Western Turkey 101 Tour Group Journal
October 14, 2013 - October 26, 2013

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Day 06 Antalya
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Friday, Day 05  October 18, 2013 Beysehir, Egirdir,Mehmet's Village, Antalya
Submitted by  Elisabeth Chadwick

It was a bright and sunny day when we left Hotel Rumi at 8:40AM.  Meli talked about how prejudices can affect us.

We drove through the mountains and encountered changeable weather.    By this time it was cold and rainy.  We stopped at the town of Beysehir and visited the Esrefoglu Mosque built in the 1290’s.  This is a World Heritage Site.  The mosque is unusual in that it has wooden pillars representing the pillars of Islam.  None have needed replacing due to the exceptional care which has been lavished on them.  They are made from cedar trees from the local mountains. The wood was soaked in the lake for  6 months and then they were fired.  An opening in the roof allowed snow and rain to enter a pit below the opening to keep the pillars hydrated.  This has since been replaced with a more up-to-date method of maintaining humidity.  The mosque currently has a newly laid and designed carpet required by the government as part of its modernization campaign.  This required the mosque to turn over the hundreds of older rugs which had covered the floor over the centuries.  Meli wondered who now has possession and control of the carpets, many of which are undoubtedly valuable.

The mosque has a beautifully tiled blue mihrab which is oriented to Mecca, and amazing woodwork.  The dome of the mihrab has brick colored tiles which are over 700 years old.  This is the only mihrab in this condition, taking into account its age.

Meli called the imam when we arrived and she asked him to talk to us about the mosque and perform a call to prayer for us.  He performed the first call of the day.  This was mesmerizing, beautiful and sounded as old as time.  He also explained the history of the mosque and answered our questions, one of which was about the daily activities of an imam.  We learned through that imams are selected through a  competitive process and paid by the state.  He was gracious and engaging.

We then drove through the mountains again and saw many piles of apples and sugar beets, which are the main crops of the region.  We passed a vast lake going by the name Egirdir Lake.

We stopped for lunch at Mehmet’s house in a rural village.  Mehmet was the first mate on the boat that everybody except Mary, Kathy and Elizabeth were on before meeting up in Turkey.  Lunch was a splendid feast of traditional Turkish everyday food: potato cakes, beans, salad, lamb and apples.  We had the family’s holiday baklava and three varieties of apples from their orchard.

We drove out of the mountains down into the plains and reached Antalya in time for dinner.  Our hotel was the Atelye Art Hotel.  This interesting boutique hotel consisted of three or four buildings in the old part of Antalya. There was a gorgeous Mediterranean garden/patio and newly tiled pool in the main part of the hotel.  Across the alley was another part of the hotel where most of us stayed.  Each room was laid out differently and uniquely with old Turkish furniture and textiles.  Each floor had a central living room with bedrooms opening off it, which is where we met for drinks. 

Some people explored the old part of the city, while others stayed in.

Please click here for
Day 06 Antalya
The itinerary of the tour
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