August 2011
20 posts
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Selime Monastery, Cappadocia
At the northern end of the Ihlara Valley lies the Selime Monastery. The monastery is very close to the village of Yaprakisar.
Built by early Christians, this monastery is a fine example of troglodyte lifestyle.
All the infrastructures are cut out from the rocks of fairy chimneys.
The view of Yaprakisar from the top of the monastery.
Churches, kitchens and even a cathedral is cut out...
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Hiking the Ihlara Valley, Cappadocia
The Ihlara Valley is part of Cappadocia under the watchful eyes of Mount Hasan. The valley is unique in the sense that it is a lush valley in an arid region due to its plentiful water supplies. Inhabited by early Christian refugees, it is today largely reclaimed by nature although the village of Yaprakhisar is very near the Valley.
View of the gorge before descending into the valley for the...
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Tam Coc - Bich Dong - Karst Towers of the Paddy...
First of all, I did not made up these names!
This day trip started out with a trip to Hoa Lu, one of the earliest capital of Vietnam. The temple here is dedicated to former Vietnamese emperors.
There are also interesting geographic features such as the dragon hill and the hello kitty hill (ok I made up the second one).
Near Hoa Lu is Tam Coc - Bich Dong, where everyone goes on a river...
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Halong Bay - Karst Towers of the Sea
If you’re in Hanoi, you’ve gotta get out of the city and go for a cruise among the amazing karst towers in Halong Bay. With a name that bears the meaning of the Bay of Descending Dragons, legend has it that when the Chinese tried to invade Vietnam dragons came down to defend the them by spitting jewels at the invading Chinese fleet. The jewels that sank the Chinese fleet became the...
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Hanoi the Capital of Vietnam
This 1000 year old city is one of the most exciting cities in South East Asia. It has an eclectic mix of Vietnamese, Chinese and French influence on its architecture, food and culture. This was my winter experience in Hanoi (tips on the city at the end of the post).
Opera House, fountain roundabout, lantern shop and St. Joseph’s
Most of the tourist infrastructures are centered...
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Hiking Sapa Highlands, Vietnam
Situated way up north near the Chinese border, the Sapa Highlands are the heartland of Vietnam’s hill tribes (Montagnards). Hiking through the hill tribes’ villages was indeed an unforgettable experience.
First stop was Cat Cat Village of the Hmong people.
Waterfall near Cat Cat Village
Lau Chai Village, a smaller Hmong village. The Hmongs are famous for their indigo clothes...
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Akdamar Island & the Cathedral of the Holy Cross
A spectacular Cathedral on an intriguing island floating on the turquoise Lake Van surrounded by snow caped mountains.
The Cathedral was built of pink volcanic tufa by the architect-monk Manuel during the years 915-921, with an interior measuring 14.80m by 11.5m and the dome reaching 20.40m above ground. In later centuries, and until 1915, it formed part of a monastic complex, the ruins of...
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Storming Hoşap Castle
On top of a quiet Kurdish village outside the city of Van lies Hoşap Castle. This medieval castle was built by a Kurdish Bey in the 17th centurt A.D. It is probably my favorite castle as I got the whole place to myself!
Some of the walls near Hoşap Castle are so ancient that they predate the Urartu Kingdom.
The guardian opens the gates to my private castle (at least for the next couple of...
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Besieging Van Castle, Eastern Turkey
Van Castle was built in the 9th century B.C. by an ancient kingdom called Urartu. An equivalent of the ‘Rosetta Stone’ was discovered here in 1836 eventually led to the translation of ancient Persian.
Turkey is a country full of castles or kalesi in Turkish. In the city of Van, the castle dominates the skyline on a cliff above the pristine Lake Van.
Lots of cliffs and...
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Hiking the Kurdish Highlands - Part 3: Lunch with...
After many hours of walking and climbing it was time for lunch before the end of the hike. Lunch was a simple cheese sandwich, chocolate cake and banana prepared by Gorkman and he picked the best spot in all of Eastern Turkey.
A place with the view of Mount Ararat
This was once a thriving Iranian village and after some land exchange agreements, became part of Turkey.
It’s extreme...
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Hiking the Kurdish Highlands - Part 2: Hills and...
As always my hike started out with some adverse weather but it cleared up almost instantly. The hike was pretty moderate, crossing dirt paths, village roads, small hills, farmland, big boulders, big hills and jumping across small streams.
Snow caped mountains above the city of Doğubeyazıt, small seasonal Kurdish village and some rolling hills to climb.
Big Kurdish village. Beware of...
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Hiking the Kurdish Highlands - Part 1: Ishak Pasha...
Hiking along the Turkish - Iranian border was a great fun adventure while I was in Eastern Turkey. The journey started from Ishak Pasha Palace through farms and Kurdish villages ending at Noah’s Ark.
Ishak Pasha Palace is the top attraction in the city of Doğubeyazıt. The palace was built in the late 17th century A.D. and is an administrative center for a powerful local Bey (Lord). Now...
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Ancient Ruins of Ani
Ani was once a great city rivaling Baghdad and Constantinople. It was the capital of an ancient Armenian Kingdom and at its height (11th century A.D.) it was known as the City of 1001 Churches.
Unfortunately Ani came under attack from anyone who’s anyone from the Seljuk, Mongols, Kurds, Georgians, Persians and Ottomans. Each time such medieval attacks brought mass killings of its...
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Is it worth going to Kars, Eastern Turkey?
Hell yeah!
Kars is my favorite city in Turkey (outside Istanbul, of course). This very historical city was once part of the Ancient Armenian Empire, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire, Russian Empire, Armenian Republic and finally today it is an integral part of the Republic of Turkey. Due to this fact, architecture wise this city is very interesting although its infrastructure might not be the...
