Ancient Worship Site at Göbeklitepe (Paunch Hill)

Two more pics from Nemrut

Nemrut/Mount Nimrod Part 4

Nemrut/Mount Nimrod Part 3

Nemrut/Mount Nimrod Part 2

I have watched two sunrises from Mount Nimrod, so this was my first sunset. I remember how cold the sunrises were, so I was well prepared with the proper gear. Elisabeth was not convinced until we got to close to the summit. “Ah. The presence of snow should be a clue to the temperature!” I felt so sorry for a father who had to share his light jacket with his little daughter. Several people had to descend before sunset because the bitter cold had gotten to them. I had my heart set on buying a bottle of Ararat (Armenian) brandy that I noticed on the shelf of the gift shop – the perfect “warmer upper”. Only to ind that it had been “sold”! Hah. Nevertheless, our beds weren’t too far from the summit, and our hosts were awaiting us with the BBQ coals ready. The grilled chicken went down well...and some chocolate would have provided additional comfort. Alas, the closest chocolate bar was at the foot of the mountain and I had no intention of driving down.

Nemrut/Mount Nimrod Part 1

We decided to catch the sunset on Mount Nimrod, which seemed much further than anticipated. We found it difficult to find a place to sleep for the night, not having made any reservations. We finally settled for the only room we could find in a motel called the “Çeşmeli” – basic digs for the night. The setting was stunning, with gushing waters from a moutain spring. The food and warmth around an electric heater was the most welcome thing after freezing on the mountain.

Cruising along the Euphrates River

The cruise along the Euphrates River was a perfect start to the day. While it was sunny, we still needed a good layer to protect us from the morning chill. It was good to see that people were calmly going about their lives – there wasn’t anything pushy about trying to get passengers for the boats. It was difficult to imagine the shift in the lives of the common people who had lost their homes and livelihood to the rising waters.

Pistachio Groves on the way to Birecik

Zeugma Mosaic Museum

Mosaics rescued from the flooding caused by the GAP project are now housed in a brand new museum. The large Roman villas are recreated in this magnificent building which is so much better than the museum in Antioch.

A 4-Day Excursion in Southern Turkey

Cruising down the Euphrates from Halfeti. My good friend and former boss, Elisabeth, decided (FINALLY!) to visit me. While she has lived in Turkey for many, many years, she had never been to the south of Turkey. My impending departure from Turkey finally pushed her to fly south and spend four days touring the region over the long weekend of the Youth and Sports holiday (18-21 May, 2011).

The four days took us to the following places:
Day 1: A quick drive through an Afghan Village close to Antioch, the Mosaic Museum in Antioch, Vakıflıköy,a village of Armenian people who grow organic fruit for the European market, the Tunnel of Vespasius close to the ancient harbour on the Mediterranean, close to Syria.
Day 2: Gaziantep. We visited the brand new and officially unopened Zeugma Museum, toured the old town, and stayed in a boutique hotel in the shadow of the castle.
Day 3: Leaving Antep, we drove to Birecik, to cruise down the Euphrates River. Passing pistachio and olive groves, we finally boarded a boat at Halfeti to enjoy a wonderful cruise on the lengendary river. After a light lunch, we drove all the way to Mount Nimrod, burial ground of the Commagene royalty, with spectacular views at sunset. We were lulled to sleep by a gushing mountain Spring and other less memorable sounds.
Day 4: At Elisabeth's urging, we took a ferry across the dammed waters, and headed south to Urfa. We were sorely tempted to stop in Mardin, but we had to make a choice: Mardin, or Urfa an Harran. We picked up a young lad heading to Urfa. As the fates allowed, we took him right home to his village which happened to be a spitting distance from Göbeklitepe, and ancient and important ritual site. After drinking tea in the family compound, we headed off to Urfa (home to the cave of Abraham, the prophet) to see the famous holy fish, and join the bustling crowds of pilgrims. Then, it was onwards to the cave of the Prophet Job, and the village of Harran with its distinctive traditional houses.

Thus ended a rather eventful weekend of traveling and sightseeing.
The pictures in this blog are only backups. Elisabeth took pics most of the time, so I do not have a visual record of the entire visit. (I do have pics from previous visits.)