(Part 4) Traversing Turkey: "Konya" Feel the Magic?

- Dec. 25, 2019, Wednesday, Christmas Day.

- Hitting the road on Christmas Day is never fun - there's no time to settle down, reflect, and celebrate. However, our stopover for Christmas was not any less holy. The city of Konya has made its mark in Anatolian history since time immemorial, but it is mostly known for its reputation as the birthplace of the whirling dervishes, and the resting place of the Persian poet and scholar, Rumi (who also known as "Mevlana.")

- The main landmark to learn more about Sufism and its influence in Turkey is the Mevlana Museum. The museum also houses the tomb of Rumi, whose family migrated to Konya from Persia during the 1200s (Seljuk Era.) Rumi pretty much grew up in Konya, and founded the Mevlevi Order of Sufi Islam, a branch of Islam that deals with mysticism, and may be associated with either the two main sects of Islam (i.e. Sunni and Shia Islam.) The back facade of the museum is also a nice photo spot because giant letters that the name "Konya' stand there.

- The Mevlana Museum, apart from being a resting place of Rumi himself, used to be a lodge for the Sufi dervishes. These dervishes are known as "whirling dervishes," because unlike most Muslims who just kneel or stand while praying, these dervishes also use dance as a form of prayer. In a ritualistic manner, they whirl in a trance-like manner as an expression of joy and spirituality, while simultaneously receiving blessings from Allah. The dervishes are also known for their distinct white robes, especially the robes' lower part or "skirt part" that balloons up while they whirl.

Hello Konya!!

Sufi cemetery behind the museum (which used to be a dervish lodge.)

Entrance. The inscription says "ya Hazret-i Mevlana" or "oh hail, blessed Mevlana."

Inside the mausoleum.

Rumi's tomb.

Tile art, the big letters say "Allah."

Dome.

- Although we did not see actual whirling dervishes, I did see mannequins dressed up as dervishes, showing visitors how they lived back in the day when the Sufi order was more active. Among the rooms, the kitchen was the most revered. It is said that Sufi dervishes are "made" in the kitchen, as they enter the order through the kitchen and even when they die, they are cleansed in the kitchen. The Sufi kitchen is normally one of the largest rooms of the lodge, and is where most dervishes learn the ways of the order. Discipline is also learned through kitchen tasks.

Mannequins showing how dervishes learned the ways of the order in the kitchen.

Novice dervish learning how to do the sema (the whirling ceremony.)

A dervish in his room.

Simple, cozy accommodations.

- The Mevlana Museum also provides a good view of the Selimiye Mosque behind it, built by Ottoman ruler Sultan Selim II. It was built in the 1500s, and is still a functional mosque today.

Selimmiye Mosque.

Left: Mevlana Museum, right: Selimiye Mosque.

Since we didn't see the whirling dervishes there, I was fortunate enough to have a photo with a dervish statue.

- After leaving the museum area, we had another few hours' drive before our bus stopped for a restroom/snack break. Unlike most stops for using the toilet or buying snacks (and sometimes souvenirs too,) I was pleasantly surprised to behold the Sultan Hani Caravanserai across our stop. I didn't bother going in since I knew that it was quite empty (and I had limited time too,) but the exterior itself was a sight to behold. A caravanserai is a stopover for caravans (hence the name,) and in today's parlance, we could call this a "roadside inn." The Sultan Hani Caravanserai, built in 12th-century Seljuk-era Turkey, is one of Turkey's best preserved caravanserais from the Seljuk Era. 

Sultan Hani Caravanserai.

View from the entrance. The rectangular-shaped building inside is a small mosque. 

This ornamental honeycomb-like carving is called a "muqarna," and has origins in Persian and perhaps north-African architecture. Many Persian-influenced cultures from West, Central, and South Asia may have muqarnas in their buildings. 

Wall carving.

Christmas glow up - literally.

- That evening, we finally reached a favorite destination among many tourists - Cappadocia. Though it was already too dark to appreciate this land of caves, underground cities, and "fairy chimneys" by the time we reached Cappadocia, I had the next day to see the otherworldly beauty of Cappadocia!!

- Don't forget to read about my other adventures in Turkey:

Part 1, Troy and the Trojan Horse: here

Part 2, Virgin Mary's House and Ephesus: here

Part 3, Laodicea on the Lycus and the Alien Travertines: here

Part 5, Cappadocia: here

Part 6, Istanbul's Royal Old Town: here

Part 7, Istanbul Between Continents: here

Part 8, Istanbul's Secrets: here

Part 9, Istanbul on New Year's Eve: here

(Part 3) Traversing Turkey: Laodicea on the Lycus and Alien Travertines

- Dec. 24, 2019, Tuesday.

- On my third day in Turkey, the country felt a lot more "Grecian" than it was "Turkish" mainly because we had been visiting Greek cities in the Turkish Aegean coast. The only things reminding me that we were in Turkey were the Turkish flags that I would randomly see once in a while, the currency we were using, the food that we would eat, and the Turkish language I would hear everywhere (and at times, I had to respond in Turkish too.)

- We first visited Laodicea on the Lycus (the city was built on the Lycus River) in the province of Denizli, built in the 3rd century BC, and was destroyed during the invasions of Central Asian Turks and Mongols in the 1200s, around the time the Byzantine Empire fell, and the Ottoman Empire rose. This city has some well-preserved aqueducts, public baths, and Greek marble columns.

Laodicea.

With black marble pillars. This was something new because most marble pillars I've seen in ancient Greek and Roman cities were mostly made from white marble.

A marble carving of a boar.

White pillars.

Greece or Turkey?!

Preparing for battle? Haha.

- Personally, Laodicea appeared somewhat underwhelming especially after seeing Ephesus (see here), Greece's Acropolis (click here), and Italy's Pompeii (click here). The excavation sites were quite scattered, and the remaining buildings and pillars seemed fewer in number. However, the black-marble pillars were the ones that stood out since I find them rare.

It's a pretty corner.

Former church.

Pillars from a far away excavation site.

Ancient baths.

It was hard to identify some of these pillars since not all of them were labeled.

- After leaving Laodicea, we had a 15-minute drive to Hierapolis-Pamukkale. Hierapolis was the last of the "ancient Greek cities" that we visited in the trip, and was built in the 2nd century BC just like Laodicea on the Lycus, but was abandoned in the 14th century due to an earthquake. We had a quick look of Hierapolis before seeing the highlight of Denizli Province, the travertines of Pamukkale.

The ruins of Hierapolis.

This was quite far away, but would be an interesting place to explore if we had the time....or if it wasn't raining.

We couldn't go inside because the gate was locked.

- A travertine is a limestone formation that look like a series of pools arranged in a terrace, and normally contain water. The travertines of Pamukkale, located in the same place as Hierapolis, appear bright white, just as the whole mountain that has these pools, and so the locals have called this place "Pamukkale," which in English is translated to "Cotton Castle." Each pool contains natural clear hot-spring water, but due to sunlight, the water in each pool appears turquoise to sapphire blue. Visitors are allowed to dip their feet in the pools just as the ancient people did - after all, Hierapolis was also known for its natural hot-spring spa. To me, the whole place looked like it came from a different planet!!

The white limestone mountain and the blue lake at the foot of the mountain.

Too bad the water....I'm not sure if the water evaporated or froze.

Would've been nice to have turquoise/sapphire-colored water as my background haha.

The only part of the mountain where there was still hot-spring water.

- That evening, we stayed in a hot-spring hotel, just like many hotels in the area. Because of this, I was told that there are many local and international tourists who stay in Pamukkale for spa/wellness tourism. I kept forgetting that it was also Christmas Eve because of all the traveling, and instead of waiting for Christmas, I immediately slept the moment I laid on my bed. I had to save my energy as we had a lot more traveling to do on Christmas day! 

- Don't forget to read about my other adventures in Turkey:

Part 1, Troy and the Trojan Horse: here

Part 2, Virgin Mary's House and Ephesus: here

Part 4, Konya: here

Part 5, Cappadocia: here

Part 6, Istanbul's Royal Old Town: here

Part 7, Istanbul Between Continents: here

Part 8, Istanbul's Secrets: here

Part 9, Istanbul on New Year's Eve: here

(Part 2) Traversing Turkey: Virgin Mary's House and Ephesus

- Dec. 23, 2019, Monday.

- My first day in Turkey (see here) did not fail to amaze after beholding the majestic (replica of the) Trojan Horse in Troy. After a night in Troy, my tour bus drove a couple of hours south to the province of Izmir. Izmir, especially the town of Selcuk (pronounced "sel-juk"), is known for its archaeological sites. The place itself was named after the Seljuk Turks that led invasions in the area. Speaking of which, the name "Turkey" was not named after the large bird normally served during Thanksgiving, but was instead named after the Gokturks from Central Asia,  whose descendants found their way to the Anatolian Plateau.

- After lunch we headed to Virgin Mary's House, which was where Virgin Mary stayed in the final years of her life. The brick house appears small, and has been converted into a small chapel in the recent years. (Photography not allowed inside.) The vicinity also shows a wishing wall, and water fountains that have holy/healing water.

Virgin Mary's House.

It was a rainy day.

- The highlight of the day was a visit to the ancient town of Ephesus. Just like the city of Troy, Ephesus was a Greek city that was ultimately abandoned in the 1500s (some millennia later than Troy) after the harbors did not serve the city well anymore, and thereby cutting off trade. Since it was abandoned more recently in history, its buildings have been better preserved. Ephesus reminded me of my visit to Pompeii in 2017 (click here); I think Italy's Pompeii was better preserved because the whole city was buried under volcanic ashes before being excavated, as compared to Ephesus which was more vulnerable to the forces of nature ever since.

To ruins of Ephesus!!

Ionic columns.

Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces pass and I'm home bound TENENENENENENE NENENE TENENENENENE. ♪♫♪♫

Peekaboo!!

See the medicine symbol? (And the cat?)

The Temple of Hadrian, 2nd century CE.

See the Starbucks logo?

An ancient public loo. Yes, using the toilet was a social activity I kid you not.

This car probably hates me. By the way, there was a ton of cats in Ephesus, so much so that a book was even written about them!!

- Among the ruins, the Library of Celsus appears most distinct. Apart from its almost intact facade, its size gains the "oohs" and "aahs" of tourists. It was the third largest library in the Roman world, and was named after a prominent consul and commander named Celsus.

See the library at the left side of the photo?

It reminds me of Jordan's Petra (I must go there one day!!)

Of course, must have a photo with the library's facade!!

- After a quick and detailed walk-through of Ephesus, our tour bus was once again set on a journey to our next hotel. Tour packages of Turkey normally go city to city each day, which means changing hotels almost everyday. It is a pain in the butt (literally, because you're in your bus seat around 5 hours or so each day), but at least it does give a practical way to go around the major must-see cities of Turkey. Despite my sore butt, I was more than excited to see more of Turkey's treasures!!

- Don't forget to read about my other adventures in Turkey:

Part 1, Troy and the Trojan Horse: here

Part 3, Laodicea on the Lycus and the Alien Travertines: here

Part 4, Konya: here

Part 5, Cappadocia: here

Part 6, Istanbul's Royal Old Town: here

Part 7, Istanbul Between Continents: here

Part 8, Istanbul's Secrets: here

Part 9, Istanbul on New Year's Eve: here

(Part 1) Traversing Turkey: Troy and the Trojan Horse

- Dec. 22, 2019, Sunday.

- Turkey has always been part of my travel bucket list especially after studying about it and watching a Turkish period series called "Muhtesem Yuzyil" ("Magnificent Century;" it's a series about Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent's 40-year reign over Ottoman Turkey in the 1500s.) Finally, I had the chance to visit this "magnificent" country, especially after finding out that tour prices in Turkey are relatively cheaper compared to other nearby countries. It also helps that there is a direct flight to Turkey (Istanbul specifically, via Turkish Airlines) from Manila, and Filipino passport holders with valid visas to the USA, UK, Schengen Area, and Canada can avail an e-visa, which is cheaper and less hassling than a regular visa.

- I reluctantly decided to let my family join a tour through Mulan Travel Service Corp. after realizing that commuting to the scattered must-see cities of Turkey is a bit difficult compared to my experiences in some other countries. In some areas, intra-city/region commute can be challenging too, unless you're willing to carry your luggage around many different modes of transportation en route another city, or rent a car and drive yourself from city to city. Since recent tour packages to Turkey appear reasonably-priced, I thought joining a package tour was the best way to go.

- After an early morning arrival in Ataturk International Airport,  our tour group immediately proceeded to the province of Canakkale (pronounced "cha-nak-kale") in the Aegean Region south of Istanbul. To go there, not only did our bus travel through land, but also through water. Our whole bus had to drive to a roll-on-roll-off ("ro-ro") ship, sail for 15 minutes through the Sea of Marmara, and drive once more after docking.

Welcome to Istanbul!!

Camlica Masjid (the mosque) and a radio tower.

The Sea of Marmara.

- At around 3pm, we arrived at Troy (known as "Troya" or "Truva" in Turkey.) To the surprise of many, this city is actually in modern-day Turkey, not in Greece. And yes, this is the Troy as in "Helen of Troy." Of course, the most important "landmark"/statue of Troy is the Trojan Horse. The Trojan Horse was used by the Greeks to enter Troy during the Trojan War; the horse was presented as a gift while the Greeks hid inside the horse. When the horse was placed in the city square as a form of war trophy, the Greeks inside the horse sneaked out on their first night in the city, opened the city's gates for other Greek soldiers to enter. The Greeks attacked and ended the Trojan War. The veracity of this war, which is said to have happened some time between 12th-13th century BC, however, is still being debated by historians. This war was also mentioned in Home's the Iliad and the Odyssey. Today, the Trojan horses (yes, plural,) that stand in the city are modern "replicas" (if indeed the war happened, that is.) One model of the Trojan Horse was used in the 2004 Hollywood movie "Troy" (starring Brad Pitt and other big stars,) and was given to the city of Troy as a gift (don't worry, no hiding Greeks in the horse this time.) This model is located in the central downtown area. The other model, the one we saw, stands in front of the Troy Archaeological Park.

You can go inside the horse. I didn't bother since it was hollow inside, I was told. Also, as we were in a tour, we always had to hurry ourselves.

I like how the horse looks. It looks like a giant toy.

My GrabShare is here.

- The park contains more than 4000 years of early Anatolian history. It is nearly impossible to excavate the whole place, as with many ancient cities, because throughout the millennia, a new "Troy" was built on an old "Troy" that was destroyed by wars or natural calamities; there were nine incarnations of the city of Troy. This is why different parts of the park show different eras of Trojan history, and in some cases, layers of different cities throughout history.

Olive tree shading what's left of the Temple of Athena.

Some of the oldest buildings of Troy.

Most of these buildings were not reconstructed.

More olive trees.

Old wells.

The odeon (I just learned that an odeon is a semi-circle with the stage in front of the seats, and an ampitheater has seats around a circular/oval stage.)

- My visit to the archaeological park was a great way to start my journey across the Anatolia (Anatolia by the way is one of the old names that was used to refer to the majority of modern-day Turkey.) Not only did we see one of its most iconic statues, but we had a good understanding of the beginnings of Turkish history, and more interestingly, the cultural influences that truly make this country a marriage of the east and the west!!

- Don't forget to read about my other adventures in Turkey:

Part 2, Virgin Mary's House and Ephesus: here

Part 3, Laodicea on the Lycus and the Alien Travertines: here

Part 4, Konya: here

Part 5, Cappadocia: here

Part 6, Istanbul's Royal Old Town: here

Part 7, Istanbul Between Continents: here

Part 8, Istanbul's Secrets: here

Part 9, Istanbul on New Year's Eve: here