Turkey

Pergamon

At Least What Remains On-site

15 September 2023

As I look over the Aegean and navigate the coastal region of Anatolia, I contemplate: Did my early ancestors pass this way? Did they take note of its beauty and history?

As early as 50,000 years ago, Man (and Woman) left the African Continent. They entered the Fertile Crescent, a wide strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea and moved south into Mesopotamia following the Euphrates. Approximately 12,000 years ago, Man’s adoption of agriculture as an alternative to his hunter-gatherer lifestyle altered the course of societal evolution forever. The culture that emerged formed the foundation for our world. Adjacent and to the north of this Fertile Crescent were the lands of Anatolia/Asia Minor, now modern-day Turkey.

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By Pat, ago

Ancient Rocks and Olive Oil

14 September 2023

I spend my day looking at stones. If there is one thing the Turks have a lot of it is stones. These stones reflect their many great architectural and archaeological accomplishments over the centuries. Stones are also one of the main reasons I visit Turkey for the fourth time. Archaeologists are always digging and uncovering more ancient history told by its stones. I love it!

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By Pat, ago

Historic Battles – Battle for Troy

13 September 2023

We ferry from Aceabat across the narrow Dardanelles Strait to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of ancient Troy. In Hollywood, the Trojan War starred Brad Pitt as Achilles, Greece’s great warrior and leader of the Myrmidons. Based upon Homer’s epic poem Iliad, the movie was more action than accurate. Alternatively, the Iliad is terrific Greek theater. Think of it as an American soap opera based upon the theme of “boys will be boys.”

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By Pat, ago

Ancient Troy

13 September 2023

The reading of Homer’s great epics is a huge genealogical challenge. Characters are Greek gods and demi-gods, immortals and mortals. Often, they are called “son of” rather than by their given names, which often can be multiples. Also, Romans used their own set of names, adopting but a few from the Greeks.

Homer – Istanbul Archeological Museum

The best remembered tales are Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. However, Virgil’s Aeneid actually describes the sacking of Troy. Myths and tales about the battle for Troy passed down through oral traditions. And everyone knows how all whispering campaigns usually end.

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By Pat, ago

ISTANBUL

CONSTANTINOPLE ON STEROIDS

9-12 September 2023

I visited Istanbul in 1981, the population was 2.7 million, about half of whom were carpet salesmen. Tanks and armed military, machine guns with bayonets fixed, occupied the streets. Being ignorant of their politics, I thought perhaps the military was there to keep the street urchins at bay. They were failing – the military not the urchins.

In 2010, I celebrated my birthday in Constantinople. A lot had changed. The military was absent. The street urchins became Gen Xers. I was a bit older and a more knowledgeable and experienced traveler. Istanbul, historically known as Constantinople was the world’s 5th largest city with 12.8 million people in 2010. It now ranks 7th with over 15 million. There still are thousands of carpet salesmen, but distributed among them is a vibrant collection of perhaps the nicest, most helpful people I have ever met. Also, here are the nicest bunch of cats in the world.

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By Pat, ago

Ankara to IST – World’s Best Airport

11 October 2022

Melike Hatun Minaret

Call to Prayer, Fajr, blasted to the heavens at 5:27 this morning. I briefly contemplate prayer time. And with everything else, there’s an App for that. I check out the times for Ankara: the exact times for prayer are calculated based on the position of the sun in the sky so it differs depending upon which city I’m visiting. It also depends upon which calculation method and Juristic settings used. Current setting is the Muslim World League, set to Hanafi. These are things an inquisitive mind wants to know.

I rolled over and went back to sleep.

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By Pat, ago