Cappadocia: The Mesmerizing Gem of Central Turkey

Wednesday was jam-packed with a with just about everything that is fun, exciting and associated with the Cappadocia area of Turkey.  We started off with an inside look at the cave dwellings that make this area both unique and beautiful.  Caves were an advantageous place to call home in the first and second centuries because they maintain a constant temperature...warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Although caves are not conducive to modern living, some elders still pass their time in caves throughout this area.  Many hotels, like the one we stayed in, are built with Cappadocian stone which provides the same effects of a cave with the ability to add a modern twist.

                                          Fairy chimneys carved into my hotel room wall
                                          that was made with Cappadocian stone.
                                         

                                         View of the caves from my hotel room.

     Throughout the valleys of Cappadocia jutting rock formations abound...the people of Turkey call them fairy chimneys and they are wondrous sight to behold.  The fairy chimneys were formed by tufa from the nearby volcanoes and erosion from the rain.  When Rome began invading areas of Turkey it was these fairy chimneys that kept the Cappadocians safe as the Romans were afraid of such strange sights.  Early Christians found this area as a refuge and an ideal place to start some secluded colonies.

                                          Fairy chimneys along the Cappadocian valley.

                                          More caves...you can see if you lived in one of these
                                          your neighbors would be very close.

     Our next stop brought out the shopper in nearly all of us as we visited an Onyx factory/Turquoise jeweler called the Haman Art Center.  Cappadocia is a prime area for mining both onyx and turquoise and to hear our host Orhan tell it, there is no other in the world like it!  Onyx is a mineral stone that is similar in looks to marble or alabaster.  You can tell the difference between them by shining a light against the stones...the translucent one will be the Onyx.  Orhan narrated a demonstration of the perfecting of Onyx into a beautiful work of art...which was an egg in this case.  The three steps include: cutting the Onyx, sanding it with three types of sandpaper (each thicker than the other) and finally polishing the piece with an oxidized chromium powder.  The end result is a beautifully smooth onyx sculpture.  The factory only uses local stones in making all of their items, both Onyx and Turquoise.  After our brief demonstration we were whisked away to the Mecca of Turquoise jewelry...and other lovely items.  Orhan advised that the definition of Turquoise is literally Turkey's stone.  Turkey's Turquoise is darker and more valuable than others because it has gold flakes in it.  Honestly that's about all I got from that talk...there were way too many shiny things around for most of to pay much attention after that.  Our interest in those shiny valuables was further enhanced when we were told that everything was 20% off.  Needless to say most of walked out with one, if not two or three beautiful works of art.

The most common Turkish turquoise is at the front. The greenish stones are "antique turquoise" and are more valuable because of the longer time they've taken to develop. 

     Before our wallets had a chance to recover from our Onyx/Turquoise shopping spree our bus pulled into Avanos village where we visited a pottery workshop.  The art of making pottery is an ancient tradition that has existed since the Hittites inhabited this area.  It started because of the soil of the Red River, which is one of the longest in Turkey.  The family who owns and runs the workshop has been making pottery since 1807.

Ömürlü, which means "Be Alive", is the patriarch of the family and everyone who makes the pottery has been trained by him.  The potters use a kick wheel to shape the clay, which is essentially a wheel that you kick around.  This technique is from 2000BC and is the oldest technique used in pottery making.  The potters use both red and white clay.  A few of us had the opportunity to try our hands at the kick wheel and I must say that none of us could be referred to as a master potter any time soon.

Once the clay is formed it is fired in a kiln that heats it between 1050 and 1100 degrees celsius, depending on the type of clay.  The pieces are then hand painted, glazed and fired again.

                                          Pre-glazed pottery.

                                          A look at the finished products.

After our lesson, our wallets opened again we walked away with some stunning hand crafted pieces.  Most of us will be on a budget for the rest of the trip.


     Thankfully we went to a museum after the pottery workshop so my wallet got a bit of rest.  Our next stop was the Göreme Open Air Museum.  This museum consists of several cave churches.

                                          Cave churches at the museum.

 During the first and second centuries, Cappadocia was a refuge for Christians from the Romans.  In 325 the Council of Nicea was called by Constantine.  The Bishops initially thought this was a trick to get them all in one place and kill them, but they decided to go because Constantine's mother was a Christian.  The Cappadocian Fathers, St. Basil of Cesarea, Gregory of Nicea and Gregory of Nesianos  attended the council.  All of the cave churches we visited had images depicting the life of Jesus painted on the both the walls and ceilings.  There are four arms of the churches that all seem to be equal in length.  The central dome in each of the churches seemed to always depict Jesus.  During the Iconoclasm period in the seventh and eighth centuries, images in the churches were forbidden.  However that ended with the Seventh Ecumenical Council and images were allowed again in the ninth century.  The images were used to show what the Bible was saying.  They were used as a teaching tool.  The people in these communities didn't go to one church and stay there, but rather traveled about to various churches because each leader of a church was an expert of a different area of the Bible.  This allowed them to learn as much as they could.  The Cappadocian Fathers created a communal life where everyone worked together and shared for survival.  The churches in this area cannot be dated and have been used for centuries.  Since we dated by art, we can only see that the churches were decorated around the fourth century.  These churches were a beautiful reflection of the importance of the Word to the early Christians of this area.

     Our day ended with one of my most anticipated events...the Whirling Dervish ceremony.  Faith has many expressions and to me, the Mevlevi dervishes' sema ritual is one of the most beautiful and mesmerizing.  The dervishes spin as a way of attaining mystical union with God.  Prior to attending the ceremony, Cenk reminded us that we will not being seeing a spectacle, but rather an age old form of worship.  The whirling is to symbolize how all things in the universe revolve.  This belief came from the founder of the Mevlevi order, Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi.  Mevlana once said, "Dancing is when you rise able both worlds, tearing your heart to pieces and giving up your soul."

The whirling of the dervishes is not something that is done willy nilly.  Each pattern and gesture in the ritual dance is detailed and specific.  The dancers are accompanied by musicians who play the ney or reed flute, kettle drum and a harpsichord.  The music is used to help lift them to the spiritual realm.  The dervishes enter wearing black cloaks, which represent their tombs or shedding of earthly ties, and stand with their hands crossed over their chests.  This represents the number one, which is a symbol of God's unity.

Their tall hats represent their tombstones and the floor length skirt or tenure is a funeral shroud.  The dervishes spin always to the left which symbolizes the rotation of the universe.  They rep their right hands extended to the sky to receive God's goodness and their left hands point down to channel God's beneficence to earth.  After they have performed four salutes they are joined by their Sheikh Efendi, who seems to be their leader.  At the end of their ceremony they put their black cloaks on again which symbolizes a return to the material world.

In learning about the meaning of the ceremony and having the opportunity to witness one, I have a better understanding of the devotion and love the dervishes have for God and humanity.  Cenk has been telling us that nothing matters to the dervishes in the material world and that they are essentially living dead, only interested in serving God and channeling divine grace.  As I sat entranced by the ritual of the dervishes, I could feel the warmth of God in that underground cave.  I clearly saw the beauty in such a foreign religion and the dedication of those who serve the same God that I do.

By: Melanie Schubert

Our group in "Love Valley." We'll leave it to your own imaginations to decide why the Turks call it that.