Turkey June 1-18, 2008

Marsha and I took a 19 day tour in Turkey with Overseas Adventure Travel. It was a small group tour and boat trip. It was a great combination of rush and rest.


Turkey is an old country, with centuries as a major power and centuries being occupied or under the influence of other powers. As our tour guide pointed out, the history of Turkey is domination from the East and domination from the West. As the major trail from Europe to the Middle East and Africa and the major trail from Europe to China, everyone wanted to control them.


Many of the sites we visited have been both Churches and Mosques, changing use based on who was in control of the country.




We start our tour in Istanbul, the only part of Turkey which is mainly in Europe. Istanbul is a cosmopolitan city. The old parts have the narrow streets of pre-automobiles. Women dress varies from short skirts and pants to colorful veiled outfits. It is not unusual to see women walking alone or in groups. In addition women in semi-traditional dress are walking with women dressed in European style.



The site closest to our hotel is the Blue Mosque. It is a five minarets. The number of minarets shows the wealth and importance of a mosque. In Istanbul many mosques have two or more minarets, when we head East, it is rare to see a mosque with more than one minaret. The Blue Mosque gets its name because of the colors inside.













The following morning we took a cruise down the Bosporus. Many of the commuters to downtown Istanbul take ferries across the Bosporus. It is similar in width to the Hudson River at New York City. The next few pictures shown scenes from that two hour cruise.

This image on the left is from Galata Tower. It shows the Golden Triangle which is the meeting place of the trade waters. The tower was originally built to keep an eye on one's ships. Today it is a tourist tower and cafe. Tomorrow Marsha and I come back to this area to see a Synagogue.
Our next imaged site is the Hagia Sophia. Originally built as a Church, it later became a Mosque and today is a museum. For centuries the golden frescoes were hidden behind plaster. In this century they are being restored. The images only give you a small idea of the building size.

These images are of the Nev Synagogue. There are five Jewish Synagogues in Turkey, three are in Istanbul.

This Synagogue has been bombed twice by terrorists. To visit the Synagogue we had to have our passports reviewed and approved before the visit. We had to enter the building via a side entrance where we were screened by Turkish Police.

We thought the hard hats were under the pews for protection from bombings. NOT, it is in a earthquake zone.

Separation of church and state have a very different meaning in Turkey compared to the U.S. In Turkey it means religious organizations cannot take part in politics. No one can wear a Cross, skull cap or head covering into any public building including schools, court houses and government buildings. No one can have a religious reason for requesting or getting a law. The current government is the most Muslim oriented government since the post-WW I revolution. But the leadership is being held in check by their Supreme Court.
Our last major stop in Istanbul is the Topeka Palace. It was the palace for the Ottoman Empire during its most extravagant period.

Marsha with a replica guard (or visa versa).

The next morning we flew to Kayseri for a visit to Cappadocia.Our first stop was the Open Air Musuem in Gorem. These painting are made on individual temples built in dug out caves. They date from 8th to 13th century.

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Starting in the next image you see the rocks the area is famous for. They are like nothing else in this world.






Best seen from a balloon ride.


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People used to live in these formations. Most of them have been forced to move out since my last visit to Turkey in the 1990's. They are not safe in this earthquake prone area.

Or just hiking.

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A caravanserais, the early motel for caravan riders. The camels got better care than the men.

A migrant farmers home.

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Around breakfast time on our gulet, a couple came to sell us crepes. We are now on the r and r part of our trip. After nearly two weeks of constant movement, it felt great.

Beach time.
Each day on the boat we took a hike. Here is an old church.
And the current resident.

A burial area.

We are on Turtle beach. Another day trip off the gulet. Hopefully they hatched last night, if not they were something's dinner.

At Ephesus, an old port town.
And a center of learning.

The end. Next day we flew home.