Neformatirani mes-ap

unformated mess up

Gaziantep - Kahta, 216km, skoro 4h

Kahta - Sanliurfa, 176km, skoro 3,5h

Gaziantep - Sanliurfa, 151km, skoro 2h

Gledati i Adiyaman, polasci iz Gaziantepa, pa preko Adiyaman do Kahte. Rent a kar ili nešto u Adiyamanu, ili ostavljanje auta tamo..

Sanliurfa - Mardin, 188km, 3,5h Postoji bus, stanica u urfi se nalazi van grada

1. Gaziantep - Andiyaman - Kahta

Besni Express Tourizm

Kahta - Nemrut Dagi Milli Parki, 35km-40km, 1h

Andiyaman - Nemrut Dagi, 75km, sat i po

2. ADIYAMAN UNAL TOURISM  

Adiyaman - Sanliurfa 12.30

3. Iz Kahte izgleda nije problem do Urfe (sanliurfe), bus ima za 15TL

4. Urfa - Mardin 20TL

Nemrut Dagi

The result of one man’s delusions (obmana) of grandeur, the great tomb and temple complex of Nemrut Dağı was built by Antiochus I Epiphanes (64–38 BC), son of Mithridates I Callinicus, the founder of the Commagene kingdom. A breakaway from the Seleucid Empire, covering only a small territory from modern Adıyaman to Gaziantep, the Commagene dynasty wouldn’t rate much more than a passing mention in histories of the region had Antiochus not chosen to build this colossal monument to himself. Having decided he was divine in nature, or at the very least an equal of the gods, he declared: “I, the great King Antiochus have ordered the construction of these temples…on a foundation which will never be demolished…to prove my faith in the gods. At the conclusion of my life I will enter my eternal repose here, and my spirit will ascend to join that of Zeus in heaven.”

Antiochus’s vanity (sujeta) knew no bounds – he claimed descent from Darius the Great of Persia and Alexander the Great – but eventually he went too far, siding with the Parthians against Rome, and was deposed. This was effectively the end of the Commagene kingdom, which afterwards passed into Roman hands.

There were also gods – a syncretism of Iranian, Armenian and Greek which testify to the cultural mix of the area two thousand years ago.  Hercules is there, as is Zeus, Tyche and Apollo.  Their names were inscribed upon them – those Greek ones we recognize from books and movies as well as their Iranian and Armenian counterparts – Vahagn, Aramazd and Ahura Mazda.

Antiochus was half Armenian and half Greek – another reason why his tomb reflects more than just a single culture. This area was a true cross-road of peoples but there was but a single enemy at the time – the Romans. Antiochus managed to keep his kingdom of Commagene independent, even while many Anatolian territories were being annexed. The enemy became a treasured ally.

Antiochus was already part of a dynasty but he wanted to see this preserved. So he created a royal cult and his tomb was built in order for his vassals to worship him after his death. A Greek inscription reveals that he was buried here at the roof of his world as a sign of his parity with the gods.

Sanliurfa

Sanli Urfa (Glorious Urfa) is a city in Eastern Turkey located on the plains of Upper Mesopotamia. Inhabited from ancient times it has been a home to Greeks, Romans, Persians, Urartians, Hurrians, and was annexed by the Ottomon Empire in 1637.

Sanli Urfa is also called the City of the Prophets. It is closely associated with the Biblical Abraham and attached to one of the Mosques is a cave which is reputed to be the birthplace of Abraham. Men and women enter separately and modest dress is required. Close by is the sacred fish pool. It is a large and beautiful pool filled with carp. The story is that Abraham having angered the local king by cutting off the heads of the idols was tossed into a firey furnace. Then a miracle occurred and the wood was transformed into carp and the fire into water. You can feed the carp (there are vendors of food next to the pool) but do not touch them please. Also they cannot be caught or eaten. It is said anyone eating these particular carp which are the descendents of Abraham's carp will go blind.

Attached to Mosque is a wonderful market, full of twists and turns and goods of all kinds. I especially liked the jewlery based on ancient designs and the beautifully sequinned caftans and it is because of my passion for shopping I got left behind in the market by family and guide. I was engrossed in buying and looking and talking and when I looked up everyone was gone. I did not panic but continued shopping and then went to the center of the market, sat down in a lovely spot and had tea, but no family, waited and then went to the Mosque entrance, still no family in sight. And that is when the magic of Sanli Urfa took over. As a lone American woman I attracted a lot of friendly attention. Someone found me a shady spot, put down a newspaper for me to sit on, brought me a cold drink, fanned me and comiserated with me about losing my family. The women came over to talk to me, brought their children, I showed them pictures of my children and grandchildren, I admired their caftans and earrings, they admired mine. The men wanted to talk to me about Turkey and the USA and how I liked Sanli Urfa. This continued for about 30 minutes until our very agitated guide came to retrieve me. I said good bye to my new found friends promising to return and to tell people in USA about Sanli Urfa, a promise I have kept. Off we went to see the old inns (hans) and the fortress and crusader castle. What a marvelous engineering feat to hoist those large stones many stories up. At lunch we ate the local speciality of Cig Kofte (raw meatballs), very delicious. Other choices are available for those who are faint-hearted. I told of my good time at the Mosque and listened to the recriminations of my family about how I lost them!!! After lunch we headed out to Hurran (about 20 miles away). Hurran was the home of Abraham until G-d told him to go to the promised land. The conical houses are so unique, constructed so that they are cool in summer and warm in winter. Even though it was a hot September day it was cool inside and we all had tea. Across from the houses are ruins of ancient Hurran. You can see where the Islamic University was and also the pilgrimage site for the Urartian moon goddess Sin. The walls of Hurran still stand. Throughout this busy day I kept thinking about the people at the Mosque, at how well we communicated even though my Turkish is limited and my Kurdish is non-existent. I felt the magic of Sanli Urfa through its people