Tuesday, October 22: Caravansaries, Caves, and Konya
We left Cappadocia this morning and headed for Konya.
Our first stop was the
Kaymakli Underground City. This is one of several "cities" dug underground to protect residents (mostly early Christians) from invaders. This one dates from the 8th century BC.
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| Genghiskhan, our gude |
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| Carpet sales outside the underground city |
Our next stop was at the
Sultan Han caravansary, built in 1229. A caravansary is an inn built to serve travelers (caravans) on the Silk Road.
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| Exterior of Sultan Han caravansary |
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| Interior court of the caravansary |
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| Inside the caravansary |
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| Local paper near the caravansary. I don't understand it either. |
From there we headed to the city of Konya, a relatively modern city with a population of about 1.2 million.
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| Turkish countryside |
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| Housing in Konya |
The two major attractions in Konya are the
Mevlana Museum and the
Alaeddin Mosque, which are side-by-side in the center of the city.
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| Mevlana Museum (left) and Alaeddin Mosque |
The Mevlana Museum contains the mausoleum of Mevlana, the founder of
Sufism (famous for whirling dervishes).
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| Exterior of Mevlana Museum |
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| Exterior shot from the other side |
The Alaeddin Mosque was constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries.
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| Alaeddin Mosque |
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| Central Konya |
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| Street scene near the mosque |
From the mosque, we headed to our hotel in Konya.
Wednesday, October 23: Sagalassos and on to Pamukkale
We left Konya this morning and headed for the ancient site of Sagalassos. On the way we encountered some good mountain scenery and a large lake.
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| Apple orchard |
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| On the shores of the lake |
We stopped for lunch in the town of Ağlasun, near Sagalossos, and took the opportunity to monitor the situation on the Syrian border (which we were not near).
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| A resident of Ağlasun |
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| Countryside near Sagalassos |
Sagalassos was first inhabited in about 8000 BC and was a major city under the Greeks (about 300 BC). It was later occupied by the Romans. Most of the ruins are (I think) Roman.
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| Burial chambers carved in rock. |
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| The Library of Titus Flavius |
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| Roman Ampitheater |
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| Salda Lake, on the way to Pamukkale |
Eventually, we made it to Pamukkale, where we checked in for the night.
Thursday, October 24: Pamukkale and on to Kusadasi
Pamukkale is famous for its limestone formations and pools, as well as the ancient site of
Hierapolis. Our first stop there was at Cleopatra's Pool, a thermal spring at Hierapolis that is filled with marble "debris" from Roman times. We had a chance to swim in the pool.
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| Cleopatra's Pool |
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| Part of our group enjoying the pool |
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| Ruins at Hierapolis |
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| Amphtheater at Hierapolis |
The travertine limestone formations at Pamukkale are spectacular. Although they look like snow, they are actually white rock deposits formed by calcium springs. Although you can walk on the rocks, you can't wear shoes, so initially I passed on walking on them.
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| Overlooking the town of Pamukkale |
Eventually I decided to sacrifice my feet and walk on the deposits.
After lunch we left Pamukkale and headed for Kusadasi. Along the way we made an obligatory stop at a carpet factory.
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| Carpet weaving demo |
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| Silkworm cocoons |
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| Required carpet sale (I resisted) |
We arrived in Kusadasi around dinner time. Below are some night-time shots from our hotel.
Next: Days 9-11: Ephesus, Troy, Gallipoli, and back to Istanbul
