EASTERN TURKEY GROUP JOURNAL FOR

Day 12 Friday, Aug Pat Simmons pat_sarasota@yahoo.com

TRIP TO HAKKARI

“Learn about the physical,

Then, find out about the behavioral,

And eventually, the philosophical.”

Traveling with Meli is like being with a Museum Curator, who has keys to ALL the rooms, and knows everything about what is in them.

Early breakfast at Hotel Uruzu at Van, taking advantage of Meli’s idea to mix sesame seed butter and grape concentrate to spread on fresh-baked bread. (It’s great!) We set forth at 7:40 AM on Meli’s Bus, for the long (and less traveled) road southeast to the Kurdish city.

As we passed several Jandarme posts, and were stopped for Passport checks, someone asked about Military Service in this country. Meli described her son’s experience in his 8 months required service to their beloved Turkey. Women may enlist, but are not to serve on front lines. After passing qualifying exams, women may receive Academy training to become officers, and, could eventually be commanders, should there be a war. In the early 1930’s, Ataturk’s adopted daughter became Turkey’s first woman pilot, setting a precedent, which allowed women to serve their country. Meli’s comment was, “Women are a ‘little more equal,’ but we don’t do the dirty stuff.” A complete range of trained persons is in the Military Service: Doctors, Lawyers, Judges, Engineers, Computer Experts, etc. In Turkey’s Parliamentary system, the Prime Minister is over the Military.

Another question posed to Meli (for our Bus Instruction and Edification) was about cemeteries and burial customs here. Persons may be on view in a coffin, but are buried only in shroud wrappings. Meli shed light on her people’s views of death by quoting some lines from an ancient poem:

They were afraid of Death and Darkness

But when they overcame the fear,

Then they could celebrate the trip into Darkness.

We don’t know where they are,

But, their handprints are on the rocks,

And they shine from the stars.

There is no concept of Reincarnation in Islam. Good deeds and bad deeds are inscribed on the tombstones. En route to a fortress built centuries ago, where Iran, Iraq, and Anatolia all meet. Meli signaled to Metin to let us go down to a stream below the ruins, where women and girls were beating a heap of wool at the water’s edge. There was a cadence to their pounding, as the team of two or three would swing their bats down in sequence. They timed their overhead, wide-armed swings to land between the strokes of the other pounders. This is to liberate the natural lanolin from the shorn wool, so that rinsing it in stream water will flush out any dirt. The next step in the process is that of patiently lifting smaller portions of the clump (using another kind of stick) in a lofting motion, to separate the matted wool, fluff the fibers, preparing it for pulling out strands to make yarn. We have been seeing the results of weaving the yarn – into shawl and robe fabrics, as well as in kilim- and carpet-making on various sized looms.

Back on the bus, Metin carefully ascended some sharp switchbacks to reach the fortress. We marveled at the City Wall along a high ridge across from the fortress, a spiked serpentine construction, looking like a length of dinosaur spine. When we arrived at the Fortress, there was another Tour Bus, without a guide, only a bus driver. Meli noted one of the tour ladies handing out a single piece of candy to the growing cluster of village children who followed the buses up the steep path. This was a thoughtless and uninformed gesture (leaving out those who received nothing, encouraging the idea of begging to the youngsters) a bad example. Meli took time to inform the driver of the bus that the agency that booked the tour and sent unaccompanied tourists out with no licensed guide, was breaking the law. Meli told his passengers that they had a right to expect a trained and informed guide. Turkish Guides must study communication skills and psychology, are tested for general knowledge and written knowledge, world history and politics, hotel and restaurant management. They have 120 days of schooling plus 60 days of touring, demonstrating guide expertise. (Meli did not want to bring trouble to the driver, but reported the bus license tag to Turkish Tour Guide Association, for appropriate follow-up action.) The children made some ‘jingle-jangle’ sales of wall hangings (artfully hung chains in a variety of designs, decorated with beans, yarn tassels, feathers, and tidbits.)

We traveled along a river, passing only two villages, to a bridge about two miles from Kurdish Hakkari, just before noon. Again, Jandarmes boarded, questioning Meli about her tour headed for their city (where there had been about eight years of Terrorist activities, finally subsiding in 1998.)

Since we were “Between Iraq and a Hard Place” (sorry, guys, I just cannot resist a pun!), Meli used her diplomatic skills (and her dauntless tenacity) to engage the armed men to take us to a good restaurant for our group lunch. (She confided that her strategy, when faced with Armed Forces, is to ‘give them a job’…That psychology training works! It deflected their Who-are-you, what-are-you-doing-here scrutiny, got them into the mode of coming-to-the-rescue of MeliTourers.) The men apparently telephoned ahead to the local police, since some Hakkari officials met us, and accompanied us, as we walked to the center-of-town restaurant. Not only the Official Men, but also a bustle of children and curious citizenry, intently observed our arrival. Children came alongside to call out, “Hallo!” asking our names and where we were from, interested in the load of foreigners coming where few tourists have ventured. We felt like the Attraction for The Day, as the eager youngsters enjoyed English practice (and had a tale to tell their friends!). The very nice second-story restaurant graciously met the needs of our unanticipated group of 20. Meli hosted the Official Escorts at a separate table with her, while we enjoyed some fine food (and their authentic WC). Staff sent us forth with lemon fragrance splash for our hands. We walked to the Community Cooperative, where dozens of young women and teens were making kilims in many rooms on two floors. They were shy, but proud (rightly so) of their deft craft, beckoned us closer. We observed just what is involved in fingering out the sequence of warp strands, so the woof yarn, slipped through on a little spindle, puts down the right pattern for each section of the colorful design. Meli said that the ladies do NOT have a pattern to look at as they weave, but that they have MEMORIZED the designs! After mastering the craft, they may go home to produce on their own looms. Hakkari designs are esteemed throughout the country and abroad, as well. We each received a colorful illustrated book of the traditional patterns, souvenirs of this art-form and local apprentices.

Next, to a school where dozens of students of grade school age were in class setting (although it’s August). They asked questions of us; we inquired about their schooling, their hopes. Carla Phelan went to a world map to point out where our various tour members live in the USA. (I ‘have it made,’ demonstrating with my right hand horizontal, thumb jutting downward, that I come from Florida, pointing just below the lower joint, where Sarasota is, just south of Tampa, on the Gulf of Mexico. The Atlantic Ocean can be indicated on the outer side of that peninsular thumb.)

Meli had alerted us of the opportunity to furnish school supplies. We chipped in our donations, to a total of about 337 dollars. The children sang, thanked us for our visit, hoping we will “come back next year!”

Next stop was a second-story, small kilim shop. The owner gave an informal display for those wishing to make purchases in this cradle of kilim craft. He was undaunted by the crowded quarters, by his electricity going out (someone produced a lantern in a few moments) and by the August heat. He kindly produced individual bottles of water for the entire group, including those who moved to the colorful street below to wait. Turkish people are most hospitable, a testimony to the teachings of Islam, and a warm-hearted readiness to respond to strangers with kindness. (We have seen this evidenced repeatedly, wherever we have traveled.)

We returned to the bus, found that Gerlinda and her patient husband had taken a side-venture, had not gotten back to the bus. Meli sent Natasha and Al to try to track them, from whenever they had left the kilim location (wondering how they slipped by the watchful Police who had posted themselves to escort our 17 Americans). Meli went after them, finally returned to report they had gone to a jewelry shop, wanting to purchase some marvelous heirloom necklaces for their granddaughters. What should have been a smooth transaction had been thwarted by a watchful Bank or Credit Card system, not wanting to approve a Big Purchase from a Far Land. They had to transact smaller pieces of funding to meet their big total expense, a time consuming frustration. They returned, apologetic, but having benefited the economy, patronizing a Hakkari shop!

Quiet ride home, welcome dinner at the hotel, and to bed, to think about our culminating adventure in Eastern Turkey.

MELITOUR EASTERN TURKEY TOUR