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9/17/05 Day Eleven Fruit for breakfast among lots of other items that were offered. Usak Museum has the Turkish items that were returned by the Metropolitan Museum in NYC (only country to return items). Tree of Life is often depicted on grave sites. We saw one with both a Jewish start and a Tree of Life symbol. Usak was the farthest eastern part of the Lydian Kingdom. King Croesus loved gold and minted coins. Persians could not conquer Sardus except for the very steep part near the Acropolis which Darius took. He was about to burn Croesus who yelled out that Darius was about to destroy not only his treasury but Darius’ as well. The treasury was saved but Croesus burned admitting at the end of his life, that money wasn’t everything. 700-300 BC items in the Museum Holbein used Usak wool on wool carpets in his paintings. Saw a marble pot from 3,000 BC Lydian art had roots in the Bronze Age Dead were buried in tumulus (hills) inside a marble bed Muslims believe that there is no after life Saw jewelry and blown glass and gold bracelet Tradition of putting oil on hair; mother goddess is symbolized by the crescent or new moon; lions are near the mother goddess. Tekla, a Konya woman shoed deep interest in Paul’s missionary work. People stripped her nude but a cloud/mist surrounded and protected her and 2 lions came to protect her from wild beasts. Basilica is where saints are buried. We passed a large prison with barbed wire fences. Suddenly there were many pine trees with lots of pine cones. Often we drove for miles without seeing any houses. Photo op of goats near the road. One came up to the bus as if it wanted to join us. Two traditionally dressed women let us take their photos. In Karahali, we went by a traditional Saturday market. Those producing textiles are now using mechanized looms. We stopped in two homes to see the looms. Also saw goats and sheep identified with henna markings (not brands). Aegean Sea landscape – red earth and unfenced plots Picnic lunch – Aryan (yogurt drink), pita filled with spinach and cheese, fruit salad, Turkish cotton candy for dessert. Visited Pasalar village where every house weaves various colors of Turkish bath towels called Peste Mal. All but one old couple have become mechanized. Stopped to photograph older woman boiling red grapes over a fire by the side of the road. We were given a taste (sweet) and offered delicious tiny green and red grapes and walnuts picked from their tree. White butterflies were near the fruit trees and wild blackberry plants. Weavers were a husband and a wife. They make 16 m per day using a shuttle loom. Use a decorated towel for the bath and a white one after you are done. There was a tv in the room with the loom and carpets on the floor where we sat. The best gift that Meli brought were old reading glasses. Meander Valley is the second most important area for textiles. Many well known international companies have factories there. Turkey signed the Bill of Rights for Children. If a child under 18 works, s/he must go to vocational school for a certain number of hours per week. Pamukkale lies on the Meander Valley. There are cotton fields. Green parallel mountain ranges which dive into the sea. There is much geothermal activity which is saturated with calcium. The rocks become calcified. About 30 km west, there is magnesium which makes the water red. There is blue hot mud. Hierapolis – Pamukkale Ruins. The largest necropolis (graveyard) from the 4th c. Many came to die there. Lydian and Fijian people were buried in Tumulae. Stayed at the Richmond Thermal Hotel which is a zoo full of hundreds of tourists from Italy, Japan who travel in huge buses for great distances. Dinner was good soup and a full smorgasbord with lots of desserts. |
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