Bill started the day with a workout in the hotel fitness center. After breakfast, the tour bus took us to the caves at Ozkonak. This area consists of a soft volcanic rock called tufa; it is very easy to dig or carve and it hardens when exposed to air. To protect themselves from raiders, the ancient citizens dug an entire city of caves; as many as 60,000 people lived underground with their cattle in a labyrinth of caves and tunnels as much as twenty-one stories deep. You can see a number of the cave openings as you travel the highways.
We also saw the strange rock formations called "fairy chimneys". These are towers of the soft rock which remain after years of erosion; they are capped with a rock of harder composition. We think they look like giant mushrooms.
We then went to the Open Air Museum. This is another complex of caves but they were used exclusively by the early Christian church. Each cave is a small chapel which have frescoes painted on the walls; they date from the tenth century. There are also a number of these cave complexes still in use today as living quarters and even hotels.
We than went to a "carpet farm" where Turkish carpets are woven and sold. We were determined that we would not buy anything. Yeah, right!
After another delicious dinner, Claire went to a Whirling Dervish ceremony while Bill got a Turkish bath and massage.
Now for some commentary on Turkey. This country is a democracy as established by Ataturk in 1923. While Islam is named in the constitution as the official religion, Turkey is a secular state and there is a strict separation of church and state. However, the current government has been trying to move the country more toward observant Islam and a large majority of the people (around 80% according to our guide) are opposed to this effort. The major political issues are; 1) Secularism vs. Islamism, specifically the ban on headscarves in schools; 2) The admission of Turkey into the European Union; and 3) Globalization. The Turks are friendly, are modern in their outlook, generally resist government involvement in religion, and have a vibrant culture of which they are justifyably proud. So far, we are impressed with the country.
2 comments:
Your "adventure" in Turkey sounds fasinating. Keep the posting coming. Fun to read.
Your brother!
Floyd and Linda took us to Tent Rocks, NM when we visited them last summer. They told us at the time that Cappadocia was the only other place in the world with similar formations. And there you are!
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