Our last day in Malatya!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 (which also just happens to be our 32^nd wedding anniversary!)

Up at the usual time, and breakfast downstairs in the restaurant.  We both tried some new things, and all were good!  I also tried the Turkish Nutella on the chocolate cake – and it was amazing!!

Me canal-side near museum

First Turkish windmill we've seen!

Then, off down the street to the archeological museum.  We are situated in a very interesting area, very much “downtown” Malatya.  In fact, I think we’re on the wedding street!  As we walked to the museum, every second or third shop had wedding dresses in it!  And goodness gracious, there were really some interesting selections!  Almost all of them had huge, bouffant skirts – like a muffin, if I recall my “Four Weddings and a Funeral” correctly! 

Beautiful Roman mosaic

Huge Chalcolithic pot

My Hittites!

And I have never, ever seen such beading – not just the fact that there were beads, but the massive quantity of them!  Rhinestones, pearls, you name it, and it was sewn on a dress!  Not sure how heavy some of those dresses were, but honesty had to wonder how someone could manage to carry it around!  Most of the dresses were also very contemporary in style – but some were very traditional as well, including headscarves.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t really possible for R to get any good photos, but we’re heading that way for dinner tonight, so will definitely get another chance!

Reached the street the museum is on, and crossed over the waterway running down the middle of the street.  Very attractive area with twin cobbled streets, nice shops and restaurants.  We’re heading for dinner there tonight.  Right across from the museum is a huge, newly built windmill, of all things!!  It looks like they are going to extend the water course from up the hill, around the windmill, and then joining up with the current channel.  Really neat!  I’m sure it will look lovely when everything is finished! 

When we got to the Muze, there was actually a tour group there ahead of us! 

Hittites continued

Love the shoes!

Stunning detail on a stamp seal!

So surprising!  So, we sat on a bench and waited five minutes or so, and whoosh, they were all gone!  How anyone can “do” a museum in something like 15 minutes flat is beyond me!  So…the Malatya Museum has some very nice pieces and is organized extremely well.  The ground floor of the museum is arranged chronologically, which is really helpful, as there are artifacts from the Chalcolithic age through the Romans and Byzantines (which here, oddly enough, are referred to as “Eastern Romans (Byzantines).”  My very favorite things were large Hittite panels from Aslantepe, where we were yesterday.

Then there is another big room holding artifacts from some of the “emergency digs” that have been done over the last few years.  An emergency dig takes place when something is going to happen to an area, and you want to quickly look for whatever can be found, before it happens.  In these cases, locally, they all involve flooding from the hydroelectric dams put in for an area-wide reservoir system.  

Finally, on the top floor, things were arranged thematically.  All in all, a very nice museum with an interesting collection.

Stunning countryside north of Malatya

Beauty wherever you look!

Almost like an impressionist painting!

Back to the hotel after this for a sit-down and debate over where to head next.  So, got out the car and headed north and then west in a very large circle!  The countryside hereabouts is absolutely beautiful – mountains, plains, hills, valleys – very different topography everywhere we turn!  Also saw the snow-covered volcano which sits over Cappodocia in the distance!  We will definitely be heading there soon!

Back to the hotel around 4, and now trying to cool our room down, as it has gotten REALLY warm outside!  Will let you know how it goes!

More later!

m

xxx