Heinz and Jack getting shoe shine infront of Yakutiye Medrese

Hotel Oral for two nights. Meli says, if you start of the day badly, the rest of the day will go well. So, after the microphone cord was stepped on and needed repairs, we were off to a good day. The city has wide streets with medians and round abouts. Several wedding car processions were passing through town. Some women are in full black dress with veil. The best skiing in Turkey is nearby and the season  lasts about 8 months. A natural gas line is being built from the  Caspian Sea in Iran allowing less dependence on Iraq and Arabia for  fuel. A pilot project will be set up in Erzurum. We saw truck loads of animal skins and wool.
Our first village visit in this dry climate. Women were in calf deep water washing wool in a spring by beating it on a rock with a paddle.  Traditional covering for women here is natural tan colored light  weight wool blanket with simple design on it. A younger woman allowed

Ruth to wrap herself up in it, giving Ruth, her dowry gold necklace to wear so we could photograph it as she did not want her photo taken.  She also gave us what was certainly her lunch, bread and cheese,  tearing off pieces for each of us.

A walk through the village got everyones attention and provided us with many photo ops. Throughout eastern Turkey preparations for winter were taking place. Hay is being piled on top of buildings and women

are stacking blocks of dung. Here the piles were very tall.

Distinguished older bearded men with knit hats and suit jackets

greeted us. 3 storks protected by law surveyed the activity from their nest on top of a hay pile. We saw our first indigenous dog, husky like. We met a poet and his family and promises were made to send him some American poetry.We experienced the hospitality of these people who live a hard life with few luxuries. We located the extended family of Meli’s friends and were invited into their home. A young girl showed her handwork dowry pieces. Weddings begin with a series of activities or parties,

where the bride wears different colors ending with the white wedding dress. We drank ayran, a salted liquid yogurt. Everywhere the school children freely answer questions regarding their desired professions.Lunch was a traditional Turkish Caq kebap with Suzme yogurt. One man is the human rotisserie. One of the dessert was figs, incir tatlisi, delicious.

Visited the Yakutiye Madrasa built in 1310 by mongol rulers of Persia  as theology seminary. Only the base of one minaret and the lower part of the other remains. It is now the Turkish-Islamic and Ethnography Museum. Old classrooms with low doorways to cause students to “bow” as they entered the room now hold samples of Ottoman jewelery, clothing and household articles on display. I realize some of the new jewelry I’ve seen is copied after this older style.Cifte Minere Madrasa built in 1253. Remnants of the blue tiles seen throughout Turkey on the mosques are visible in the architecture on  into Central Asia. The variety of colors in the stone used in  construction of the older buildings we saw added to their beauty.A trust or foundation supports the mosques. The Imams are civil  servants and are paid by the government. Many people make the pilgrimage to Mecca, usually in later years and only after your family  obligations are fulfilled.A long visit to the Rustem Pasa Carsisi an ancient caravanserai built  1540-1550 converted to shops where the oltutasi, black amber jewelery is sold. The small antique shop at the lower level below caught our attention also. Meli bought beautiful beds and Larry and Ruth a large  etched metal table. The call to prayer interrupted a visit to a mosque so we popped into a  restaurant which was a group of older homes connected in series by  rooms and decorated with rugs and antiques. We sat on pillows and had photos taken sitting in a huge fireplace. Our visit to the 900 year old mosque drew other visitor’s interest. We  learned from a woman in banking that the economy is slowly getting better. New to me, was seeing family groups attending. To maintain the  tradition a University has started a weaving school and makes wool blankets for sale.With Meli's help some of us shop for CD's of Turkish music.
We spent the rest of the afternoon at an old Erzurum house where the ocals congragated in small or bg groups for afternoon chat or even a nap. The dinner is at the hotel. We have to get up early tomorrow to catch the sun set at Mount Ararat.