Dig Deep into Civilization

I really tried to research the history of Turkey before traveling

there, y’all, but considering that it began in the Stone Age,

human history in the Middle East goes way, way back.

There’s Paleolithic and the Neolithic ages, so humanity

starting before 10,000 BC. The Bronze Age began about 1,000

BC and after that I couldn’t even keep the waves of migrations

straight, including the Hattians, Akkadian Empire, Assyrian

and Hittites. Then the Greeks, followed by the Romans and

Persians and so on.

I finally gave up with the Indo-European tribes (who spoke Thracian) and the Kingdom of Macedon. I had not reached Alexander the Great and was already exhausted. I decided to allow the history of Turkey to wash over me as I traveled along. Whatever I learned would be fine and in, the meantime, I’d appreciate all the amazing scenery, architecture and food.

It is no wonder that every invading army wanted Turkey, as I soon found out. The country - which was not always a country - is located at the nexus of Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as the intersection of the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Indian Ocean via the Red Sea. When we visited the bazaars, I was astonished to see spices from China, pottery that looked Spanish or Dutch, fabrics from India, jewelry and baskets and bags and rugs from everywhere on three continents, but of course the Silk Road facilitated commerce from the Far East to the Atlantic by camel, by train and by sea.

It is difficult now to appreciate it has not always been possible to order practically anything from Amazon and have DHL deliver it right to your doorstep, as I did with a bright yellow, shirtwaist dress made in Mumbai that almost fit right.

In any case, flying to Turkey is a very long trip that will leave you jet lagged for at least a day. Those prayer bells will be calling you to thank Allah, regardless of your circadian rhythms. Three thousand mosques cover Istanbul with 99% of Turks being practicing Muslims.

Among other facts, I learned on this trip that a good Muslim is expected to give 1/40 of his net worth to charity; that the highest quality Turkish carpet is woven with more than 900 knots per square inch; and that Turkey’s economy is one the fastest growing in Europe. I can believe it.

I traveled with a cultural exchange group, including two social workers, a minister, a priest and two writers, sponsored by the Atlas Foundation. We visited a college campus, newspaper office, mosques and private homes, as well as archeological sites, Rumi’s tomb and the place where the mother of Jesus lived after His crucifixion.

This enigmatic nation was fascinating yet difficult even for our multidisciplinary group to fathom. Turkey is an ancient land where Noah’s Ark is said to have come to rest after the flood, where Homer waged his mythic Trojan War and the Byzantine Empire founded its capitol in Constantinople. Now a modern city with 13 million people, Istanbul boasts high-speed transportation and energy-efficient green technology. If I imagined donkeys and camels on the roadways, I was completely wrong. Traversing Istanbul, we passed modern office buildings, shopping malls, trendy restaurants and fashionably dressed pedestrians.

On the historic front, we visited the magnificent Topkapi Palace, Hagi Sophia and the Kariye Museum. Everywhere, Turkish women moved freely, some dressed in modern attire and others “covered” by headscarves or, at times, enshrouded in black niqabs. We were told the attire was a woman’s personal choice.

Leaving Istanbul, we explored caves and marveled at Cappadocia “fairy chimneys” in where Bronze Age residents carved homes into the mountainsides. Of course, we couldn’t miss the elegant and (ancient Greek city of Ephesus.

In Kayseri, we toured the site of a mental hospital founded in 1206 for Gevher Nesibe, a sultan’s sister. (When he forbade her to marry an Army general, later killed in battle, she asked the sultan to build the sanctuary where patients were treated with acoustics, baths and positive affirmations.)

Everywhere, the food was deliciously fresh and flavorful. Fruit displayed at roadside stands literally glistened. The people were so nice. And the weather was absolutely perfect. I can def understand why everybody wanted to live there.