EASTERN TURKEY

In the last issue of &RPSDVV, author Jeremy Seal took us on an evocative journey through the remote region of Eastern Turkey. Now Konstantinos D. Politis – Cox & Kings’ Royal Academy Art Tours lecturer and British Museum special assistant – leads us through the area’s rich history and culture, which has shaped this fascinating and under-explored region.

he north-eastern Anatolian Plain is the empire’s capital. Though this was there in the 6th century, but what remains one of the least-known, less-visited ended by no one less than the Ottoman today is mostly from later periods. The Tregions of modern Turkey. And yet Sultan Mehmet II, who conquered the monastery gained such significance by the it is the stage upon which some of the most city in 1461 - eight years after his capture 14th century, that the Emperor Alexius fascinating history of the last 4,000 years of Constantinople. Trabzon went on to III Commenus chose it for his coronation played out. A place where Asian, eastern flourish under Turkish rule in the 16th in 1349. Its fame persevered until 1923 cultures met - and often clashed - with century, being the courtly residence of when it was forcibly abandoned, but not powerful European influences from the Selim the Grim and his son Suleiman forgotten. In August 2010 Sumela was west; a place where the unique, indigenous the Magnificent. WWI hostilities were chosen for the first modern ecumenical peoples fought to survive. to drastically change its urban character, service outside of Istanbul conducted by though it has recently recovered its the Greek Orthodox Patriarch. The Eastern Turkish odyssey begins position as a major Black Sea city. at the great port city of Trabzon, ancient The road to Erzurum lies on the Trapezus, on the southern shore of the There are many important Byzantine ancient caravan route to Persia, passing Black Sea. It was originally founded in churches with beautiful wall frescos through the lush, rolling Zigana Pass and the 8th century B.C. by ancient Greek in the region, but none more so than sub-terrain stone-built houses, just as colonists from Sinope, the naval harbour the magnificent Sumela monastery, Xenophon described in the 5th Century of Pontus. This was the hometown of dramatically positioned at the foot of steep B.C. Here local people dress in traditional the ancient geographer Strabo, and the cliffs overlooking the picturesque Altındere outfits – brightly coloured, floral dresses sacred ground upon which Xenophon National Park. It was founded in A.D. 385, for the women; baggy trousers and and the Ten Thousand marched. Trabzon’s when legend has it that an icon painted by twirled headscarves for the men – and live strategic location made it an important St Luke of the Holy Virgin miraculously quite differently to those in westernised commercial centre in the following Roman appeared in a cave. The Emperor Justinian western Turkey. Erzurum – the land of the and Byzantine periods: it even became is said to have established a huge monastery Byzantine-Rums, as named by the Seljuk

94 COX & KINGS Hagia Sophia (Church of the Divine Wisdom)

Sumela Monastery, Trabzon Icona from Sumela Monaster

Turks who conquered it in 1103, and complex power-struggles between around the 9th century BC. The name The Rock more recently by NATO - was Byzantine Greeks, Georgians, Seljuk Ararat comes from the Old Testament and is a provincial capital. Over the centuries Turks and Mongols, it was the devastating a corruption of Urartu (the Latin translation Armenians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, earthquake of 1319 which saw the final is, Armenia). Near Lake Van (Turkey’s largest Turks, Mongols and Russians have all fought demise of Ani. But its splendour can still lake) lies the city of Van, ancient Tuspha, to control this most strategic position in be witnessed today, by the survival of which is the focal point of this most-ancient eastern Anatolia. Although they all left dozens of beautifully adorned churches culture. Along with other nearby ancient their mark, it is the Seljuk and Ottoman and massive defensive walls. sites of Cavustepe and Van Evi, this was a monuments that survive to embellish the flourishing region and associated with the city today. The grand mosques of Ulu If one is to choose a single building legendary Garden of Eden. Cami and Lala Mustafa Pasha Camii, and complex to represent Eastern Turkey, then Koranic school of Cifte Minare Medrese it must be the awe-inspiring, 18th century At the centre of Lake Van is the island are the most remarkable. Ishak Pasha Palace. This truly magnificent of Akdamar, where the spectacularly structure is only matched by its stunning decorated Armenian Church of the Holy The ancient ruins of Ani are one location, on a sweeping valley slope across Cross was built from 915 to 921. Amazing of the great sights and sites of Eastern from Mount Ararat. Built along the caravan depictions of animals, birds, people and Turkey: nowhere else so readily recreates route controlling trade with the east, it is a biblical scenes, intertwined with intricate the impression of a vast capital city. symbol and testament to the vast wealth floral motifs, are all sculpted onto the Known as the City of 1001 Churches, it generated by the Silk Road. pink sandstone walls of the church. This is not surprising Ani was compared to magnificent building in its dramatic Constantinople Cairo. Founded as the The region south of Mount Ararat lacustrine setting was the venue of the first centre of the Bagtarid Dynasty in 961 was the homeland of the ancient Urartu Eucharist service in a hundred years, given A.D, it boasted a population of 100,000. civilisation, known to us from inscriptions by the Armenian Orthodox Archbishop in Although consecutive years involved and other archaeological remains from September 2010.

Konstantinos D. Politis

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