Turkey - a Country on Two Continents

Turkey - A Country on Two Continents

by Dr. Roger McCoach, Professor, Department of Mathematics

Sometimes when people ask me why I want to visit a certain country, it can be a difficult question to answer - it might be for personal reasons, for reasons they may not understand, or it might even be for reasons that I can’t put a handle on myself. Answering this question concerning Turkey, however, is not a problem.

This fascinating country is a study in contrasts. It is ancient and modern, religious and yet surprisingly secular, both commercialized and unspoiled, and electric and quite ordinary. Turkey is a country drenched in history with layers and layers of civilization, its sacred sites revered by Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike. The country is home to 10,000 years of culture, and in fact, the country boasts more Roman archaeological sites than in all of Italy and more Greek ruins than in Greece.

Turkey does, indeed, lie on two continents. A relatively small area of land in the northwestern part of the country lies in Europe while the remainder is in Asia. A bit larger than Texas in area, its 72 million people are surrounded by eight countries (Bulgaria, Syria, Iraq, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, and Azerbaijan) and four seas (the Black Sea to the north, the Aegean Sea to the southwest, the Maramara Sea to the northwest and the Mediterranean Sea to the south). There are an astounding 5,178 miles of coast line in the country.

The tour began in Istanbul (called Constantinople before 1453), the only city in the world which straddles two continents, the continents divided by the Bosporus Strait. Throughout history Istanbul has been of significant geostrategic importance, controlling access in and out of the Black Sea. In fact, it might be the most contested city on the planet having been attacked over the centuries by Xerxes, Alexander the Great, the Romans, Darius, the Crusaders, Arab raiders, the Huns, the Bulgarians, the Ottomans, and others.

What is called the “historic peninsula” in Istanbul contains many of the historical treasures of the country. The Hagia Sophia was originally built in 390 AD, serving as a church until 1453 when Mehmet II conquered then Constantinople and converted it to a mosque. In 1934 president Kemal Ataturk made the site a museum as it remains today. Hagia Sophia is a colossal structure - in fact, with its huge dome the Statue of Liberty (without pedestal) could fit inside the building. There are many beautiful religious frescos and mosaics at the site, some of them having been partially destroyed centuries earlier.

Close to the Hagia Sophia is the Basilica Cistern, an immense underground water storage facility originally built in 532 AD. Walking on wooden walkways by hundreds of supporting marble columns rising above the water in this serene, dark chamber reminds one of scenes from Phantom of the Opera. The sounds of dripping water, hushed lighting, and softly played classical music provide a mysterious atmosphere to this historical artifact.

The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul was the imperial residence for the Ottoman Sultans, their courts, and their harems for 400 years. Although having the third most important collection of porcelain in the world (after Beijing and Dresden) and the fifth largest diamond in the world (86 carats) the Topkapi Palace is probably best known for its emerald and diamond clad dagger made famous in the 1964 movie, Topkapi.

There are many interesting facts concerning the sultans who lived in the Topkapi Palace. When a sultan would order the execution of someone abroad, he would insist that the head be brought back to him as proof of the killing. Sultans would eat off celadon china plates as the pigments in the plate would change color when in contact with poison. A new sultan would frequently drown the concubines of the previous sultan to insure that there would not be the birth of a child who might lay claim to the throne. A sultan might have up to 800 concubines at one time. An early form of Iron Chef America took place when chefs from all over the world would compete against each other at the Topkapi Palace in rice cook-offs, hoping to obtain a position in one of the sultan’s kitchens. Tulips got their name from the colorful turbans worn by the sultans – the flowers were being grown in Turkey 1,000 years before being introduced to Europe in the 1560’s.

Visits on the historic peninsula were also made to the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome. Built in 1617, the Blue Mosque gets its name from over 20,000 blue tiles that line the interior walls. The mosque has a beautifully arranged cascade of domes that spill down from the impressive central dome, which has hundreds of stained-glass windows that sparkle like jewels just below it. The Hippodrome (Greek for “horse” and “path”) was the sporting and social center of Constantinople for centuries. At this site, one hundred thousand people would attend chariot races, see gladiators getting massacred, and witness royal celebrations. On the grounds there is a 15th century BC obelisk with hieroglyphics (in shockingly good condition) that was brought to Turkey from Karnak in Egypt in 390 AD. The monolith served as a turnaround point for the chariot races.

Over the centuries Turkish cuisine has been able to combine the culinary expertise from the Ottoman Empire, Southern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Balkans into a wonderful style of cooking producing tasteful and nutritious food. Food is taken quite seriously in the country ... in fact, some chefs at the Topkapi Palace spent their entire lives trying to perfect one recipe. There is a saying in Turkey ... “Come for the history, but stay for the food.”

A Turkish dinner begins with hot and cold mezes (appetizers) placed in the middle of the table for all to share. Our garden salad is called Shepherd’s Salad and consists of colorful lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, vinegar, and sometimes chili. Borek is thinly rolled pastry wrapped around various savory fillings. The meze that we had most often was “cheese cigars” ... pastries enclosing delectable melted white cheese. A Turkish traditional saying declares that no female should marry until she has mastered the art of borek making. Fried aubergine consists of eggplant stuffed with tomato, meat, onion, and spices. Dolma is vine or cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables, and fresh yogurt is always at the table.

Main dishes include gozleme which is a simple dish that has been made in the villages of Turkey for centuries. We witnessed the food being made by some women in the countryside, preparing the food for a cherry festival the following day. A pile of dough is rolled paper thin into a circle on some flour. The dough is cooked on top of a wood- heated and curved black iron griddle. The bread (called lava) is now taken off the griddle where foods such as ground meat, vegetables, and cheeses are added on top. It is then folded up and placed back on the griddle for a final heating. The end result is a delicious meal reminding one of our crepes.

One night I had a kumpir which is a huge baked potato with the cooked potato carved out of the skin shell and mashed with butter and cheese. This mixture is put back into the skin shell and then topped with any number of two dozen ingredients (vegetables, meats) that one chooses. Kofte are fried meatballs, and kebabs are roasted, boiled or grilled meat (usually lamb or chicken) - we are most familiar with shish kebabs on a stick.

Turkish bath houses (hamams) have existed for centuries, numbering 237 in Istanbul at one time. In fact, Mahmut I had a hamam built specifically to help finance his own library. The baths are more than just a place for a cleansing. They also serve as social centers where people of all economic statuses can freely come to celebrate the 40th day of a child, bride and groom nuptials, or the circumcision of a child. Not wanting to miss this experience, I treated myself to one of these baths.

The bath begins with 10 minutes in a steam room. Wearing only a pestemal (a striped cotton cloth) around the waist, one then enters the bathing room which contains a square marble table in the middle. After lying down on one end of the table, water is poured with a tasi (bowl) all over one’s body. The tellak (the attendant) then commences rubbing you head to foot with a special abrasive glove called a kese. The black pieces

that one sees on the glove are not dirt ... the pieces are actually dead skin. After more water is poured over the body, a soapy rubdown follows (about a foot of soap bubbles are thrown over the body) which included the tellak driving her knuckles into my back and the back of my neck. At the end of the bath, water in decreasing temperature (to close the pores) is poured over the body. A 10 minute rest in another room in a lounge chair with a cold drink listening to soft music completed the experience.

A visit was made to a caravanserai (“caravan palace”), a rectangular fortress-like structure which served as a military base in wartime, but more often as a roadside inn for merchants along the ancient Silk Road. Spaced approximately 30 miles apart (one day’s travel) the caravansaries provided protection for the traders, which in turn kept tax revenues on their overland goods flowing into the sultan’s coffers. The caravanserai would also serve as a marketplace where goods could be sold and also exchanged for road supplies.

We were able to sample a number of different Turkish drinks on the trip. Probably the best known one is called Raki, a clear alcoholic drink distilled from raisins and then redistilled with aniseed. Nicknamed “lion’s milk,” it is similar to the Greek drink, ouzo, and is quite potent being about 90% proof. A liquid version of strawberry sorbet was quite sweet while a plain, white yogurt drink whipped with salt and water called “ayran” was very sour. I tried a Turkish drink called salgam suyu, which translates to “turnip juice.” This tart drink is served cold and contains the juice of black carrot pickles, radishes, turnips plus, yeast, salt, and hot pepper. The drink is often served with long slices of pickled carrots.

Turkish tea (chai) is the most commonly served hot drink and is always served in a tulip- shaped glass. Although it can come in various flavors such as apple, hibiscus, cinnamon, and orange, black tea is the most common, often served on the sweet side. Turkish coffee is

made by simply boiling finely powdered roast coffee beans in a pot. The concoction is then served “as is” in a small porcelain cup - not surprisingly all of the grounds do not settle to the bottom, and sip by sip one can notice an increase in the quantity of grounds being swallowed. When finished with the coffee, you can have your fortune read by examining the remaining sludge.

One of my favorite cities in Turkey was Antalya, a port on the Mediterranean Sea. Much of the city is a labyrinth of narrow streets with stone, cobblestone, or tile roads. Antalya is built on a rocky plateau, and the sunny region around the city boasts long stretches of sandy shoreline. This pretty and very warm area has more 5 star hotels on its beaches than in all of Spain. The residents of Antalya have a joke ... “There are 4 seasons in Antalya - fall, winter, spring, and hell, and the humidity can climb into the triple digits!” In fact, the reporting of temperatures in the city is often in question, as everyone gets the day off should the temperature reach 104 degrees. A visit to the Antalya Museum proved to be an exceptional treat. It has over 5,000 archaeological works on display in 14 exhibition halls. Findings from caves in Turkey go back 50,000 years and one hall is devoted solely to ancient coins. The Gallery of the Gods and the Sarcophagus Gallery have intricately carved statues and tombs often set in rather dramatic settings featuring both darkness and lighted areas with shadows.

A visit was made to the ancient city of Aspendos, known for having one of the best preserved theaters of antiquity. The excellent condition of the 2,000 year old theater is due to the fact that it was constructed with high quality calcareous stone. In addition, at one time the facility was used as a caravanserai, and was thus protected and restored during that period of time.

Partially built into a hillside, the Aspendos Theater can hold up to 20,000 people and is still used today - in the summer of 2010 operas such as Aida, Carmen, and Rigoletto were held there. The acoustics are wonderful - I could easily talk to another member of the tour group who was on the far side of the theater from me. There is a wide gallery at the very top of the 41 rows of seats. Also at the top of the theater, one can find 58 post holes for masts that at one time supported an awning that provided shade for the spectators. Tickets for the ancient productions were usually made of fired clay, with a picture on one side and a row and seat number on the other side.

One of the more unusual experiences on the trip was an overnight farm stay in the sleepy village of Akburun. The town consists primarily of farmers and herders and has a population of 650. We had tea with a group of male farmers on a lazy Sunday afternoon, asking and answering questions among one another. They were as interested in learning about us as we were interested in learning about them.

At the farm in the early morning, we saw a farmer milking his cows one by one in the barn using a machine. After the milking the women shooed the cows out to the pastures on the edge of town. At the end of the day, the cows uncannily know when and how to come back home to be milked. It was fascinating and somewhat eerie to see cows walking down the streets in the village, knowing what streets to turn onto and what farms to turn into to get where they belonged.

We slept on mattresses on the floors and shared a common bathroom. The home cooked meals were excellent with the vegetables on the table grown on the farm. A visit was made to the Akburun Primary School (K-8) in the village. We saw the students in uniforms - next year students in Turkey will not have to wear uniforms when attending school. We all had fun singing songs and interacting with one another. As we were leaving the farm and saying our goodbyes, one of our hosts dripped water from a pitcher onto the ground, a sign wishing us good luck and a safe journey.

Turks definitely have a sweet tooth as can be seen in their varied, sugary desserts. Baklava was a staple at most buffet tables, and honey-soaked flour pastries called hanim gobegi were delicious. Helva is a flaky confection of crushed sesame seeds mixed with chocolate, sugar, and nuts. There were poached apricots with cream, and Turkish Delight, which is a cube shaped, chewy, nougat candy coming in flower and fruit flavors, and dusted with powdered sugar.

Turkish ice cream is similar to our custard except for its texture. Two thickening agents ... mastic (a resin) and salep (a flour made from the root of a purple orchid) produce an ice cream that can be stretched like taffy. The ice cream is hand churned with long paddles and the vendors in Istanbul put on an often hysterical vaudevillian act, making tourists work to get their hands on an ice cream cone as can be seen in the following link ... www.break.com/index/turkish-ice-cream-man.html (Ctrl + Click, volume on).

A very unique experience was seeing the “Ritual of Sema” of the Whirling Dervishes. The whirling dervish is the icon of a branch of Islam based upon the teachings of the poet, Rumi. An important aspect of this mystical order is the 700 year old sema, a ritual consisting of Turkish music, the poetry of Rumi, chanting from the Koran, and the whirling of the dervishes. The dervishes believe that to revolve is the fundamental condition of our existence. They believe that the whirling dance can create a sphere of divine reality and that it brings them closer to God. Dressed in all white garb, the dervishes whirl rapidly for minutes on end in a trance-like state, never getting dizzy or bumping into one another. As they whirl, the outstretched right hand is typically above the body with the palm facing up (facing the heavens) and the left palm faces down (facing the earth). Thus, man serves as a bridge, passing God’s grace and blessing to the world. You can watch part of a performance at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnunfciSr7k (Ctrl + Click, volume on).

A fascinating and very educational experience occurred at a visit to a carpet factory. Turkish carpets are known worldwide for their colors, tones, and patterns with traditional motifs. Only Turkish carpets are made with what are known as double knots which results in a denser and hence more durable product, as well. No two Turkish carpets are the same, and the (only) female carpet weavers always make very small, intentional imperfections because only God is considered to be perfect. Centuries ago a woman might hang one of her carpet creations in a home window to indicate that she was unattached and looking for a male companion. A man would, in turn, examine the quality of the carpet which could indicate the patience of the woman.

The group saw how the carpet factory used natural, vegetable dyes. Indigo plants were used to turn the yarn a blue color, walnut shells created a black/brown color, and since saffron is expensive, the company used tobacco leaves to create a yellow color. There can be as many as 3,000 knots per square inch on a Turkish carpet and a 3' x 1.5' carpet can take a weaver four months to complete. One can go the following link to get an idea of how painstakingly labor intensive the weaving procedure can be ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2fIISRuEAg (Ctrl + Click, volume on).

The tour group learned many interesting things about the country during the tour. For example, to foster a sense of sharing, whirling dervishes will often eat with very long spoons. Awkward to use to feed themselves, they will reach over the table with the spoon and feed another person. To cure a hangover, Turks will have tripe soup with garlic. Almost all graves in Turkey have flowers, plants, or trees surrounding the headstones - the idea is to have a living entity at the sites. In an attempt to curtail smoking in the country (35% smoking rate), all packs of cigarettes have anti-smoking sayings on them in either Turkish or English. Such sayings in large, bold print include the very blunt “Smoking kills,” and “Smoking clogs the arteries and causes heart attacks and strokes.” In a museum the group saw the entire Koran written on hexagonal paper with each of the six sides measuring only 3/4" in length - the height of the book was only 3/4", as well.

Serving in the military is compulsory - 5 months for a college graduate, and 15 months for others. Approximately 20% of the Turkish people live in poverty, but ironically there is no Turkish word for “bitter.” Sugar cubes wrapped in paper reminded me of the food in this form from decades past. Centuries ago, members of the Turkish clergy believed that coffee was intoxicating and had it banned. The drink was also known at one time as “the milk of chess players and thinkers.” A Turkish proverb says that “a cup of coffee guarantees 40 years of friendship.” I learned that Coca-Cola tweaks its recipe depending upon the country where it is being sold - in Turkey the sweetness level is ratcheted up a notch.

Istanbul is amazingly clean considering that there are very few garbage cans in the streets - terrorists can hide their bombs in such cans. At one time ostrich eggs were placed on the chandeliers in the Blue Mosque. The eggs worked as a repellent to spiders, thus keeping the chandeliers cobweb free. A significant amount of the olive oil that is exported from Italy actually originates in Turkey. There is a Florence Nightingale Museum in The Barracks Hospital in Istanbul, honoring her for contributions she made during the Crimean War. The well-known physician on television, Dr. Mehmet Oz, is of Turkish decent. Roasted chestnuts sold on the streets of Istanbul are weighed using a double pan scale with individual weights on one pan used to balance the weight of the chestnuts on the other pan.

A special highlight of the tour was a visit to Ephesus, second to only Pompeii as a Mediterranean Greco-Roman archaeological site. Once inhabited by 250,000 people the site is only about 25% excavated. Built around 117 AD, the Library of Celsus at Ephesus was the third largest library at the time (Alexandra and Pergamum were larger) with a capacity of 12,000 scrolls. Originally built as a mausoleum, the three floor library has a magnificent tiered front facade with lovely statues.

Set on a hillside in Ephesus, terraced houses showed how wealthy people and government officials lived in the first to the seventh centuries AD. The houses had hot and cold running water, inner courtyards, and contained spectacular fresco covered walls and lavish mosaic floors. Heat in these houses was obtained by using clay pipes beneath the floors and inside the walls, which carried hot air.

Built into a hillside, The Great Theater at Ephesus held 25,000 people in its 66 rows and was originally built around 300 BC. The Greeks would often hold three plays a day there (a comedy, a drama, and a historical play). When the Romans occupied the city, they held gladiator and animal battles at the site ... we saw troughs that at one time carried the blood away. St. Paul held a sermon at this theater where he condemned pagan worship.

Many other interesting things were seen and learned about Ephesus. There was a brothel in the city ... with an underground passage connecting it and the Library of Celsus. We saw a centuries old rut in a road that had been created by a chariot centuries ago. There were intentionally created parallel, gauged lines in a sloped stone road that kept chariots from slipping down the passage. Before using a stone toilet, wealthy people would have their slaves sit on the seat to warm it up for them. Quite possibly the first advertisement ever was seen on the Marble Way, a 5th century AD street near the library. Carved into this marble street is a heart, a portrait of a woman, and the imprint of a footprint pointing the way to the brothel next door.

A special feature of the trip was spending 4 days and nights on a charming Turkish gulet (“wooden ship”) - a motorized teak and oak sailboat, about 85 feet long. With the cabins being quite small with hard beds, many people opted to sleep on the deck under the stars. We had all of our meals outside on the deck and the opportunity to swim in the glittering, turquoise colored Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, which were surprisingly warm in June. We went to shore for hikes, and on one of them we visited a shepherd and his family who served us sage tea with honey.

The group pulled off the road to watch local craftsmen repair brass cookware. Pots and pans were coated with tin so they would not be toxic. Polishing and even welding (if needed) took place at the end of the procedure. We also left the road to look at (and jump into) a field of poppies. The government uses the skins of the plants to manufacture opium, which it uses for medicinal purposes.

The tour group visited the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul which has over 4,000 shops (many selling the same merchandise!). The colorful Spice Bazaar had a myriad of different spices, one of them being Turkish Viagra, which consists of honey coated clusters of walnuts and almonds.

The Necropolis of Ancient Myra has numerous tombs built right into a steep rock cliff. By burying their dead at an elevation, the Lycians believed that it would be easier for the deceased to enter heaven. We also visited the Church of St. Nicholas (yes, Santa Claus) in the ancient city of Myra. Legend has it that in the 4th century AD, the benevolent bishop St. Nicholas saved girls from prostitution by dropping dowries down their chimneys, thus making them eligible for marriage. The subsequent merging of legends and folklore yielded our present day jolly red-suited man.

A visit was made to (literally) a ghost town. After the Turkish War for Independence, a population exchange took place in 1924 between Turk and Greek minorities, with thousands of people being repatriated to their home country. The Turks who relocated to this town called Karmylassos could not adjust to the rocky terrain and eventually left. There was a palpable silence as we walked by some of the empty 3,500 stone houses.

For me, the highlight of the tour was a visit to Cappadocia (“land of beautiful horses”), a region in Turkey where hollowed out shelters in soft, volcanic tufa rock riddle the landscape for miles on end. Because of the area being so barren, ancient armies would often bypass the region, thus providing a refuge from persecution for Christians who followed St. Paul who had established the first Christian colonies there.

Hiking through this territory is truly mind-boggling, witnessing its rock formations and whimsical phallic “fairy chimneys” that evolved over thousands of years. We were able to climb into some of the shelters that the early Christian carved out - most of them are elevated so that they could provide a safe haven from enemies (they used ropes with equally spaced knots to climb up and down). We were also able to go into several of the hundreds of elevated frescoed chapels and cave churches which had beautifully painted walls from the Iconoclastic and Byzantine eras. A hot air balloon ride over this magical setting helped gain another perspective on its appearance.

Again to avoid religious persecution, these early Christians showed amazing engineering skills by building 36 underground cities, some of them descending 18-20 levels below ground level. It was astounding to see these underground cities with bedrooms, communal kitchens, wineries, dining rooms, graveyards, warehouses, churches, animal stables, and even baptism pools. There were large, heavy, circular millstone “doors” that could be quickly rolled to close off open entrances if attacked by an enemy. It is estimated that as many as 10,000 people lived in some of these underground cities at one time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaMAEYF1TdI (Ctrl + Click, volume on).

Turkey is truly a wonderful place to visit with its plethora of cultural avenues to pursue and explore. In fact, I am considering a visit to the eastern part of the country which is more rural and conservative compared to the western and central parts that I visited. A big thumbs up goes to this fascinating country.

Appendix (Ctrl + Click)

Basilica Cistern … http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=basilica+cistern&aq=0

Blue Mosque … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocyyxHkCvm8

Cappadocia … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iCtk-axgtM

Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik3Iht-TIN0

Ephesus … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlCU7w-746Q

Kumpir … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcWC9CGBjO0

Obelisk and Hagia Sophia … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zxRjx4Z5uU 19