Anatolia in a Dozen
- Aaron Woodruff
- Dec 31, 2024
- 11 min read
Welcome to a journey through the some of the wonders of the Republic of Türkiye, in 'Anatolia in a Dozen'! Focusing on Central Türkiye in the region of Anatolia, we'll look at the Turkish capital Ankara, before heading south through famous Cappadocia, to finish in the religious city of Konya - the home of the Whirling Dervishes. Through 12 of my favourite photographs from this area on a trip to Türkiye in May 2023, I'll describe the history of this historically rich region along with anecdotes from the adventure. While Turkiye boasts sights a plenty on the western coast and of course, in Istanbul, this section of the country is a fascinating trip through the the nation's beating heart. Researching for this has been a real trip down memory lane; I hope you enjoy this article on Anatolia...
We begin in a place that over five million people call home, and the city where Türkiye is governed from: Ankara. Whilst Istanbul is the largest city in Türkiye and was the capital of the Ottoman Empire (whilst known as Constantinople), Ankara was declared the capital city of the newly founded Republic of Türkiye in 1923. Nowadays, it's most famous for its stunning mausoleum, dedicated to the founding father of the new Turkish nation, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The 'Anıtkabir' features in the first few of these dozen photographs from Anatolia, and you can see from the grandiose design how this monument almost appears Ancient Egyptian like in its style.
This appearance signifies the reverence for Mustafa Kemal, alike the great pharaohs of Egypt who've been immortalised in stone monuments to last. Atatürk founded Türkiye following the fall of the Ottomans, and he did so by making this nation a secular state. People from all over the country come to visit this place as they pay their respects to their nation's first leader; when visiting with the group on my 'Explore' tour - I remember many school groups and families respectively, visiting this vast mausoleum complex.
Going inside the building featured in the first photograph, takes us to Mustafa Kemal's resting place (which is portrayed in the second photograph). Guarded by Turkish military personnel, this is a highly secure zone whereby tourists can experience the guards changing after they've finished their stint standing watch (perfectly still). Completed in 1953 after nine years of construction, the Anıtkabir has provided a fitting place for Atatürk to rest for over half a century. Also well worth visiting in Ankara, is a site that's devoted to telling the story of the many different eras of history that have occurred across Anatolia. This place is the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations - an absolutely brilliantly laid out place - which takes the visitor through thousands of years worth of history in a compact yet superbly narrated, award-winning museum.
Dating back to the Palaeolithic Age, it includes a chronologically displayed route through the ages, featuring the Old Bronze Age, the Hittite Imperial Age, and the Phrygian Age, to name a few.
There was some remarkable small pieces that really caught my eye here - including terracotta artefacts like the one featured in this third photo. This one is of a list that dates back to the 19th century BCE... it's amazing how well preserved such an item can be found and that can be displayed for us to see today. Sometimes looking closely at tiny treasures like this, can provide just as much of a 'wow' moment than massive architectural monuments; they both connect us with history, but these smaller artefacts really help us connect with the everyday lives of the people that lived before us. A list like this piqued my curiosity... to think a person living in Anatolia would have etched into this terracotta approximately 20 thousand years ago - is quite simply mind-blowing! There is an array of different pieces from this era -proudly displayed in the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations; it's a great visit when in Ankara.
Moving on to photos four and five of this dozen, we're now in the Nevşehir Province of Central Anatolia. The town whereby these two pictures were taken, is called Hacıbektaş. This Cappadocian town is home to the Haji Bektash Veli complex - this man's name is what the town is named after. Bektashism originated in the 13th century in the Anatolia region, of which went on to be followed widespread during the Ottoman Empire.
This Islamic Sufi sect is a mystic order that continues to be followed, whereby the main centre is in the Albanian capital city of Tirana. However, Alevis (followers of this faith) often come to Hacıbektaş on somewhat of a pilgrimage - to see the museum and mosques whereby Bektashism originated. I found the town to be very peaceful and it did feel like a place of pilgrimage. The statue featured in photograph number four, is Haji Bektash Veli himself. The fifth photo features a splendid red and white decorative arch on the Haji Bektash Veli complex - in typical Islamic splendour. Exploring the grounds, gardens, museum and mausoleum in this cultural monument to a Sufi saint, is a very rewarding experience.
Understanding that Islam has different sects, like Sunni and Shia, Bektashism and Sufism etc. - relates very much to how Christianity has different sects, like Protestant and Catholic, Anglican and Greek Orthodox etc. All around the world various faiths often believe so much alike, but have small differences or beliefs which see these different factions emerge. Visiting Hacıbektaş enlightened me to the Sufi saint Haji Bektash Veli, and it was a great prior experience to seeing the Whirling Dervishes further into this Anatolian adventure. Known as the 'Father of the Bektashi order', Haji Bektash passed away aged 62 in 1271, at the town where he now rests, Hacıbektaş. Interestingly, he travelled during his lifetime, after being born in Persia. Some of his key beliefs are referred to on the writing beneath his statue, such as "Don't hurt anyone, even though you've been hurt", and "Give education to women". These are examples of morals which acted as a foundation for a person whose legacy lives on well into the 21st century, right in the heartland of Türkiye.
Our next photo heads deep beneath the earth's surface, at the incredible Kaymakli 'Underground City'. This UNESCO World Heritage site is in the same province as Hacıbektaş, and it's become a popular stop on the tourist trail in this region. The rabbit-warren like maze of underground networks, is a masterful example of Phrygian engineering between 1200 and 700 BCE. Despite only opening to tourists in 1961, this along with other underground cities, has been sat beneath the Anatolian landscape for centuries. Kaymakli has eight levels (four of them safely lit and open for tourists) and descends 85 metres deep, whilst it is known for being one of the better underground cities to visit for people with mobility issues or claustrophobia concerns. With that said - it still takes a lot careful foot placement and watching your head, to navigate these historic passageways!
The history of these places, like Derinkuyu 'Underground City' as well, traverses through the eras of Ancient Greece and Rome, through the Ottoman Empire and into modern Türkiye. The Kaymakli city is actually connected to Derinkuyu by a 9 kilometre underground tunnel! There were many different rooms for different purposes for Kaymakli, from the likes of providing comfortable living spaces, to storage areas, along with specially placed ventilation shafts to enable safe breathing conditions. By building cities underground, it not only provided a useful hideaway, it was also a very cool place to stay out of the scorching eastern Mediterranean summer climate. Our guide, Mehmet, showed us places where the people would have eaten, some of the tools they would have used to cook with, the ingenious sliding rock doors they utilised - as well as ensuring we followed the route correctly to safely emerge from the huge network of corridors and stairways! Kaymakli is a gem and understandably a protected heritage site - it's astonishing to believe that an estimated three and a half thousand people could've lived in Kaymakli alone... ancient history never ceases to amaze!
Moving onto the seventh photo, we're now into the heart of the most iconic area of the region of Cappadocia... the Göreme Valley. This unique landscape, dotted with fairy-tale like chimneys and rugged rock formations - is what many people think about when hearing 'Cappadocia'. This picture of the hot air balloons rising was taken in the early hours in the morning from our hotel's rooftop! I remember during our trip, that our two-night stay in Cappadocia was the highlight of our Explore 'Turkey in Depth' two-week itinerary, as this was by far the nicest hotel of the adventure in Ürgüp. It really added to the experience of being there, and I can picture it in my head now, nearly 20 months on from being there - seeing the hot air balloons taking off from my room's window - frantically getting changed quickly to get to the rooftop to experience the balloons fill the sky! Whilst we didn't go in a hot air balloon ourselves there - just seeing the spectacle of so many balloons soaring high above us - was something that I'll always keep dear as a cherished memory.
The open-air museum of Göreme featured some stunning churches carved into the rocks. The most famous is the Dark Church - an artistic masterstroke to experience. The churches do not allow photography to protect their condition - this is understandable due to their small size and consistent flow of visitors in such cramped space. These were built for a small congregation to pray - so just getting to step-foot in such wonders is an honour. Built into the rocks - they were superb hideouts - thus they flourished here during the iconoclastic period spanning the 8th and 9th centuries. With that said, some of the these rock-hewn churches have been defaced and spoiled since - however they are now a protected example of the Eastern Orthodox Church's history for people to explore.
The eighth picture takes us from the churches and valley of Göreme, to the highest point of the whole Cappadocia region: the mighty viewpoint from atop Uchisar Rock Castle! Approximately five kilometres away from Göreme, this huge castle looks exactly how you would expect a castle to look like in this region. Like the smaller caves of the area (shown via the ninth photograph below) - the castle at Uchisar features a similar façade - but of course on a much grander scale! I'll share an additional photo at the end of this article from a memorable viewpoint of this incredible sight - it's my personal highlight of visiting not just Cappadocia, but all of Anatolia! The viewpoint from the summit of this fortified rock sees the red and white flag of Türkiye flying proudly in the wind, and on a clear day, views span miles and miles over the expansive valley. This castle's special in how the rock was built into, as oppose to resourcing materials to build skyward, like castle's you'd see in Britain for example. You can see minarets, the aforementioned fairy-tale chimneys, the town of Uchisar beneath you and other towns in the distance; you can even notice from afar the mountains whose eruption created this distinctive landscape alike no other: Mount Erciyes and Mount Hasan.
There's so much more to Cappadocia than I've mentioned, however I've touched upon my personal highlights for 'Anatolia in a Dozen'. During our time in the region, we also experienced seeing the Whirling Dervishes at a caravanserai in the area, and it's another one of these historic 'pit-stops' that features in the next picture. Caravanserais were crucial stops along the ancient Silk Road for the travellers and traders who traversed this fabled route - connecting Venice and the Venetians in the west, to China in the Far East. The camels, who were so integral to the route's prominence across the centuries since a few centuries before Christ, of course needed somewhere to rest and recuperate along with their owners - and this was why caravanserais sprung up throughout the route which connected Europe and Asia. The one pictured in the photograph below, actually dates from the latter stages of the Silk Road's prominence though - it's a superb example of Seljuk architecture that was built during the 13th century, therefore making it Türkiye's largest medieval caravanserai.
The historic landmark I am referring to is the Sultan Han Caravanserai, in the town of Sultanhanı, in the Aksaray Province to the south west of Nevşehir. Covering almost five thousand square metres, it was built by the Seljuk sultan Kayqubad I to connect the major city of Konya, right through to Persia (modern-day Iran, believed by many to be the heart of the 'Silk Road'). This route during the Seljuk dynasty, was known as the 'Uzun Yolu' - translating literally into 'long road'! The photograph from the central courtyard of the Sultan Han Caranvanserai, features an example of a square stone kiosk-mosque. The steps in the picture act as an archway and lead up to the first floor, where the mosque ('cami' in Turkish) is located. Whilst this isn't an ancient monument, it's a medieval one which echoes of times past. Featuring marble on the front gateway and richly decorated throughout - visiting a caravanserai of such splendour is certainly worth visiting during time spent in Anatolia.
Continuing on the road westerly from Cappadocia, we finish this journey through Anatolia though a dozen pictures, with the final two images captured in Konya. Interestingly, up until the founding of modern Türkiye in 1923, Konya overshadowed the present-day Turkish capital city of Ankara, in terms of being a more prominent Anatolian city throughout the many eras of history in this region.
Today it's one of the most conservative cities in the nation, with Islamic dress and practices much more noticeable to the traveller here than in places such as Göreme, Antalya on the coast, or even large parts of Istanbul. The pulse of this faith radiates from the beautiful Mevlana Museum - the place which attracts most visitors to the city. Mevlana was also known as Rumi (Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi), and the mausoleum of this influential Sufi mystic, whom derived from Persia, is a much venerated place to visit. His influence is remembered; it was significantly far-reaching.
This is featured in the eleventh photo - the tomb is decorated wonderfully with ornate colours and Qur'anic script surrounding his burial place. The Museum today used to be a dervish lodge for the previously mentioned Whirling Dervishes (known as 'Mevlani'); Konya is seen as the home of the Whirling Dervishes. Whilst today the dervishes are famous and their routines are popular among tourists - the principle behind what they do is a beautiful thing and has a truly deep meaning. As the dervish spins in active meditation, with one arm pointing upwards and one pointing downwards - it acts as a spiritual metaphor for connecting the Eternal Paradise above, and the earth in which we live in. The dervishes' style is globally recognisable.
After we visited the Mevlana Museum, I remember on our way to a place for lunch, we passed the majestic Selimiye Mosque on the way. This 16th century Ottoman style mosque is without a doubt one of Konya's most impressive buildings. The grand plaza in the foreground is a place where people can gather before prayers, and visually the patterned floor to this public square draws the eyes to the pillars, arches, dome and minarets of the beautiful mosque. There's over 3,000 mosques in the religious city of Konya, however this is certainly one of the most special - especially given its close proximity adjacent to the Mevlana Museum. It's a place of worship that took 12 years to complete after being commissioned in 1558, and this photograph of the Selimiye Mosque, is one that I'm pleased to conclude my twelve photos for this 'Anatolia in a Dozen' article with.
I hope you've enjoyed 'Anatolia in Dozen'; looking back on my memories from travelling this region has been enjoyable, and sharing such a fascinating part of our world in this article has been fun. Jotting down anecdotes from travelling here and further researching Anatolia for accurate information, has been educational and rewarding. Throughout Türkiye, the biggest appeal to me personally, is the mix of cultures - from the Byzantine heritage of the Eastern Roman Empire, to the rising influence of Islam as it swept in from Arabia - today this Republic is a nation which straddles both Europe and Asia and has a huge role in the geopolitics of the world. Anatolia is the heartland of the nation - of which thanks its current status to its founding father, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk - who formed the modern country's identity as Turkish, from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. From Atatürk's stunning mausoleum, to the tombs of influential people such as Haji Bektash Veli and Mevlana, this region pays homage to the people who have shaped it. Throw in geographic and man-made wonders such as the Göreme Valley and Kaymakli Undergound City - and Anotolia forms one of the most intoxicating mixes of sights to visit in the world. I'm very grateful to have experienced Anatolia, and it's been a pleasure to create and share this article about its treasures. Teşekkürler!
By Aaron Woodruff
Lessons & Joys of Travel
31/12/2024
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