Travellers Tales: Anatolya and the Aegean

Heading west we stopped south of Konya at Catalhoyuk where archaeologists in the 1920s had noticed a low hill out on a plain that seemed out of place. Further investigations revealed a large city of homes and other structures dug down in to the ground. They worked out that over the years periodically entire homes were knocked in on themselves, including the bodies of the deceased and new structures placed on top, this action often being repeated. The mud walled houses were so tightly packed that streets were unnecessary with people just passing over the flat roofs, each with a ladder down in to the living accommodation. A very well presented Visitor Centre had excellent AV presentations and signage in English and as a torrential rainstorm was drenching outside we spent a couple of hours absorbing all the information before the downpour eased and we were able to walk across to the current excavations housed under a large curved building. Less than 10% of the hill has been excavated but being mainly built of mud bricks any further exposures would also have to be under cover for protection.

We moved on to the lake side at Beysehir and pulled up in a nice park and picnic area with one Turkish camper and a French van. We had a decent chat with the occupants of the latter before walking round to visit the Esrefoglu mosque famed for its beautiful wooden roof. We were allowed to enter after removing our shoes and were entertained by the prayers, chants and music of the devout worshippers.

Whilst walking back to the van we were called over by a group of students we had seen earlier to join them for tea which resulted in an enjoyable series of exchanges with one of the guys having good English and the girls talking to Mandy via Google Translate. They were all about to graduate in IT and were hopeful of getting good jobs in the near future. A big concern was the very high (30%+) inflation rate in Turkey that we had heard mentioned before. Anyway it was good to chat to them and back at the van we had a peaceful night.

South of Isparta in the limestone hills above Aglasun we parked up at the ancient city of Sagalassos which was spread across the hillside on a number of levels. The city dates from 1200BC but most of the existing structures are Roman. In an area prone to earthquakes apparently the site was largely abandoned after a big tremor in the 7th Century and has been the subject in recent years of a large scale excavation by Belgian and Turkish scientists. Where possible collapsed structures have been rebuilt and gave a sense of how the main streets would have been with the adjacent temples, civic buildings and Roman baths all sporting impressive marble columns, linked by squares and overlooked by a large amphitheatre further up the hill. A modern building contained a huge floor mosaic and again the site kept us entertained for several hours with few other visitors.

That night we parked up in a recreation area on the shore of Lake Burdur for a quiet night and the opportunity to fill with water the following morning before heading to Aphrodisias. Here we were able to overnight and found a good shaded spot under trees before heading in to the extensive site. There were numerous carved limestone sarcophagi surrounding the closed museum and then a huge wall of the carved stones featuring heads and chains of flowers that would have lined the streets. With a history dating back 7,000 years the site is extensive and in Roman times was a city of 15,000 people and even as late as the 12th century was a cathedral city until it too was largely abandoned. Alongside the tetrapylon, a magnificent gateway rebuilt as 85% of its structure survived, is the grave of Professor Erim who directed excavations from 1961 to 1990.

Elsewhere are temples, parks, meeting rooms, civic buildings, a huge baths complex, sculptors workshops and on the outer edge a 270m long oval stadium and amphitheatre that had a capacity of 30,000 and is one of the largest and best preserved in the classical world. A 7,000 seat theatre in the centre of town sits near a remarkable set of display boards that list over 1,400 goods and services available in Roman times and a decree from the Emperor as to the maximum price that could be charged in an attempt to control inflation. The detail was remarkable, distinguishing for example between a needle for embroidery and one for heavy sacking. We stayed until closing time and met an inspiring 88 year old German guy who is still travelling extensively in a venerable Fiat Ducato that he had even shipped to South America for a three year trip. He had sailed back with the containerised van from Buenos Aires to Hamburg over a month with 7 other passengers using Grimaldi Lines.

Moving in to our final week in Turkey we hit the Aegean Coast north of Kusadasi where beach tourism and development is it's usual horror IMHO. The Antique Lodge campsite was fortunately something of an oasis with spacious pitches shaded by olive trees and all with power and water. The facilities were good and a small pool looked very inviting as we arranged with the English speaking host to eat in their small restaurant so decided to take the bikes for a spin down to the beach. This and the adjacent park were busy on a sunny Sunday afternoon with families barbecuing and minibuses running people up to the two large aqua parks up in the hills. We dined well and had used the washing machine so hung things out to dry as the warm wind encouraged us to sit out well after sunset. Next morning we cycled down for a couple of hours on the much quieter beach before filling up with water, dealing with the loo and heading off with batteries fully charged. £40 was on the steep side for Turkey but we haven't spent much in a month and my accommodation costs over the last 6 have been minimal, probably under £300....

We passed through sprawling Izmir on what I think was a toll route so when we leave next Monday it will be interesting to see if my HGS sticker that I loaded up 3 months ago has taken the payment. If as planned we cross from Cannikale on the new suspension bridge it should cover that as well.

Turning west we have arrived at Foca on the coast which has been a great place to relax for 48 hours. Quiet parking under a tree has kept us cool and the town has two marinas, a small fishing port and a pleasant laid back atmosphere reminiscent of Palau back on Sardinia in February. We enjoyed walking round yesterday evening after a late lunch of grilled sardines and lamb kofta and today have been mesmerized by the colourful and vibrant market just over the wall behind us.