Harran Travel

Situated on the very southernmost fringes of the formidable Toros (Taurus) Mountains -- with little more than low limestone spurs, clawing their way like broken fingers into the flat expanse of the Mesopotamian plain -- is the bustling bazaar city of Şanlıurfa.

Some 40 kilometers away to the south of it, just short of Turkey's border with Syria, the scattered remains of the ancient settlement of Harran shimmer in the heat of this vast, empty and austere landscape. Once a mighty walled city sitting astride the traditional trade routes crisscrossing Mesopotamia, it is now best known for the curious domed "beehive" houses rising above the tumbled ruins, which until quite recently were the homes of the Arabic-speaking villagers who occupy the site.

Mesopotamia is famed as the birthplace of civilization, the area where mankind first learned to cultivate crops and, later, live in cities. Stand on the remains of the citadel at Harran and gaze out to the south and you'll see a series of low but prominent "hills" rising above the flatness of the plain. These are tels (höyük in Turkish), or artificial mounds, comprising layer upon layer of the accumulated debris left by the rebuilding of a settlement on the same site -- many dating back to 5,000 B.C. and some much earlier.

Harran was clearly already a settlement of some importance when it was visited by the biblical figure of Abraham around 4,000 years ago. Revered by Muslims as a prophet, by Christians as a model of faith and Jews as a patriarch blessed by God, Abraham is a cornerstone of the monotheistic faiths. Appropriately enough given the continuation of nomadic pastoralism by the Arabs hereabouts to this very day, Abraham was a shepherd. En route from Ur of the Chaldeans (in modern Iraq) to the land of Canaan, he stopped off here. It must have been to his extended families' liking, as some of them, including his brother, stayed behind. Later, unable to find a wife for his son Isaac locally, he sent word to his distant relatives in Harran and they came up with Rebecca.

In the centuries following Abraham's departure to Canaan, the Assyrians and then the Babylonians held sway in Harran. In 53 B.C. the famous Roman general Crassus, at that time one of the Triumvirate ruling Rome along with Pompey and Caesar, met a very sticky end near Harran (or Carrhae, as it was known to the Romans). Anxious to prove his military muscle and line his pockets with plunder, Crassus, newly appointed governor of the wealthy Roman province of Syria, decided to try his luck against Rome's arch rivals to the east of their empire, the Parthians (a Persian dynasty). Despite superior numerical odds, Crassus and his legions were undone by a combination of punishingly hot weather and the Parthians' famous bowmen. Over 20,000 Romans died, one of the most catastrophic defeats in Rome's history. Crassus himself was captured and brought before the Parthian commander Surena. Appalled by Crassus' reputation for greed, Surena came up with a fitting reward for Crassus, who was killed by having molten gold poured down his throat.

Things didn't go much better for another notable Roman, this time the Emperor Caracalla. In A.D. 217, campaigning in the area against the Parthians, he decided to seek the blessings of the moon god Sin, whose temple is almost certainly beneath the medieval remains of the citadel in Harran. Struck down with a stomach bug (not an unusual occurrence in this area even today) en route from Şanlıurfa to Harran, he sought relief behind some wayside bushes. Caught with his trousers (or rather tunic) down, he was helpless to prevent a member of his Praetorian guard, angry that he had been overlooked for promotion, from cutting him down.

Of course trying to find the exact site of Crassus' defeat, let alone the bushes where Caracalla met such an embarrassing end, is nigh on impossible. Things improved for today's visitor with the arrival of the Arabs in the seventh century. They took control of the city from the Byzantines (despite the strengthening of the city walls by the Emperor Theodosius in the sixth century) and, under the Umayyad dynasty, Harran became, briefly, capital of the entire Islamic world. The remains of the massive Ulu Camii, built during the reign of Marwan II (744-50), still stand in splendid isolation in the middle of the old walled city. This, the first mosque ever built on what is now Turkish soil, is of typical Arab design (based on the Prophet Muhammad's house in Medina) with a large open courtyard centered on the şadırvan (ablutions fountain) and a large, rectangular prayer hall divided into four aisles. The layout of the mosque, which for the most part stands only to a few courses of stone high, is best seen from the dusty mound to the south. Currently being excavated by a team from Ankara, the buildings being unearthed from beneath the mound are thought to be from the palace of Marwan and his successors, and from the school of medicine for which Harran was famous. The monumental square minaret on the northeast corner of the courtyard, with its lower sections of well-cut stone blocks, the upper of brick, was taken for a church belfry by Lawrence of Arabia when passing by in 1909.

Destroyed by Mongols in 1260

Although the mosque was rebuilt by the Ayyubid dynasty (of whom the most famous member was that scourge of the Crusaders, Saladin) in the 12th century, Harran's glory days were over, and in 1260 it was destroyed by the Mongols. The settlement then entered a period of decline from which, with the turning on of the irrigation taps of the colossal Atatürk Dam in the mountains far to the north, it is only just beginning to emerge. Indeed, in the 19th century the place was only seasonally inhabited by wandering Bedouin tribes. When the British missionary Reverend Percy Badger came in 1843, he wrote: "On the projecting angles of this ruined edifice the Arabs have erected their conical huts with the bricks which are scattered about most plentifully in this enclosed space. Not far from the castle is a small eminence literally covered with several hundred of these quaint habitations, some of which consist of three cones, whilst others have no more than one. All are now deserted, the Arabs having taken to their tents to escape the vermin which infest them during this season."

The beehive-shaped houses survive in some quantity today, much to the delight of visiting photographers, but are now mainly used to house animals. A visit here is as much one to a village as to an ancient site, and ethnically Arab kids, ranging from the cute to the downright pesky, follow you around trying to sell wall hangings made from dry chickpeas, or to beg pens or money. It's a tourist trap, but the substantial collection of beehive houses set around a shady courtyard and known as the Harran Kültür Evleri offer a respite from the heat, dust and kids. Here you can examine the inside of one of the domed houses and marvel at its clever construction and cool interior, drink a refreshing Turkish çay or a tiny cup of the local specialty, mırra, a scented, bitter coffee. Owner Reşat, a tall and distinguished Arab, with a gold tooth and flowing Bedouin robes, is very welcoming.

It's worth exploring the citadel, in the southwest corner of the old walled city, with three of its four original polygonal towers still reasonably intact, though take care as there are several gaping holes in the upper floors of the structure. It's possible that under the masonry you see today, much of it dating only from the Mameluke period, there are the remains of a Sabian temple (a second is thought to lie under the mound behind the Ulu Camii). Sabianism, mentioned in the Quran, was the dominant religion in Harran from around 1,500 B.C. until A.D. 11th or 12th century. Accused of human sacrifice and orgiastic rites by some early Christian commentators, the Sabians worshipped the planets, especially the moon god Sin. They prayed three times each day -- at sunrise, noon and sunset, and used a different temple each day, one for each of seven celestial deities -- the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. No one is sure what happened to the Sabians, though some believe that the Mandaeans of today's Iraq derive from this once powerful faith.

Harran is one of those places that is far more than the sum of its parts, where you sense history as much as see it. Towards sundown the shadow cast by the minaret of the great mosque lengthens across the broken, earth-covered remnants of this once mighty settlement. The shattered walls and towers of the citadel wrap themselves in a dark mantle and the gangs of village kids, with sun-bleached hair and piercing green eyes, slip away home for their supper. The curves of the domed "beehive" houses are silhouetted dramatically against a vast orange-pink sky and, with nightfall quickening, the sky purples, then darkens and a blanket of stars emerges, blurrily coruscating against a soft, black Mesopotamian sky.

---

[QUICK TIPS]

How to get here

There are regular flights to Şanlıurfa from İstanbul and Ankara. Dolmuşes run to Harran from the terminal in Şanlıurfa and take around an hour, or hire a taxi.

Where to stay

There is plenty of accommodation in all categories in Şanlıurfa, but to make the most of Harran, stay at the air-conditioned Bazda Motel (Tel: [414] 441 2001) in the village just outside the western walls or, if you have a sleeping bag, the Harran Kültür Evleri.

Guides and reading matter

"The Rough Guide to Turkey," "Blue Guide Turkey" and "Lonely Planet Turkey," "The Nestorians and Their Rituals" by Reverend George Percy Badger.

Harran Travel

Situated on the very southernmost fringes of the formidable Toros (Taurus) Mountains -- with little more than low limestone spurs, clawing their way like broken fingers into the flat expanse of the Mesopotamian plain -- is the bustling bazaar city of Şanlıurfa.

Some 40 kilometers away to the south of it, just short of Turkey's border with Syria, the scattered remains of the ancient settlement of Harran shimmer in the heat of this vast, empty and austere landscape. Once a mighty walled city sitting astride the traditional trade routes crisscrossing Mesopotamia, it is now best known for the curious domed "beehive" houses rising above the tumbled ruins, which until quite recently were the homes of the Arabic-speaking villagers who occupy the site.

Mesopotamia is famed as the birthplace of civilization, the area where mankind first learned to cultivate crops and, later, live in cities. Stand on the remains of the citadel at Harran and gaze out to the south and you'll see a series of low but prominent "hills" rising above the flatness of the plain. These are tels (höyük in Turkish), or artificial mounds, comprising layer upon layer of the accumulated debris left by the rebuilding of a settlement on the same site -- many dating back to 5,000 B.C. and some much earlier.

Harran was clearly already a settlement of some importance when it was visited by the biblical figure of Abraham around 4,000 years ago. Revered by Muslims as a prophet, by Christians as a model of faith and Jews as a patriarch blessed by God, Abraham is a cornerstone of the monotheistic faiths. Appropriately enough given the continuation of nomadic pastoralism by the Arabs hereabouts to this very day, Abraham was a shepherd. En route from Ur of the Chaldeans (in modern Iraq) to the land of Canaan, he stopped off here. It must have been to his extended families' liking, as some of them, including his brother, stayed behind. Later, unable to find a wife for his son Isaac locally, he sent word to his distant relatives in Harran and they came up with Rebecca.

In the centuries following Abraham's departure to Canaan, the Assyrians and then the Babylonians held sway in Harran. In 53 B.C. the famous Roman general Crassus, at that time one of the Triumvirate ruling Rome along with Pompey and Caesar, met a very sticky end near Harran (or Carrhae, as it was known to the Romans). Anxious to prove his military muscle and line his pockets with plunder, Crassus, newly appointed governor of the wealthy Roman province of Syria, decided to try his luck against Rome's arch rivals to the east of their empire, the Parthians (a Persian dynasty). Despite superior numerical odds, Crassus and his legions were undone by a combination of punishingly hot weather and the Parthians' famous bowmen. Over 20,000 Romans died, one of the most catastrophic defeats in Rome's history. Crassus himself was captured and brought before the Parthian commander Surena. Appalled by Crassus' reputation for greed, Surena came up with a fitting reward for Crassus, who was killed by having molten gold poured down his throat.

Things didn't go much better for another notable Roman, this time the Emperor Caracalla. In A.D. 217, campaigning in the area against the Parthians, he decided to seek the blessings of the moon god Sin, whose temple is almost certainly beneath the medieval remains of the citadel in Harran. Struck down with a stomach bug (not an unusual occurrence in this area even today) en route from Şanlıurfa to Harran, he sought relief behind some wayside bushes. Caught with his trousers (or rather tunic) down, he was helpless to prevent a member of his Praetorian guard, angry that he had been overlooked for promotion, from cutting him down.

Of course trying to find the exact site of Crassus' defeat, let alone the bushes where Caracalla met such an embarrassing end, is nigh on impossible. Things improved for today's visitor with the arrival of the Arabs in the seventh century. They took control of the city from the Byzantines (despite the strengthening of the city walls by the Emperor Theodosius in the sixth century) and, under the Umayyad dynasty, Harran became, briefly, capital of the entire Islamic world. The remains of the massive Ulu Camii, built during the reign of Marwan II (744-50), still stand in splendid isolation in the middle of the old walled city. This, the first mosque ever built on what is now Turkish soil, is of typical Arab design (based on the Prophet Muhammad's house in Medina) with a large open courtyard centered on the şadırvan (ablutions fountain) and a large, rectangular prayer hall divided into four aisles. The layout of the mosque, which for the most part stands only to a few courses of stone high, is best seen from the dusty mound to the south. Currently being excavated by a team from Ankara, the buildings being unearthed from beneath the mound are thought to be from the palace of Marwan and his successors, and from the school of medicine for which Harran was famous. The monumental square minaret on the northeast corner of the courtyard, with its lower sections of well-cut stone blocks, the upper of brick, was taken for a church belfry by Lawrence of Arabia when passing by in 1909.

Destroyed by Mongols in 1260

Although the mosque was rebuilt by the Ayyubid dynasty (of whom the most famous member was that scourge of the Crusaders, Saladin) in the 12th century, Harran's glory days were over, and in 1260 it was destroyed by the Mongols. The settlement then entered a period of decline from which, with the turning on of the irrigation taps of the colossal Atatürk Dam in the mountains far to the north, it is only just beginning to emerge. Indeed, in the 19th century the place was only seasonally inhabited by wandering Bedouin tribes. When the British missionary Reverend Percy Badger came in 1843, he wrote: "On the projecting angles of this ruined edifice the Arabs have erected their conical huts with the bricks which are scattered about most plentifully in this enclosed space. Not far from the castle is a small eminence literally covered with several hundred of these quaint habitations, some of which consist of three cones, whilst others have no more than one. All are now deserted, the Arabs having taken to their tents to escape the vermin which infest them during this season."

The beehive-shaped houses survive in some quantity today, much to the delight of visiting photographers, but are now mainly used to house animals. A visit here is as much one to a village as to an ancient site, and ethnically Arab kids, ranging from the cute to the downright pesky, follow you around trying to sell wall hangings made from dry chickpeas, or to beg pens or money. It's a tourist trap, but the substantial collection of beehive houses set around a shady courtyard and known as the Harran Kültür Evleri offer a respite from the heat, dust and kids. Here you can examine the inside of one of the domed houses and marvel at its clever construction and cool interior, drink a refreshing Turkish çay or a tiny cup of the local specialty, mırra, a scented, bitter coffee. Owner Reşat, a tall and distinguished Arab, with a gold tooth and flowing Bedouin robes, is very welcoming.

It's worth exploring the citadel, in the southwest corner of the old walled city, with three of its four original polygonal towers still reasonably intact, though take care as there are several gaping holes in the upper floors of the structure. It's possible that under the masonry you see today, much of it dating only from the Mameluke period, there are the remains of a Sabian temple (a second is thought to lie under the mound behind the Ulu Camii). Sabianism, mentioned in the Quran, was the dominant religion in Harran from around 1,500 B.C. until A.D. 11th or 12th century. Accused of human sacrifice and orgiastic rites by some early Christian commentators, the Sabians worshipped the planets, especially the moon god Sin. They prayed three times each day -- at sunrise, noon and sunset, and used a different temple each day, one for each of seven celestial deities -- the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. No one is sure what happened to the Sabians, though some believe that the Mandaeans of today's Iraq derive from this once powerful faith.

Harran is one of those places that is far more than the sum of its parts, where you sense history as much as see it. Towards sundown the shadow cast by the minaret of the great mosque lengthens across the broken, earth-covered remnants of this once mighty settlement. The shattered walls and towers of the citadel wrap themselves in a dark mantle and the gangs of village kids, with sun-bleached hair and piercing green eyes, slip away home for their supper. The curves of the domed "beehive" houses are silhouetted dramatically against a vast orange-pink sky and, with nightfall quickening, the sky purples, then darkens and a blanket of stars emerges, blurrily coruscating against a soft, black Mesopotamian sky.

---

[QUICK TIPS]

How to get here

There are regular flights to Şanlıurfa from İstanbul and Ankara. Dolmuşes run to Harran from the terminal in Şanlıurfa and take around an hour, or hire a taxi.

Where to stay

There is plenty of accommodation in all categories in Şanlıurfa, but to make the most of Harran, stay at the air-conditioned Bazda Motel (Tel: [414] 441 2001) in the village just outside the western walls or, if you have a sleeping bag, the Harran Kültür Evleri.

Guides and reading matter

"The Rough Guide to Turkey," "Blue Guide Turkey" and "Lonely Planet Turkey," "The Nestorians and Their Rituals" by Reverend George Percy Badger.

Trabzon Travel

Trabzon, in Turkey's remote northeastern corner, may be a fascinating, vibrant city, but the sad truth is that for most visitors it's merely a stepping stone on the way to their real target: Sümela, an extraordinary monastery that clings to the mountainside, seemingly defying gravity, southeast of the small town of Maçka.

Even if you've never heard of Sümela you will almost certainly know what it looks like, because it's one of those images, like those of Pamukkale and Cappadocia, that tourist offices love to display as bait for their guests. Remember a picture of a crumbling ruin high up above the pine trees with no obvious means of access? Yes, that's Sümela.

You can hardly help but ask how it came to be there, and the answer lies in a story that tracks right back to the fourth century when Sts. Barnabas and Sophronius came to the area in search of an icon of Mary, the mother of Jesus (Meryamana in Turkish), supposedly painted by St. Luke. Unlikely as it may seem, they finally found the icon way up on the mountain, where they established a shelter to protect it. Over time, word of the discovery spread and the shelter swelled into a shrine, complete with beautiful frescoes on its rock-cut ceiling. By the time the Ottomans came roaring into Trabzon its fame was so great that they too took an interest in the shrine, paying for more frescoes to be painted on the outside walls of a monastic church that had been painstakingly built onto the rock face.

But of course, there was no happy ending to the story. As the centuries wore on, so the number of monks prepared to live in such a remote location dwindled to a handful. Then in 1924 came the Greek-Turkish population exchange at the end of the Turkish War of Independence, which meant that the few remaining Christian monks were required to leave the country.

One might have thought that the monastery's remote location would have protected it from damage once it had been abandoned, but unfortunately graffiti artists were unable to resist leaving their tags on the frescoes, while some "art-lovers" went so far as to chisel away whole sections of the paintwork for themselves. Finally, a decision was made to rebuild the entire complex on the mountainside, a process which is now virtually complete. Some purists will probably dislike the end result, with its distinctive new roofs, but it's far from being the worst restoration in Turkey, and certainly makes it easier for the average layperson to envisage how life might have been lived up here among the birds.

Although there are many organized tours to Sümela, it's perfectly easy to get there under your own steam, either by car or using a local minibus. The ride out there takes some time to break free of the ugly Trabzon overspill, but once you reach Maçka the scenery bucks up considerably, until finally you reach the Altındere National Park which protects the monastery and its surroundings. The zigzag walk up the rock face is a stiff one which requires sturdy footwear -- and coming down again can be especially treacherous, especially after rain when the wet leaves on the path are more slippery than banana skins.

Sümela may be the most obvious excursion destination from Trabzon, but its sheer popularity sometimes overshadows all the other possibilities. Local travel agents are usually most enthusiastic about Uzungöl, a popular picnic spot on the banks of the long lake from which it took its name. The trouble is that Westerners who go there probably anticipate finding the same sort of pristine scenery and inviting log chalets as seen in the Alps. But this is Turkey, and more specifically the eastern end of the Black Sea, which means that concrete structures have insinuated their way even onto the shores of the sea. Much better, perhaps, to get out of the eastward-heading bus as it leaves the small town of Sürmene where, on the inland side of the road, you will be able to visit the Kastell, one of the finest surviving examples of the sort of fortified house once favored by the "derebeys," the local lords who held sway around here during the late Ottoman period.

Not a great deal is definitely known about the Kastell (now signposted as Memiş Ağa Konağı), although it probably dates from the middle of the nineteenth century when it was built for a member of the Yakupoğlu family. Externally, it's an imposing building, its stone-built ground floor supporting a distinctively half-timbered upper storey, but really it's the lovely woodwork of the interior that you've come to see, along with the frescoes of local fruits that adorn the walls of the selamlık (the men's room), the fine stone-built fireplaces, and the curious private hamam that provided central heating for the house.

Across the road from the Kastell is another fine house, apparently also due for restoration. Hard though it is to believe it now, these two houses once looked straight out onto the sea. Now they have the newly completed (or almost completed) Black Sea highway in front of them. As you return to the center of Sürmene, look towards the inland side of the road to see a cluster of Ottoman houses with so many windows that the walls could almost be made of glass. These are thought to have been a later development from the architecture of the Kastell, designed at a time when life was more stable, and homes no longer needed to be semi-fortified.

One other day-trip destination from Trabzon is likely to be much less obvious. If you don't turn off the road towards Maçka but instead keep heading south you will come eventually to Gümüşhane, a small town whose name means "Silver House", a clue to a past far more illustrious than the dreary modern settlement might suggest. The secret here is to head inland immediately for what the locals call the Süleymaniye Mahallesi but which is also known as Eski Gümüşhane (Old Gümüşhane). It's a lovely drive up into the hills to a virtually abandoned settlement where just five or six families still hang on amid the ruins of a ghost town that grew rich on the proceeds of silver-mining, which kept going here until the nineteenth century. The authorities seem to have exhausted their enthusiasm for advertising the site with the huge pictures in the bus terminal, but if you pick the right taxi driver, he should be able to point out the ruins of the old Greek church, the old Armenian church, and the original school. A once magnificent Ottoman house with paintings on its facades is still just about standing, and you will be able to pick out many other anonymous ruins amid the rosehips and apple orchards.

Afterwards, you will feel more than justified in returning to modern Gümüşhane to stock up on pestil (fruit leather) and köme (fruit sausage), the two sweet delicacies stocked by every other local shop.

WHERE TO STAY: Most people will stay in Trabzon but the following accommodation is in Maçka.

Coşandere Pansiyon Tel: 0462-531 1190

Hotel Büyük Sümela Tel: 0462-512 3540

Maçkam Hotel Tel: 0462-512 3640

HOW TO GET THERE: There are daily flights from İstanbul and Ankara to Trabzon, and buses from all local towns including Erzurum and Iğdır. Minibuses for Sümela, Uzungöl and Sürmene leave from the minibus terminal facing the harbor, buses to Gümüşhane from the main bus terminal.

Adana Travel

Famed for what has become one of Turkey's most ubiquitous dishes, the spicy minced meat Adana kebab, and for the cotton production which kick-started the 20th century economic boom of this still growing city, Adana is less well-known as a tourist destination.

This is at least partially understandable, with the Mediterranean a good 30 kilometers or so away to the south, the surrounding flatlands of the über fertile Çukurova plain lacking the picturesqueness associated with more conventional holiday spots and urban and industrial sprawl inexorably working their way out into the countryside surrounding this, Turkey's fifth largest conurbation. But there is enough history in the city itself to keep most people occupied for at least a day, and with much to see in the immediate environs a weekend's jaunt to Adana can be approached with some enthusiasm, especially given the city's wide range of hotels and eating places.

A good starting point is the monumental (it can hold 28,000 worshippers) Sabancı Camii, the largest mosque in Turkey. Completed in 1998, its massive bulk is symbolic of the piety of many of Adana's inhabitants, who raised half of its enormous budget, and of the powerful Sabancı family, who coughed-up the other 50 percent. In classic rags-to-riches fashion, in 1921 the penniless teenager Ömer Sabancı walked from his Central Anatolian village home south across the Toros Mountains to the Çukurova plain near Adana. He worked himself up from picking cotton in the fields to running his own spinning plant before founding, in the 1950s, the largest textile manufacturing company in Turkey. Every Turk knows the rest of the story, as Sabancı Holdings is now the second largest company in the country.

To be frank, the vast majority of new mosques in Turkey lack any architectural merit and most are poor, ill-proportioned concrete imitations of their sublime Ottoman forerunners. This does not hold true with the Sabancı Camii. OK, it is largely concrete (though you'd never tell as the grey stuff is well-hidden beneath beautifully executed stone-cladding outside and tile and painted plasterwork inside) but it is well-proportioned and artfully situated right on the banks of the pretty Seyhan River, which strikes through the heart of the city. From the outside, the mosque looks very much like the famous Blue or Sultan Ahmet Mosque in İstanbul, with six towering minarets just like its early 17th century precursor in the distant metropolis, whilst the interior is reminiscent of Ottoman architect Sinan's masterpiece, the Selimiye Camii, in even more distant Edirne. Seen against a typically dramatic Çukorova afternoon sky, with mountains of appropriately cotton-white cumulus clouds enveloping a vast blue sky, it is a breathtaking sight.

The Seyhan River, along with the Ceyhan a little further to the east, brought down the silt from the Toros which has made the Çukurova so fertile. It is spanned by an ancient bridge best viewed from the riverbank just east of the Sabancı Camii, the so-called Taşköprü (stone bridge). Possibly first constructed in the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the second century with some 21 arches, it has been rebuilt many times over the ages, notably during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and several times in the Ottoman era. The number of arches has been reduced to 14 over time, but it is still an impressive sight, especially when there is no wind and the calm surface of the sluggish river mirrors the bridge's graceful form.

The old bridge is visible proof that Adana's history stretches back at least to Roman times, but the Archaeology Museum, just a couple of hundred meters back towards town from the Sabancı Camii, shows that the origins of today's city can be traced back much further. The fine statue of the storm god Tarhunzas in a chariot astride a pair of bulls dates back to the neo-Hittite period (circa 1100-700 B.C.) though in legend Adana takes it name from the Danaoi, a group of settlers who fled Troy after was sacked by the Achaean Greeks back in 1100 B.C. Upstairs in the museum is a tiny but exquisite crystal statue of a Hittite god, some beautiful Hellenistic Greek and Roman era gold jewelry and an extensive coin collection. There's enough here to keep your attention for a couple of hours, and the museum garden, with its motley collection of Neo-Hittite and Roman statuary, is a pleasure to wander around.

To the Romans, who conquered the area in the first century B.C., the area around Adana was known not as the Çukurova, but as Cilicia. It became a part of the Byzantine Empire following the conversion of the Emperor Constantine to Christianity in the fourth century, but in the seventh century the Muslim Arabs took it. The Selçuk Turks, also Muslim, arrived in the 11th century, but from the 12th to the 14th centuries, it was the Cilician Kingdom of Armenia and Christian once again. In 1515 it became a part of the Ottoman world, and the most notable building in the center of the town, the Ulu Camii (Great Mosque), dates from this period. It's a lovely structure, faced with the contrasting bands of dark and light stone so common further south in Aleppo and further east in Gaziantep and Diyarbakır. Other buildings worth seeing are the 19th century Bebekli Catholic Church, the clock tower dating from the same era and the colorful Kazancılar Çarşısı (Bazaar of the Cauldron Makers).

Also in the city center is the Ethnographic Museum housed in an old Greek Orthodox church. It exhibits some fine kilims and a black goat hair tent, a reminder that the Yörük nomads of the Toros Mountains -- which are not far north of the city and are visible on clear days -- used to winter on the relatively warm flat Çukurova plain hereabouts.

One of Adana province's most famous sons, and certainly the best-known Turkish author outside his native land (along with Orhan Pamuk) is Yaşar Kemal. Before setting out for Adana and the surrounding Çukorova, try and read one of his stirring novels set in the 1920s. Dealing with the cruel lot of the oppressed peasantry migrating seasonally from their villages in the foothills of the Toros to the plain for the cotton-picking season, Kemal's novels are part Homeric epic, part social commentary.

Head east from Adana, and there are the Cilician Armenian castles of first Yılan Kalesi and then Toprakkale, both within an hour's drive. North of Osmaniye, in the pleasantly wooded foothills of the Toros, are the substantial remnants of the classical-era Hierapolis Castabella. A little further north lies the remarkable Neo-Hittite site of Karatepe, with its wonderful rock-relief carvings and fine views over the Aslantaş Dam. There are plenty of pleasant picnic spots on the shores of the Seyhan Dam directly north of Adana, and to the northeast are the remains of the castle of the Cilician Armenian capital at Kozan. Along with Karatepe, though, the most worthwhile day's outing is to Anavarza, which has extensive and substantial ruins largely from the late-Roman and Byzantine periods.

It wouldn't do to leave Adana without sampling one its famous kebabs, best washed down with another local speciality, şalgam, a bitter red juice derived from turnips and carrots, which are fermented and then spiced with chili before serving. Şalgam, like the city of Adana itself, is an acquired taste, but one well worth a try.

[TRAVEL TIPS]

HOW TO GET HERE Daily flights link Adana with İstanbul and Ankara. There are less fr:equent departures from Antalya. Inter-city coaches travel to the city at reasonable rates from virtually every town and city across Turkey.

WHERE TO STAY: Expensive: Seyhan Hotel Tel 0322/457 5818, ww.otelseyhan.com. Right by the Archaeology Museum and Sabancı Mosque; great buffet breakfast and views across to the river. Budget: Mercan Tel 0322/351 2603 www.otelmercan.com. Excellent value and spotless city-center hotel.

WHERE TO EAT: Yüzevler Tel 0322/454 7513 Ziyapaşa Bulvarı. The place where locals head for their Adana kebab fix.

GUIDES AND BOOKS: Blue, Lonely Planet and Rough Guides to Turkey; The Wind from the Plain, Undying Grass and Iron Earth, Copper Sky trilogy by Yaşar Kemal.

Adana Travel

Famed for what has become one of Turkey's most ubiquitous dishes, the spicy minced meat Adana kebab, and for the cotton production which kick-started the 20th century economic boom of this still growing city, Adana is less well-known as a tourist destination.

This is at least partially understandable, with the Mediterranean a good 30 kilometers or so away to the south, the surrounding flatlands of the über fertile Çukurova plain lacking the picturesqueness associated with more conventional holiday spots and urban and industrial sprawl inexorably working their way out into the countryside surrounding this, Turkey's fifth largest conurbation. But there is enough history in the city itself to keep most people occupied for at least a day, and with much to see in the immediate environs a weekend's jaunt to Adana can be approached with some enthusiasm, especially given the city's wide range of hotels and eating places.

A good starting point is the monumental (it can hold 28,000 worshippers) Sabancı Camii, the largest mosque in Turkey. Completed in 1998, its massive bulk is symbolic of the piety of many of Adana's inhabitants, who raised half of its enormous budget, and of the powerful Sabancı family, who coughed-up the other 50 percent. In classic rags-to-riches fashion, in 1921 the penniless teenager Ömer Sabancı walked from his Central Anatolian village home south across the Toros Mountains to the Çukurova plain near Adana. He worked himself up from picking cotton in the fields to running his own spinning plant before founding, in the 1950s, the largest textile manufacturing company in Turkey. Every Turk knows the rest of the story, as Sabancı Holdings is now the second largest company in the country.

To be frank, the vast majority of new mosques in Turkey lack any architectural merit and most are poor, ill-proportioned concrete imitations of their sublime Ottoman forerunners. This does not hold true with the Sabancı Camii. OK, it is largely concrete (though you'd never tell as the grey stuff is well-hidden beneath beautifully executed stone-cladding outside and tile and painted plasterwork inside) but it is well-proportioned and artfully situated right on the banks of the pretty Seyhan River, which strikes through the heart of the city. From the outside, the mosque looks very much like the famous Blue or Sultan Ahmet Mosque in İstanbul, with six towering minarets just like its early 17th century precursor in the distant metropolis, whilst the interior is reminiscent of Ottoman architect Sinan's masterpiece, the Selimiye Camii, in even more distant Edirne. Seen against a typically dramatic Çukorova afternoon sky, with mountains of appropriately cotton-white cumulus clouds enveloping a vast blue sky, it is a breathtaking sight.

The Seyhan River, along with the Ceyhan a little further to the east, brought down the silt from the Toros which has made the Çukurova so fertile. It is spanned by an ancient bridge best viewed from the riverbank just east of the Sabancı Camii, the so-called Taşköprü (stone bridge). Possibly first constructed in the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the second century with some 21 arches, it has been rebuilt many times over the ages, notably during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and several times in the Ottoman era. The number of arches has been reduced to 14 over time, but it is still an impressive sight, especially when there is no wind and the calm surface of the sluggish river mirrors the bridge's graceful form.

The old bridge is visible proof that Adana's history stretches back at least to Roman times, but the Archaeology Museum, just a couple of hundred meters back towards town from the Sabancı Camii, shows that the origins of today's city can be traced back much further. The fine statue of the storm god Tarhunzas in a chariot astride a pair of bulls dates back to the neo-Hittite period (circa 1100-700 B.C.) though in legend Adana takes it name from the Danaoi, a group of settlers who fled Troy after was sacked by the Achaean Greeks back in 1100 B.C. Upstairs in the museum is a tiny but exquisite crystal statue of a Hittite god, some beautiful Hellenistic Greek and Roman era gold jewelry and an extensive coin collection. There's enough here to keep your attention for a couple of hours, and the museum garden, with its motley collection of Neo-Hittite and Roman statuary, is a pleasure to wander around.

To the Romans, who conquered the area in the first century B.C., the area around Adana was known not as the Çukurova, but as Cilicia. It became a part of the Byzantine Empire following the conversion of the Emperor Constantine to Christianity in the fourth century, but in the seventh century the Muslim Arabs took it. The Selçuk Turks, also Muslim, arrived in the 11th century, but from the 12th to the 14th centuries, it was the Cilician Kingdom of Armenia and Christian once again. In 1515 it became a part of the Ottoman world, and the most notable building in the center of the town, the Ulu Camii (Great Mosque), dates from this period. It's a lovely structure, faced with the contrasting bands of dark and light stone so common further south in Aleppo and further east in Gaziantep and Diyarbakır. Other buildings worth seeing are the 19th century Bebekli Catholic Church, the clock tower dating from the same era and the colorful Kazancılar Çarşısı (Bazaar of the Cauldron Makers).

Also in the city center is the Ethnographic Museum housed in an old Greek Orthodox church. It exhibits some fine kilims and a black goat hair tent, a reminder that the Yörük nomads of the Toros Mountains -- which are not far north of the city and are visible on clear days -- used to winter on the relatively warm flat Çukurova plain hereabouts.

One of Adana province's most famous sons, and certainly the best-known Turkish author outside his native land (along with Orhan Pamuk) is Yaşar Kemal. Before setting out for Adana and the surrounding Çukorova, try and read one of his stirring novels set in the 1920s. Dealing with the cruel lot of the oppressed peasantry migrating seasonally from their villages in the foothills of the Toros to the plain for the cotton-picking season, Kemal's novels are part Homeric epic, part social commentary.

Head east from Adana, and there are the Cilician Armenian castles of first Yılan Kalesi and then Toprakkale, both within an hour's drive. North of Osmaniye, in the pleasantly wooded foothills of the Toros, are the substantial remnants of the classical-era Hierapolis Castabella. A little further north lies the remarkable Neo-Hittite site of Karatepe, with its wonderful rock-relief carvings and fine views over the Aslantaş Dam. There are plenty of pleasant picnic spots on the shores of the Seyhan Dam directly north of Adana, and to the northeast are the remains of the castle of the Cilician Armenian capital at Kozan. Along with Karatepe, though, the most worthwhile day's outing is to Anavarza, which has extensive and substantial ruins largely from the late-Roman and Byzantine periods.

It wouldn't do to leave Adana without sampling one its famous kebabs, best washed down with another local speciality, şalgam, a bitter red juice derived from turnips and carrots, which are fermented and then spiced with chili before serving. Şalgam, like the city of Adana itself, is an acquired taste, but one well worth a try.

[TRAVEL TIPS]

HOW TO GET HERE Daily flights link Adana with İstanbul and Ankara. There are less fr:equent departures from Antalya. Inter-city coaches travel to the city at reasonable rates from virtually every town and city across Turkey.

WHERE TO STAY: Expensive: Seyhan Hotel Tel 0322/457 5818, ww.otelseyhan.com. Right by the Archaeology Museum and Sabancı Mosque; great buffet breakfast and views across to the river. Budget: Mercan Tel 0322/351 2603 www.otelmercan.com. Excellent value and spotless city-center hotel.

WHERE TO EAT: Yüzevler Tel 0322/454 7513 Ziyapaşa Bulvarı. The place where locals head for their Adana kebab fix.

GUIDES AND BOOKS: Blue, Lonely Planet and Rough Guides to Turkey; The Wind from the Plain, Undying Grass and Iron Earth, Copper Sky trilogy by Yaşar Kemal.

Lake Bafa

Taking a vacation in the tiny village of Kapıkırı on the shores of Bafa Gölü (Lake Bafa) is rather like staying in a giant farmyard. It's a place where you fall asleep to the sound of a barn owl screeching across the rooftops and wake to the crow of the rooster staking out his domain.

It's a place where you will have to pause to allow groups of slow-moving cattle being herded by villagers on donkeys to pass by and where the air is heavy with the scent of dung. And it's a place where the shortest of walks amid the ruins of ancient Heracleia ad Latmos (Heraklia) is likely to be made in the company of a mixed bag of mongrel dogs, their progress around the village watched with wary eyes by an equally ragtag collection of cats.

For most people Bafa Gölü is a glorious expanse of blue that they whip past en route from Selçuk to Bodrum and where, perhaps, they might pause for a meal at a restaurant overlooking the remains of a Byzantine monastery marooned on an offshore island. Kapıkırı lies at the southern end of the lake, and the authorities seem determined to ensure that as few people as possible get to see it. The dolmuş that used to link the village to the main road is no more, and the admission fee for the ruins was recently hiked to YTL 8, making it more expensive to visit than either Termessos or Patara. Still, for those who do make the effort, this is an unforgettable slice of deepest rural Turkey surviving within an hour or so's drive of the coastal madness.

Kapıkırı, a village of just 320 residents, sits in the shadow of the Beşparmak (Five-Fingered) Mountains, an extraordinarily craggy range, which might as well have been named Onparmak (Ten-Fingered) or Yüzparmak (One Hundred-Fingered) for all you will be able to make out any specific peaks. But what makes Kapıkırı so special is that the surrounding terrain is a mass of rocks and boulders, amongst which stand the remains of a settlement dating back to the time of the Greek colonies that used to dominate this stretch of the Aegean. Rocks and ruins are so closely intertwined that sometimes it's hard to tell them apart. It's something that the area shares with better-known Cappadocia, although here, of course, the scenery is much more lush and green, the surrounding fields full of venerable old olive trees.

In as far as Heracleia ad Latmos is famous for anything, it's famous as the supposed setting for one of the best-known of all Greek myths. It was here that an especially handsome shepherd boy called Endymion asked Zeus to grant him eternal youth and beauty, although in the usual way of things mythological, he paid a heavy price for his pleasure by having to endure endless sleep in a cave on Mt. Latmos in return. Endymion was spotted by the moon goddess Selene, who fell in love with him. Despite his perpetual sleepiness, nothing could stand in the way of the determined goddess who made love to him as he slept, fathering 50 daughters by him before her passion was spent. Today, what is thought to have been a shrine to Endymion, a small temple with an apse fronted by five pillars, stands guard over the lakeshore, not far from the inevitable Selene's Pension.

But there is much more to see in Kapıkırı than just the shrine. Signs about the village point to a bouleterion (council house), a group of column bases in someone's backyard and to an agora (market place), which stood where once there was a village schoolhouse, itself now ancient history; the most imposing structure here is a hefty wall pierced with windows that runs alongside the old playing field. From here it's also possible to see the shell of an ancient temple to Athena standing alone on a bluff overlooking the lake. Scant remains of an ancient theater can just about be picked out amid boulders that lie scattered behind the village, and it's also possible to make out parts of the walls and towers that would once have ringed the settlement.

Not much is known about ancient Heracleia, and archeologists suspect that the remains make it appear more important that it actually was, most power in the region having been monopolized by Miletus, a little further north. Its fate was sealed, in any case, by the changing shape of the shoreline. Bafa Gölü was originally an inlet in the coast, but over time the Büyük Menderes River deposited so much silt along the side of it that eventually it was cut off to form a lake, leaving Heracleia with no direct access to the sea.

Hard though it is to believe, what is now such a serene setting seems to have been a place of constant strife in the early Middle Ages, as evidenced by the ruins of many Byzantine castles both on the shore and on the islands in the lake. The first of these castles bestrides a headland signposted as you come into the village. The ruins make a wonderful spot from which to get your bearings and to look down on the remains of ancient Carian rock tombs cut into a tiny offshore islet.

The remains of another castle sit just offshore from the village's small beach, and in dry summers the water sometimes drops low enough to walk across to them. These ruins are especially romantic when seen by moonlight, but even better are those of İkizada (Twin Islands), which can be seen on boat trips out onto the lake. The most imposing can only be viewed from afar, but it's possible to land on one of the two "islands" to examine the remains in greater detail and look down on a spit of sand that joins what actually turns out to be a peninsula to the mainland.

The boat trips are a wonderful way to see some of the rich birdlife that inhabits the lake, including flamingoes that winter here amid the more common coots, grebes, egrets and herons. More than 200 species of bird have been recorded in the area, which is especially popular with birdwatchers in spring and autumn.

Kapıkırı's other treasures keep a very low profile, and to find them you will need to employ a local guide (pension owners are happy to oblige). In the eighth century a large community of monks seems to have settled here, offering yet another parallel with Cappadocia. Here, too, they painted frescoes on rock-cut shrines, some of them little more than shelters, others such as the monastery at Yediler, far more substantial. Even more unexpected -- and even harder to find without help -- are extraordinary prehistoric rock paintings, featuring many hands and feet, along with sketches of women with such large posteriors that they look almost like ostriches. Most of the local pensions are fairly simple and insist on half-board terms. The breakfasts are splendid, true köy kahvaltıs (village breakfasts) with all the trimmings in keeping with the rural setting.

WHERE TO STAY: The following are all inside the village, except Club Natura, which is beside the lake on the main road.

Agora Pension: 0252 543 5445

Club Natura Oliva: 0252 519 1072

Haus Yasemin Pension: 0252 543 5598

Pelikan Pension: 0252 543 5158

Selene's Pension: 0252 543 5221

HOW TO GET THERE: Regular buses and dolmuşes plough the highway between Milas and Söke. Get out at Çamiçi (Bafa) and take a taxi to the village or phone for your pension to pick you up from the junction

Mugla Travel

With its climate, natural wonders and a historical past that goes back thousands of years, the province of Muğla attracts the attention of everyone who goes there or even hears about it.

And on these autumn days, when tourists want to enjoy not only natural wonders and the sea, but also an interesting journey back in time, many of them head to Muğla's districts of Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye and Datça, as well as the towns of Ölüdeniz and Dalyan. Tourists can experience the pleasures of the sea and the natural beauty of Muğla while also exploring some of the incredible structures left over from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods here, as well as some ancient ruins around Muğla which are even older.

For tourists heading to this region especially for a historical journey through the area, a favored route is the following:

The Beçin, Bodrum, Keramos and Marmaris castles; the Bodrum Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; the Mars Temple; the Myndos, Knidos, Amos, Telmessos and Caunus city ruins; the Patara, Labranda, Pinara and Stratonikeia ruins; the Lycian rock tombs; the ancient city of Lagina; the Leton Temple and the Bodrum Museum, with its rich collection of treasures found underwater.

HOW TO GET HERE: There are daily flights to Dalaman on Turkish Airlines (THY), Atlasjet, Pegasus and Onur Air from Ankara and İstanbul. Dalyan is a short drive away. If leaving from İstanbul, one can use the TEM highway, passing through İzmit, Bursa and Balıkesir. The İstanbul to Muğla trip is an eight-hour drive of approximately 830 kilometers. If you take a ferry from İstanbul to Bandırma, you will travel more comfortably for a good portion of the route.

WHERE TO STAY: Club Viva Hotel. Tel: 212 414 27 77. A five-star hotel that is close to archaeological sites. Meridyen Apart. Tel: 212 414 27 77. Affordable with an a la carte menu. Close to the sea.

WHERE TO EAT: Ömer'in Yeri, 214 92 26, Cami Kebir Mah. Pabuççular Sokak. Offers traditional home-style Turkish dishes. Köşem Restaurant, 212 05 09, Marmaris Bulvarı.