We started today with a visit to the Mevlana Museum which is a memorial to Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi who inspired the Whirling Dervishes, the famous practice of whirling as a form of remembrance of God. Mevlana died in 1273 and was laid to rest beside his father. The Mevlana Mausoleum was erected over their remains and this building is now a museum and place of pilgrimage. The museum explained the philosophy behind the movement and is the resting place for many of the senior members of the movement.
Back to the coaches and further inland over flat infertile plains towards Cappadocia. Enroute we visited the Sultanhani Caravanserai… a massive stone building built in the 13th Century which is the largest caravanserai of its period in Turkey. It is strategically located and was used as a stopping off place for the camel caravans that plied the trade routes along the ancient Silk Road. The caravanserai has two main areas - one for the animals to board and the other for their owners and other travellers.
There was another stop in this barren region and that was at one of the many Underground Cities at Cappadocia. They are guessed to be used since the Bronze Age as a settlement mostly in Byzantine period. In this period, increasing invasions forced local residents to build underground cities for protection and religious purposes. There were 5 levels including living areas, kitchens, sleeping spaces and storage rooms; all carved out of the soft tuff/ash stone and linked by narrow corridors. A large disc shaped stone was rolled across the openings for protection.
At the end of the day we visited a carpet showroom and watched as young girls demonstrated the intricate method of weaving wool and silk carpets. We had an entertaining presentation of the various styles and sizes of carpets and then the sales men moved in for the hard sell… 10 sales were made…. Beautiful carpets woven with intricate traditional patterns made from wool or silk but not for a mud brick house.
No comments:
Post a Comment