Welcome! to a country whose past bursts forth in dazzling scenes and fascinating people. Below, you’ll find a collection of photos and short snippets that introduce mesmerizing locations across Turkey’s history-soaked landscapes, towns, and cities.
Enjoy! and if you get the chance, please let me know what you think in the comments at the end!
P.S. Want to experience more of Turkey? Listen to some beautiful Turkish music as you read: on YouTube or on Spotify.
Layered History on a Turkish Riverbank
Flags stretch across the Yeşilırmak River in the northern Turkish town of Amasya. The rows of red and white banners celebrate an anniversary held dear by many of the town’s, and the country’s residents. 100 years ago, the Turkish war for independence launched on the back of a speech delivered by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk; then known as the only successful Turkish general in WWI and now considered the father of modern Turkey.
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As I look beyond the banners swaying along the river’s edge, I drift further back in history; 19th century, Ottoman era houses make up a wall of wood and window that reflect in the slow moving current while further up the hillside, tombs of Pontic kings, laid to rest 1,700 years before the fall of Constantinople, are aglow. I hear the low rumble of a car bouncing along cobblestone streets and for a moment, the span of my life feels short against the spread of human history. But then, the smell of roasted nuts reaches me from a nearby cart. I turn, and such a silly mortal worry is forgotten once again.
The Kaçkar Castle
Grey, sturdy walls rise up in the valley, met on all sides by sloping forests. From afar, I can see the small, bustling shapes of tourists clamoring for a glance at ancient stonework and I can’t shake the thought that they miss the castle’s true majesty. Only from a distance can one see the mountains and snows and riverbeds of the Kaçkar region in north eastern Turkey paingting a stunning backdrop and bringing the castle Zilkale to life. If I squint and stare and cut my tethers to reality, I can make out banners emblazoned with the golden double headed eagle of the Byzantine insignia fluttering above the walls as soldiers draped in grey mail armor and red-green cloaks shuffle back and forth. They pause every so often to gaze up at the mountains beyond and daydream of flight, or god, or home.
The Dwelings of Zelve
Looking out from a cave in the now uninhabited village of Zelve, I find it easy to appreciate the fantastical architecture blending natural and manmade formations into a desert sanctuary. Within the central Turkish region of Cappidocia, the settlement was first carved out by Christians fleeing Muslim prosecution in the 9th century and up until 1952, the dens, caverns, and hidden holes remained occupied. But to describe Zelve using dates and events and other hard human concepts is to miss what makes the place special. When touching the cool, porous rock that forms walls blackened by fires kept alight to fight fridgid desert nights, I can’t help but believe that God is easier to find in a place such as this. The unknowable mystery would feel closer still under the silence of a starless night here and by making a home within the earth I imagine you can feel her subtle vibrations much better than you could in a city built above ground.
Morning Glow on a Yayla
An early morning breeze blows mist off the hillside revealing rusty patched rooftops in a Kaçkar yayla. Like the mist, the residents of this yayla, or mountain village, come and go according to the weather. In winter, the dwellings are fully abandoned amid thick snows, but it is spring now, and some of the houses are once again occupied. Throughout the previous night, loud music full of drums and horns and shouting could be heard behind gunshots fired off in celebration. Now though, all that noise feels like part of a different world as the hills awaken to a soft whisper of wind.
A Royal Retreat at Eğirdir Lake
For as far back as records go, Eğirdir Lake in eastern central Turkey has served as a retreat for those fortunate enough to control her banks and as I look across the deep blue waters to the arid patches of bramble and crisp white clouds, it is not difficult to image the glint of sunlight reflecting off of amour as a royal caravan rounds the rocky outcrops.
Today, the mosque’s minaret delivers rhythmic spoken versus that echo above the rows of lakeside fruit stands as it reminds visitors that even on vacation, salah, the Muslim commitment to daily prayer, must be observed.
Sunset on the Bosporus
The soft haze of sunset paints the buildings in Istanbul’s old quarter with a warm glow as they look down upon the crowded churning water of the Bosporus. Ferries, fishing vessels, and tour boats pass through the salty, diesel soaked air and it dawns on me that Istanbul today feels just as full of life and energy as it seemed to in history books. When considering the days of the Ottoman Empire, or those of the Eastern Roman Byzantine Empire, or those days which would see Xerxes and his Persian soldiers crossing the river to reach Greece, I feel like I could never truly know a city so saturated in human history. Yet, when I watch the long rows of fishing rods bob along a bridge, or catch a whiff of some garlic, pepper, and tomato soaked sauce, there’s nothing that I want to do more than feel the transcendent pulse of Istanbul.
Thanks for reading!
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And until next time, be kind to yourself, be kind to others, and safe travels out there!
Dylan