Weather: beautiful – sunny and warm
Photo: Desley standing with the Euprhates as a backdrop.
Photo: The massive dam wall.
Photo: Our lunch...yes, I know, this is starting to look like an eating tour of Turkey!
Photo: Pool of Ibrahim with the sacred fish.
Photo: At the bazaar....spices anyone....anyone?
Photo: Men enjoying their cay and a game of cards in the caravanserai.
Photo: The famous beehive houses at Harran.
Photo: A lovely local couple paused briefly from their chores to smile for our camera!
Photo: Their neighbours (I think they said their names were Mary and Joseph) stopped by to check out the Australian tourists!
Photo: Some tourists will try anything!
Photo: ....and the others followed!
Temperature: mid to high twenties
Today we set off for Urfa under brilliant blue skies. Our first stop was beside the Euphrates on our way to Ataturk Dam where several members of our tour tried their hardest to skim pebbles on this ancient river. Just a short drive up the road we were able to see the dam wall which is a very impressive 169 metres high and is the ninth largest in the world covering 927 square kilometres. We took the time to take in the setting whilst sitting under a pavilion sipping a cay or apple tea. I wish I could say the toilets we availed ourselves of were equally impressive however I think the one Turkish lira was more about access than cleaning! The word ‘grim’ springs to mind……
The dam has brought life to a once desolate valley and we passed many farms including cotton, pistachio and corn.
As we entered Urfa which is described as a pilgrim’s city I wondered if it was Turkish for ‘concrete apartments’ - so we were in for a surprise when we finally reached the centre. Urfa has a distinctly middle-eastern feel as it is very close to Syria. In fact this is the closest we will get to Syria (about 30 kms) which is just as well as we have heard that there are problems at the western borders.
We went straight to lunch in one of the massive old stone houses which had been converted into a hotel and restaurant. Ergun, our guide, had done a wonderful job organising the traditional and once again mouth-watering lunch in the former underground cellar which had vaulted ceilings and the low Turkish seats with pillows.
Another member of our tour celebrated a birthday and Ergun organised a cake. Ever the trickster he convinced (most of us) that there was a problem with the electricity and the lights had to be dimmed for several minutes. Of course, this was the cue for the really delicious chocolate birthday cake.
A backdrop of a long deserted but reasonably preserved castle – Urfa Cales – sits high on the large hill overlooking the town. Our next stop was just below the castle and we spent a lazy walk around the Ibrahim and Zeli Ha pools as well as visiting the cave Ibrahim is said to have spent some of his childhood. An arcaded wall surrounds the Ibrahim pool with the sacred carp which if eaten, as legend says, will make a person go blind. Desley purchased some pellets for the fish from one of the local vendors and the water bubbled up in front of her…they must be very well fed fish with the half a dozen little trolleys selling the food!
We donned our scarves once again to enter the cave site however we were also required to wear long robes as there is a strong Arabic influence in this town. The women and men wear the scarves of their sect including the Kurdish who wear vivid purple and the men who wear the traditional salvar (traditional baggy Arabic pants).
Just nearby we wandered into the bazaar which was very busy and colourful. A variety of deeply hued spices drawn up into cones rose out of canvas bags and long beads of drying pods hung from the shop fronts. We were a little overawed and those who fell by quickly found their way into the centre of the caravanserai for an apple tea and to take time to see the men drinking their Turkish coffees and playing games. We were really transported back in time as we took in the ancient atmosphere of this wonderful place.
We had one more visit before we booked into our hotel. Harran is believed to be one of the oldest continuously lived in spots on earth. It is an ancient city noted for its beehive houses. They are made out of mud and straw and are cool in summer and warm in winter. The houses are now only used for tourist visits however they have been remarkably preserved. The general area was very poor with dirt streets and block-like houses.
Harran is also famous for the Ulu mosque which lies in ruins just outside the small village. One very large square minaret remains and some arched walls. It was built in Hellenistic times however it was destroyed by the Mongolians in the thirteenth century.
It was back to our hotel for an hour and then we headed out to dinner. It started off as a delightful balmy evening but it cooled down considerably by the time we were ready to head back to the hotel.
Once again our guide led us to another adventure: atop the Urfa Casel (Urfa Castle) we sat outside overlooking the lit mosque and gardens we had visited earlier in the day.
We had a bit of fun ordering an apple hookah…there is a Turkish word for this….however the practice comes from Iran. Following our guide we tried the apple flavour which bubbled through the water. After many photos to make sure we could prove to family and friends back home that we had tried this we followed with another Turkish dessert…..not that we needed this but it was a subtle sweet flavour and yet another version of the kadayif.
It was back to the hotel after another adventurous day….
My GOD MUM... smoking ... WOW... you have nothing on me
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