Day 8 (April 7, 2013) of our OAT's Turkey's Sacred lands and Ancient Civilizations Tour. We explore Erzurum and Mt. Palandöken and visit a 13th-century madrasa.
Erzurum is a city in eastern Turkey and s the largest city in Erzurum Province.
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| It was Sunday and the streets and sidewalks were crowded |
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| So were the sidewalk tea and coffee shops |
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| Old ways still persist |
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| Ed makes friends with four brothers. One boy had a North Dakota quarter in his pocket and loves Obama. |
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| Çay (pronounced "chai") is Turkish tea |
The owner of this house graciously gave us a tour of his 300-year old house. The first story was Armenian and the second story probably Arabic.
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| A cross and religious icons were displayed here by the Armenian inhabitants |
The door had two knockers. The larger one was used by a man and the smaller one used by a woman.
The security system was two keys--both had to be turned to open the door.
The keys were too bulky to put into a pocket. Nurdan, our guide, demonstrated her solution for carrying the keys--wear like a necklace!
Jewerly made from Jet
The city is known for it use of jet in jewelry. Jet is a coal-based stone--a product of high pressure decomposition of wood from millions of years ago. It is easily polished, but can only be carved into intricate designs by skilled artisans.
Erzurum craftsmen inlay silver into the jet producing a beautiful bead
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| Lines of silver have been inlaid in these beads |
Cağ kebab--horizontal kebab
This uniquely prepared kebab has become a trademark of Erzurum. Similar to vertical kebab, this speciality is a horizontal kebab. Lamb is layered on a spit and rotated over a wood fire.
After thin pieces of meat are carved off, they are skewered and grilled. The blow dryer is a special touch--I don't know if it is used in every c
ağ kebab restaurant.
The kebab is served with flatbread (similar to a tortilla). First the bread is spread with a chili paste, the meat and various other things such as yogurt or vegetables are added and then the flatbread is rolled up.
It was very delicious--many people had seconds..
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| Slice |
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| Skewer |
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| Grill--the hairdryer is an ingenious bellows |
Winter Sports
Erzurum is located at 5766 ft above sea level, and has some of the finest winter sports
facilities in Turkey.
The city hosted the 2011 Winter Universiade. The Universiade is an International multi-sport event organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU).The alpine competition took place at the newly constructed Konaklı Ski Resort, while the freestyle and snow boarding competition took place at Palandöken Ski Resort.
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| Konakli Ski Area |
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| Palandöken Ski Area |
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| Palandöken |
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| Palandöken |
Erzurum also has two ski jumping towers.
Yakutiye Madrasa or Twin Minaret Madrasa
This madras was built in 1310 and is now a museum. The front gate has beautiful reliefs; the one below features the tree of life.
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Front Gate
Tree of life: photographer: Bertramz |
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| Detail of blue ceramic tile inserts on minaret |
Madrasa is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious. It is variously transliterated as madrasah, madarasaa, medresa, madrassa, madraza, madarsa, medrese etc. We think of Madrasa as schools used for teaching Islamic theology and religious law, typically including a mosque.
This madrasa is an example of a covered courtyard madras.
Exhibits inside depicted life in the area and school in the 13th century.
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| homelife and swallow ceiling |
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| Swallow ceiling |
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| Students |
Men worn collarless shirts and vest made of wool. Watch chains were elaborate.
Women's accessories included a silver belt and a short necklace (gorget) and longer necklaces.
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| Moe, Lynne and Tony rest |
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| Roger contemplates |
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