Exploring
Turkey
Uncovering The Past
~ by Nicolas Remy
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Ionia:
Somewhere InBetween Asia and Europe
Turkey has
often been in the news in the past year. Concerning the conflicts in the
Middle East, it was repeatedly portrayed as a major mediator between the
Arab and western nations. Admittedly, it is the nation bridging the gap
between Asia and Europe: the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits separate
the tiny European Turkish territory from the much larger Asia Minor, and
two bridges make the Asia-Europe connection a reality.
Nevertheless,
Turkey is a very large country, and one with very pronounced regional disparities.
In a sense, this is what makes it a hybrid nation, one with characteristics
gradually evolving from distinctly Asian in the east to arguably very European
in the west. This mixed heritage in culture, way of life and mentalities
is a byproduct of a long and rich history of nations and religions overpowering
each other in the area, of a tolerant and open-minded tradition, and of
an ideal geographical situation.
And to illustrate
the topic of Turkey as a crossroads of civilizations through time, either
in a virtual journey with us, or in actual travel, let us go and explore
Ionia: both western and Asian, since it is bordered by the Aegean but south
and east of the straits. This region has seen the Greeks, the Romans, Byzantium,
and the Ottomans to name perhaps the most important. The heritage that
can be witnessed throughout the land, both in its monuments and its people,
comes from these great civilizations which have made modern Turkey. However,
for the sake of completeness I should also mention that Asia Minor has
also formed part of other realms such as that of the Hittites, Seljuks,
or Mongols.
Ionia can be
interestingly explored from the Southern Aegean coastal city of Kuadas
(note the spelling, with an s with cedilla and a dotless i; more on that
later). It is a major seaside resort nowadays, and is somewhat south-central
relative to the three major valleys of Ionia. You will find all you need
in Kuadas, whether looking for accommodation, shopping, food, and so on.
Of course, if it weren’t for the mosques, you would feel very much in a
western environment, since this is a common dwelling place for tourists,
most of those being either European or North-American. As an example, the
Euro is very widely accepted. Concerning currency, beware! The Turkish
pound (TL) has repeatedly lost value on financial markets and is now to
be counted in millions. 1 € is approximately equal to 1,500,000 TL,
and very often, the last three zeros are omitted in prices advertised.
Don’t be mistaken into thinking everything is excessively cheap!
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| On the
history of Ephesus: First off, it was founded around the 11th century
BC, and was one of the 12 city-states of Ionia (initially a confederation
set up in western Asia Minor, and including other great cities such as
Smyrna, Miletus or Phocea). It then gravitated in the Greek realm until
Rome conquered the area in the 2nd century BC. Ephesus was already at its
third or fourth settlement at the time, having moved a few hundred or thousand
meters at times for reasons among which featured prominently the silting
up of the harbor. Above photo is of the Grand Theater at Ephesus. |
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Ephesus
Now perhaps
the closest and most evident point of interest is Ephesus (Efes). This
ancient city is but 15 km from Kuadas, close to the modern town of Selçuk.
Ephesus can ring a number of bells for those of you with notions of ancient
history, and it is the perfect example of western Turkey’s multicultural
past. First off, it was founded around the 11th century BC, and was one
of the 12 city-states of Ionia (initially a confederation set up in western
Asia Minor, and including other great cities such as Smyrna, Miletus or
Phocea). It then gravitated in the Greek realm until Rome conquered the
area in the 2nd century BC. Ephesus was already at its third or fourth
settlement at the time, having moved a few hundred or thousand meters at
times for reasons among which featured prominently the silting up of the
harbor. Shortly after, Ephesus became an important center of the new-born
Christian faith, but the city’s decline was already underway. It was plundered
in the third century AD by the Goths, and finally abandoned by the 14th
century, although the modest town of Selçuk remains today.
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A shot
of the town of Sirince.
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Now,
as I was saying, you could have heard of Ephesus because of its famed temple
to the Artemis (or Diana in Greek), goddess of hunting, game, nature, harvest
and the Moon. This temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and
remains have been found of but a single pillar of the ancient temple. It
is, however, the only other remain of the Seven Wonders, apart from the
Egyptian pyramids. Now, fortunately, the ancient city has not entirely
suffered as the temple did, on the contrary. Rumor has it that Ephesus
is the best preserved and most superb Greco-Roman site around the Mediterranean.
Indeed, one can only marvel in awe, when faced with the gigantic Greek
theater. It could seat a whopping 25,000 spectators, and is built on the
flank of a hill, which makes it even more impressive. The skene of the
theater has suffered however. Only its supporting columns can be seen today,
and the wall that acted as a backdrop for the shows no longer stands. This
provides a fabulous view when seated atop the 40 or so rows of seats. From
up there, the disappearance of the sea is all the more noticeable: the
harbor had already been silting up in ancient days, remember? Well today,
the port lies nearly 8 km from the coast! No wonder the seaside city lost
all of its ancient luster.
Another of
the reasons Ephesus could mean something to you can be found in the New
Testament. Remember the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians? Well here they
dwelled… The later Roman Empire, and especially the Byzantine period, was
a time of expansion for the Christian faith. However, in the early days,
this new belief was not welcome. Saint Paul stopped in Ephesus during his
second journey to set up a congregation, and visited the newly formed community
again during his third journey.
Paul was not
the only apostle to come to Ephesus. Saint John even came to live, and
perhaps died, in Ephesus, along with the Virgin Mary. Although their presence
there is sometimes disputed, it is traditionally believed that the Evangelist
wrote his Gospel and his three Epistles there. It appears John and Mary
had a hard time convincing and leading the Christian congregation in Ephesus,
since the Christian faith was often challenged. Today, the site of Saint
John’s burial can be seen in the form of ruins: a basilica was built in
the early Middle Ages on the site of his tomb, and its remains can be visited
today. The Virgin Mary’s house, also in Selçuk, just a few km from
Ephesus proper, was a popular pilgrimage in the old days.
Going forward
in history, after the Greco-Roman and Christian eras, the region abounds
with opportunities to witness the modern Turkish way of life. Beware, however,
of guided hotel tours for westerners. Local guides even have you visit
“typically typical” places, which means everything is in fact prearranged
so as to look traditional. Very often, these are marketplaces, or fabrics
of either carpets or jewelry: in short, anyplace where you could be likely
to buy souvenirs. |
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Witnessing
true Turkey is not that difficult, though. From Kuadas or Selçuk,
just hop on a collective taxi or mini-bus. That will be a first step in
experiencing the local way of traveling. It doesn’t cost much, and is remarkably
efficient. Plus, it’s a lot of fun. And it’s also the best way to meet
the wonderfully pleasant Turks. Perhaps a good destination would be Sirince,
very close by. This is a charming little village “lost” in the mountain.
It’s a very good opportunity to discover the rural environment, whose most
striking element is probably the amazing number of wild olive trees growing
everywhere. Goats abound, the houses look very nice with their white façades
and red roof tiles. Leaving the tourist-treaded commercial streets, and
climbing into the village, you will be rewarded with both nice views from
atop, and with the sight of wonderful countryside abandoned churches. In
fact, they are probably used very rarely. In this village, the Christian
faith departed remarkably late. Whereas the Turks arrived in Ionia somewhere
around the 11th century, gaining hegemony with the fall of Constantinople
(nowadays Istanbul) in 1453, this village remained of Greek influence until
the 20th century. Greece also lived under the Ottoman rule until then,
but defeat in World War I sealed the fate of the large Muslim empire. Boundaries
were drawn up after five years of war against Greece (1918-1923), and thus
populations had to leave for their “homeland”. Greek orthodox inhabitants
of Sirince left and were replaced with Turkish Muslim populations from
mainland Greece. This explains the unusual concentration of churches in
a relatively good condition. It also illustrates the cultural mix and heritage
of modern Turkey.
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| Bafa
Lake
The Ottoman
Empire was constitutionally a Muslim state. However, in spite of numerous
conflicts with its Christian neighbors, it was a relatively mild regime,
especially since it occupied vast areas of southeastern Europe, where Orthodox
Christianity was predominant. Churches were not destroyed systematically,
and Christians continued to live in the area for a long time. This can
be understood in perhaps the most dramatic site of Bafa Lake. This is a
little far off to the south of Ku?adas?. You’ll need to rent a car to get
there, but you’ll be assured to run into mostly Turks and very few tourists.
The lake is very peaceful nowadays, but it must have been a bustling provincial
town in Antiquity. Indeed, the lake was a bay in those days, and it has
since been sealed off from the sea by the Büyükmenderes (or River
Great Meander, the one which gave its name to “meanders”). Hiking up into
the hills surrounding the village, the view spreads on the modest village,
and the ancient harbor of Herakleia. Eventually, you’ll end up completing
the trio of Turkish village and Greco-Roman ruins with old Christian monasteries.
Several of these are withdrawn from civilization, and monks or hermits
lived up there. Mosaics are even visible in places. It’s only a one or
two hour hike, and you’ll be witnessing the magic cocktail of Turkey: a
little bit of each among Antiquity, Byzantine Orthodox, and Turkish.
An ultimate
notion of history will help you conveniently. In the 1920s, with the Ottoman
breakdown and the emergence of the Turkish Republic, a great statesman
came of age in the person of Mustafa Kemal “Atatürk”. His nickname
means Father of the Turks, a title which was bestowed upon him as an acknowledgement
of his service to the Turkish nation. Indeed, he started a number of reforms
aimed at modernizing and industrializing Turkey. He abolished religious
law, and based the new Turkish law on Swiss and Italian models, importantly
separating state and religion. Perhaps the most remembered of his reforms
was the Reform of the Letters, which took place in 1928. Until then, Turkish
was written with the Arabic alphabet. The whole language was transcribed
into a variant of the Latin alphabet. It uses 29 letters, dropping the
letters q, w and x, and adding six letters: ç, ?, ?, ö, ?,
and ü. These are pronounced respectively ch as in chair, a variant
of gh or zh, e as in number, u as in urge, sh as in shelf, and u as in
nude. It does make it easier to read Turkish than Arabic, and even if you’re
not proficient in Turkish, you won’t have the feeling you’re lost. And
ironically, if you feel like hopping back to the western world, by taking
the boat from Kuadas to nearby Samos (Greece), you’ll probably have far
more trouble reading ????? than Kuadas! You wouldn’t be just west yet,
and Turkey is not that much east either, is it? |
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If
you would like to contact Nicolas Remy Click
Here. If you would like to see more photos of Turkey Click
Here.
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