Turkey Day 3/4 ~ Road-trip to Konya then Cappadocia
On the third day of our trip we didn’t do any sightseeing because we had what felt like the longest trip ever to reach Konya.
On the bus admiring the very diverse topography. From rainy to snowy to green to mountainous I was like “where am I?”
As we stopped at the rest area these pretty (yummy in my mind - sorry) bunch flocked towards us with the hopes of getting something to eat.
This little guy
and I
wore crimson red
on our head.
Ok so since I only eat Halal meat this was the first time EVER in my 34 years that I eat a “non-homemade” burger. I was super excited to be able to just order a burger honestly so it had to be documented. The burger itself was meh…because nothing beats my mother’s middle eastern “kofta burger”.
The next day right after breakfast we hopped on the bus and our first stop was at Mevlana Museum which is the mausoleum of the Persian Sufi mystic Jalal ad-Din Rumi.
We then had a few minutes to wander and I came upon the most beautiful corner filled with the most beautiful rugs. I bought two prayer size rugs. The owner here was so proud of his store telling me how he spend his whole life here selling rugs.
Then came the most exciting part of this trip! A visit to what used to be a 13th century “Madrasa” Islamic School. This was built by the Seljuqs at that time and is now a museum of stoneworks. Now pictured below you’ll see me beside the Seljuq crest of the double-headed eagle and if you’ve watched the Turkish series Ertugrul you’ll know why I was so excited. If you haven’t then you’re literally missing our on so much. Netflix has it with english subtitles because of the magnitude of the viewership around the world. If you’re interested to gain some insight into Islamic culture during the Crusades and up until the rise of the Ottoman Empire then this is a great watch indeed. Needless to say I’m on season 5! Think Game of Thrones but 10x better with no language or nudity.
Another roadside mosque for us to pray. It felt awesome to not miss a prayer on this trip!
We then got on the road again for our final adventure for the day at the Kaymakli Underground City in Cappadocia (Kapadokya). It was absolutely amazing to see how people would carve cities underground and how throughout history there was a class system (the lower the level the lower the status). In the third picture below I’m standing in the Church and it gives me goosebumps to think that once upon a time someone stood there and prayed. The caves themselves were said to be carved in the 7th century B.C. I started to panic a little as I reached the bottom ( very tight and I was on all fours at that point) but there was no way to go back so my group told me that I could do it and quite frankly I had not choice but to do it then.
Before heading to our hotel for the night we grabbed the most delicious meal made from thin dough stuffed with Turkish sausages and cheese. This is the husband and wife team that prepared our food and it was in a remote roadside village so to speak but it was made with love and tasted like nothing else I’ve ever had. So many blessings in the lives of those who live simply. They take so much pride in what they do and were very generous with their portions.
This was probably my favorite day in this whole trip to Turkey. Such a beautiful country indeed. Let me know what you think. Is Turkey on your bucket list of places to visit?
Salaam! (peace)