ipernity: Turkey - 2013 by Richard And Jo Demeester

A Dromedary and Beehive Houses, Harran

14 May 2013

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Harran is believed to be the oldest continually inhabited place on earth. It gets a few mentions in Genesis, although little more than in passing. Although the beehive style of houses is believed to have been in use here for more than a millennium, most examples are quite recent with the oldest examples being about 200 years old.

Statues of Nemrut Dağı

15 May 2013

278

The statues of Nemrut Dağı, on the eastern terrace, with their heads lined up in front of their respective bodies. Behind them is a funerary mound, a pile of stones brought to the mountain top to cover an unknown number of tombs.

Eastern Terrace Heads of Nemrut Dağı

15 May 2013

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Jo Comforts A Fallen Head

15 May 2013

248

Maybe some affection will bring a smile to that forlorn face.

One of the Western Terrace Heads, Nemrut Dağı

15 May 2013

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Beautiful Relief Carving

15 May 2013

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At Eski Kale, near Kahta, this fabulous carving stands showing King Mithridates shaking hands with a god, Heracles.

Castle and Bridge

15 May 2013

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The Seljuk bridge over the Kahta river. Although there is a new bridge not far away, it is still possible to drive over this beautiful old bridge. The remains of the castle Yeni Kale of Eski Kahta top the mountains behind.

Cendere Bridge

15 May 2013

150

Fantastic Roman bridge, build in the 2nd century A.D. Driving is not allowed on this one.

Mosaic of Oceanos and Tethys

16 May 2013

206

Some of the mosaics we are encountering in this part of Turkey are so superb that they look like tapestries. This mosaic was in the bottom of a shallow pool in a Roman house. It was relocated to this museum in Gaziantep when the site where it was found was flooded by the waters of a new dam, about 20 years ago.

Gypsy Girl

16 May 2013

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This beautiful section of a mosaic was nicknamed Gypsy Girl because of her hair and earrings. The eyes are the sort which follow you around the room, although they seemed to follow Jo more than me. The rest of the mosaic was stolen from the original location, but this section was missed by the thieves, and it is considered a masterpiece of mosaic art.

The Antakya Sarcophagus

17 May 2013

306

This beautiful marble sarcophagus is the prize of the Hatay Archaeology Museum. Incredibly ornate and detailed, with very little damage, it was found with the remains of two adults and a young female, and with a small amount of jewellery and a handful of coins.

Mosaic of Psyche and Eros

17 May 2013

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Mevlevi Follower

18 May 2013

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Mevlevi, a form of Islam, where the spinning is a ritual symbolising union with God. Different postures taken up during the whirling represent different aspects of their journey, such as receiving blessings and communicating them to earth. These are the Whirling Dervishes.

Dervishes Whirl

18 May 2013

1

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The spinning is slower than you might at first imagine; after all, they are religious adherents, not choreographed dancers. Still, the skirts spun out and filled the floor as a couple of dozen dervishes, each only aware of their own space and motion, together formed a single constellation of revolving bodies. Given the number of spins they make, I was surprised they did not collapse in dizzy heaps.