Kars and Ani

So the highlight of my entire trip to eastern Turkey was a visit to Ani, regarded by many as the most impressive historical site in this half of the country. In order to get to Ani, I took a train from Erzurum to Kars. This time I was only on the train about six hours, but since Kars is the last stop on the line, the train arrived five hours past the scheduled time. Having now spent a considerable amount of time on the Turkish railway system, I can say this. In terms of value, trains are the cheapest way to travel in Turkey, quite a bit cheaper even than the buses. Though the trains are slow, for that same reason they generally make for a pleasant ride, which can't be said for many of the buses I've been on.

Once in Kars I checked it at a good hotel and then met up with up with an English-speaking guide suggested by "The Rough Guide to Turkey," Celil. He offered me a place on a group visit to Ani the next day, and then we discussed whether I'd be interested in seeing other monuments in the area. Of course I was, but given that I was travelling by myself and most tourists weren't interested in seeing the other monuments, in the end I visited only Ani. In the future, I would rent a car to circumvent the trouble of trying to organize groups of tourists to go to these various sites, as not many visitors to the region take the trouble to visit any sites besides Ani.

The next day, I piled into a van with nine other tourists and went to Ani. Ani was spectacular, but I will save a detailed description for later, as right now I cannot upload photos. Some observations about the site. Contrary to what my guidebook had led me to believe, Ani is no longer militarized at all. The kale, for instance, was completely off-limits to travelers as recently as a few years ago. This is no longer the case. Indeed, there is only one monastery perched atop a hill for which remains inaccessible.

My entire time at Ani there was a great deal of (re)construction occurring. This is both a good and a bad thing. It's good that the site is now receiving the attention it deserves, and the surviving frescoes in particular badly need restoration (I've heard such a restoration is currently in the works). In most of the cases I saw, however, the reconstruction of the site had been carried too far. The walls of the city, which were already substantial before recent work began, have now been augmented on a colossal scale by the reconstruction. As for buildings, the Seljuk palace and mosque along with the city cathedral have received the most attention so far. The Seljuk palace in particular now looks ridiculous, with hardly an original stone to be found in the entire building. There are differing schools of thought as to how to effect a reconstruction, and I understand the maximal restorationist viewpoint, but here it's been carried to extremes.

Notwithstanding the reconstruction, Ani is amazing. As mentioned, I'll save a detailed description for later.

Erzurum

I left on a train from Ankara Sunday afternoon, and this same train arrived at Erzurum on Monday around 12:30 p.m. This arrival was close to an hour and a half behind schedule, but by Amtrak standards this is quite good. The train ride was pleasant, although since there was no sleeping car I had to make do with a seat. Nonetheless, the train trip was well worth it. The scenery on the second day in particular, between Sivas and Erzurum, was incredible. The rail line wound its way through numerous canyons and tunnels, following the course of the Eurphrates and then Arash rivers.

Once in Erzurum, I found a hotel my guide recommended, the Polat Hotel. I paid 35 lira for a room (a little expensive perhaps, but I hadn't slept a full night in a few days). Then I proceeded to explore the city proper. One thing that immediately struck me about Erzurum is that it is a much more conservative town than Ankara. Most of the women here wear some type of headscarf, and some even wear the chador, a black garment which leaves only the eyes and hands exposed (made famous through Iran). Additionally, most restaurants do not offer any alcohol, something I found out when I tried to find a place which served beer for lunch.

Erzurum's Byzantine name was Theodosiopolis, named after the emperor Theodosios II (the same emperor who built the second circuit of Istanbul's land walls). The city was of major importance to the Byzantines until it was captured by the Seljuks in the aftermath of the Battle of Mantzikert (1071). Despite the city's importance to the Byzantines, the sole monumental evidence of Byzantine occupation of the site of the present-day city is the kale, or hilltop fortress. This particular kale is quite large, perhaps 200 by 50 meters square, and was still used into the 19th and 20th centuries (the Russians captured Erzurum during World War I). Within the kale is a combination 12th-century Seljuk tomb and small mosque. A large tower, perhaps 50 meters high, stands over the kale. It is also a Seljuk construction, although obviously much improved in modern times.

Leaving the kale behind, I visited the numerous mosques within the city. The most impressive one by far is the Chifte Minareli Medrese. The Medrese is an enormous and imposing building, with two colorful towers, each about 30 meters high, standing over the entrance. The entrance gives way to a roofless courtyard, with a tomb on the other side. This is a strange-looking building, and it bears little resemblance to any other medrese I've ever seen.

Only slightly behind this medrese in architectural fancifulness is the Yakutiye Medressi, an early fourteenth-century Ilkhanid foundation. The exterior of the entrance is carved with stunning lattice work. This lattice work includes two facing lions beneath a double-headed eagle on each side of the entrance. The ubiquity of the double-headed eagle as a symbol throughout Anatolia's history is something I hadn't fully appreciated until this trip.

The other buildings in the city were not nearly as impressive as these two medreses. Having seen most of what there is to see in Erzurum, today I board a train at 11:00 to Kars, and I should arrive there in the early afternoon. I'll tour the monuments of Kars proper later today, and then tomorrow morning I plan to go to Ani (the whole reason I came to eastern Turkey in the first place). I'll update frequently in the coming days.

Friends, Rhomaioi, Countrymen

After a long hiatus, I'm able to post again. To be brief, I've spent the last month on the second year of the Avkat Archaeological Survey in Turkey. This year I led a team of field walkers and learned how to use a PDA and GPS unit (sort of). Learning to drive a stick shift in rural Turkey was probably more challenging than any technological marvel I had to use, and I really enjoy driving a stick now. It will take a while to get used to an automatic again. I visited the same areas as last year, although I can now add Chorum and Alacahoeyoek (a Hittite site) to the list. Currently I'm in Amasya, my favorite city in Turkey and birthplace of the geographer Strabo.

In the next few days I will travel to Ankara and then catch a train eastward to Kars. From Kars I will venture to Ani, a medieval Armenian city, now deserted, once known as the "City of 1,001 Churches." I also plan to visit the various Georgian, Selcuk, Byzantine, Roman, and Ottoman monuments in the vicinity of Kars. From Kars, I will then take a bus south to Lake Van. On an island in Lake Van is a spectacular tenth-century Armenian church named Akdamar. I will visit Akdamar and other monuments in the Lake Van region (and maybe swim in this alpine lake as well). From Van I fly back to Ankara, and from Ankara by a series of connections back to Reno, Nevada. This will be a long and difficult journey, as I know only a little Turkish. But I really want to see eastern Turkey. I will post photos to my Picassa web albums so that you, gentle reader, may look at some of these amazing sites. Once I get back to the States I plan to create a more comprehensive account of my travels with photos where needed.

I apologize for the delays between entries, and I will make up for my long silence with a slew of posts in the coming weeks.