Turkey Day in Actual Turkey

As the sun begins to shine after this long dark pandemic lockdown we are turning our attentions to travel once again. They are tenuous plans, but plans nonetheless.

So in mid-November we’re going to take off for Turkey and this will be a driving trip. Two reasons for that; (1) there is a ton to see in Turkey and it is impossible to do it in our timeframe unless you drive and (2) we figure that driving is a socially distanced way to travel. Most of our stops will be to see outside venues like this one.

This is Ani, or more accurately the famous ruins of Ani. It was once one of the world’s largest cities and was known as the “City of 1001 Churches” at its’ peak around the year 1045.

Unfortunately it was brutally sacked by the Mongols in 1236 and then levelled by a massive earthquake in 1319 which caused it to steadily decline until 1735 when it was finally abandoned by the last monks in the last inhabited monastery.

It was then rediscovered in the late 1800s and travellers have been pilgrimaging to Ani since then. It’s famous for it quiet, windswept location on the high eastern plains of Turkey, a stone’s throw (literally) from Armenia.

Another stop we’ll make is a place called Mardin, which has been continuously inhabited since around 1400BC – nearly 3,500 years ago.

Mardin is built into the side of a mountain that overlooks the Mesopotamian plain. Yes, the biblical one. Also the very one where it is believed that farming was invented.

We’ll continue on and finish our trip in Istanbul, one of the world’s greatest cities.

Another reason we’re doing this trip now is because we only cross one border. As you know, during the Age of Covid, crossing a border means a quarantine or a test. So by staying inside Turkey we’re limiting the number of borders we’re crossing and we’re seeing places we probably would not have had the time to get to otherwise. We see it as a win-win. Or making the best of a difficult situation, at least.

So join us on our trip when we go see the real Turkey and not just the one on a table!