You Marque My Words

amazed I’m an ‘amazed’ person; much of my life is spent saying ‘That’s amazing!’ J is always saying that I’m a very easily amazed person, which I also find amazing because it it true!
I’m amazed by the things I see and learn as I explore in the realms of what used to be called ‘Natural History’ – and I’m constantly amazed at the skill and artistry of craftsmen and craftswomen from around the world and throughout time. Engineers who have created amazing machines; quilters who create amazing works of art with scraps of material; artists who create amazingly atmospheric images with barely a detail; carpenters who created amazing structures without the use of screw or glue like the mimbar in the mosque in Birgi. And now I’ve been amazed by, what I can only describe as, ‘Marqueteers’ – creators of amazing marquetry.

marquetry2 For those not familiar with this form of decoration, it is the use of thin pieces of different types and colours of wood which are cut and inlaid to form ‘pictures’ or geometric designs. It was popular with my granny and her generation and, by default, with Mr Skeets my woodwork teacher at school who was old enough to be my granny. It was also a much favoured DIY type project in the 1960s.
On our recent trip to Tuscany, J and I went with our friends to the lovely old town of Lucca. There, amongst other things, we paid a visit to the Museo Nazionale di Villa Guinigi (we also got free admission as Old Aged Pensioners from the EU – our Aussie friends left out an ‘a’ and an ‘l’ and were let in as Austrians). There is a lot of interesting stuff to see, particularly relating to religious artifacts, but what had me utterly amazed were these . .

marq1 — what you are looking at is a flat panel – the least amazing and ‘normal’ example

marq2 — marquetry door panel – now check the detail in the other door below

marq3 — door panel detail and ‘No! you are not looking through it’

And then there was this . .

marq4 — as you look at this amazing piece, remember that you are looking a flat panel created in the same way as the 1960s DIY picture above

These are just a few representative examples of what is on display; each piece is between two and three metres high. Flash was not used for obvious reasons – the guard would have confiscated my camera!

‘Amazed’, Okçular

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Alan 2

The Mosaics Of Antakya

antak1 J and I found Antakya, the principal city of Hatay, SE Turkey, to be an astonishingly cosmopolitan place. Laid back, Istanbul fashions everywhere, and barely a headscarf to be seen. The old parts of the town are not extensive but are a delight to explore – the people, as everywhere in Turkey, are open and warm-hearted. If that is not enough for you then there is always the local speciality dessert, Künefe.

Künefe can be found all over Turkey, but the stuff that masquerades under that name elsewhere pales into mediocrity when compared with the real thing that is served in Antakya. Although künefe shops are very common throughout Hatay, Kilis, Adana, Mersin and Gaziantep provinces, Antakya is known for the best künefe in Turkey. What distinguishes Antakya’s künefe from others is the freshly made, elastic cheese that only comes from Hatay region. The kadayıf (shredded phyllo dough) is also made from scratch at small künefe shops on almost every corner in Antakya. Watching it being made is a form of street entertainment in its own right!

antak2

Sitting at a künefe shop, observing the world walk by whilst savouring a plate of this wondrous stuff, topped off with ice cream, should be high on your ‘bucket list’ – in fact, it is almost worth dying for! Almost!

antak3 Anyway, enough of that! This post is about feeding the mind, not the belly; and just across the river from where J and I were stuffing ourselves lies the rather sad looking Museum of Archaeology. Had we not had an inkling of what lay inside we might well have given it a miss and that would have been a mistake. There are the usual marble tombs, busts and statues of long departed emperors, governors and their ladies – gods and goddesses, nymphs and shepherds (coming away), etc. There is also one of the most remarkable collections of Roman wall and floor mosaics to be found outside Ankara or Rome.

Here are just some of them together with a bit of information about what you are looking at. The pictures are not the greatest as there was a ‘no photography’ policy at the time and trying to be discreet with an SLR is not easy! I have ‘enhanced’ some to bring out the colours more, otherwise they are ‘as is’.

mosaic_1 — Oceanus & Thetis – 4th cent. ME – Daphne one of the most photographed mosaics ever

mosaic2 — Iphigleneia in Aulis (detail) – 3rd cent. ME – Antioc. Iphigleneia, daughter of Agamemnon with her mother

mosaic3 — The Happy Hunchback (one can see why) – 2nd cent. ME – Antioc

mosaic5 — Hercules Strangling Serpents – 2nd cent. ME – Antioc

mosaic4 — Personification of Soteria (Salvation) – 5th cent. ME – Narlıca, Antakya. This is an astonishing mosaic in the Escher-esque effect of the geometric shapes

mosaic6 — Narcissus & Echo – 3rd cent. ME – Daphne

mosaic7 — Narcissus & Echo (detail bottom left corner)

antak4 — Boat of the Pysches (with Eros) – 3rd cent. ME – Daphne

antak5 — Orpheus and the Beasts – 3rd cent ME – Tarsus

. . and so many more! To finish off, here’s a couple of general shots around town.

antak7

antak8 — . . not to mention one of those marble tomb things!

antak9 — . . and finally, a pair of basalt lions from the Temple at Tainat – 8th cent. BME

Alan in Okçular

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Alan 2

İshakpaşa Sarayı

isak1 Here we go on another of those ‘Tardis’ time trips; this time back to the year 2003 of the Modern Era (as we have to say now). J and I were touring around the east of Turkey with our kaymakam ‘son’ and his very new and very delightful wife.

Now, being a kaymakam is a lonely old job because, mostly, people only want to know them for what they can get out of them, and the others, who aren’t trying to extract favours, generally hold them in awe – a hangover from Ottoman times. This has created a Freemason-like fraternity with fellow kaymakams which necessitates plan-ahead phone calls and stops to socialise in every town along the route. It also results in very protracted journeys!

So it was that, later than we had expected, we were sitting in the rather imposing office of the kaymakam of Doğubayazıt in Ağrı Province sipping tea and making polite conversation. Ağrı, way over in the east of Turkey, is home to Mount Ararat, the supposed remains of Noah’sArk, the principle border crossing with Iran, a superb bazaar and the magnificent İshakpaşa Sarayı (Palace). Joining us in the sipping was a goggle-eyed Jandarma commander and a scantily clad, over-made up and very big-breasted actress and her hippy-looking Turkish ‘minder’. She was dressed (I remember vividly) in black leggings and a day-glow pink top with ‘Love Me’ emblazoned across her rippling undulations. We saw her later causing traffic pile-ups as she wandered about town; this is, after all, a rather conservative part of the country where most of the women we saw were clad from head to ground in black or brown chaddars/chadors – but that is a story for another time!

isak2 The kindly kaymakam had enquired about our plans and our mode of transport (my trusty Doblo) and had hurrumphed at its short-comings in such terrain. ‘This is an important town with much diplomatic comings and goings’ he informed us. ‘I have several 4x4s why don’t you use one of those? In fact, you might as well have my driver as well, he knows the way around.’

So, there we were, travelling up to the iconic site of İshakpaşa Sarayı in a huge Shogun type 4×4 (like the picture) complete with blue flashing lights. We made a very grand and very self-consious arrival! A group of tourists stepped back as the guardian and his staff lined up to greet these so-obviously important visitors – J and I felt like total frauds and total prats!

Our ‘son’ was grinning from ear to ear, enjoying every bit of our discomfiture! Over time we have learned to go-with-the-flow, as we keep our ‘respect for everybody’ head firmly on our shoulders; back then we were still struggling to deal with such situations.

The undeniable bonus of having ‘connections’ is that J and I have seen and been to places that we otherwise might have missed. At İshakpaşa we were given a personal tour by the principal guardian who was extremely knowledgable. We were also taken to parts of the site that were closed to the public whilst renovations were being undertaken. Completed in 1784, it is the last of the great Ottoman administrative outposts from the so-called ‘Lale Devri’ period to be constructed. It is, without doubt, a true gem and a very important and distinguished architectural relic of its period. All-in-all, an impressive place!

Once again my scanner has done its bit by converting my old 35mm pics into digital format – here are some impressions from this ‘must-see’ site in the beautiful, historic and culturally very rich east of Turkey.

isak3 — iconic view of İshakpaşa Sarayı with Doğubayazit below and Mt Ararat in the distance

isak5

isak7 — astonishing wooden ‘dragon heads’ on exterior wall

isak9 — 2010 after superb restoration work

isak10 — family mausoleums not dog kennels

isak11 — finally the clouds cleared enough to reveal Mt Ararat

Alan in Okçular

Posted on March 14, 2018March 14, 2018 by Alan

Akdamar – A Name Carved Into History

ak1 Join me as we slip back to a time before (I had) a digital camera – it is Spring; the year is 2003 and we are aboard a small boat heading for the island of Akhtamar, or Akdamar that lies 3 kms out into Lake Van in Eastern Turkey.

First, a little background: Once, Akhtamar lay at the heart of the Kingdom of Armenia – here was built a royal complex that included palaces, gardens, parks and a monastery. King Gagik commissioned a church dedicated to the Holy Cross and employed the Armenian architect Trdat Mendet aka Manuel to oversee the work. Manuel had built the cathedral at Ani and had assisted in the repair of Hagia Sophia’s dome following an earthquake. Construction started in 915 and was completed by 921. What Manuel created was quite remarkable!

Aghtamar_1923 The Church of the Holy Cross was the seat of Armenian patriarchs from 1116 until 1895 when it was abandoned due to ‘difficulties’ between Armenians and the Ottoman Empire. The church fell into disrepair – in 1951 there was a concerted effort to demolish the complex – fortunately the total destruction was prevented by an observant military officer and an enlightened minister in Ankara. Today, all that remains is the church.

akdamar2 In 2005-6 the Turkish government carried out a programme of restoration and the church was opened as a museum in 2007. In 2010 the first mass in 95 years was celebrated and in the same year the cross was replaced on the dome.

When J and I paid our visit the restoration lay 2 years in the future and I was using my clapped-out Pentax 35mm film camera – digital cameras and Photoshop were something from a Star Trek script! So, here you have it courtesy of a scanner – my Akhtamar photo album . .

Akdamar-Island-Armenian-Cathedral-of-the-Holy-Cross — Akdemar in Spring

ak4

ak5 — Akdamar church – David and Goliath relief

ak8

ak9 — Akdamar church 2003 pre-restoration

ak10 — J, our ‘son’ and ‘daughter-in-law’ heading home

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos – old technology! Here is a more recent photo after restoration work:

ak11 — restored and once again used for worship

Alan in Okçular

ps The origin and meaning of the island’s name is based on an old Armenian legend. According to the tale, an Armenian princess named Tamar lived on the island and was in love with a commoner. This boy would swim from the mainland to the island each night, guided by a light she lit for him. Her father learned of the boy’s visits. One night, as she waited for her lover to arrive, he smashed her light, leaving the boy in the middle of the lake without a guide to indicate which direction to swim. His body washed ashore and, as the legend concludes, it appeared as if the words “Akh, Tamar” (Oh, Tamar) were frozen on his lips.

Isn’t that sweet?

Posted on March 8, 2018 by Alan 2

A Stitch In Time . .

Cat1 . . an appropriate title for a trip back in time to 2004. J and I were on one of our periodic wanderings around the east of the country; Erzurum in general and the ‘almost’ town of Çat in particular. ‘Almost’, because the place is only about the size of a village and had to be twinned with another village a few kilometres away to qualify as a town. The photos left give you a good idea of how ‘basic’ the place is.

Before I get back to the appropriateness of the title, Cat2 here’s some background. We were there visiting our ‘son’ who was the resident kaymakam with responsibility for an area covering some 30 villages. One of the splendid bonuses on these trips is getting to ‘shadow’ him as he goes about his daily tasks and visits to outlying parts of his ‘empire’.

So it was that we were on our way to a village, where there was a project to raise the status and Cat3 earning ability of many of the young women by teaching them skills to do with machine embroidery. There was to be an exhibition and a presentation of certificates and, of course, the inevitable speeches.

Our official car was followed by a convoy of minibuses filled with bureaucrats; most were happy to get some time away from the office, but there were a fair number who were decidedly glum-looking. Knowing the attitude of many of these pen-pushers towards those they consider a lower form of life; our man had instituted a programme that demanded all managers attend any function of this type where they were required to smile and be nice to the people/natives.

In the centre of the village we were met by the muhtar and his delegation – not a woman was to be seen apart from J who is usually deferred to as an honorary man on these occasions. We were escorted to the education building where the young ladies and their teacher, along with all their proud mums, were gathered. The young ladies were dressed in their conservatively elegant ‘Sunday best’, and looked splendid!

Our man’s speech was radical to say the least; he informed the ladies and their men-folk that women were the equal of any man, not least because the Republic said it was so. He also encouraged them to use their new skills to create some financial independence. There was much mumbling by the men and much giggling behind hands by the ladies!

The presentations were made with all of the ‘protokol’ (including J and me) required to take our turn. You could see the reluctance of some bureaucrats to demean themselves (except the boss was watching), until that is, it was time for the group photo.

MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA — ‘Congratulations!’ from the Jandarma commander, a lovely fellow, and he meant it

The protokol, as is their wont, rushed to the front, smoothing their hair and adjusting their suits, in the process hiding the stars of the day completely! That was too much for J who set about organising the group and, with one persistent exception, bringing the young ladies to the front – possibly a first for Turkey!

Photos done, it was time to view the exhibition of the students’ work and we trooped into the display. A picture is worth a thousand words so I’ll let some photos speak for what we saw; suffice to say that my reaction was to grin like a Cheshire Cat – it had that kind of effect!

MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

At one point this young girl brought the room to silence as she sat and sang to us; her voice, I remember, was quite something! ‘Silver Threads and Golden Needles . .’

Alan in Okçular

Posted on March 8, 2018March 8, 2018 by Alan

‘It’s Behind You!’

stonehenge1 Sometimes, living as we do in a country stuffed full of biological, historical and geographical gems, a land so overflowing with wonderful, wondrous superlatives, we forget to look around our own ‘backyards’. If you live by the junction of the A303 and A360 trunk roads in Wiltshire (UK), I bet that it wouldn’t take long before you wouldn’t even notice that Stonehenge was there!!

So it was with a delightful little gem of a place in the village of Çandır just across the river from Dalyan.

Candir-road_1 Çandır was one of the first places J and I considered when we were searching for a place to call home here in Turkey. It was Christmas Day 1996 when we arrived, shaken and bruised from a grinding drive along broken tracks (it would be several years before anything remotely resembling a road broke through to the village), and we were ready for something to eat and a glass of tea. This photo is of the original road in to the village.

We found no tea house and the only ‘shop’ was a shack in some guy’s back garden opposite the village school. We piled into the shop and scanned the shelves – it was like the old Soviet Union on a bad day – they were bare! ‘Ne var?’ (What have you got?) ‘Beyaz peynir, efendim.’ (White cheese, honoured sir/madam) ‘Ekmek?’ (Bread?) ‘Hayır! Daha sonra traktör gelecek.’ (No! A little later the tractor will come) Our faces must have said it all. We were hungry and thirsty and very dishevelled and an audience of curious locals had gathered – it didn’t take long before the natural hospitality and kindness of our soon-to-be fellow country folk kicked in.

J-Xmas — J tucking into Christmas Dinner 1996 Çandır

We were guided to a table and bench under a tree; newspaper was spread and plates began to appear with bread and a bottle of Fanta from the shopkeeper’s own kitchen, our white cheese and a bag of salted peanuts, olives from someone else and a couple of lemons from the branches above our heads. Whilst we sat chatting and eating a small procession of village ladies came by bearing plates of lokma (Turkish one-bite doughnuts), ‘Hoş geldiniz.’ (Welcome) Tea was brewed and kids from the school came by to practise their English, it was just an ordinary day for them – our exploration of an area turned into an exploration of a village culture that was to capture our hearts. It was also one of the most memorable Christmas Dinners J and I have ever experienced!

Charming as Çandır is, it lost out to Okçular as a place to put down roots due in no small part to its semi-isolation.

Over the years Çandır has changed little; the shack-shop has gone, there’s no shop at all now just a visiting van and the school has closed, a few more houses have been built and the road has changed out of all recognition, but the essential character remains. J and I enjoy walking the forest tracks and the ruins of Kaunos which are close by the village, although we haven’t paid much attention to the centre for some years, we had noted a ‘museum’ sign pointing at someone’s back yard. Recently we took some friends from the US on a ‘jolly’ that included the village and were delighted to discover that the sign really did point to a small folk museum and tea house.

Tea was served and we were treated to tales of this and that – friends from Okçular were recalled and it soon became apparent that they had heard of J and me and knew where we lived. We gave them a copy of the Okçular Book and it was wonderful to see their delight as they realised there were stories in there from and about folks they knew.

We, and our friends from the US had a wonderful time, relaxing, enjoying countless tales and glasses of tea – it proved the highlight of an already splendid day. If you are visiting or live near Dalyan, then do pop across the river to Çandır and do make a visit to the folk museum and tea house – ‘It’s Behind You’ right opposite the old village school.

candir5

candir6 — . . lots to interest at Çandır Folk Museum – make sure you pay a visit!

Alan in Okçular

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Alan

Performing Minor Miracles – The Göle Book Project

gole1 Göle is a rather grubby, nondescript little town in Turkey’s Ardahan Province. It was also the scene of a minor revolution that, with a little luck and a fair wind, will have a profound effect on the lives of hundreds of kids.

Before going on, I need to give you some background; from our very earliest days here in our village, J and I have been privileged to know a certain young man. I’ll not embarrass him by revealing his name or his present position in the bureaucracy – suffice to say that when this story was set, he was a Kaymakam, a regional governor. One of his greatest attributes is that he has never forgotten that he is a ‘village boy’!

gole2 Kaymakams wield considerable power and control substantial budgets; some use their position to bring real benefits to the areas under their control, whilst a few do little more than collect their monthly pay packets! We have, on numerous occasions, watched ‘our’ man make good on his promise to us that he would always seek to work for the people. We have witnessed countless individuals benefit from acts of relief, and numerous larger projects bring benefits to the wider community. From helping the destitute to setting up an organic food/milk/cheese cooperative; from pioneering environmentally friendly road surfacing (with a South African-Turkish company) to breaking the strangle-hold of monopoly produce buyers; we have seen so much good done.

This is the story of one such project:

The idea was that all of the school children in the Göle region, regardless of age, would be encouraged to take up some serious reading; and not just reading but also discussing with their teachers what the book was about in order to ensure they were understanding and absorbing what they were reading.

As the schools had little by way of reading books, the first task was to seek aid from sponsors in order to create a decent library in every school. Our man achieved this in very short order through the generosity of individuals and companies.

With kids in place and books in place the next objective was to provide an incentive for the children to follow through. This part of the project involved going back to various sponsors and persuading them to cough up the funds for – get this – 500 brand-new bikes for the various age groups that were participating! 500 new bikes! These were to be passed on to the students who worked the hardest at reading and understanding the hundreds of new books now available to them.

It’s a few years ago now that J and I were invited by our man to attend the inaugural presentation day and celebration for the Göle Book Project. We invited ‘Kaptan’ June Haimoff, author, of İztuzu Beach and Turtle fame along for the ride.

gole3 On their special day, we joined the children, the media and the many members of the inevitable ‘protokol’ for the presentation of the prizes. As happens every day in Ardahan, it rained, which had no effect whatsoever on the proceedings and on the spontaneous street party that erupted.

The following year the scheme presented a further 500 bikes, and the Minister for Education announced that he wanted the project to go nationwide – some hope of that ever happening – a project like this requires the commitment and focus that is rare amongst the population at large and absent altogether in the political classes!

When the presentations were over and the street party had dispersed, a bunch of bureaucrats and their wives, an army colonel, a TRT film crew, ‘our boy’ and his wife, June, J and I crammed into a few mini-buses and disappeared off into the wilderness for a barby that went on late into the night – a day to remember for everyone – especially the kids of Göle, a small, grubby, nondescript town in the province of Ardahan, NE Turkey.

Here are some impressions from that wonderful event:

gole8 — Göle Chapter, Hell’s Angels ready to rumble

gole9 — Kaymakam Bey leads the troops on a triumphal ride around town

gole10 — we are drawn into a bit of spontaneous Turkish line dancing

gole11 — Göle, Ardahan – partying late into the night

Alan in Okçular

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Alan

Back Roads and Tracks – to Ulu Dağ and İznik

Taking the less used pathway from A to B; getting out of the car and venturing into the unknown usually brings rewards far beyond the anxiety of arriving on time or the risk of wondering exactly where you are. There is only one road to Ulu Dağ, so it doesn’t really count as a back road; getting out of the car and wandering off along animal tracks into the forest does.

In a similar spirit, J and I went many miles out of our way to take a back road on our journey from Bursa to İznik. I don’t know if wild flowers and wild snails turn you on, but they certainly do me! The forests of Ulu Dağ are splendid, in direct contrast to the ghastly ski resort at the top. If this is Turkey’s premier ski resort it is a bloody disgrace! Getting off the road led to the discovery of thousands of Fritillaria pontica, three different crocus, scilla, great swathes of Muscari latifolium and a

old-chap1 — ‘you forriners is a rum old lot!’

number of, as yet, unidentified flowers along with one of the finest snails it has been my privilege to meet!

Turning off on to a back road to İznik we drove through countryside festooned with wild dog rose; met an old man, his son and grandson who farm pears and peppers. The old fellow was amazed that I wanted to photograph ‘weeds’ and told his son that foreigners were very odd (or words to that effect). Stopping to find a bush for a pee, led to the discovery of beautiful clumps of Iris germanicus and a solitary Orchis lactea.

A few photos to be going on with:

Fritillaria-pontica1_1 — Fritillaria pontica

Muscari-latifolium2_1 — Muscari latifolium

Enough, already! Alan in İznik

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Alan 2

Back Roads To Karaçam

Back-Roads-of-California There is another book project simmering in a recess somewhere in the sponge that passes for my brain. It owes its existence to a chance comment (and later prodding) by a blogger friend from the US – she and her artist husband will collaborate to help pull this whole thing together. The inspiration is a classic book about the back roads of California – I sent for a copy and what arrived is a gem printed on hand-made paper.

Our adopted country of Turkey is changing and ‘developing’ at an astonishing rate of knots – dirt trackways get covered by layers of tar and chippings before morphing into four-lane super highways! Finding the quiet, life-enhancing back roads that still yet meander through mountains, valleys and villages, where not much has changed apart from satellite dishes and FIAT tractors, seems like a great idea.

J and I have enjoyed wandering off the beaten track as we explored our new country; we always sought out backways whenever we could. Getting ‘lost’ and discovering great views; pretty, workman-like villages and some wonderful people go hand-in-hand.

This was how we discovered Karaçam (Black Pine) some years ago. We were following a forest track way up into the mountains behind our local town of Ortaca – it was a wild ride, zig-zagging through the forest, crossing roaring rivers, negotiating rock-falls and sliding through muddy pools. Even then progress was rearing its (often) ugly head as we waited while a bulldozer widened a section of track – asphalt was coming!

With J on a family visit to the US, I decided to revisit Karaçam and then push on northwards through the mountains with the hope of linking up with the main trunk road at the town of Acıpayam. I’d be plotting the route, taking photos and jotting notes for the book project. The weather was not looking promising!

The dirt track used to be pretty good for driving on; since the original trip the road has been ‘improved’ with asphalt and the results are bloody awful with the surface broken and pot-holed. The drive however is as wonderful as ever with fantastic views around every bend. Not long after hitting the mountains the clouds closed in and the rain fell; not so good for photographs but I find something magical about gazing down into cloud shrouded valleys, catching ghost-like glimpses of distant villages.

Finding Karaçam was like stumbling across ‘Brigadoon‘ (of the musical fame); the clouds lifted and there it was – unchanged for 50 years – well, since last I was here! A small stream runs near the mosque and there is a wonderful old Çinar (plane tree) with a ramshackle bench. Nearby are village houses that look as if they have been there for ever.

The asphalt ended at the village so it was back to dirt track and mud – bucket loads of mud! Someone had made a couple of signposts – Köyceğiz (where I had come from) 65 kms and Acıpayam 80 kms. Hmm! As good as halfway – Acıpayam here I come! But it was not to be – the track was in a bad state; slippery and dangerous – discretion dictated turning back and trying again another day when conditions are more favorable. Shame really, because my electronic maps say that another 10 kms would get me to villages on the Denizli side of the mountain.

So, will this route make it into ‘The Back Roads of SW Turkey’? Not yet – but maybe it will be fit for purpose by the time we get to the first re-print!

kara5 — Outback driving – be prepared – for anything coming round the bend

kara7 — Hidden places – Alan Mah. Sazak Village

kara9 — at least some things get protection

kara11 — Old Çinar – Karaçam (lousy pic but it was piddling down)

Alan in Okçular

ps as a footnote since this was posted on Archers way back in April 2012 so many back roads have been ‘upgraded’ that I shelved the project. Great pity as it would have been fun to do and fun for others to use for ‘adventures’.

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Alan

The Sexual Life Of The Camel

‘The sexual life of the camel, Is stranger than anyone thinks.

One night in a moment of passion, He tried to deflower the Sphinx!

Now, the Sphinx’s posterior anatomy Is covered with sand from the Nile.

Which accounts for the ‘ump on the camel, And the Sphinx’s inscrutable smile!’

Anon

(a photo extravaganza first posted on Archers of Okçular 26.3.2012)

J and I have had much to ‘get the ‘ump’ about of late. Those who follow these rambling wanderings through time, space and reality will know of the quarry that has been opened next door to our home. Anyway, to escape the noise, dust and mud that kicks off our days at 6.30 every single morning, we decided to have a few days away at a spa and take in some Camel Wrestling as well.

For those of you worried about blood sport or cruelty, let me reassure you that I’ve attended many a bout in my years in Turkey and I’ve never seen a camel hurt or in any way disturbed by the presence of the noisy audience. The animals are focussed on just one thing – being top-dog in the hierarchical world of bull camels at a time of year when the ladies are feeling receptive.

To set the scene, you need to know that camel wrestling is not a touristy thing; it takes place over the winter months when the females are in season. With the steady expansion of winter tourism and with many more foreign residents around these days, venues near these centres now see a lot more ‘yabancı’ (foreigners) than used to be the case. For this reason, J and I prefer to frequent those places that are less ‘polished’ and less concerned about the image they are projecting. Rejecting the concrete safety fences of Selçuk for the chicken wire of Yatağan or Nazilli or Buldan suits us fine. Some of these venues are just a cleared area of forestry land, or an open space in the middle of a derelict works area, or, as was the case at Buldan where this post is set, a space in the middle of a quarry that was accessed through the town rubbish tip!

camel3 — Welcome to Buldan’s Camel Wrestling Arena

As we drove through the mounds of rubbish and dust we did wonder if the sign pointing us this way might not have been turned around as a prank. Our doubts soon evaporated as we joined the back of a queue to get our tickets from the Zabita (municipal police) – it was mayhem as drivers behind tried to pass on both sides on a track wide enough for one. We handed over 15 lira and got our ticket to admit one car and as many people as could jam themselves inside; pretty good value for a family day out. We drove forward just a couple of metres where we were again stopped by the Zabita who demanded our ticket, tore it into bits, chucked it with the rest of the rubbish and waved us through! Burası Türkiye! This isTurkey!

Being obvious foreigners, we drew a lot of polite interest and we were soon adopted by the members of an Ottoman Marching Band; photos were taken, cards exchanged and we now find that we are to be their honoured guests whenever we are in Denizli.

camel4 — honorary members of the Denizli Fatih Mehteri – Ottoman Marching Band

For those who have never experienced an event like this, it can best be described as a total assault on the senses. There are the sounds and sights and smells that emanate from thousands of people talking, drinking and cooking; there are tea vendors, candy-floss and balloon sellers; sausage makers, video sellers and those cooking meatballs and sausages on huge ‘barbies’; there are wandering bands of traditional folk musicians and the over-loud public address system. In the case of Buldan, there were the colourful uniforms of the Denizli Fatih Mehteri (Ottoman Marching Band), and then, of course, there are the stars of the show, the bull camels, decked out in all their finery; foaming and slobbering at the mouth and pumping out bucket loads of testosterone induced pheromones! The overall effect on the sensibilities of the new visitor is incredible – J and I have been attending these things for a while now and we still get a huge buzz. If you love spectacle and you love people-watching, you won’t find a better combination anywhere.

camel5 — when leading your rutting bull a hoodie is not a good idea

It is worth remembering that the bulls are behaving as they would ‘in the wild’ where the instinct to gather as many females together as they can by seeing-off any likely competitor is so powerful that everything else pales into insignificance. To avoid any possible injury to these valuable beasts as they compete, they have a cord tied around their jaws to prevent biting.

camel6 — camel wrestling – the take-down ‘Come on ref!’

The contests between bulls amounts to a great deal of pushing and shoving with attempts to topple the opponent by wrapping a head and neck around his front legs. Some bouts are over quickly, others are called out of time by the judges – sometimes one of the beasts will take off for the hills and, chicken wire fences being no impediment, they end up scattering chairs, picnics and people! For me, some of the funniest moments come when two bulls, locked together and oblivious to anything around, end up by the fences – off come the spectators’ hats, up come the plastic chairs and there follows a totally ineffectual pantomime performance as the crowd tries to shoo the animals away. The wise would simply leave their place by the fence, but then they’d be giving up a prime spot and you know what Turks are like in a queue!

camel7 — deve sucuk – camel sausage ‘sarny’

In the end there will usually be a winner with one animal being ‘pinned down’; a judge blows a whistle and two teams of ten to a dozen men move in, get a rope around each bull and then proceed to pull them apart – no easy task. In the end the beasts are separated and immediately begin to act like perfectly behaved gentlemen, showing no interest in any more brawling.

camel8 — folk musicians wander and play to the crowds

Buldan proved to be one of the very best venues we’ve been to – once through the rubbish tip, the atmosphere was brilliant – from here on the photos can do the talking. Back at our spa hotel we were able to have a nice long soak in the hot mineral waters and replace the smell of meatballs and rutting camels with the whiff of sulphur from the bowels of the earth – Sheer Bliss!