Today was going to be a whirlwind of starkly different experiences as we travelled from Goreme to Adana. We would experience life in early and Byzantine Roman times through to a full-on confrontation with everyday life in today’s Turkey, dodging mad traffic and plunging headlong into Turkey’s cutting edge kebab culture.
Gümüşler Monastery
Our first stop was Gümüşler Monastery, which is believed to date back to the 6th century. It’s a large complex with a deep sunken courtyard at its centre leading into an underground church with vibrant byzantine fresco paintings dating back to between the 7th and 11th century. It was only rediscovered in 1962. I mean, how is this possible? Did no-one notice the big hole in the ground?
Inside the underground church, there’s a detailed nativity scene and a niche with a beautiful image of a smiling Madonna and Child. The paintings were beautifully preserved and there was no sign of the desecration that had occured in the churches at the open air museum in Goreme.
Unexpected Treasures in the Quiet Town of Niğde
Next stop was the small city of Niğde where we had some time to amble around the outer walls of the Seljuk fortress and Alâeddin Mosque. We couldn’t enter the mosque on the day but the exterior had a beautifully carved front archway. It’s said that in the summer months between 9:30 and 11:00 in the morning, shadows cast on the stone masonry around the entrance form an image of a woman’s face with a crown and long hair.
According to legend the craftsman responsible had fallen in love with the daughter of the lord of the Niğde Sanjak and knowing that he could never marry her, he declared his undying love by inscribing it decoratively in stone. Another version is more prosaic. Islam forbade human imagery but tessellations and calligraphic pictures were allowed, so “accidental” silhouettes became a creative escape.
It was clear that all the area around the mosque had been cleared of its residents and that numerous houses had been demolished. Fatih explained that the government had plans to make the area a historic zone and that all construction that had no particular historical merit had been demolished.
Indeed as we were walking through the area a very old bearded gent emerged from one of the few remaining properties in clear distress. At first we thought we had ventured into a place where we were not meant to be but we later learned from Fatih he was simply wanting to let us know that his family home had been demolished by the government and his family had been forced to move. He certainly seemed angry and had happily found someone to complain to.
We eventually continued on our way and walked down to an old Christian Church which now houses a public library. Halk Kutuphanesi was an interesting modern architectural restoration of a religious space. Worth a stop and totally free.
Across the road was the Sungurbey Camii which is currently closed for restoration, but around to its right it was possible to visit an old caravanserai which now serves as the local city museum, known as the Bedestan City Museum. There were no English translations but it was well presented and interesting nonetheless.
After a short walk through some of the old streets of Nîgde, we found ourselves at the grave of Hüdavent Hatun. According to the inscription above the door it was built in the years 1312-1313 CE for the daughter of Aslan IV, ruler of the Anatolian Seljuk state. Although we couldn’t enter on the day, it was interesting to read that the tomb is made up of an eight-sided base on which stands an octagonal body around which there is a sixteen-sided drum that resembles a dome from the inside and an eight-sided pyramid from the outside.
We wondered whether this construction was mirrored in the exterior shape of the nearby tomb found in the park grounds. Apparently the tomb is also is also interesting for its representations of flora and fauna, geometric patterns and, unusually, for Islam, its figurative decoration.
Mind-blowing roman ruins along village streets… and no tourists
Heading in the direction of Adana, our next stop was Tyana. On the way we quickly visited the Roman Pool which fed the ancient Roman township. It was a reservoir fed by a natural spring.
Underground channels leading away from the pool transported the water to the ancient town of Tyana about 4km away. It’s the size of an Olympic pool although it was almost empty when we visited on a hot summer’s day.
We were at first stymied in our attempt to get to the archaeological site in Tyana itself, as the road was barred by a notice telling us that the site had been closed. But luckily we happened upon yet another old gentleman who pointed us in its direction via an alternative route and presto we found ourselves at the Roman Aqueducts of Tyana. Not sure what the purpose of the notice was as there was no work being done and the easily approachable Aqueduct was surrounded by residential housing.
In any case, it was uber-impressive to see such ancient ruins so close up in their natural state and still part of a thriving community. These are apparently amongst the longest aqueducts in Anatolia, at a total length of 1.2km and comprising some 143 arches. At their highest they rise to 7.5 metres. Construction began in 98CE under Emperor Trajan and was completed under Hadrian’s rule in the third century. They’re fairly well preserved for their age and well worth a visit.
Heady Adana…
This was our last stop on the road to Adana, where we arrived at about 4pm in the afternoon. After a quick freshen up at the hotel, we set off on foot with a view to exploring some of the city with our guide Fatih and driver, Mujdat.
Now, I have to be frank, Adana is not the prettiest city and I would be fairly confident we were much the only foreign visitors visiting on the day! But it’s good to get an insight into how real life goes on in a real town.And a word of warning: dodging the traffic in Adana is an adrenalin experience of its own!
We stopped by churches, mosques and food stores on our tour around town. We couldn’t help but be lured into the confectionary stores and picked up some carrot lokum, which is a specialty of Adana (yum), some sesame seed sweets (double yum) and some pomegranate lokum (yum, yum, yum!)
We wandered into a glorious cheese store – check out the goat cheese!
We walked through the fabric district, where you could buy fabric by the kilo.
We passed by cooking utensil stores…
It was a swhirl of colour and movement. It’s a town full of energy and spirit.
And we learned about the dress etiquette that’s favoured in Turkey for engagements, weddings, any event you can imagine! We saw many, many instances of young women dressed up to the hilt in their dazzling bell-shaped gowns at local restaurants and historical sites throughout our stay. We were constantly finding pearls and sequins strewn across the ground wherever we stepped… It’s all so super-interesting!
Our next stop was at the more sober 14th century Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii). I hadn’t entered a mosque before as I was never sure about the rules regarding foreigners and specifically, women. With Fatih’s help I learned a few rules: don’t enter when there’s a service. Remove your shoes before stepping onto the carpet entryway. As a woman cover your head with a scarf and ensure that your shoulders are covered and skirt or pants are at least at knee length. As a man, remove any hats and ensure that you wear longer shorts or pants. You can walk anywhere you like around the hall of the mosque. You should observe silence or whisper quietly. You can photograph whatever you wish but not in the vicinity of anyone who is praying as it’s disrespectful. We didn’t encounter any objections and were always welcomed warmly whenever we visited a mosque in Eastern Turkey.
After the mosque visit we wandered into the nearby park and encountered the Ramazanoğlu Mansion. The mansion was built by Ramazanoğlu Halil Bey in 1495. The selamlık section, where state affairs were conducted, and the harem section, where the family lived, are still standing. There is also a terrace with a pool on the upper floor. Suleiman the Magnificent and Murat IV also stayed in the mansion, which has remained standing for over 500 years since it was built.
A word of warning. Don’t be enticed by the offer to buy entry to the attached garden. It’s nothing other than a small paved courtyard of no note whatsoever, except for a toilet block!
We continued our wandering and eventually found ourselves alongside the Seyhan River which runs through Adana and caught some views of the Roman bridge.
Here we sampled another specialty of Adana – a bici bici – which was a rose flavoured grated ice confection with gel cubes. Fatih and Mujdat wouldn’t have a bar of it. But it really was fairly inoffensive and a relief in the heat.
Our final stop for the day was the Sabanci Central Mosque built as recently as 1998 and apparently the second largest mosque in Turkey. The construction was funded by the Sabanci Family, hence its name. It’s huge and the interior is fabulous. It’s definitely worth a visit.
It had been a long day, but one thing remained to be done, and that was to sample the famous Adana Kebabs! On the recommendation of one of Fatih’s friends we decided to try the Yesil Kapi. Had we not been with Fatih and Mujdat this would have been an entirely overwhelming challenge that we wouldn’t have had the courage to conquer on our own. It was frantic, impossibly crowded, hot, humid and entirely conducted in Turkish.
We found ourselves seated on kiddie size tables and chairs and then the plates started to land on the table. And the kebabs were excellent!!!!
Aaaahh yessss… a great end to another great day!
