Cappadocia: the Culture

Without a doubt, one of the best things (or possibly the best thing) about traveling is experiencing the culture of the region. In Turkey, and Cappadocia more specifically, that's no exception. It's colorful and rich, blossoming with life and spice (in both senses of the word). These are a few of the photos I took while traveling about the region, and I hope that I managed to capture its essence and do it justice.

This woman was making Turkish pancakes at a cafe of sorts in the Ihlara valley where we, as a group, had been taking a hike. If you ever get the chance to go to Turkey, tasting one is a must: they're absolutely delicious. 

Precious children in the village of Guzelrut playing. I couldn't resist the vibrancy of both the door and the walls, which were possibly the most colorful buildings in the village. Or that I've ever seen, for that matter. 

This is the kervansaray where we got to see a ceremony of the whirling dervishes, which was built in 1249. Unfortunately (though appropriately), we weren't allowed to take photos during the ceremony, so I only managed a shot of the outside, but that is better than nothing. The ceremony, known as a Sema, was by far one of the most beautiful (and consequently my favorite) ceremonies I've ever seen. The ceremony symbolizes (in seven parts) the various meanings of a mystic cycle to perfection. All of the ways I could describe the ceremony would be cliché and would not do it justice, but one word describes them better than most: mesmerizing. It's beautiful, captivating, inspiring, and thoroughly unreal.

We also got to see these women who make these beautiful, little dolls in the tiny village of Soğanlı.

This is the woman I bought my doll and hand-knitted gloves from; I wish more than anything that I knew her name.

Drew breaking a jar of a traditional Cappadocian dish that had meat and vegetables inside, which was delectable. 

Another kervansaray built in 1229, I believe, that used to lie in the center of the Seljuk empire. These kervansarays were built every forty kilometers along the Silk Road and were used during the 12th and 13th centuries. This particular one was one of the largest on the Silk Road and therefore the largest in Turkey.

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”

--Henry Miller