  |
| |
|
Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is a bustling, modern city
of 4 million people. Located in the geographic heart of Central
Anatolia, it sits at the center of the north-south and east-west trade
routes, and travelers have been pulling their camels over here for
more than 3 thousand years. We came to Ankara not to deal in
government or carpets, but because Erin-Kate had to take the GRE.
While she was stuffed into a cubicle sweating it out for a brutal
4-hour test, I was touring the city's cultural landmarks. My
first stop was the Kocatepe mosque, pictured above and below.
It's a beautiful, immense structure, and I was
completely blown away when I got inside. You take your shoes off
at the entrance, and gorgeous wall-to-wall carpets of the same design
cushion your feet. The detail is fantastically rich in tile,
stained glass and stone. I was only in there a couple of minutes when
an imam (priest) came out, climbed up onto a raised platform wired for
sound, and began a slow, rhythmic wailing song in Arabic. WOW!
His deep, sad voice filled that vast space with such a majestic aura,
it had a profound impact on me. I could suddenly see why people
interrupted their daily schedule 5 times a day to come to the mosque
and worship - like in a gargantuan, inspired cathedral, you felt
awestruck and in the presence of something great. |
  |
| |
| After being riveted by the imam's song, I walked back
out into the frigid winds of Ankara to get another shot of the mosque.
It's tucked into a dense high-rise neighborhood, so I couldn't get a
good vantage for a photo. I was trying to figure out how to get
into one of the tall buildings across the street, when this dude just
walked up to me and in Turkish must have said, "Hey, kid, why don't
you come on into this empty glass office tower I'm babysitting and get
some decent pics." After much gesturing, I found myself on the
fifth floor balcony with a perfect view of the mosque with the city as
a backdrop. Most Turks I've found love to have their picture
taken, so it didn't take much to get him to pose in front of this
fantastic mosque. |
  |
| |
| A visit to Ankara isn't complete without paying your
respects to Ataturk, the founder of the Republic. He was an
amazing man, and his mausoleum does him justice. It's a bit like
the acropolis, a monumental temple-like structure set on the top of a hill, with dramatic views of the
city below. The plan is vast and intense, like the mosque, meant
to strike awe into the hearts and minds of the visitor. There
are soldiers dressed in extravagantly detailed uniforms marching in step,
keeping the martial spirit of their great leader alive, and guarding
this treasure. Many of Ataturk's personal effects are here in a
museum, and they are quite impressive. He was an impeccable
dresser, had excellent taste, and received glorious treasures from
leaders the world over. |
   |
| |
| When Erin-Kate had some free time, we climbed a hill up
to the remains of a castle that had been used for centuries to defend
the city. It was in a rambling old neighborhood with great
views, including one of this abject ghetto that looked like it
wouldn't make it through the next light rain. These kids quickly found us and took us on a little tour. Together we ran
into this sweet guy, who grabbed my face in his hands and was just so
happy to see me, this foreigner, wandering the streets of his
neighborhood, that he simply had to stop us for a chat, even though we
didn't speak the same language. Fortunately the kids were
studying English in school, and did some translating. The
history of this area is a succession of tribes and empires occupying
the same land, and it's so amazingly evident in the architecture.
We happened upon a wall of the fortress that the Ottomans had built
incorporating ancient Greek busts, which were turned on their sides
and used as bricks. Conquering peoples just picked up the
scattered remains of their illustrious predecessors and used them
build their cities. The depth, density, and overlapping of
histories here is hard to fathom for a Texan, where 200 years ago was
the beginning of time. |
| |
 |
| |
| Our first night in Ankara, we met our friend Bill Snyder
for dinner. He trains teachers in a Master's program at Bilkent
University, at which all instruction is given in English. He
actually graduated from Erin-Kate's alma mater - Wesleyan.
We first met him over the Internet before coming to Turkey, and he was
very helpful in orienting us. That's him with Erin-Kate at a
swank bistro where we had after-dinner cappuccinos. We also got to
meet up with Tom Miller, the U.S State Department Regional English
Language Officer who is partly responsible for our being here.
He's here with his wife and two kids for a two-year position, trying
to connect more English schools with American teachers like me.
That's him standing in front of the U.S. Embassy on his way to the
airport. |
  |
| |
| We came to Ankara by train, which was incredibly cheap
for a two and a half hour journey. The train was luxurious
compared to a bus or a plane, and it's loaded with all those romantic
sojourner connotations, but since it was 2 hours late in leaving we
decided take buses from here on out. That's a view through
the train window, above, and some guys hanging out at the Ankara train
station. |
| |
|
