A visit to the marvelous places of Kurdistan and Mesopotamia. Journey to Turkey
Arrived with a friend in Kurdistan during a long trip to Turkey, with a ferry crossing the Euphrates River after the visit to Nemrut Dagi (see "trip to Turkey-Part I"). Across the river we're in another world, vast prairies where no end in sight, villages of tents in which they are nomadic and camped a lot, a lot of poverty, is another turkey away by the elegance of the western tourist. And indeed here we are in Kurdistan, a region claimed by Kurds, a people without land who lives at the intersection of Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq, and right here in the Turkish part, they have their symbolic capital of Diyarbakir, where we are headed. The road is good but seems to walk on the "roller coaster" because it follows the outlines of the hills which is followed by the rugged slopes of the impressive runs but the traffic is almost nonexistent and so is almost like take it. Diyarbakir is partly walled but as soon as we entered the old town is a sense of bewilderment and fear. We park in a long while strolling artery but we never lose sight of our car, the Fiat Punto with which we started from Italy. It is a chaos unimaginable stores overloaded with spices or a bit dated appliances, the smells typical of a market for Islamic pervade the air, rather dirty and badly dressed rgazzini carry the goods by making breach of carts through the crowd while the Islamic prayer propagates from the minarets. We can not stay here anymore, we're too tense, and so resumed the car back to the west. Still half-deserted streets, whole stretches with no trees and then another big chaotic city, Sanli Urfa. Kurdistan is not a well-defined, some consider that starts immediately after the end of the Anatolian peninsula, others a little further east but definitely there, beyond the Euphrates in northern Mesopotamia history, we are in the land of Kurds. Let us quickly the chaotic center of Sanli Urfa, an ancient city known the Holy Scriptures, and go south towards the border with Syria. We stop at 18 km from the border, to Haran, the village where it seems he was born Abraham. Despite being surrounded by Kurdish territory seems that this village does not belong historically to Kurdistan. Harran is certainly a place outside the world, entirely surrounded by uncultivated land, stony and desert. The houses look alike to the trulli of Alberobello, are clear and serve mainly of clay from the warehouse for the goods because people live in the yard. In fact, it is very hot and it never rains for which the locals extend a carpet to sit there and eat while sleeping or using roof or large beds where you will find the entire large family. When we arrive we are the only tourists and we immediately hooked by a flock of kids in the back posing nude for official guides lead us to a family from which they get the percentage. From that moment we are in the hands of the householder who presents us with many children, we dress like them, as Arabs, shows us his house buckling a couple of junk and makes us sit on the carpet with his family to consume tea. Women have the veil, a sign that here there is full compliance with the Islamic traditions do not seem to give us much confidence. The same kids who had led us here invite us to see the attraction of the place, a caravanserai. E 'night, the lighting is nonexistent, the caravanserai is open and the kids lead us in our path is lit by numerous stars and the light of the phone. Prefer to return rather than being at the mercy of these smart guys. At night we slept on a roof, no walls and a beautiful starry sky on his head. Unfortunately no mattress, only a few blankets to make the surface softer. The family who hosted us salt instead on her big bed whose stems are 3 to 4 meters high! Obviously we do not sleep well for the bed is unlikely to have a look at the car in the courtyard. The next morning we return to the north and bypass Sanli Urfa continue west, crossing the Euphrates probably leave Kurdistan and certainly Mesopotamia.
(For the continuation of the route in Turkey see "trip to Turkey-second part)