dAY 3: 12th April
Alright so we are back to Miniaturk, the park where every Turkish Monument is replicated for everyone to see.
Q: How will you know which monument is in front of you and what it represents?
A: (Ref Photo 9) The black box in the photo depicts an info box. On the Miniaturk ticket there is a bar code. A red beam catches the code and there is an audio that tells the person about the monument. This infomedia is available in English, Turkish, German and i guess a host of other languages.
Now a mention of some of the monuments which belong to the Anatolian region
??? What is Anatolia?
Anatolia also Asia Minor, is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey. The region is bounded by the Black Sea to the north, Georgia to the northeast, the Armenian Highland to the east, Mesopotamia to the southeast, the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the Aegean Sea to the west. Anatolia has been home to many civilizations throughout history, such as the Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Greeks, Assyrians, Armenians, Romans, Georgians, Anatolian Seljuks and Ottomans. As a result, Anatolia has been of interest to archaeologists.
Alright i’ll skim the gyaaani kisse and bring on some famous monuments 😀 😀
Amasya’s Yalıboyu Houses: (Photos 3 and 4)
These houses on the banks of Yeşilırmak River in Amasya were built at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. One of their most noteworthy features is that they were the first prefabricated houses in Anatolia. Indeed, some of them were put up within as little as one day. These houses in Amasya are fine examples of Anatolian Turkish civilian architecture.
The thing to notice is the detail with which the houses have been constructed. Also notice the 2 kids riding a bike and the detail. (=To be mentioned a lot henceforth!!!)
Mount Nemrut Ruins: (Photo 17 and 18)
Remains of the Commagene Kingdom are to found at an altitude of 2206 meters on Mount Nemrut near the town of Kahta in Adıyaman. Dating back to 80 B.C. – 72 A.D., these ruins are referred to as the 8th wonder of the world. On the eastern side of the open-air temple on Mount Nemrut are eight scuptured statues of gods, measuring in length from 8-10 meters, placed on wooden pedestals. These ancient remains were rediscovered by a German engineer in 1881. The site which was restored in 1984 was declared a National Heritage.
Again supreme attention to the detail. wonderfully done.
There are an incredibly large number of monuments, mosques and artefacts in the Anatolian region and places like Ankara (=BTW the capital of Turkey!!), Izmir, Bursa, Edirne etc.
The other thing i want to talk about is Pamukkale. (=For those who the name doesn’t ring a bell, Pamukkale is the site where Ranbir Kapoor’s song Tu Jaane Na was shot.)
Pamukkalai
meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water.
These naturally formed white chalk (travertine) terraces near Denizli are unique in the world. The series of cascaded pools are formed as a spring at 35°C with a high content of dissolved calcium bubbles up and leaves deposits behind it. It is known as Pamukkale, literally cotton castles. It is said that the water that flows through these is good for heart patients (=Not Medically proven, locally accepted)
We were stunned at this display. The amount of editing i’ve had to do is a testimony to Turkey’s rich heritage and the efforts put into this display..!!!! MUST SEE!!!
The next section deals with Greek Monuments scattered around Turkey which have fallen into ruins but have been reconstructed for everyone to see.
Coming Up: A Grecian Urn..Monuments by the Dozen