Back in Time

Our time machine, a white tour van, took us back in time today. Our first stop was to the Isa Bey Mosque. This is one of the oldest mosques in Turkey - building completed in 1375 AD. They are still using it for worship. I found it fascinating that the architect "recycled" pieces from older buildings in the construction.

These three column heads are examples of "recycling" - each is from a different period.

Back in our time machine for  Ephesus. Ephesus was built as a port. It's shear size is impressive. It was built by the Greeks and later inhabited by the Romans. We wandered through the streets of this ancient site seeing the Roman bath houses, the Celsus Library, the Temple of Hadrian, the Trajan Fountain and the Great Theatre.

Originally shops lined the marble street (above)

The Celsus Library (below) was built in 117 A.D.

Below is the smaller of the two theatres - it servers as a place for meetings of the Senate and as as an Odeum - a concert hall for performances. Contruction was in the 2nd century AD.

The Great Theatre below is located on the slope of Panayir Hill, opposite the Harbor Street, and easily seen when entering from the south entrance to Ephesus. It is the largest in Anatolia and has the capacity of 25,000 seats. The theatre was used not only for concerts and plays, but also for religious, political and philosophical discussions and for gladiator and animal fights.

Harbour Street - leading down to the harbour. A gymnasium and baths were along side this street.

Back in our time machine and we are off up the Aladag mountain to the House of the Virgin Mary.This place of pilgrimage is visited by thousands of tourists every year by people of all faiths. We could feel peace and tranquility of this holy place. Only muffled voices could be heard as people filed through the building that is said to be the house of the Virgin Mary.

Leaving wishes on the Wishing Wall

Finally the time machine landed back in our century - we did the carpet tour - which I have told you about BUT we also went to a leather outlet for a fashion show. This was the end of a very HOT day - we were tired. We were offered tea and lead into a dark theatre with a fashion runway. Music with a beat started and the models came out with beautiful leather jackets on and then they requested participation and took three of our group away - Tracy - oh she was not impressed but as she was one of the three chosen she went along with it. I must say the jackets were fabulous and the leather was so soft. It was tempting but they were very expensive. Oh so beautiful.

Kuşadasi

I just want to share some pictures and stories about our time in the city of Kuşadasi. Kuşadasi is a resort area on the Aegean Sea. Cruise ships galore are coming and going from the harbour. The streets coming up from the harbour are lined with shops and restaurants.

Our first night in Kuşadasi, we head down from our hotel and are accosted by people wanting you to come into their restaurant, or buy something. We succumbed to one invite. Their plea was appealing - my family runs this restaurant, these are my brothers, my mother and my father. And besides he had the most incredible blue eyes - whoa! Immediately we are served a cold beer in a frosty glass and we settled in to review the menu. Lots good food and lots laughter, a gift of dessert and a knitted woolen mitten and we were on our way.

We strolled along looking at the shops. We also wanted to purchase a phone card - finally we found a place where they would help us use the card. Here we are, trusting people that we are, following this man into a back lane - but we did get to where there were some phones. We made our call and as we promised for his help, we went back to the shop. We looked at the beautiful things - and after much bullying on the shop keepers part I walked out with a silk scarf for a lot less than he wanted for it (thanks to Tracy) but a lot more than I wanted to pay - actually I didn't even want it.

Not where we ate but couldn't resist the picture - yes we are in Turkey. Efes Beer is the main beer in Turkey and it is quite good.

Sunset on the main pedestrian street near the harbour. Our second night in Kuşadasi we had dinner here. Wonderful waiter who really quizzed us about having second beer (they are not big drinkers of alcohol in Turkey especially women). This wonderful waiter saved us from over paying too and even when we left a large tip he questioned us. How very nice.

This bronze statue is of the world famous jazz trumpeter, Muvaffak (Maffy) Falay, born in Kuşadasi. He has played with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and the Quincy Jones Orchestra and toured in Europe, North and South America.

Marina with Pigeon Island in the background. The island was used for military purposes during the Ottoman Era and before, as the island was strategic for securing the shores or preventing attacks from the sea. The Byzantine castle standing on the rocks was said to be used against pirates and is known as "Pirate Castle".

Okay now this is got to be something you don't see everyday.

People have asked me "why Turkey?" well, partially because it is there and looked so beautiful and partially because Tracy loves Pomegranates and they grow here. Her dream - to pick a pomegranate - this one is not quite ripe and not exactly on the road - we had to go into an empty lot at night, with a flashlight to pick this.

 

There, my feet have been in the Aegean Sea. Those feet have now been in the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, and now the Aegean Sea. There are a few oceans left yet. I may have to put them on my bucket list. But I might stop at the Arctic or the Antarctic. You never know.

From Here to There and Every Where

We loved our time in Göreme - so many good memories and so many pictures, but there is more to see and our next adventure is just around the corner or at least a plane ride away. At the designated time someone arrived at our hotel to take us to Kayseri to catch a plane to Kuşadasi. Okay there were three of us and three suitcases and three carry-on pieces and we get a small red car?

It takes these two fellows a few tries to get the luggage in the trunk, some anxious, tense moments and we are on our way. Kayseri is about 1 - 1-1/2 hours away. The day is beautiful, we pass farms, orchards of olives and pomegranates, fields of corn, sunflowers. In the distance we see mountains - extinct volcanoes - one of which is the home of a ski resort. The landscape is dry and I was amazed at the thought of skiing but was assured by our driver that they do indeed get snow.

As we approach Kayseri, off in the distance is an area full of large low buildings which we are told are factories - furniture, clothing, car parts, food processing. There are a lot of new high rise apartments - housing for the factory workers.  

 

I have no pictures to show you of the airport in Kayseri so I will describe it best I can. We are dropped off. As soon as we get inside we have to go through security - okay - but we see people with water bottles? but okay. We get inside and all signs are in Turkish. We match the name of the airline on our vouchers to the signs and we get checked through and a boarding pass. We go through security again then we wait at a gate. Lots of announcements in Turkish but we get the idea that perhaps we are boarding now - so we just follow the crowd and trust that we are getting on the right plane. Off we go and about an hour later we are in Izmir. Again no signs in English but the pictures of baggage and arrows are there so we follow them and the other travellers. We get our luggage and exit to find someone waiting with a sign that says our name. Good to go. We head out to Kuşadasi.

 

We leave the city of Izmir. The trip is beautiful - but still desert like. We start up into the hills and pass by Ephesus and the home of the Virgin Mary in the distance. Then we see the ocean - the Aegean Sea. 

 

The city of  Kuşadasi is on the hillside around a large harbour. We drive by large hotels, apartments, shopping areas - up hills and down and around and around through narrow, cobblestone streets until we finally get to our hotel - Villa Konak. It is a small hotel. The people that greet us make us feel like we are long lost relatives and welcome us in.

 

Notice the Evil Eye on the chimney of this brick oven
they truly are everywhere.

We left as soon as we settled into our room to explore Kuşadasi but I think I will leave you with this for another post.

 

Magic Carpet Ride

"They say" that no trip to Turkey is complete without a serious carpet encounter. Carpets everywhere - wall coverings, cushion coverings, inside, outside. The colours are rich and the patterns are traditional.

 

Inside the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
some of these carpets date back to 16 century AD 

On every street, in every shop there are carpets for sale and everyone is anxious to entice you into see them. "Where are you from?" or "Are you sisters?" any form of conversation to get you talking and perhaps into the shop. It became a game with us. Even on our tours we taken to see how carpets are made - "no pressure - just information".













Our first encounter of a serious nature was in Istanbul on our second day. We were taken to a shop not far from our hotel. We are told by our guide Mustafa that we are "under no pressure to buy", just to sit and have a cup of tea and learn about how carpets are made and look at some examples. We get our tea and see many carpets that are unfurled with skill as we hear about double knots (Turkish knots), flat knots (Persian knots) and kilims, hand dying wool and the colours and patterns from the different regions of Turkey. After ooing and awing we escape.

Our next carpet encounter comes on day 8 of our time in Turkey. We are taken to a carpet cooperative weaving centre. We are told how they die the wool and silk for the carpets using natural dyes. They take some time to tell us about the silk worm, how it was brought to Turkey from China, how they get the silk from the cocoon.  

Pictures showing the various stages of the silk work cycle

Silk worm cocoons




"Reeling is a technique whereby live cocoons are placed in hot water, and boiled for five to ten minutes to kill the worm. To get the highest quality silk, the temperature of the water must be lowered before the reeling begins, so cold water is added. A brush is used to catch a strand from each of the cocoons and the silk is pulled off the cocoon in a single strand while the cocoon is still in the hot water. Those strands then are moved to a simple roll-up apparatus that creates four bunches of silk threads."

The silk is pulled together

Run over this hook

Pulled through and onto a skeiner

To make a Turkish knot or double knot, the yarn is passed between two adjacent warps, brought back under one, wrapped around both forming a collar, then pulled through the center so that both ends emerge between the warps. These ladies fingers move so fast - knot made and cut with the small knife held in her right hand.



 

These shears cut the pile evenly with the top of
the carpet - the little comb pushes all the knots
tight

We are offered Turkish coffee, apple tea and even Raki. They bring out carpet after carpet but again "no pressure to buy - just look - ask questions - walk on them". Carpet after carpet is unfurled and thrown through the air at our feet. After an eternity - and some people buying and we escape once again.

 

The next visit we make is on day 10 and although not on our itinerary, our guide wants to take us to a small carpet cooperative for a demonstration. This is truly a no pressure place. They did not even mention buying. They just showed us how they got the silk from the cocoon, how they dyed the wool using natural dyes - we even got to see the various plant matter that they used and a description of the mordants that setup the colours into the wool or the silk. We were shown some beautiful carpets and I came so close to asking "how much" but I bit my tongue. When we left here Tracy said to me that is the last time she is going to see a carpet place and if I am seriously going to buy - I am going by myself - fair enough.

Okay so we avoided all and any mention of carpets until - UNTIL - we visited the one place that was on my list to see while we were in Turkey. I found this wonderful blog on felting in Turkey - Ikonium Studio. Their felting is fabulous. On our last few days in Istanbul we took part of a day to find it and have a look.

 

Mehmet and Theresa generously showed us how to felt on to a silk scarf. They talked to us about dying wool and about the hats and bags that they create. We had such a wonderful time.  

Coloured pieces of wool are applied front and back
to a wet silk scarf

Mehmet is rolling the scarf to felt the wool

 

We are treated to a wonderful lunch of tomatoes, grape leaves, lamb and bread. During our meal the subject of the various uses that they have for the wool that they dye and the conversation turned to carpets.

 

 They had some upstairs that are made in the Taurus Mountains near Konya out of their wool. Of course I wanted to see - Tracy and Cheryl leave for a bit - I look -  we talk - finally I am asking "How much?" and "do you have any smaller ones - say 4 x 6". I spy this beautiful kilim. YES - I bought it.

 

 

 

This is going to sit in my office when and if I get one - but for now it is in the living room in front of the fireplace.

The piece is woven warp and weft with 70% taurus mountain sheep wool and 30% mohair. The hand symbol is a powerful woman symbol, good for fertility and prosperity, warding off the evil eye and aiding in household tasks! I believe there is also symbols depicting the carnation, the female shape, hands on hips, the star, running water. The colors are all natural dyes, indigo for the blue, madder root for reds, orange and browns, and weld for yellow...overdyeing weld with indigo gives the muddy green.