On to Konya!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Hello!

First, I will post dinner pictures from last night…I just literally ran out of steam so posted and went to bed…these photos will be first!  Also, friend and neighbor Stew has requested that we include the Turkey map we sent out with the blog notice, so that it does not become necessary to head to an atlas to follow our route!  We’re going to try to remember!  Thanks for the idea, Stew!

Our lentil soup!

Robert's shrimp pan

Up this morning about 6, and down to breakfast about 7:30 a.m.  Yet another waiter asked me if I was German, and the answer, obviously, is NO.  [I think M should have answered, Nein. – R]  It seems that most of the people visiting this part of the country ARE German.  When we were driving back to Aksaray yesterday, we went through a really HUGE industrial section of the city! 

My chicken with cheese dish; very good!

It was amazing, all these factories, lined up in neat rows.  It’s obvious that there is a lot of $$ in this area, as they are building everywhere – including big apartment houses.  I do recall reading somewhere that there is a great market in textiles hereabouts; don’t know if it is as the result of a dam project and growing cotton or what.  Do know there are a fair amount of sheep and goats, so maybe wool?

We were on the road about 9 and heading for Asiklihoyuk, another excavation site close to Aksaray.  We have rapidly come to the conclusion that many actual “sites” really don’t have much to see, as so much of what is there is either covered entirely by tin roofing, or white plastic!  At any rate, we walked the mound at Asiklihoyuk, and were even able to make our way to their deepest level trench, indicating occupation about 8000 BC.  The folks who are excavating there, though, have built some wonderful replica housing exactly in the same dimensions and with the same materials from the dig!  

Lovely snow covered volcano!

Asiklihoyek dig site

Asiklihoyek's deepest layer

Reconstructed village

The first people making the change from hunter/gatherers to a settled community built small one-story houses out of mud brick with sticks covered by mud and reeds for the flat roofs.  They had no doors but rather entered from a hole in the roof down a wooden ladder to the inside of the house.  The roof was considered as part of the houses’ living space, where work, play and cooking took place, especially in the summer months. 

Me in one of the recreated houses

R in another reconstruction

Inside the dwellings, there was usually a hearth for cooking, as well as a platform built into the wall and corner.  Their burial customs usually included burying relatives, either in large pots or directly into the ground, beneath the houses’ platform.  Scientists are still working out the whys and hows.  The houses were built either touching each other or with only a narrow alley between; the alleys were used as trash deposits.  Every so often (say 40 or 50 years) the house would be demolished and then rebuilt over the same basic foundation, keeping the basic shape for centuries.  

Okay, enough of the paleoanthropology lesson!  Suffice to say that the houses we went into we did NOT have to go in through the roof, but they are really wonderful reproductions and very useful for explaining some of the above mentioned concepts.

From Asiklihoyek, we decided to head for Kaman, north of Aksaray and near the city of Kirsehir. 

Japanese Museum at Kaman

Me and yet another pair of Hittite lions!

This site, Kalehoyuk, has been under excavation by the Japanese for about the last 15 years.  In fact, they have built a huge archeology institute there, as well as a very modern museum, which we wanted to visit.  It took about 2½ hours to get to Kaman, and the site is very impressive.  The museum, which is built into the hillside (covered with grass and is very lush!) reminds us a bit of the museum built in Casas Grandes, Mexico for Paquime; the architecture is similar (although NO grass at Paquime!).  We again had the museum to ourselves, which came complete with some interactive activities – which I usually find to be VERY frustrating; I’m never sure what you’re actually supposed to do! 

Stunning small head of a leopard!

Lots and lots of pieces...

At any rate, the collection was small but interesting, but one of the best parts included the stacks and stacks of trays with pieces from the dig … just waiting for a good jigsaw puzzler, I’m sure!  The other really nice thing about the archeology institute is that both children and adults are able to learn how to dig, and how to prepare and conserve artifacts; definitely a good career path for kids in the neighborhood!

Top to Hittite stamp seal

Back on the road about 1 p.m. and pedal-to-the-metal to get to Konya before rush hour traffic!  Lovely drive over a large expanse of treeless grass land, past several lakes (lakes aren’t really prevalent here for some reason); certainly couldn’t complain about the traffic!  We drove into Konya right about 4 p.m. and for a city with 1,500,000 people, the traffic was almost non-existent!  (Yeah!)  Emmy took us down some odd streets – I think that she may be getting confused … she is set on “fastest time” and if that means taking us down a cobbled back road, rather than a main street, to save 30 seconds, that’s what she does…at any rate, we got within a block or so, and then I pulled into a parking lot and Robert got out and found the hotel.  Hich Hotel, right next to the Mevlana Museum, and it’s really quite lovely!

We are in Zeman room, on the first floor.  It’s a “king suite” with a very nice desk area and two chairs, table and TV. 

Our great room at Hotel Hich!

Interesting bathroom!

Very, very clean and comfortable – but again, absolutely NO drawers for anything!  Oh well!  Lovely back garden for relaxing.  Our view out all our window is of the Mevlana rose garden, which is quite lovely!  We got everything in, organized a bit, and then headed out looking for an early dinner (having skipped lunch.)  

View from our windows!

Found the Mevlevi Sofrasi, right around the corner.  Recommended by our hotel and Lonely Planet!  We both had bowls of the Konya specialty, Okra soup, which was wonderful and was served with some very heavy and good warm bread (just no butter!).  Then, Robert had lamb with tomatoes, peppers and rice.  I had something called “Tirit” – small pieces of beef on top of bread softened with boullion, served with yogurt and onions on top – it was sensational!!  Robert had tea afterwards, and the waiter brought us two small dishes of Turkish delight…which tasted EXACTLY like VICKS!!  UGH! 

View from restaurant terrace

Excellent okra soup!

R's lamb and rice

My beef over bread with yogurt!

Afterward, we took a short exploratory walk and found the local supermarket where Robert got some cherries, and I got my Magnum Classic…lovely way to end the day!  Now back in our comfy room, BBC World softly in the background, and I’m trying to plan out tomorrow, when we’ll explore the city!  Oh!  I think somewhere or other I must have mentioned that the jewelry store windows here are really, truly amazing – that the gold just glitters like nowhere else.  We thought it might be a lighting trick, but come to find out, Turkish gold is actually 22 K rather than 14 or 18!  I’m SURE that’s what makes it so sparkly!!

Much love,

m

xxx