Turkeys M Hideaways Day 8
Turkeys M Hideaways
Day 8 - 04/14/06 Overland to Konya and Lake Beysehir Visit/Whirling Dervish Monastery Enjoy Village Homestay
There was no sun this morning so we had a rainy departure. By 8:30 we had packed our luggage in the bus, prepared our overnight packs for the home visit today, and had had breakfast. We thanked our hosts and said goodbye to the fairy chimney region. We got back on the major highway and traveled south. While we had bus time Meltem told us more about the Turkish language. Before 1923 Turks used the Arabic alphabet but Ataturk created a uniform alphabet in 1928.
We are traveling in the original Silk Road that originates in Istanbul and passes through Turkey and into the Middle East and on to China. The Ottoman Empire controlled this whole region of the world. In addition to the products transported on this famous road, culture was also exchanged along the way. We saw several caravan saray, palaces used as inns for the traders and their animals as rest stops. These accommodations were located about 30 kilometers apart or about the distance a camel could walk in a day. We made a brief stop at Aksaray, the crossroads of the two main highways across Turkey and north to south from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.
Our trip to Konya took about several hours. The first leg took us south from Cappadocia to the Konya Plain, crossing open farmland for three to four hours to reach the city of Konya. We visited the Mevlana Tekkesi, the Mosoleum, or Green Dome, the founding monastery of the mystical Sufi Islamic order of the Mevlevi. This sect, known as the "Whirling Dervishes" for their ecstatic ritual dance, was founded by Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi (1207-73), a lyrical poet who preached of tolerance, forgiveness, and enlightenment.
Within the monastery, we saw the marble tombs of several Dervish abbots, covered with rich and colorful brocades. This is one cultural attraction where visiting Turks far outnumber tourists from abroad. As this was Friday, their holy day, there were many worshiping while we toured. The reverent manner and keen interest shown by visitors from all parts of Turkey illustrate that the Mevlevi Dervish mystics are held in high regard by many outside the sect itself.
We stopped for lunch at Sille, outside of Konya, where we had a delicious traditional Turkish lunch. After lunch we walked through the small village to see the Byzantine church dedicated to Saint Helena in 327 AD. This church was in amazingly good shape and although it is in disrepair now, one can see the hundreds of years of restoration.
By 3:30 we continued south across rolling hills, fields and grasslands. About two hours out of Konya, we reached the small village near Lake Beysehir -Akburun. We were immediately met by the village children who asked to have their pictures taken and talked to us to practice their English. The local villagers are robust and make their living as farmers, fishermen and herders. We met our hosts, stored our packs, and then took a walk down to Lake Beysehir. This is a freshwater lake fed by many streams that originate in the surrounding mountains and their winter snows.
We returned to the farm house and watched the cows being milked. I also tried my hand at helping chop wood with a cleaver that was so sharp and well balanced; it was very practical tool. At dinner time we shared a traditional meal with our host family, Arif and Cevriye Yildirim as they welcomed us as guests into their wood and stone home. With Meltem's help we conversed with them, shared our stories and learned that Arif had been an elementary teacher and had married Cevriye when she was 15. We communicated well, learned of their lives together and then over tea, shared some gifts we brought for them. They were certainly very warm and generous hosts!
We slept as our hosts do, on futon-like floor mats, snuggled under quilts. It was a very clean but rustic accommodation, with running water and shared toilet facilities that by our standards would be considered primitive. We slept in a spare bedroom. In return for the lack of amenities we were repaid with a truly unique experience - the chance to observe a fascinating way of life that may soon disappear as Turkey becomes more and more aligned with the west.
Accommodations: HOMESTAY - - - Meals: B, L, D
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