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1 June. Breakfast at Beyzade Konak was
supposed to be available from 7 to 10 a.m. We were there from 7:30 and
waited for an hour without seeing anybody! So we went outside in the
main street and had a very nice Turkish breakfast.
At 9:30 we left in a taxi together with two other tourists, Jacques from
Paris and Heribert from Munich, for Mount Nemrut. First we visited the
very impressive Atatürk dam and power station which has only recently
come into operation on the Euphrat River. After a simple but tasty lunch
in Kahta, we visited a more than 2000 year old Commagene burial site and
a Roman bridge over a river built under Emperor Septimus Severus. Next
was the beautiful site of the antique city of Arsameia initially started
in the 3rd century BC with impressive reliefs of King Antiochos I
shaking hands with Herakles.
The highlight of our tour was the sunset visit to Mount Nemrut where
2000 years ago an obscure Commagene king erected his memorial sanctuary.
Two terraces contain gigantic statues of gods and kings, whose heads
have been toppled by several earthquakes.
Our driver, Yussuf, was fortunately a much more careful driver than we
were used to in Iran. Frequently joking and singing, both in Turkish and
Kurdish, he got us safely both up and down the 2150 m mountain. A
minibus going down the mountain was not so lucky: the brakes overheated
due to improper driving down the long and steep 11% slope. The driver
had lost control and turned over several times on the mountain side.
But by the end of the day, we had had enough of Yussuf’s jokes about his
numerous nephews, uncles and cousins: `Congratulations my aunt Angela,
welcome to Mt. Nemrut!`, etc. On the other hand, Jacques and Heribert
were both very interesting to talk to. Heribert is an artist and used to
teach part time at a university in Istanbul. He speaks fluent Turkish
and owns a nice apartment in Istanbul. He invited us to visit him when
we come to Istanbul in a few days.
2 June. The hotel was most apologetic about breakfast, or rather the
lack of it, yesterday. They deducted the cost of one breakfast from our
bill and made sure we were well looked after this morning.
We spent most of the day in Sanliurfa. We wandered round the bazaar
where we sipped tea at a low table, surrounded by old men sipping theirs
and young men working on their Singer sewing machines. Then we set off
in the direction of the cave where the prophet Abraham is said to have
been born and the fortress from which he was supposedly tossed. A young
local guy who spoke a little English approached us and we accepted his
offer to accompany us there. It was hot but mercifully the way up to the
fortress was via a tunnel cut through the rock.
We then visited Golbasi Park surrounded by picturesque mosques, where
our young friend Mustafa bought us some feed for the sacred carps that
live in a nearby pool. We drank tea and Turkish coffee with him before
saying farewell and heading for a new but tastefully designed hotel in
the old style for lunch. Even though Hotel El Ruha is a 5 star, there
was no beer or wine to be had. Still, the food was very good and the
surroundings most agreeable.
Late afternoon we went with Özcan Aslan to Harran 50 kms south of
Sanliurfa with its fortress and remnants of ancient city walls.
Back in Sanliurfa, we finally located the one and only restaurant in
town where wine and beer are served: El Harran hotel. Great to have red
wine with dinner for the first time in 10 days! |
Mt Nemrut
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The heads toppled by earthquakes
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