Monday, November 13, 2006
On Saturday I took a day-trip with Elli Sol to Beypazari, a quaint town about 1 1/2 hours from Ankara. I signed up through the University travel guide (they run 3-4 trips a month), and was told that I'd probably be the only male, since the bus would be full of women going to buy jewelry, but I wanted to see a little of Turkey anyway.
Elli Sol and I took two dolmuses early Saturday to get to the university on time. The bus was only half full, and we met a woman originally from Cincinnati (30 years in Turkey!) and her husband, the head of the foreign languages school at ODTU. There were two other men on the bus too, so I didn't feel so out of place. Fifteen miles out of Ankara, however, we stopped under a highway underpass and 20 middle-aged ladies climbed on the bus, all headed for Beypazari's jewerly markets.
Our trip took us through strange terrain, a kind of Turkish Badlands full of sandy mesas and huge desolate valleys. We passed through a few cities and towns, but generally the landscape was barren of people - after the congestion of Ankara it was nice to see just open space. The area we were headed to is an agricultural area, and we saw sheepherders and their flocks, and fields that still retained miles of raised concrete culverts that brought necessary water. The only other people were very small pockets of field workers, and it looked like slow, backbreaking work.
Before entering the town of Beypazari, we traveled through a narrow gully that was hemmed in by two-hundred yard walls on each side. Dug into the walls were the remains of caves that had been used as living quarters in the very distant past. We also visited a sparkling mineral water bottling plant, complete with free samples (the buying began immediately - my fellow passengers bought about 20 cases of the water, and quickly stowed it under the bus, where I imagine it would get quite shaken up as we drove on the rest of the day).
Then it was onto to Beypazari itself, which reatins about 300 of the Ottoman houses that used to exist in parts of Turkey. These are not all concrete or adobe, but have wood frames, and each story is a little larger than the preceeding one. They kind of have the look of a Swiss chalet. The bottom floor was for the livestock, etc., and was made of stone, and the second and third (and fourth sometimes) were were the living and sleeping took place. We went inside one, converted into a museum, and it had a nice wood interior (though the woodwork didn't compare to old Norwegian homes I've seen). One interesting facet was the ornate cupboard toilet, which allowed one to stay in their living room and take care of business rather than go outside.
As we walked, we saw some of the local products - homemade noodles (hard) sold in large bags, crispy rolls (but when fresh out of the oven, as they were from some shops), and a type of candied carrot/Turkish delight, that is very tasty (I bought some rolled around walnuts for home).
We had a nice lunch in another converted home; the place we went is known for their sarma, which is a bit of rice and beef rolled very tightly in grape leaves. At lunch I sat with the Cincinnati couple, and another couple WHO HAD LIVED ON THE SAME STREET AS US IN ALBANY! Talk about a small world. Keren (the husband) is Turkish, and had worked for the New York State School Board's Association as a researcher; his wife Gloria was originally from Guatamala. They have lived in other countries as well, including a long stint in Saudi Arabia, and have now retired to a little community just outside one of the University gates. We have plans to meet this Saturday (Silvia and the kids can practice their Spanish), and we can talk about how this world may be too small.
After lunch, it was on to a jewelry area, with many small shops selling filigree (sp?) silver. There was one beautiful box, with the finest spirals of silver making up designs, about the size of my hand. I asked how much, and the proprietor weighed it to determine the price (it is silver, after all). It was about $200 U.S. dollars (and probably well worth it). Everywhere we went, they weighed the items to determine the prices (the craftsmanship must be factored in somehow). We also were invited in to see three men in a back room making jewelry. They had tiny torches and tools, and worked on small stone slabs.
After an hour of "shopping," we went to see some different crafts being made. First we went into a textile factory, which consisted of about 10 sewing machines and weaving machines apparatus, where women were working making small handbags and linen cloths. In the same building there were large looms where carpets were being made by hand. On the floor below, there were several tables of jewelry craftsmen/women, and there I found the cheapest silver goods (and of course bought some - I got Elli Sol and Mara fine-spun silver lockets and silver chains for about $5 each. Next door we were shown how the textiles were dyed (with colors made from various plants and flowers).
The day ended with some free-time in the town, and then a ride home in the dark (Elli Sol slept, and then said "That was quick," not believing she slept). Back to the highway underpass, 20 women unloaded bags of items and cases of mineral water, and then back to the university, where Elli Sol and I took two dolmuses to get home. A great day, and I hope to take advantage of the university service to see more of Turkey.
Elli Sol and I took two dolmuses early Saturday to get to the university on time. The bus was only half full, and we met a woman originally from Cincinnati (30 years in Turkey!) and her husband, the head of the foreign languages school at ODTU. There were two other men on the bus too, so I didn't feel so out of place. Fifteen miles out of Ankara, however, we stopped under a highway underpass and 20 middle-aged ladies climbed on the bus, all headed for Beypazari's jewerly markets.
Our trip took us through strange terrain, a kind of Turkish Badlands full of sandy mesas and huge desolate valleys. We passed through a few cities and towns, but generally the landscape was barren of people - after the congestion of Ankara it was nice to see just open space. The area we were headed to is an agricultural area, and we saw sheepherders and their flocks, and fields that still retained miles of raised concrete culverts that brought necessary water. The only other people were very small pockets of field workers, and it looked like slow, backbreaking work.
Before entering the town of Beypazari, we traveled through a narrow gully that was hemmed in by two-hundred yard walls on each side. Dug into the walls were the remains of caves that had been used as living quarters in the very distant past. We also visited a sparkling mineral water bottling plant, complete with free samples (the buying began immediately - my fellow passengers bought about 20 cases of the water, and quickly stowed it under the bus, where I imagine it would get quite shaken up as we drove on the rest of the day).
Then it was onto to Beypazari itself, which reatins about 300 of the Ottoman houses that used to exist in parts of Turkey. These are not all concrete or adobe, but have wood frames, and each story is a little larger than the preceeding one. They kind of have the look of a Swiss chalet. The bottom floor was for the livestock, etc., and was made of stone, and the second and third (and fourth sometimes) were were the living and sleeping took place. We went inside one, converted into a museum, and it had a nice wood interior (though the woodwork didn't compare to old Norwegian homes I've seen). One interesting facet was the ornate cupboard toilet, which allowed one to stay in their living room and take care of business rather than go outside.
As we walked, we saw some of the local products - homemade noodles (hard) sold in large bags, crispy rolls (but when fresh out of the oven, as they were from some shops), and a type of candied carrot/Turkish delight, that is very tasty (I bought some rolled around walnuts for home).
We had a nice lunch in another converted home; the place we went is known for their sarma, which is a bit of rice and beef rolled very tightly in grape leaves. At lunch I sat with the Cincinnati couple, and another couple WHO HAD LIVED ON THE SAME STREET AS US IN ALBANY! Talk about a small world. Keren (the husband) is Turkish, and had worked for the New York State School Board's Association as a researcher; his wife Gloria was originally from Guatamala. They have lived in other countries as well, including a long stint in Saudi Arabia, and have now retired to a little community just outside one of the University gates. We have plans to meet this Saturday (Silvia and the kids can practice their Spanish), and we can talk about how this world may be too small.
After lunch, it was on to a jewelry area, with many small shops selling filigree (sp?) silver. There was one beautiful box, with the finest spirals of silver making up designs, about the size of my hand. I asked how much, and the proprietor weighed it to determine the price (it is silver, after all). It was about $200 U.S. dollars (and probably well worth it). Everywhere we went, they weighed the items to determine the prices (the craftsmanship must be factored in somehow). We also were invited in to see three men in a back room making jewelry. They had tiny torches and tools, and worked on small stone slabs.
After an hour of "shopping," we went to see some different crafts being made. First we went into a textile factory, which consisted of about 10 sewing machines and weaving machines apparatus, where women were working making small handbags and linen cloths. In the same building there were large looms where carpets were being made by hand. On the floor below, there were several tables of jewelry craftsmen/women, and there I found the cheapest silver goods (and of course bought some - I got Elli Sol and Mara fine-spun silver lockets and silver chains for about $5 each. Next door we were shown how the textiles were dyed (with colors made from various plants and flowers).
The day ended with some free-time in the town, and then a ride home in the dark (Elli Sol slept, and then said "That was quick," not believing she slept). Back to the highway underpass, 20 women unloaded bags of items and cases of mineral water, and then back to the university, where Elli Sol and I took two dolmuses to get home. A great day, and I hope to take advantage of the university service to see more of Turkey.
# posted by Michael Strich @ 8:24 PM 
