My Trip To Turkey

In March of 2005 I took a 2 week trip to Turkey with my father. This trip was the experience of a lifetime, and one that I had been waiting to take since I was 9 years old. Most people consider Palestine to be the "Holy Land", and in that regard, Turkey can appropriately be called "The Other Holy Land". All major cultures and religions grew up in this part of the world. From Istanbul & Troy, King Midas to Alexander, St Paul to Mary and beyond, Turkey has a variety of cultural, religious, historical and architectural delights. Although we took over 1,000 pictures, I have managed to post a few of my favorites here. I hope you enjoy them.

Our trip started in Istanbul, the crossroads of Europe and Asia

Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two different continents - Europe and Asia. Our trip began and ended there, and we were able to visit both continental sides of the city, as well as take a cruise down the Bosphorus, which divides the city. Istanbul has been the home of the Eastern Orthodox church, and was formerly known as Constantinople, after the emperor Constantine. The most important people in the history of Istanbul are probably Constantine, Justinian and Suleyman the Great.

Our next stop was down the coast into the Gallipoli peninsula, site of the WWI Battle, and then on to Cannakkule, home of the Homeric site of TROY.

After Troy, we wandered down the coast from city to city, seeing the ruins and culture of both ancient and modern Turkey. Our first stops were Pergamon, hilltop home of the Temple of Trajan, and the mountain village of Sirence. We also has a chance to visit the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World) and the Cottage of Mary, where Jesus' mother spent the latter part of her days.

From Pergamon, we travelled to Ephesus, and to the ampitheater where St. Paul was almost lynched by a mob, and in response wrote his Letters. An it's peak, Ephesus was the second largest city in the world, behind only Rome. It's marble streets and sites are still one of the most well preserved and fascinating archaeological sites in the world.

After Ephesus, we headed along the coast to the Antalya region on the Mediterranean coast. From there we saw Antalya, the city of Heiropolis and Pammukkulle, before turning inland from the coast towards the Central Plains, and the cities of Perge, Aspendos, and Aphrodesias.

After the archaelogocal sites, our trip focused some of the more cultural aspects of ancient Anatolian life. We visited the home and tomb of Rumi Mevlana, the Dervish poet and mystic, and were fortunate enough to witness an actual Sema Ceremony. Most people know this as a "Whirling Dervish" Ceremony. For me, this was problably the most moving part of the entire trip. The ceremony took place in a 13th century Caravanserai. Turkey had one of the first "highway" systems in the world - travelers could stop at these caravanserai's, located every 20 miles or so (about a day's travel) and spend the night inside the stone walls in safety from roving bandits. The Emperors even went so far as to insure those who used this system of travel for goods and commerce, offering compensation for any business losses incurred through the land.

Perhaps the most awe inspiring places we visited were the underground cities of Cappadocia, and the 5,000 year old Hittite underground site. Cappadocia was the place where the early 2nd century Christians fled to escape prosecution from the Romans. The terrain is unique, being composed of mainly sandstone, with a harder layer of grainte rock on the surface. This allowed the ancient people to carve vast cities and 100's of churches into the valleys and cliffs. At it's height, perhaps 100,000 people lived there. Imagine the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Zion National Park and Rome all combined into one, and you get a small inkling of what it looked like.

After the Cappadocia & Nevshehir region, we turned back towards Istanbul, stopping through both Bursa and Ankara on the way. Bursa is the textile capital of Turkey, and Ankara is the governmental capital. Both are modern cities based on ancient city plans. It was not uncommon to find modern 20 story buildings sitting alongside 3000 year old archaeological sites. While in Bursa we visited the Silk Bazaar, and in Ankara we visited the Tomb Of Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, and the Museum of Antiquity. Although Turkey is considered a "modern" country, and is actively seeking entrance into the European Union, the mix of cultures, religions and people span all of recorded history.

Copyright © EAK Adventures 2006