Leaving Tarsus after a very useful service stop I started to head away from the Mediterranean which has been a feature of the trip since Barcelona back in January as I aim for a return to Georgia. A slight diversion north took me to the large castle of Karatepe where dozens of families were picnicking around the lake. My attention was drawn to a number of well preserved carved stones that featured scenes from the Neo Hittite era of around 1200 BC as well as tablets inscribed in both Phoenician and Hieroglyphic Luwian which enabled the latter to be translated.
There is a toll motorway running in the same direction but I prefer the insights in to town and village life obtained by passing through and I was constantly amazed at how much development and construction was going on but also between centres of population by the thousands of acres of trees that have been planted. I presume these will be mostly pistachio and almonds and the expansion is no doubt a spin off from the Great Anatolian Project which has constructed some 22 dams and 19 power plants along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. These produce 22% of the country's electricity needs and will irrigate 17,000 km2 of land for arable crops, pulses and cotton. Fish farming is being established on the new lakes but controversy has arisen as 80,000 people were displaced although new villages were built with all mod cons which no doubt appeal to the younger generations.
The huge carpark in front of the Museum at Sanliurfa was almost empty but ideally placed for a walk along the park to see the old necropolis carved in to the cliff side before I reached the two stunning mosques of Rizvaniye and Hail al Rahman which are situated on waters filled with rather well fed but apparently sacred carp. The Kapali Carsi covered bazaar was an absorbing area to get lost in : different zones are occupied by various trades and it was teeming with activity as I wandered round. Returning through the old town alleys and lanes I emerged above the necropolis again which after dusk was impressively lit. The history of the town is remarkably complex, at one time being under Armenian control and possibly the source of the Armenian alphabet, but it is now largely Turkish with a population of around 2,000,000 many of whom have come to the area for work as a result of the GAP scheme.
My plan was to stay at Diyarbakir which we had both really enjoyed last summer but I arrived at the park up around lunchtime and as it was cool and grey decided that (as so often is the case) a second visit would be less enchanting. Thus I checked my route and decided that heading to Erzurum rather than returning to Lake Van would be a more direct route to Georgia and take me through unvisited areas. Interestingly my Garmin sat nav inexplicably stopped working as we entered the town last year and this time my Aguri also froze and even the phone lost its GPS signal..... fortunately both were restored by a restart but surely that's more than coincidence. The D950 was a well engineered road that climbed towards snow covered peaks reaching around 8,000' at its highest point which two tunnels under construction will eventually avoid. It looked like construction work was on hold, possibly for the winter and judging by the huge drifts they had clearly had a lot of snow up here in recent months. Stunning views across snowy mountains were a great reward and the van had been pulling well on the long inclines but I was glad of a chilly fuel stop at Cat as the gauge was low. Fuel figures of over 40 mpg were still very acceptable as even on the long downhills I had been engine braking as I wish to ensure that my front pads, fitted before leaving, last the distance. I have a set of rears should they need doing but they were replaced in Igoumenitsa last March and don't do the heavy work of the fronts so should be OK. There were the usual numerous police radar vehicles along the way, all to be fair, well signed in advance but also some more unnerving stops manned by armed soldiers with armoured vehicles and blast proof structures although I was always waved through once they saw my driving position...
When I arrived on the parking around the old citadel it was certainly very cold so I dug out my Mountain Equipment down jacket, 20 years old but still a superb piece of kit, and went off for a stroll before returning to fit the window insulation and crank up the Eber for the first time in weeks. Despite the altitude of 6,300' it fired up instantly and I had the usual comfortable evening with no one around.
Today I made an early start for Kars and then on to Ani and followed another good road through high snow covered mountains. Before the split for the route down to Van there had been a few Iranian plated HGVS and I exchanged friendly waves with their no doubt much conflicted drivers but en route to Kars the road was virtually empty. I carried on past the city as I had plenty of time to visit Ani another 20 miles further on down a dead end route. This is because it almost reaches the Armenian border which is still closed between these two countries due to historical events, mainly during the first World War when 1.2m Armenians were displaced from the area, most dying on forced marches in to the Syrian desert.
Ani was for a time the capital of the Armenians in this disputed area but the country now lies across the deep Akhurian river which along with the Bostaniar Valley gives Ani a secure location. Military watch towers in the distance and the Armenian flag indicate that reconciliation is a long way off but visitors are allowed to explore the extensive site, abandoned in the 17th century, freely.
I was very moved to be there as last year heavy rain had prevented us from reaching it and I enjoyed several hours exploring the numerous churches with their familiar Armenian design. Earthquakes and lightning strikes had caused much damage over the years and whilst some rather heavy handed stabilisation work has been undertaken there was little sign of sympathetic restoration. Beautiful frescoes in one church seem likely to disappear in time and another had its entire cupola roof missing.
Anyway it was a worthwhile visit and heading back to Kars I filled up with water before finding my park up by the Cheese Museum, where we stayed last year. A quick walk in to town saw me get some more lira out so I have a stash for my return journey and a second compatible gas cylinder. Once I get the final CG one filled, with luck in Georgia tomorrow, that will give me about 30l which should see me across an increasingly (I hope) warmer journey.
The Aguri sat nav does not cover Georgia so a local SIM is essential at the border although as a back up I have downloaded the Mapy.com maps for off line use and much of Georgia is covered by the Turkish map on my Sat Map.
So goodbye Turkey, hello Georgia and eyes up towards Russia next week.... I need to source a wheel rim from a scrapyard in Georgia and get the tyre I have been carrying fitted, dig out my stash of dollars and if possible source some recovery ramps so there is plenty to be getting on with.
Final Turkey photos HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment
Help keep us in touch by adding your news and views!