir..up until then you are mostly met with golden barren landscape, scantily interspersed with squares of grapevines.

Then they start peeking up...the odd-shaped hills...the "fairy chimneys"! Our bus took a few turns around the hills, and we were suddenly surrounded by the unique landscape everywhere in Goreme, a quaint little village. Most of the village has its homes and hotels built right into the caves and thereby its inhabitants are cave-dwellers...now that's what I'd call that unique!

A few turns around the hills and we were welcomed by the sight of houses carved right into the rocks, many of which are still inhabited. 

"Fairy chimneys" - Local legend has it that this land with its tall rock "chimneys" was the home of fairies. Some believed the fairies later became pigeons that were considered both sacred and agriculturally important (look later for Pigeon Valley)

Some of the caves are reminders of earlier inhabitants who made their homes, burial grounds here. Some just continue to be lived in...and with a chimney (and not just of the fairy kind)! :)