I am now in Prague and it appears to beautiful. I will be here for about a week and will write more at the end of that visit. Today's blog has to be about Turkey and I hope I get it done this time.
The first thing I want to say deals with those showers. When I was packing to leave I came across some papers I brought from home so knew they would be 8.5 x 11" so I decided to use them as my measuring stick. The shower I had for most of the week was indeed just 14" and that means that the first show must have been only 11" because it was 3" smaller. That makes me feel better (and skinnier) already.
Okay, now let's get back to all the stuff I wrote but lost in the last blog. I started to go through the two weeks by day so I guess I'll continue in that manner. On Tuesday morning I was picked up by the bus and went off to an orientation session for our tour group. Compared to other groups that just met in a hotel and went over the details, we actually went to the harbour in Fethiye and got on a boat and sailed out to sea. We went past some beautiful islands and finally anchored in a beautiful bay. While sitting there they explained all the possible day tours for us. Well, actually they explained them to everyone else because it was all in Polish. I just sat and enjoyed the scenery and knew that I'd have my private orientation later. It was another hot, sunny day so the breeze from the boat trip and the fantastic scenery were very enjoyable. Some people went in swimming but I obviously missed that part of the Polish discussion from the day before and didn't have my swimsuit with me. However, it was still a very enjoyable trip and I signed up for three tours which you will read about shortly.
On Wednesday I stayed at the hotel most of the day relaxing and enjoying the pool. in the afternoon I did wander to the resort next door for a Turkish bath and massage, which resulted in several very relaxing hours. I'm sure I won't do this process justice but I'll try to describe the Turkish bath to you. The whole process took place in a round, marble, domed-ceiling room. Around the outer edge was a marble bench and spread out on it were about 8 marble urns or bowls at water taps. In the centre of the room was a large round marble pedestal perhaps 12' in diameter and 3-4' high. To start with and in your bathing suit, you simply laid on the centre piece, which was very warm and comfortable and wet. It was like a sauna and it was very relaxing.
Once the sweating portion was complete you had to lay down at the edge of the centre pedestal and then one of the masseurs (I don't know what they are called but my guy was as good as a masseur so I think I'll go with that) rubbed you down with a sponge mit to get rid of all the old, dead skin. After that sometimes you had to move to the side for a quick rinse, which simply meant that they dumped bowls of water all over you. Other times you just moved into the sudsy part of the bath, which again involved lying at the edge of the pedestal again and being smothered in wonderful, luxuriously thick suds. I don't know what kind of soap they use or how they get all the suds but it sure was nice and the soap was very soft. They simply had a basin of soap and water and then they dipped what looked like a pillow case in it, blew into it lightly, and then rubbed it over you and you were completely covered in soft sudsy bubbles. Then they washed you from head to toe front and back in what was more of a massage motion than anything. Even though you were lying on hard marble it was heavenly. After each bath, they throw bowls of water on the main central pedestal to get the suds off and all the water splashing around in the room makes it a true "wet" sauna at the beginning as opposed to a dry sauna. It was wonderful!
Following that you moved to the side and once again were rinsed clean with bowls of water poured over your head. Oh yes, you also got your hair washed at this stage and they were also very good at that. The aromatherapy message was the same as usual so very relaxing but nothing special to report on that. It was the Turkish bath that was a really new experience and uniquely Turkish. I highly recommend it to anyone and because I liked it so much I had another one the day I left. What made it really special the first day was when the masseur was singing Turkish songs. The sound was incredible because of the resonance in the domed marble room and the music was very Turkish. There were a lot more people around when I went back the second time and no one was singing so it was not quite as impressive in atmosphere. The bath was still great though. And the hot apple tea you get to drink after your finished is pretty good too.
On Thursday I went on my first tour. It was a 12 Island Cruise and it was really great. As it was another hot, humid day, a boat trip and a few swims were perfect. We left the hotel arond 8 a.m. and spent quite a while picking people up at various hotels. On the way back we did the same in reverse so it was almost 8 p.m. before I got back. However, that still left us from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. just cruising around the islands and bays of the Mediterranean. We stopped 5 or 6 times and went swimming each time for about 45 minutes and the swimming was great for those of us who really don't swim at all. The water is so salty that you are very buoyant and it takes little effort to stay afloat. I was in the water every time we stopped and it was wonderful - warm to get in and yet very cool and refreshing at the same time. I took so many photographs it's ridiculous but everything looked so beautiful that I just couldn't stop. The water is a beautiful turquoise blue and the sky was a beautiful bright blue and the islands were rocky and yet green and in so many different combinations. Ahhh!
We had lunch on board and had to order in advance. I chose the fish and it was delicious. It was the whole fish (trout I think) and it was done perfectly. Those who chose chicken were very disappointed. All in all it was a great day and well worth the $30 all-inclusive price. I'm sure I didn't drink my share of the alcohol available but there were a couple folks who made up for me so all was well. If I'd had time I would have done this one again as it was my favourite trip. However, time and scheduling just didn't allow it. I should also mention that one of our stops was achoring in a bay that had a sunken city beneath it. A village on the hillside was destroyed in the earthquake in the '50s and some of the ruins are still on the shore. Some are partially in the water and some of the buildings and gardens are quite intact under the water. It would have been a great place for snorkelling but they did not provide the gear and I didn't have any with me. Oh well, maybe next time.
Thursday night at the hotel was Turkish Folklore night and I joined D, C and L once again for dinner and the show. The folk dances were quite interesting and not exactly what I was expecting. The male dances were very fast and almost acrobatic in parts, but at other times they were slow. The female dances all seemed more slow and involved arm motions and simple foot work. That is of course until they got to the part that was basically belly dancing and then almost every part of the body was in motion. They invited people to join them on stage at that point and D and C gave it a try while L and I stayed behind and laughed at the process (sorry D and C) and tried to get some pictures.
Following the folk dancers they had a belly dancer and she was fantastic. Her costume was gorgeous and she had the body to match it. She was so in synch with the music that at times you would have sworn that she was making the music and there was nothing playing in the background. It was quite amazing to watch and by far the best belly dancing I have ever seen - not that I've seen a lot. D volunteered to go up and learn from her but I can't say that he ever mastered the moves. I really think that he just went up so he could be closer to the dancer, and I certainly can't blame him for that. She was spectacular.
And following that the staff came out to entertain us with some dances. They weren't quite as polished as the first two acts but it was sure fun to see them up there and even more fun to tease them about it the next day. They did some Turkish dances and then gradually moved to more audience participation songs which ended in things like the Macarena. It was fun seeing the little kids up there belly dancing and doing the macarena as they were pretty cute. I of course couldn't go up and dance since my foot injuries wouldn't allow it. At least that was my excuse!
On Friday I simply stayed around the pool all day and relaxed. On Saturday I went down to the lagoon and spent the entire day there. I guess I should explain the layout of Oludeniz first. The town is simply in a low area between two hills and it is quite small. There is a large sandy beach between the two hills and at the west end there is a sandbar that goes out almost to the next bit of land and that sandbar forms the eastern edge of the lagoon. I never actually made it into the water on the main Belcegiz beach. You had to cross a lot of sand to get to the water and the water dropped off quickly and was quite rough so I wasn't sure I could make it with my feet not yet being in perfect condition. And someone told me it was hard getting back to the beach from the water because of the tide so I just ignored it. The lagoon; however, was a different story.
The lagoon had walkways right out to the point and several branches off in different directions. It was a long walk to the point, perhaps 2 km, but it was worth it. I chose a lounge chair and umbrella right at the edge of the water. It was so close that if I had fallen off the end of my chair I would have been in the water. That made it easy on the feet to get in. The lagoon is protected so there were no waves to worry about and still it was a struggle for me to get out of the water - just getting up the slight slope to the edge. From the air the water of the lagoon is an incredible turquoise blue. From ground level it's just plain clear water with beautiful scenery around it and it was a very relaxing day. The lagoon is a protected area so no motor boats are allow, which made it very quiet. D, C and L joined me for a couple of hours and let me borrow their snorkel gear. There wasn't much to see in the swimming area we were in and since none of us were strong swimmers, we didn't venture beyond the roped off area. Others did and I heard stories of some better views at other parts of the lagoon. I left when they closed the park that night. It seemed like a very long walk home that night but I made it and the trip was well worth it.
Sunday I spent at poolside again and in the evening after dinner we had a Salsa and Break dancing show. I personally would never have put those two together but they did indeed provide variety in the show and probably a much needed break for each of the groups. Both groups were good. I can't imagine doing some of the things they were doing. They didn't invite any audience participation and I think that was probably a good decision since many of the moves could be dangerous to say the least. I certainly wouldn't want to be trying them. I joined D, C and L again that night and it was great of them to invite me since it was their last night at the resort and they headed back to England the next morning. Thanks again for your hospitality, guys. I really appreciated it and I hope I didn't interfere with your holiday too much.
Monday I went back down to the lagoon for the day. Tuesday I spent at the pool and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I was off on tours. Saturday and Sunday were basically just at the poolside again and of course writing blogs that never materialized and having another Turkish bath and massage on the final day. Aside from some impressions of Turkey in general, I am just about at the point where I was last Sunday before I lost all of this. I think I'll try and save this some how before I lose it again. Hopefully I'll be back in a couple minutes.
I'm back and I bet you didn't even miss me. One other thing that I wanted to talk about was that all tour guides in Turkey must be Turkish and must be licensed as tour guides. In some cases that means that you have two tour guides with you, the one with your tour company from Poland or England or wherever, and the Turkish guide. To be a tour guide in Turkey you must do 4 years of university training (history, geography, tourism, hospitality management, culture, languages, etc.) and you must speak another EU language other than Turkish although I later heard someone say their second language was Japanese so perhaps it is just a second language, not necessarily an EU language. Following the 4 years they have to write Ministry exams and when they pass those they are licensed. The tour guide I had for three days of my touring was excellent and I can see why it's a benefit for them to do things this way. You may get a slightly biased Turkish view of things but you sure get a thorough background in the history, geography, economics and culture of the country as well as information on what you are touring. I was quite impressed with the calibre of the guides I met and I'm sure I learned a lot more about Turkey than I would have learned with other guides.
I have to confess that I did not enjoy History when I was in school and I dropped it the first chance I had. Now I think it would be interesting to go back and learn the history of Poland and Turkey and other countries and try and put it all in perspective - as long as no one is testing me on dates and names and events.
I did remember that Istanbul used to be Constantinople but that was about all the history I could come up with for Turkey. It was interesting to hear all the details that I didn't know anything about and I'm sure I'll not remember all of it now.
- the city of Troy, Helen of Troy, the Trojan War and the Trojan Horse were all part of Turkish history
- the Silk Road from China and the Far East ended in Asia Minor in Turkey
- the Royal Road from the Africa and the Middle East also ended there
- the same place was the gateway to Europe (I don't remember any special road)
- Constantinople was a thriving centre of trade that brought people from all areas together
- because of the people from different countries they developed the first coins and currency for trading, the first "travellers cheques", the first alphabet and writing (2000 BC)
- the Ottoman empire was here
- Istanbul/Constantinople was the last stop on the Orient Express
- the first international peace treaty, the Treaty of Kadesh, was signed in the 13th centure BC between the Hittites and Egypt and found in Turkey in 1906
- two of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World are in Turkey - Epheusus and Halicarnasus
- the oldest human settlement yet discovered is in Turkey (Cattahoyuk?)
- people like Homer and Midas lived in Turkey and this is supposedly where Julius Ceasar made his famous "Veni Vidi Vici" speech although I still have trouble placing that in this area
I also had no idea that Turkey had so many biblical connections. I think of Isreal and Jordan as the biblical places but in fact a lot of them involve Turkey. Supposedly:
- Noah's Ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat which is in Turkey
- Abraham and Sarah lived in Turkey
- The Tigres and Euphrates, two streams supposedly flowing from the Garden of Eden flow through Turkey
- places like Samaria and Macedonia and Lycia were in Turkey
- the first Christians escaped to Cappadocia in Turkey to avoid persecution
- St. John took Mary, the Mother of Jesus, to live in a place near Ephesus
- several other disciples came to Turkey and the first Christian church, St. Peter's, was built here
- Ephasus itself (which I'll talk about later) was where the Ephesians lived
- Turkey, specifically Nicaea or Ephesus, was the home of the first Ecumenical Council in 325 AD (Nicene Creed) and several other Councils as well
And speaking of religion, Turkey is not officially a Muslim country. Certainly the majority of Turkish people are Muslim (over 95%) but the country itself does not declare itself to be Muslim. All cultures and religions are welcome and Saturday and Sunday are the offical weekend. I believe Friday is the most important day in the Muslim week but it is not a special holiday. Employers are encouraged to let people practice their faith and on Fridays the Muslims are allowed to go to the Mosque to pray five times during the day. I was on a tour the one Friday and we were near mosques a couple of times and the praying/chanting could certainly be well heard throughout the area. At one point I decided there were as many mosques in Turkey as there were churches in Poland. They are everywhere and easily seen in any town.
Our tour guide took us inside one mosque and it was beautiful. Everything on the inside (carpets, walls, ceiling, etc.) was in blue to signify the water of life or eternal life or something (I don't exactly remember their term). the stain glass windows were beautiful and I think I actually got a decent picture of them. This mosque had one minaret or spire but some had two and apparently six is the maximum on some of the bigger more important mosques. The one minaret is a spire to God. A second would be to the prophet Mohammad. I'm not sure who others would be to. The main section of the mosque is simply a large open square area with a high domed ceiling and a carpeted floor with a rectangle design with each rectangle being a prayer position. Only the men are allowed in this area for prayer as all thoughts must be on prayer and having members of the opposite sex might be too distracting. Women often pray in their homes but if they want to come to the mosque they can do so and there is a balcony that is curtained off for them. He described their prayer beads adn the process but I'm not sure I remember the details. There are three parts to the beads and each prayer is repeated nine times and it has to be in the original Arabic. The positions of praying also all had meaning such as prepare me to hear you with hands on ears, open my mind and let me understand you with head on floor - and all of that is definitely my interpretation and not the exact meaning. There was no big area for the altar at the front but rather a staircase from which the leader led the prayers and read from the Koran.
The mosque was very quiet and spiritual even with us tourists walking around and taking pictures of it. It was interesting to see inside the mosque and normally tourists are not allowed in such places. I think more such visits would do a lot of good in helping people understand the Islam faith. I certainly don't understand all of it and I hope my comments above haven't offended anyone. I definitely like their philosophy on respecting their elders and going to them first for advice on any and all topics since they had the life experiences to draw upon. It seemed, when described verbally and in practice with families I witnessed, that the family unit was very strong and the elders were definitely an important and respected part of that unit.
My gosh, I can't believe how the time flies once I start typing. Are you sleeping yet? Have I bored you totally or have you just moved on to other things? Oh well, it appears that I will have to come back with yet another blog on Turkey so I can tell you about my three days of touring. Hopefully I'll get that done soon.
Bye for now.
Jayne
The first thing I want to say deals with those showers. When I was packing to leave I came across some papers I brought from home so knew they would be 8.5 x 11" so I decided to use them as my measuring stick. The shower I had for most of the week was indeed just 14" and that means that the first show must have been only 11" because it was 3" smaller. That makes me feel better (and skinnier) already.
Okay, now let's get back to all the stuff I wrote but lost in the last blog. I started to go through the two weeks by day so I guess I'll continue in that manner. On Tuesday morning I was picked up by the bus and went off to an orientation session for our tour group. Compared to other groups that just met in a hotel and went over the details, we actually went to the harbour in Fethiye and got on a boat and sailed out to sea. We went past some beautiful islands and finally anchored in a beautiful bay. While sitting there they explained all the possible day tours for us. Well, actually they explained them to everyone else because it was all in Polish. I just sat and enjoyed the scenery and knew that I'd have my private orientation later. It was another hot, sunny day so the breeze from the boat trip and the fantastic scenery were very enjoyable. Some people went in swimming but I obviously missed that part of the Polish discussion from the day before and didn't have my swimsuit with me. However, it was still a very enjoyable trip and I signed up for three tours which you will read about shortly.
On Wednesday I stayed at the hotel most of the day relaxing and enjoying the pool. in the afternoon I did wander to the resort next door for a Turkish bath and massage, which resulted in several very relaxing hours. I'm sure I won't do this process justice but I'll try to describe the Turkish bath to you. The whole process took place in a round, marble, domed-ceiling room. Around the outer edge was a marble bench and spread out on it were about 8 marble urns or bowls at water taps. In the centre of the room was a large round marble pedestal perhaps 12' in diameter and 3-4' high. To start with and in your bathing suit, you simply laid on the centre piece, which was very warm and comfortable and wet. It was like a sauna and it was very relaxing.
Once the sweating portion was complete you had to lay down at the edge of the centre pedestal and then one of the masseurs (I don't know what they are called but my guy was as good as a masseur so I think I'll go with that) rubbed you down with a sponge mit to get rid of all the old, dead skin. After that sometimes you had to move to the side for a quick rinse, which simply meant that they dumped bowls of water all over you. Other times you just moved into the sudsy part of the bath, which again involved lying at the edge of the pedestal again and being smothered in wonderful, luxuriously thick suds. I don't know what kind of soap they use or how they get all the suds but it sure was nice and the soap was very soft. They simply had a basin of soap and water and then they dipped what looked like a pillow case in it, blew into it lightly, and then rubbed it over you and you were completely covered in soft sudsy bubbles. Then they washed you from head to toe front and back in what was more of a massage motion than anything. Even though you were lying on hard marble it was heavenly. After each bath, they throw bowls of water on the main central pedestal to get the suds off and all the water splashing around in the room makes it a true "wet" sauna at the beginning as opposed to a dry sauna. It was wonderful!
Following that you moved to the side and once again were rinsed clean with bowls of water poured over your head. Oh yes, you also got your hair washed at this stage and they were also very good at that. The aromatherapy message was the same as usual so very relaxing but nothing special to report on that. It was the Turkish bath that was a really new experience and uniquely Turkish. I highly recommend it to anyone and because I liked it so much I had another one the day I left. What made it really special the first day was when the masseur was singing Turkish songs. The sound was incredible because of the resonance in the domed marble room and the music was very Turkish. There were a lot more people around when I went back the second time and no one was singing so it was not quite as impressive in atmosphere. The bath was still great though. And the hot apple tea you get to drink after your finished is pretty good too.
On Thursday I went on my first tour. It was a 12 Island Cruise and it was really great. As it was another hot, humid day, a boat trip and a few swims were perfect. We left the hotel arond 8 a.m. and spent quite a while picking people up at various hotels. On the way back we did the same in reverse so it was almost 8 p.m. before I got back. However, that still left us from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. just cruising around the islands and bays of the Mediterranean. We stopped 5 or 6 times and went swimming each time for about 45 minutes and the swimming was great for those of us who really don't swim at all. The water is so salty that you are very buoyant and it takes little effort to stay afloat. I was in the water every time we stopped and it was wonderful - warm to get in and yet very cool and refreshing at the same time. I took so many photographs it's ridiculous but everything looked so beautiful that I just couldn't stop. The water is a beautiful turquoise blue and the sky was a beautiful bright blue and the islands were rocky and yet green and in so many different combinations. Ahhh!
We had lunch on board and had to order in advance. I chose the fish and it was delicious. It was the whole fish (trout I think) and it was done perfectly. Those who chose chicken were very disappointed. All in all it was a great day and well worth the $30 all-inclusive price. I'm sure I didn't drink my share of the alcohol available but there were a couple folks who made up for me so all was well. If I'd had time I would have done this one again as it was my favourite trip. However, time and scheduling just didn't allow it. I should also mention that one of our stops was achoring in a bay that had a sunken city beneath it. A village on the hillside was destroyed in the earthquake in the '50s and some of the ruins are still on the shore. Some are partially in the water and some of the buildings and gardens are quite intact under the water. It would have been a great place for snorkelling but they did not provide the gear and I didn't have any with me. Oh well, maybe next time.
Thursday night at the hotel was Turkish Folklore night and I joined D, C and L once again for dinner and the show. The folk dances were quite interesting and not exactly what I was expecting. The male dances were very fast and almost acrobatic in parts, but at other times they were slow. The female dances all seemed more slow and involved arm motions and simple foot work. That is of course until they got to the part that was basically belly dancing and then almost every part of the body was in motion. They invited people to join them on stage at that point and D and C gave it a try while L and I stayed behind and laughed at the process (sorry D and C) and tried to get some pictures.
Following the folk dancers they had a belly dancer and she was fantastic. Her costume was gorgeous and she had the body to match it. She was so in synch with the music that at times you would have sworn that she was making the music and there was nothing playing in the background. It was quite amazing to watch and by far the best belly dancing I have ever seen - not that I've seen a lot. D volunteered to go up and learn from her but I can't say that he ever mastered the moves. I really think that he just went up so he could be closer to the dancer, and I certainly can't blame him for that. She was spectacular.
And following that the staff came out to entertain us with some dances. They weren't quite as polished as the first two acts but it was sure fun to see them up there and even more fun to tease them about it the next day. They did some Turkish dances and then gradually moved to more audience participation songs which ended in things like the Macarena. It was fun seeing the little kids up there belly dancing and doing the macarena as they were pretty cute. I of course couldn't go up and dance since my foot injuries wouldn't allow it. At least that was my excuse!
On Friday I simply stayed around the pool all day and relaxed. On Saturday I went down to the lagoon and spent the entire day there. I guess I should explain the layout of Oludeniz first. The town is simply in a low area between two hills and it is quite small. There is a large sandy beach between the two hills and at the west end there is a sandbar that goes out almost to the next bit of land and that sandbar forms the eastern edge of the lagoon. I never actually made it into the water on the main Belcegiz beach. You had to cross a lot of sand to get to the water and the water dropped off quickly and was quite rough so I wasn't sure I could make it with my feet not yet being in perfect condition. And someone told me it was hard getting back to the beach from the water because of the tide so I just ignored it. The lagoon; however, was a different story.
The lagoon had walkways right out to the point and several branches off in different directions. It was a long walk to the point, perhaps 2 km, but it was worth it. I chose a lounge chair and umbrella right at the edge of the water. It was so close that if I had fallen off the end of my chair I would have been in the water. That made it easy on the feet to get in. The lagoon is protected so there were no waves to worry about and still it was a struggle for me to get out of the water - just getting up the slight slope to the edge. From the air the water of the lagoon is an incredible turquoise blue. From ground level it's just plain clear water with beautiful scenery around it and it was a very relaxing day. The lagoon is a protected area so no motor boats are allow, which made it very quiet. D, C and L joined me for a couple of hours and let me borrow their snorkel gear. There wasn't much to see in the swimming area we were in and since none of us were strong swimmers, we didn't venture beyond the roped off area. Others did and I heard stories of some better views at other parts of the lagoon. I left when they closed the park that night. It seemed like a very long walk home that night but I made it and the trip was well worth it.
Sunday I spent at poolside again and in the evening after dinner we had a Salsa and Break dancing show. I personally would never have put those two together but they did indeed provide variety in the show and probably a much needed break for each of the groups. Both groups were good. I can't imagine doing some of the things they were doing. They didn't invite any audience participation and I think that was probably a good decision since many of the moves could be dangerous to say the least. I certainly wouldn't want to be trying them. I joined D, C and L again that night and it was great of them to invite me since it was their last night at the resort and they headed back to England the next morning. Thanks again for your hospitality, guys. I really appreciated it and I hope I didn't interfere with your holiday too much.
Monday I went back down to the lagoon for the day. Tuesday I spent at the pool and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I was off on tours. Saturday and Sunday were basically just at the poolside again and of course writing blogs that never materialized and having another Turkish bath and massage on the final day. Aside from some impressions of Turkey in general, I am just about at the point where I was last Sunday before I lost all of this. I think I'll try and save this some how before I lose it again. Hopefully I'll be back in a couple minutes.
I'm back and I bet you didn't even miss me. One other thing that I wanted to talk about was that all tour guides in Turkey must be Turkish and must be licensed as tour guides. In some cases that means that you have two tour guides with you, the one with your tour company from Poland or England or wherever, and the Turkish guide. To be a tour guide in Turkey you must do 4 years of university training (history, geography, tourism, hospitality management, culture, languages, etc.) and you must speak another EU language other than Turkish although I later heard someone say their second language was Japanese so perhaps it is just a second language, not necessarily an EU language. Following the 4 years they have to write Ministry exams and when they pass those they are licensed. The tour guide I had for three days of my touring was excellent and I can see why it's a benefit for them to do things this way. You may get a slightly biased Turkish view of things but you sure get a thorough background in the history, geography, economics and culture of the country as well as information on what you are touring. I was quite impressed with the calibre of the guides I met and I'm sure I learned a lot more about Turkey than I would have learned with other guides.
I have to confess that I did not enjoy History when I was in school and I dropped it the first chance I had. Now I think it would be interesting to go back and learn the history of Poland and Turkey and other countries and try and put it all in perspective - as long as no one is testing me on dates and names and events.
I did remember that Istanbul used to be Constantinople but that was about all the history I could come up with for Turkey. It was interesting to hear all the details that I didn't know anything about and I'm sure I'll not remember all of it now.
- the city of Troy, Helen of Troy, the Trojan War and the Trojan Horse were all part of Turkish history
- the Silk Road from China and the Far East ended in Asia Minor in Turkey
- the Royal Road from the Africa and the Middle East also ended there
- the same place was the gateway to Europe (I don't remember any special road)
- Constantinople was a thriving centre of trade that brought people from all areas together
- because of the people from different countries they developed the first coins and currency for trading, the first "travellers cheques", the first alphabet and writing (2000 BC)
- the Ottoman empire was here
- Istanbul/Constantinople was the last stop on the Orient Express
- the first international peace treaty, the Treaty of Kadesh, was signed in the 13th centure BC between the Hittites and Egypt and found in Turkey in 1906
- two of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World are in Turkey - Epheusus and Halicarnasus
- the oldest human settlement yet discovered is in Turkey (Cattahoyuk?)
- people like Homer and Midas lived in Turkey and this is supposedly where Julius Ceasar made his famous "Veni Vidi Vici" speech although I still have trouble placing that in this area
I also had no idea that Turkey had so many biblical connections. I think of Isreal and Jordan as the biblical places but in fact a lot of them involve Turkey. Supposedly:
- Noah's Ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat which is in Turkey
- Abraham and Sarah lived in Turkey
- The Tigres and Euphrates, two streams supposedly flowing from the Garden of Eden flow through Turkey
- places like Samaria and Macedonia and Lycia were in Turkey
- the first Christians escaped to Cappadocia in Turkey to avoid persecution
- St. John took Mary, the Mother of Jesus, to live in a place near Ephesus
- several other disciples came to Turkey and the first Christian church, St. Peter's, was built here
- Ephasus itself (which I'll talk about later) was where the Ephesians lived
- Turkey, specifically Nicaea or Ephesus, was the home of the first Ecumenical Council in 325 AD (Nicene Creed) and several other Councils as well
And speaking of religion, Turkey is not officially a Muslim country. Certainly the majority of Turkish people are Muslim (over 95%) but the country itself does not declare itself to be Muslim. All cultures and religions are welcome and Saturday and Sunday are the offical weekend. I believe Friday is the most important day in the Muslim week but it is not a special holiday. Employers are encouraged to let people practice their faith and on Fridays the Muslims are allowed to go to the Mosque to pray five times during the day. I was on a tour the one Friday and we were near mosques a couple of times and the praying/chanting could certainly be well heard throughout the area. At one point I decided there were as many mosques in Turkey as there were churches in Poland. They are everywhere and easily seen in any town.
Our tour guide took us inside one mosque and it was beautiful. Everything on the inside (carpets, walls, ceiling, etc.) was in blue to signify the water of life or eternal life or something (I don't exactly remember their term). the stain glass windows were beautiful and I think I actually got a decent picture of them. This mosque had one minaret or spire but some had two and apparently six is the maximum on some of the bigger more important mosques. The one minaret is a spire to God. A second would be to the prophet Mohammad. I'm not sure who others would be to. The main section of the mosque is simply a large open square area with a high domed ceiling and a carpeted floor with a rectangle design with each rectangle being a prayer position. Only the men are allowed in this area for prayer as all thoughts must be on prayer and having members of the opposite sex might be too distracting. Women often pray in their homes but if they want to come to the mosque they can do so and there is a balcony that is curtained off for them. He described their prayer beads adn the process but I'm not sure I remember the details. There are three parts to the beads and each prayer is repeated nine times and it has to be in the original Arabic. The positions of praying also all had meaning such as prepare me to hear you with hands on ears, open my mind and let me understand you with head on floor - and all of that is definitely my interpretation and not the exact meaning. There was no big area for the altar at the front but rather a staircase from which the leader led the prayers and read from the Koran.
The mosque was very quiet and spiritual even with us tourists walking around and taking pictures of it. It was interesting to see inside the mosque and normally tourists are not allowed in such places. I think more such visits would do a lot of good in helping people understand the Islam faith. I certainly don't understand all of it and I hope my comments above haven't offended anyone. I definitely like their philosophy on respecting their elders and going to them first for advice on any and all topics since they had the life experiences to draw upon. It seemed, when described verbally and in practice with families I witnessed, that the family unit was very strong and the elders were definitely an important and respected part of that unit.
My gosh, I can't believe how the time flies once I start typing. Are you sleeping yet? Have I bored you totally or have you just moved on to other things? Oh well, it appears that I will have to come back with yet another blog on Turkey so I can tell you about my three days of touring. Hopefully I'll get that done soon.
Bye for now.
Jayne
posted by Jayne Brooks @ 5:49 AM
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