Turkey - Cappadocia

Until we arrived in this region of Turkey, I hadn't really heard about it but wow, what a totally unique place.  There is nowhere else on earth quite like it.

Cappadocia is a wonder due to its unique and spectacular landscapes, historical significance, and cultural heritage.

The fairy chimneys are a result of a geologic process that began millions of years ago when volcanic eruptions rained ash across what would eventually become Turkey.  That ash hardened into tuff, a porous rock, which was covered by a layer of basalt.  Finally, the long work of erosion began.

Not only was it fascinating to observe these fascination rock formations but to find out that for thousands of years around 20 000 people used to live in caves and in an underground city.  The ancient city of Elengubu, today known as Derinkuyu, burrows more than 85m below the earth's surface and has about 18 levels of tunnels.  We were lucky to be able to explore a small section of the underground.

It is thought that the underground city dates back to around 370BC with its primary purpose as a temporary haven from foreign invaders over the years and protected, at its maximum 20 000, in the Byzantine Era.  Below is a stone door that could only be opened and closed from the inside.

Each level of the city was carefully engineered for specific uses.  Livestock was kept in stables nearest to the surface.  The inner layers contained dwellings, cellars, schools, meeting spaces and wineries.

A complex ventilation system and protected well supplied the city with fresh air and clean water.  

Derinkuyu's story came to a close in 1923 when the Cappadocian Greeks evacuated and existence forgotten until some errant chickens brought the subterranean city back into the light in 1963.  An anonymous local kept losing his chickens.  Upon closer investigation and some digging, the Turk unearthed a dark passageway which was the first of more than 600 entrances into the underground city.  Exploring these passageways proved to be a tight squeeze for Grant!

Now, the fairy chimneys and caves are used for accommodation for the thousands of tourists who flock to see these fascinating formations that pigeons have also made their home!

In another areas of Cappadocia, in narrow canyons, you can find other dwellings, churches and mosques carved into the rock.

Inside some of the churches were some beautiful artwork but we weren't allowed to take pics of them.

This is a monastery that was for women only.  The men's one was opposite.

One of the other attractions that people flock to Cappadocia for is to ride in a hot air balloon.  We didn't elect to go but am allowed to use some of the pics from our fellow tourists who were brave enough to go up at sunrise.

Such a beautiful sight from the ground as well.

To top off a great week exploring Turkey, we were treated to a Turkish Folklore show accompanied by some Turkish wine and beer.  Rosie got up for a wee Turkish boogie but totally enjoyed the group dancing.

One last photo for the Turkey blog, me in the Turkish 'blue eye' tree.  The blue eye, or lucky eye, is believed to protect its wearer from envy and bad energy.  The popular meaning of the Turkish eye is that is possesses protective properties.

So I'm good to go from evil things for awhile and Rosie has a bracelet with the blue eye on it.  Let's hope it works for the rest of our journey.  Only 6 more days to go.

Turkey - Pamukkale

From the port city of Kusadasi and its constant waves of cruise ships,  

and their passengers that we have to battle our way with at the tourist spots, we drove east to Pamukkale, in the Denzili region.  This is the home of the famous gleaming white calcium terraced pools.

Pamukkale was formed when warm, calcium rich mineral water cascaded over the cliff edge, cooling and depositing in the process.  The calcium built natural shelves and pools on the cliffs are known as travertines.  

By the travertines is the ruined spa town of Hierapolis, which was a cure centre founded around 190BC by the Romans.  The Romans were aware of the curative powers of mineral springs and created communal baths.

It is rumoured that Cleopatra used these baths and the pool, that is currently under restoration, is called the Cleopatra pool (sorry no pic).

We did get a pic of the Basilica Bath complex located on the north side, out of the city gates.   Bath buildings generally are located at the outskirts of the city as an important sign of sensitivity of ancient Anatolian people about the cleaning and protecting against epidemics.  It dates back to the 3rd century AD but in the 6th century AD an apse was added to the central part and it was turned into a church. 

Out of all the ancient cities we have visited, with each one sporting their impressive theatres, Hierapolis' one is definitely the most impressive in its entirety.  It was erected in the 3rd century AD during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus and has had many restorations over the years with the latest one being 2009-13.  

This is the back of the theatre where the entertainment would have entered.

The Northern Necropolis was the area devoted to the burials of the Hierapolis inhabitants and there are over 2000 tombs like this one spread out over the land.

The Frontinus Gate is the monumental entrance to the Roman city

and leads onto the large plateia, 14m wide, which crosses the whole settlement,

exiting a gate at the other side, which connects with other key areas.

Like the other ancient cities, in the 7th century an earthquake caused the collapse of many of the buildings and ultimate abandonment of the city.  Archaeologists and historians have done very well to restore what they have and keep this amazing history alive.

Turkey - ancient cities

After the somber visit to Gallipoli we stayed the night in the beautiful city of Canakkale.  We were spoilt with some yummy Turkish cuisine and a good night's sleep.

It was then time to explore some ancient cities.  First stop was to the archaeological site of Troy, located on the mound of Hisarlik, overlooking the plain along the Turkish Aegean coast, 4.8km from the southern entrance to the Dardanelles.

This city has over 3000 years of history and is best known for the Greek myth of the Trojan War, which is such a cool story.

In the 10th year of The Trojan War, the Greeks were struggling to take the city of Troy so resorted to a cunning plan.  They built a hollow, wooden horse and filled it with skilled Greek warriors, then presented it to the city of Troy as a gift.  After a bit of persuading, it was wheeled through the Gates of Troy into the middle of the city.  At midnight the Greek soldiers unlocked the trapdoor and stealthily climbed down the rope ladder, opened the gates to let the Greek army storm through.  Not even the Gods could save Troy then.

Parts of the remains of Troy are limited apart from the amphitheatre above, and southern gate below, but they have found that over the years it has been built several times on top of each other due to fires and earthquakes. 

Archaeologists are still digging away through the various layers. Found this wee creature on part of the wall.

A trip on a cable car took us to the Acropolis of Pergamon, high above the Bakircay Plain in the Aegean region.  It was the capital of the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty, a major centre of learning in the ancient world.  

The theatre is the steepest raked Hellinistic theatre in the world.  It could seat 10 000 people.

There were lots of innate archways, nooks and crannies to explore.

For the next two days we stayed in the port city of Kusadasi which was close to the next ancient city for us to explore.  It was the massive one of Ephesus whose remains are remarkably preserved and gives a really good insight into life during the Roman Empire.  There were cats everywhere keeping an eye on this marvel.

This city was an important city in ancient times due to its strategic location and religious significance. Around 550BC Ephesus was the location of the Temple of Artemis, which was a famous temple that was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  Its purpose was to honour and worship the goddess Artemis, who was highly revered s the protector of Ephesus. Artemis, daughter of Zeus, is the Roman and Greek's classical goddess of fertility, wild animals, vegetation and the moon.

Sadly, the temple endured numerous episodes of destruction and subsequent reconstruction throughout its history, and today there are only fragments and ruins left but a lot of the city is still in great form.

The Library of Celsus was just magnificent to look at.

And you can visualise this street with shops on either side being a vibrant place in its day.

As with all ancient cities, there is a theatre, not as steep as the last one we saw.

Hadrian's Temple, dedicated to the Emperor Hadrian, created with its Roman-Greek culture fusion, was also a magnificent sight.

Along with the Temple of Domitian which served the Imperial cult and dedicated to Emperor Domitian (AD 81 - 96)

Not far away from these temples, and opposite the library, is where you can find the public latrines.  Just in time...

On our way out we were treated to a show featuring Cleopatra and her then husband Mark 
Antony.

Apparently, they spent a winter in Ephesus and enjoyed watching a bit of one on one fighting.  Why not re-enact it?

We finished our explorations off with the Artemis Experience which was a 3D visual show about the story of Ephesus and how the Goddess Artemis was always looking after it even after the continuing decline of the accumulating silt in its harbour and the earthquakes in the 5th and 6th centuries which forced most of its inhabitants to flee and start new settlements.

By the end of the 15th century, under the Ottoman Empire, Ephesus was abandoned, its legacy left to archaeologists and historians.

Turkey - Gallipoli

Every Australian and New Zealander should have the opportunity to do what we did today - travel to the WWI battlefields of Gallipoli.  Here we embarked upon the sites of fierce fighting which are now hauntingly beautiful, with their wooded landscapes dotted with understated memorials to the war dead.

On 25th April 2015, some 16 000 Australians and New Zealanders together with British, French and Indian troops landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula only to be bombarded by Ottoman resistance for the next 10 1/2 months.

Look at the steep cliffs that they come up against with the Ottoman firing down on them!

Our first stop was at the cove where the ANZACs landed, not where they were supposed to, and were under constant fire from the Ottoman soldiers.  The 600m cove soon became named ANZAC cove where thousands of ANZACs lost their lives.

A

Lone Pine Australian War Memorial and cemetery was dedicated to the many Australians who fought valiantly in this area.

Chunuk Bair was where the Wellingtonians took the ridge virtually unopposed but it was difficult to defend and the Ottomans put up a fierce fight with 424 New Zealanders losing their lives.  Below is a photo of the track (bit more like a road now) they used to transport supplies and weapons up to the soldiers who were fighting up there.  

And here is one of the wells they used to bring water up for both Allies and the Ottoman soldiers.

The Nek is the area where a minor battle took place on 7th August 1915.  It is a narrow stretch of ridge on the Gallipoli Peninsula so was easily defended by the Turks.  We were told a story that the Ottoman were yelling at the Australians to stop coming up but they kept going for a courageous yet futile attack. Many lost their lives.  Another memorial marks the place.

There are many fortified trenches still clearly visible amongst the scrub near this cemetery.  Roughly 3 feet deep, the system of trenches provided much needed cover for troops as they desperately fought the enemy.  The pic doesn't show the trenches very well but they are still quite visible.

Here is an example of a NZ soldier's grave, one of the lucky ones that was identified and buried.

As much as we hear about the ANZACs side of the story about this terrible time, the guide was able to share some stories from the Ottoman side such as this soldier who carried an injured ANZAC back to his battalion then hurried back to his own, uninjured.

Below is a memorial to one of the Ottoman heroes of the time, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who rose to prominence as a commander at Gallipoli.  His famous quote is "I don't order you to attack, I order you to die.  In the time it takes us to die, other troops and commanders can come and take our places."  

 

The Gallipoli campaign became the basis for the Turkish War of Independence and declaration of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. Mustafa went on to became the first President of Turkey.

Even thought it was an Ottoman victory at Gallipoli, the 25th April is remembered by not just the ANZACs but the Turkish people as well.  Lest we forget!

To get to our hotel for the night, we had a fun crossing over the Dardanelles Strait on a ferry.  A somber but absolutely fabulous day that we will not forget!