Ramadan in Turkey

Ramadan in Turkey
RELIVING THE TIME OF THE OTTOMANS
Tarakli is a true
architectural treasure
trove with Ottomanstyle
homes with
wooden oriels,
historical arcades
and Turkish baths
Tarakli hosts
approximately 100
historical homes
and estates under
preservation
BUY
WHAT TO...
Tarakli is making efforts to revive
woodworking. You can buy all sorts
of wooden souvenirs at shops in
the region, from ceiling bosses and
wooden spoons, to mirrored chests
and engraved coffee tables, etc.
EAT
BY MELIH USLU
Roughly 200 kilometres
away from Istanbul
in the northwestern
part of
Turkey is Tarakli, a
settlement that features some of
the most beautiful examples of
civilian Ottoman architecture in
the country. According to famed
historian Joseph von Hammer-
Purgstall, author of Geschichte
des osmanischen Reiches the
10-volume treatise on Ottoman
history, this was one of first
places along the Silk Route to be
conquered. Tarakli has a history
of hosting countless tradesmen
and pilgrims for centuries.
Selim I "the Grim" stopped here
in the 16th century on his way
to his Egypt campaign and was
very impressed by the hospitality.
Evliya Celebi, the Ottoman
traveller, wrote the following
lines about Tarakli in his travelogue,
Seyahatname (Book of
Travels): "It is a flourishing town
made up of wide grape vines and
well-manicured gardens, as well
as about 500 homes built around
a river. It has one bath, five arcades,
six schools, and 200
shops. Its wooden spoons and
combs are famous.” When you
get there, you will realise how little
it has changed.
THE MUSEUM CITY
One of nine areas in Turkey
associated with the Italian
Cittaslow movement, Tarakli
is situated in a forested valley.
It hosts approximately 100 historical
homes and estates under
preservation. These structures
TARAKLI HAS A
HISTORY OF HOSTING
COUNTLESS
TRADESMEN AND
PILGRIMS FOR
CENTURIES
mostly belong to individuals, and
are being restored piece by piece
with government support. The
restoration of about 10 historical
mansions has been completed
and they are now being used
as hotels, museums and restaurants.
The houses here are usually
three-storied and stand
out with their use of caged windows,
wooden oriels, and historical
tympanums. First floors and
courtyards are built with stones
that match the pattern of the
cobbled streets. Main entrance
doors are double-winged and
usually made of walnut wood.
Doors have been mounted with
iron nails with wide heads, while
the handles and gavels on the
doors are wrought iron.
ELEGANT ARCHITECTURE
Sitting between Istanbul and
Ankara, Tarakli resembles an
emerald island where the newest
oriel-adorned houses scat-
tered around the Goynuk Stream
can date back by a century. Sixty
per cent of this area is forested.
The Tarakli Culture House, itself
an exemplary example of restoration,
serves as an ethnography
museum and is a prime destination
for visitors. The 200-yearold
wooden structure carries
the elegant lines of 19th century
Anatolian architecture with
its long roof ridges, beamed balconies,
and sliding windows. After
we exit the Culture House, we
stroll around the narrow cobblestone
streets, where we come
across historical arcades and
baths at every step. Another
sight in the area is the Yunus Pasa
Mosque, built in 1517 by Mimar
Sinan.
Try the “uhut.” - a kind of sugarfree
wheat mash stirred into a
paste The keskek (a traditional
Turkish meat and wheat dish
prepared for wedding ceremonies,
funerals and religious holidays),
chickpea dumplings, and foam
halva are the other must-trys.
GET THERE
From Istanbul you follow the TEM
(Trans-European Motorway)
towards Ankara. You take the
Bilecik-Eskisehir exit and after
driving for about 25 kilometres,
follow the signs to Tarakli. You
can also reach by bus, heading to
Goynuk or Adapazari from Istanbul.
The city of colours and
With a history dating back 11,500 years,
Urfa remains steeped in cultural, spiritual
mystical influences
BY RUQYA KHAN
Harran
The ancient city of Urfa
(Sanliurfa) lies about
180 kilometres west
of Kiziltepe, in southeastern
Anatolia. A
calm and serene place known
for its legendary myths Urfa has
been a place of interest for many.
Its history dates back more than
11,500 years. It has hosted some
of the world’s oldest civilisations.
Beyond the strong religious history,
it is a city seeped with the
beautiful colours of tribal life,
bustling bazaars and aromatic
tea and kebabs. Its cultural, spiritual
and mystical atmosphere
remains very much alive, attracting
a large number of visitors.
A BRILLIANT BLEND OF
PAST WITH PRESENT
Urfa is a blend of old and new,
with Turkish, Arab and Kurdish
peasants who come from the
countryside haggling in the traditional
bazaar, while young technocrats
and engineers hustle between
offices and shops lining
the modern downtown section.
Among the main attractions
of Urfa are the nomadic tribes
who inhabit this place. The villagers
are big on handicrafts
like felt making, tannery, stone
working, weaving, woodworks,
copper works, saddle making,
fur making and jewellery design.
These old trading centres of Urfa
date back to Ottoman times;
among the famous bazaars are
Kazzaz Bazaar, Sipahi Bazaar
and Huseyniye Bazaar.
Balikligol
Halfeti
Madrasah
TRADITIONS GALORE
Urfa is a city of ancient traditions,
old friendships and mystical
associations. People here
honour the custom of Sira Geceleri,
which brings together people
sharing the same pleasures,
world views and ideas. Members
of the group take it in turns
to host these events, which
have a ceremonial character
and are based on a sense of fraternity.
Country excursions also
take place in a similar communal
spirit of friendship, with
each family contributing differ-
APART FROM ITS
ORIENTAL CHARMS
URFA BOASTS
OF AMAZING
ARCHITECTURE AND
GREAT HISTORY
ent and special home cooked
dishes from the famous regional
cuisine.
Certain traditions like inking
tattoos of figures like animals of
wild life, daily life articles, weapons
and numerical figures for
bringing luck to small children
are slowly fading away. But the
persona of this city of prophets
will remain forever in its warmth
and its peace and togetherness.
A visit to the city is incomplete
without a taste of the world famous
kebabs. With assortments
as rare as eggplant and meat kebab,
and tomato with meat kebab
a food connoisseur is in for
some succulent surprises. Even
in dining there is a system, a tradition.
The kebabs are eaten with
special bread called the durum
and the meal is closed on a sweet
note of fresh kunefe as dessert
and then a special Urfa postmeal
coffee, mirra. Take care to
drink it in traditional fashion,
otherwise you are risking the
chance of offending a native.
14 > 15 GLOBAL CONNECTION JUNE 2015