High pastures and water reeds

Today, we headed north over the chain of Taurus mountains that must have been formed with much violence, as the limestone has been pushed up, angled  and sheered off by a massive force.  The roads through the mountains, again, are beautifully engineered, wide and scenic clothed  in fir and pine forests.  

Taurus mountains 

We see goat and sheep herds as we gain higher ground and don’t take too much notice until we pass a small cluster of tents and realise that these have to belong to traditional yöreks, mountain nomads, moving their animals up  from the hot coastal plains to their cool mountain pastures for the summer.

Yörek nomad encampment

Their traditional tents have waterproof coatings these days, and while their clusters look something like gypsies they are not classified as such: they are the remnants of a proud and independent people who were among the early users of Anatolian land, the Turkmen from Central Asia.  In recent decades the Turkish government has attempted a settlement program for the yöreks,  offering them free land, and that has enticed many away from their traditional life style as they take up more permanent homes and jobs;  so to see such a group these days is becoming increasingly rare.  We were sorry we were not closer that we might chat. 

We lunch in the completely non-touristy town of Seydişehir and are overwhelmed, again, at the natural generosity and hospitality of these regional folk.   They bend over backwards to make sure we are well fed and content.  They want nothing more than that.  The prices, too, relative to the more touristy coast, are ridiculously cheap.   We have a perfectly fresh, delicious, and huge lunch, including çay, for $AUD3 each.  We doubt we could have bought the ingredients for that.  Again, the wait staff and the chef all want to be in a photo with us, and they love seeing the finished product in the camera viewer.   We are so glad to be back among them.


Our intention coming this way is to see one of the rarest mosques in Turkey, which is at Beyşehir.  We are the only non Turks there, but what an extraordinary site.  The Eşrefoğlu Camii was built, , around 1298, by one of the Emir’s during the tail end of the Sultanate of Rum period, when it held sway over Anatolia, but before the Ottomans took hold.  So, the mosque is Selçuk in design, which you notice as soon as you enter the portal with its glorious arch, so elaborate and intricate.

Exquisite Selçuk portal arch

Inside is a forest of thick wooden poles on stone pillars supporting a flat wooden roof.  Not a single dome in sight.  Though there is an oculus, glazed these days, which operates like a sun lantern in the centre of the roof.  Before it was covered the rain would have been collected in the square well beneath, and drained away.  It really is very unusual for us to see a mosque like this one.

Rare wooden pole mosque ceiling 

The carved work on the wooden columns and flat celling is breathtaking: highly patterned and rich in red colouring.  The craftsmen must have been artisans.  How amazing that it has not suffered from fire in all this time.  

Such detailed hand carved and painted work 

And the Mihrab, which points out the direction of Mecca, is rich in intricate turquoise tile work and a stunning artwork in its own right. 

Turquoise Mihrab

Many of the original religious buildings that surround the mosque are still there.  The Emir’s tomb is visible from inside the inner mosque, while outside you see the elegant stone base of his türbe, with its conical roof: minimalist and starkly beautiful.

Emir's elegant tomb

The original domed Cloth Trading hall still survives, tho’ it has recently been reconstructed. And so they traded: silk, from points along the silk route; cotton from India.  The caravanserai on their camels would have come calling with all rolls and rolls of exquisite fabrics.  Magic times.

Caravanserai market for silks and fine cottons

The complex is so ancient and so beautiful that we’re not surprised to learn it is on the tentative list to be considered for inscription as a UNESCO site.  So much of Turkey is so rare and precious.  So much to care for, for posterity.  It is a huge responsibility for such a small country.

Beautiful mosque portico

The Mosque sits in a crumbling village on Lake Beyşehir where people go about their lives as they have always done. Old ladies hawk their home made knitted dolls at the mosque entrance as they, and their ancestors before them, have no doubt done for centuries.  They bossily come over and reshape our head scarves to make sure we are appropriately garbed; “Turkish style”,  they demand.  Then grin toothily, and want a photo.  The men find a nearby shaded cafe, and spend their days, as ever, playing games and talking among themselves.  Maybe their womenfolk make so much from hawking that they don’t need to do anything else.  But we are totally flummoxed by all these menfolk in all these towns all over Turkey who spend their days playing cards, or gambling.  Mayhap they make a living from gambling?  We have no clue how food lands on their tables.

Tho' this man sits alone

Lake Beyşehir, is so large and beautiful it feels like an inland sea.

Beautiful spot where we camp for the night

We find a camping spot in a hotel grounds on the waterfront with a view of the night birds coming in for a quick spritz and a drink before roosting.  

Harvesting water reed

One of the village men is harvesting water reed in front of our camper and attempting to make a living doing so, it seems.    Turkish reed is much sought after in the UK as thatching material as it comes from such pure and unpolluted waters -- there is little fertiliser used here --  making it strong and undamaged. Its long inner reed is firm and hollow and when clumped together, gives exceptional waterproofing protection, and is highly prized.

One of the staff, attempting to catch our dinner

We eat grilled fresh lake fish with wine for dinner, on a white linen table cloth, with about three hovering attendants who cannot spoil us enough.

Dinner from the lake

As we look out over the balcony and take photos as the sun slowly sets the sky is striped with lines of white flume from the constant air traffic heading south to the Antalya airport.

And though we loved Antalya, we could not be happier.

Planes heading to Antalya

ooo000ooo