Kars, Eastern Anatolia, Turkey, 2012

3 Oct, 2012

After "walking holes in our shoes" at the Ani ruins we headed away from the Armenian border towards the city of Kars, our last stop on this tour.

Kars is known for its huge wheels of Kasar and Gruyere cheeses. So our first port of call was the Cheese shop where we tasted many of the cheeses and of course bought way to much to carry home on the plane!

Tom just loved the cheeses!

Kars was founded in the 10th century by the Armenian King Abas 1 and was once a metropolis of around 100,000. In 1064 it was captured by the Seljuks and subsequently came under Georgian, Ottoman and Russian rule. Kars Kalesi (the citadel) and the stone bridge were built by the Ottomans in 15th century. 

The Armenian Church of the 12 Apostles has a long and varied history reflecting the checkered history of the  area. It was  constructed in 923 AD later in 1064 AD converted to the Kumbet Mosque. From 1827 until 1921 it became a Russian church although it lay idle during that time until it became a Museum from 1969-1980. Finally, in 1994 it became a mosque again and was placed under preservation status.  

Today visitors go to Kars  mainly for the cheeses and because it is so close to the Ani Ruins. Our Eastern Anatolian tour ended here and after overnighting in Kars we flew back to Izmir so we could take the long distance buses back to Alanya. This is a trip we would highly recommend.

Kars Kalesi

10 th Century Armenian Holy Apostles Church

The frescoes were very hard to capture

Some of the Frescoes in the Church

The Church was  first converted to a Mosque in 1064 AD

Ani Ruins, Eastern Anatolia Turkey 2012

2 Oct, 2012

From Isak Pasa we travelled onwards through more desolate countryside to Ani our next extremely remote historical site. This was as far East as we would go on our fabulous tour.

The ruined city of Ani, set along the Barley River, is very close to the border of Armenia. It is an absolutely huge impressive historical site and certainly needs a whole day and a lot of walking to do it justice. The site contains remnants of Armenian architecture including the city walls and the ruins of many churches and mosques. In fact, between 990 and 1020 it was known as "the city of a thousand and one churches." Unfortunately, it was sacked by the Turks in 1064. After a slight recovery it was razed by an earthquake in 1319.

This site can be very taxing because of the amount of walking needed and the extreme heat in summer. Also it is usually snow bound in winter so it is best to visit in late spring, summer (for the hardy) or early autumn. However, it is well worth the visit if you have the transport to get there.

Ani Cathedral

Ani is an incredible desolate site

Church of St Gregory

Remains of the City Walls

Remains of the  Barley River Bridge

Just where is Tom!

Some of our group wandering around absorbing the history.

More of the City Walls

Ani is  a huge remote site.

Ishak Pasha Palace- Eastern Anatolia -Turkey-2012

30 Sept, 2012

Most of our group were excited as we continued our journey through the barren, volcanic countryside towards our next tourist stop on the way back to Dogubeyazit. What a surprise we had when we first set eyes on the stunning Ishak Pasha Palace!

Ishak Pasha Palace in the distance.

Some of our group in the Inner courtyard.

Ishak Pasha Palace is a semi-ruined palace and administrative complex  that was built between 1685 and 1784 for Colak Abdi Pasha, the Bey (chieftain) of Beyazit province in Eastern Anatolia. His grandson, Ishak Pasha, a Kurdish warrior, completed the Harem section in 1784. (Check out Ishak Pasha's armoury on Google, it is amazing).

The palace was built in “Lale Devri” (Tulip Period)  and is a combination of Ottoman, Persian, Georgian, Armenian and Seljuk architectural styles. There are very few examples of the historical Turkish palaces still existing today. Therefore, Ishak Pasha Palace is  a major tourist attraction that was also depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 100 lira banknote of 2005-2009. It is absolutely exquisite!

Renovations are still in progress.

Our Guide explaining the details of  the Palace

The intricate details of the complex are remarkable.

Note the pineapple relief.

We listened intently.

Although the exterior was a photo opportunity feast, the interior and the Harem were more difficult to photograph as they were covered with a glass roof to protect the more precious areas.

Part of the Harem

This is the loo!

Tom just wouldn't stay in the dungeon!

Part of the cavernous underground area.

Very near the Palace there is  a modern mosque and  on the hillside a  tomb and ruined fortress which may date from 13th to 7th centuries BC.

Mosque and impressive fortress walls.

Would you like to live here?

Dogubayazit

There were also excellent views of the bleak countryside, as well as, Dogubayazıt  where we were to have lunch before travelling on to Kars in north eastern Turkey. 

We would certainly recommend a visit to Ishak Pasha Palace as it was a highlight of our visit to this area in Eastern Anatolia.

Van Castle and Van Cats-Eastern Anatolia-Turkey-2012

29 Sept 2012

After our visit to Akdamar Island we headed further east to the city of Van where many homes had been devastated by a series of earthquakes in late 2011 and early 2012.  Although the worst of the damage has been cleared up there were still lots of families living in portable homes in and around the city. Our guide Engin and his family had lost their homes in the earthquake. However, they did not lose any family members.

Portable homes at the University

One Group of Portable Home

Van is  a large city in Eastern Anatolia on the south eastern shores of Lake Van at an altitude of 1727m. It was once the Urartian capital (called Ararat in the Bible) and flourished between 13th to 7th century BC.

Archaeological excavations and surveys carried out in the Van Province suggest a history of human settlement to about 5000 BC. The ruins of Van Castle on a steep sided bluff  and  the Tilkitepe Mound  a few kilometres away are the only sources of information about the oldest culture of Van which was once known as Tushpa. 

We overnighted in Van and the next morning visited the impressive Van Castle on the outskirts of the city.

Walls of the Van Castle (from our Mini Bus)

Another View of the Walls

Tom about to enter through the gates of Van Castle.

Today we are able to stand on the Castle walls and view the shores of Lake Van as well as the buried foundations of the ancient city of Tushpa.

Mosque and Lake Van

Mosque and Buried Tushpa

Van Castle Walls and Buried Tushpa



View over Van. Note the Portable Homes in the Distance. 



Engin, our guide, telling us (John) the history of Van Castle

Fun at the Top with Ellie and Michael

Fran on the way Down with Lake Van in the Distance

Replica Van Home in the Park near the Van Castle

Refreshed by a cup of Turkish tea we moved on to the Van Cat House at the University of Van. These cats are unique to the Lake Van/Van area as they have long white fur and two different coloured eyes, one blue and one amber and unlike other cats they enjoy swimming.

We were amazed at the elaborate Cat house offices and grounds but this did not take away from the fact that the cats are kept in enclosures, males separated from females, on swimming pool matting which just absorbed the urine so the smell was overpowering! 

Elaborate Van Cat Offices

Glamorous Sign

Female Van Cat Section

This little beauty wanted to be photographed  rather than play and beg for attention like most of the others! Tom took a while to get this photo without the wire and showing the different coloured eyes. Thanks Tom!

Van cat with Different Coloured Eyes.

We enjoyed this day but felt rather sad about the cats. On the other hand it was pointed out to us, these cats have trouble surviving in the wild and domestic scene as the other cats "bully" them because of their albino look.