EAST TURKEY
Crew: Carlo and Jana (Pessano with Bornago - MILAN)
Motorcycles: Kawasaki KLR 650
Miles to drive: 5450
Duration: 2 weeks
Where will we go on holiday this year?
Even Turkey... but we have already been there!
It's true... but we lacked the most in the East, so this year we went back to Turkey to visit the border areas with Armenia and Iran.
Unfortunately we had only 15 days, so we had to do everything a little hurry, and to get quickly to places we wanted to visit, we crossed the country without too many stages in "places already seen."
The first stage (930 km.) led us to Ittita capital of
HATTUSAS near the town of Bogazkale, 120km. For east of Ankara. (photo 1 and 2)
A revelation... this is a huge archaeological site that revolutionized the idea that I had about the Hittites (and here I must confess, to my despite, my ignorance about history). I always imagined the Hittites as people who used to live in hot places... it was a great surprise when I discovered that the capital is about 2000 meters high above sea level, and also since it was 20th of July, the cold was pungent. The visit, however repays all the road done, there are very few tourists and the site is really huge (we must move inside by vehicles, after paying the entrance, through a paved road for a distance of approximately 5 kms... unthinkable to do it walking). There are many references to ancient Egyptian civilization also because of political relations that existed between this two peoples.
By the way you can meet some shepherds (cattles were grazing peacefully within the archaeological site, sharing the area with archaeological groups that were carrying out new excavations), which proposed very gladly to accompany us to visit the salient points of the place, who did not want their help can also rely on a good guide (we had a lonely planet - EDT one) getting the same results.
After visiting the site I suggest to travel a few kilometers to see the holy places located not far from the site of Hattusias (and marked on any map), with particular attention to
YAZILIKAYA... They are also very suggestive.
With a little more calm we reached the archaeological site of
ANI, to visit which must be done a stop in the city of
KARS. (To my great regret we failed to stop at the spa of Balikli Kaplica near Kangal, where the small fishes living into thermal water tanks shall endeavour to do the cleaning of the skin of who dips into, particularly recommended for those suffering from psoriasis).
I found the town of
KARS (photo 3 - which still suffers today of the Russian colonization occurred until the start of this century) really particular. I can not say that it is a beautiful city or that has monuments which deserve a visit, but the greyness of its palaces and roads (the main streets were paved between 2003 and 2004... were the first on earth bar, and teams of men were still working during our visit) is the greatest attraction and curiosity.
ANI (photos 4 and 5) is an ancient abandoned city (as exited from the main trade routes) located approximately 30 kms from
KARS, precisely on the border between Turkey and Armenia. Today, in addition to imposing walls, you can still visit mosques and Armenian churches, which are the only buildings left standing given that of housings remained only the foundations or slightly more. It was a huge town that was comparable in importance to Constantinople, where are still well distinguishable (in addition to religious buildings) the residential areas, commercial areas, warehouses, Hammams and fortifications. The visit requires at least half a day and the entry ticket can be payed directly on the spot (on less up-to-date guides is described a long procedure to be done into the city of
KARS between museum and police posts to get permits in order to enter the archaeological site).
ANI infact, thanks to a new Turkish law of 2003, has opened to the possibility of access site without the need of special permits).
After
KARS we moved to
DOGUBAIAZIT, anonymous border town at the feet of Mount Ararat and last reference point before the border with Iran.
The town itself has nothing interesting if not the monumental palace ISKAPASA (photos 6 and 7) located about 5 kms from the city after a long climb (some parts along the stretch on foot). The palace has been heavily restored (or would be better to say "rebuilt"), but its position (built on the side of a mountain and overlooking a vast plain) and size (more than 300 rooms, with mosque, hammam, housing, harem, garden, courtyards and squares, internal deposits, accommodations for guests and guards) leaves the visitor open-mouthed, imagining what should be the off wealth in the years when it was operative (at the entrance there was also a fountain that waived milk).
Later we moved to
VAN near the omonymous lake (photos 8 and 9). Here beside the beauty of the area is very interesting to visit the Armenian church of AKDAMAR, placed on a small island reached by boats which accompany visitors (heavyly visited today, is a place for small nik used mainly by locals), the fortress of HOSAP (on the border with Iran) and the NEMRUT volcano, whose lava flow has given rise to Lake
VAN. This volcano has the same name of another mountain (Nemrut Dagi) located near the town of Adiyaman which has become important tourist destination thanks to the presence of the tomb of King Antioch. The volcano (contrarily to what happens on Nemrut there are no archaeological finds to visit) is very interesting, specially doing excursions to reach the interior of the crater (about 15 kms of dirt track) where today you can see a huge lake with hot sources (the latter were reported on the guide, but we were unable to find them). This is a very desolate place frequented mainly by local tourists.
Now time is running out and in a few days we have to re-embark to come back in Italy. Thus we return to the port of
CESME doing some stages in different cities to visit. During the return we run straight along stretches of what was called the "silk road", recognizable thanks to names of places (endings "han" and "saray" in the name of countries indicate the presence of caravans) along the route. These towns were prepared at about 35/40 kms of distance to each other (it was the journey daily average of caravans) and we have visited all... some are very well preserved, others less, some have only the ruins or traces of their presence due solely to toponymy.
We come back in Italy with a little of regret, knowing that we won't come back so soon in Turkey, now we have visited all and in the next years we will shift to new destinations. During the outward journey by ferry we met two nice and interesting travel companions: Walter and Fulvio (two motorcyclists who were preparing the first a trip to China, and the second a complete Turkey trip, thanks of availability of more days than us). They gave us several ideas for our future trips.
Already we started to develop a hypothesis for a new round, but first we have to consider that the motorbike has already "fulfilled" its first 40,000 kms. And being a single-cylinder, needs some minor works.
Goodbye from Carlo and Jana.