You are my Hiera!

Cotton Castle

Cotton Castle is the meaning of Pamukkale, our next destination. Located in the Province of Denizli, the city contains hot springs and terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. Departed around 8pm from Konya, the 7-hour journey made us arrive at 4am in a freaking cold morning. However, the journey on bus was not endured without story though. I met Osman, a guy who sat beside me. The guy was super friendly and seemingly can’t stop talking. The master’s degree student in a local university said to me that he wanted to practice English as much as he can. Since most Turkey’s population hardly speaks English, the chance of meeting a tourist like me is like a jackpot for him.

 

 Kita minum dulu..

 Kat benda-benda putih ni tak boleh pakai kasut, kaki ayam adalah wajib

 I learnt that he is an Attartuk’s loyalist. It’s not a surprise since in Turkey, Attartuk is considered as the founding father of modern Republic of Turkey, a freedom fighter that liberated the country from its enemy during the World War 1. In addition, he mentioned that a country’s administration should be separated from religious influence. Clearly this guy is Islam by default, but a secular in heart and mind. He also mentioned that man are free to do whatever he wish without any restriction and proudly proclaimed that he often consume alcoholic drinks. All this while I have been reading about the secularist from others, especially through saifulislam.com and now I experience it by myself. Clearly in Turkey there are two groups of people, the muslim fundamentalist and the muslim secularist. Oh for your info, 99% of Turkey’s population is Muslim.

 Miss Kubra Khatijah explaining the city of Hierapolis

 At The Roman Theater

Osman was clueless when asked about the Uthmaniyah Civilization. I asked him how he is not proud of his country’s 700 years of golden era, a daulah which spread as far as Austria in the Europe, Algeria in the Northern Africa as well as Mecca in the Middle East. Clearly the few years of Attartuk’s reign had successfully brainwashed the people and mould a secular set of thinking until today.

 

Arch of Domitian

This is..tiang tegak

We decided to join a tour package of Pamukkale which include a stopover at a popular hot spring, a walkover the terraces of travertine and also a visit to Hierapolis, an ancient Greco-Roman city which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. We were excited (especially zaki) to know that our tour guide for the day is Miss X (I forgot her name and will put her real name when I regain my memory :P ). Of course everybody loves anything beautiful and we are not excluded. Highlight of the tour is definitely the Hierapolis. The city comprises of the Sacred Pool, Roman Theatre, colonnaded street called the Plateia, which ran from the Arch of Domitian to the south gate, tombs and also stuffs that I can’t recognize.

 The Sacred Pool. Watch out the Ancient Pillars and Marble at the bottom of the pool!

Next, Selcuk

Konya Bumi Rumi!

Vroommmm..The bus slowly departed snowy Kapadokya for Konya. The journey took about 4-5 hours. Somehow Denise was the one who really excited about her going back to Konya. Simply she had a crush with our good-looking bus attendant! I must say that transportation system in Turkey is way better than in Malaysia, particularly the inter-city bus system (bas ekspres la). Of course the guy on the bus did not function just to impress some random girl from Malaysia, but he served snacks, fruit juices and also coffee! They not only had a foldable table for eating, but also a 7 inch- built in LCD monitor for every passenger so that you can watch movies, random Turkish music and stuffs. A WIFI connection in a moving bus will simply pop your eyes off!

 Kuda di tengah bukit

Punctuality is their main mission. So punctual to the extent where me and Zaki were nearly left behind during a stopover. Luckily Denise, after sweating herself because of our lateness, managed to convince the bus driver to wait and forced her good-looking bus attendant ran after us! I knew this will not be the last time Denise will be sweating throughout the journey.

The Whirling Devishes

That night, we managed to arrive at Mevlana Cultural Center on time. Yes people, that night we were witnessing the infamous (or famous?) Whirling Dervish. Yes, Konya is the home of Whirling Dervishes. To be frank, I did not have a clear idea how the dance was invented and whether it is accepted in Islam. As for me, watching the whole ceremony behind my eyes made me think that it’s a quite strange event. So much strange neither solace nor peace came across the heart. Allah knows best.

 With Amja Sultan Camii and fellow Turkish brothers

Kalau air kolam tak cukup beku, jangan diuji kaki sendiri.

 

The amja who did not speak English, but tirelessly explain to us about the Camii

Makan malam kami

 One for me, one for Denise

Konya is considered as one of Islamic cites in Turkey. Unlike other modern parts of Turkey, one will hardly find any women without hijab. Every man, especially the elderly shall have a kopiah on top of his head. People here are more friendly, charming, kind-hearted and trustworthy. There was one uncle who is a caretaker of Sultan Selim Camii. He invited us and also Denise to have a look at the historical mosque (year 1566). After telling him that we wanted to visit the Shrine of Rumi (which is located adjacent to the mosque), he volunteered himself to walk with us to the front gate of the shrine. Even though it was only steps away, the old man will not be forgotten!

Budak-budak ni baru habis tengok bola kat stadium.Semangat semacam!

Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī , also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī and popularly known as Mowlānā but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi was a 13th-century Persian Muslim poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Following his death, his followers and his son Sultan Walad founded the Mawlawīyah Sufi Order, also known as the Order of the Whirling Dervishes, famous for its Sufi dance known as the Sema ceremony (Wikipedia). So you know who invented the Whirling Dervishes now eh?

 Makam Maulana Jalaluddin Ar-Rumi berada di bawah kubah hijau itu

 Ya, kamilah yang beria-ia mahu ambil gambar bersama

Setiap kamu terhadap kehidupan ini adalah seperti rumah tamu. Setiap hari kamu dikunjungi pelbagai tamu dengan pelbagai kerenah. Bukalah pintu untuk mereka dan layan sebaik yang kamu mampu. Andai kamu menutup pintu, kamu sangka diri makin selesa tetapi hakikatnya kamu semakin kehilangan segala-galanya” – Jalaluddin al-Rumi

K.A.P.A.D.O.K.Y.A 2.0

Awesome people worth mentioned!

Hi everyone! It’s our second day in Kapadokya, and the place is still snowing. Woke up this morning and found Hot Air Balloons all over the sky! In the summer time, the numbers can go up to hundreds. Took a morning walk around Gorome and found cool things in the town

Zaki with his little snow brother. Check out the hot air balloon!

This guy was so excited upon seeing this Farmville Restaurant

The freak dog that tried to be friendly with us and accompany us the whole town!

I think this car is cool (and the dog was only meters away; keeping his/her eye on us)

Had a nice breakfast in the comfort of home

 So the journey today continued with me, Aiman, Ami, Denise, Zaki and of course, Brother Khan.................

Our first stop that morning. Somewhere only we knew (from left: Zaki,Ami,Denise,Aiman,me)

Red Valley Walking Trail. A walk to remember

The snow ball fight

The outcome

Ami enjoying his moment with Bro Khan

With an uncle who can speak Malay words. Check out the Flinstones Café Sign!

Father, Mother and Son (at the back). I think the guy is looking for his future wife!

We had our lunch in a Restaurant at Pigeon Valley. The food was not that delicious though but sufficient to fill the empty stomach. Shop for souvenirs and we barely had a bargain. After one more stop, it was time to bid farewell to Bro Khan, Aiman and Ami. We were heading towards Konya by bus that afternoon while the two boys were going back to Istanbul. Ah, it’s hard to say good bye and I’d rather say till we meet again. Thanks for everything guys!

Rockin' K.A.P.A.D.O.K.Y.A

Kapadokya, Pertemuan Terindah.

Sebelas jam, itu adalah masa sepanjang perjalanan ke Kapadokya dari Istanbul melalui Ankara. Tidur sepanjang perjalanan tidak membuatkan ada menyedari apa yang ada disekeliling.Malam lagipun.Sampai sahaja waktu pagi, salji di mana-mana! J Setibanya kami tiba di stesen bas Bandar Nevsehir, Brother Khan menjemput kami ke tempat beliau. Oh, agensi pelacongan tempatan rupanya. Mulanya agak keberatan untuk menyertai pakej yang disediakan, kerana mengikut perancangan, Kapadokya hanya untuk seharian sahaja kerana Bandar Konya menanti. Lama juga kami termanggu-manggu disitu untuk membuat keputusan. Siap dipelawa oleh Bro Khan secangkir teh Turki (alaaa nak bodek la tu..).Teh uncang LIPTON! (ala LIPTON je?) Perancangan diubah, Kapadokya untuk dua hari satu malam.

Göreme Panoramic View (photo credit: Denise)

 

Ini adalah salah sebuah hotel di bandar Göreme. Ya pengunjung akan mendiami bilik-bilik seperti gua the Flinstones (photo credit: Denise)

Kapadokya adalah bandar batu (Rock Town). Terletak di tengah-tengah negara Turki, ia mempunyai sejarah yang amat panjang (sila wiki untuk lebih lanjut). Apa yang menarik perhatian kami untuk menjelajah bandar ini adalah kerana bentuk muka buminya yang unik dan jarang-jarang kita lihat. Pernah menonton rancangan kartun the Flinstones? Ia sangat mewakili bandar ini. Penduduknya tinggal didalam rumah batu termasuk juga gereja-gereja. Oh gereja-gereja itu kebanyakannya tidak aktif kerana majoriti penduduknya sekarang adalah muslim. Dikhabarkan juga pada zaman Utsmaniyah dulu, orang-orang kristian melarikan diri dan tinggal di gua-gua batu di sini.

Bandar Göreme ‘hidup’ pada masa kini hanya kerana pelancongan. Satu lagi hotel batu (photo credit : Denise)

“ Harap kita buat keputusan yang betul la ye “ rasa skeptik terhadap pakej yang kami ambil belum reda. Van meluncur laju membelah dataran salji yang berada di kiri dan kanan jalan. Kami tiba di sebuah hotel, di mana terdapat beberapa orang yang turut lain menyertai pakej ini. Seorang gadis berkulit putih, bermata sepet berjalan dari pintu hotel menghala ke arah kami. “Orang China atau Korea barangkali” ujarku didalam hati. Gadis itu kini bertentang mata dengan kami; ”Orang Malaysia ek?” gadis menyapa. Ceh! Orang Malaysia rupanya. Kami melonjak gembira (dalam hati) kerana bertemu dengan rakan sengara. Malu sendiri tidaklah mengapa. Denise, seorang yang berperwatakan ceria, mengembara ke Turki seorang diri (berani sungguh amoi ni), bersamanya Aiman dan Ami dua orang pelajar Malaysia bidang perubatan di Mesir menghabiskan masa cuti musim sejuk (lari dari kekacauan Hosni Mubarak sebenarnya) di Turki. Selain itu, terdapat juga beberapa pelancong dari China dan Korea Selatan.

Isn’t that gorgeous? (photo credit : Denise)

Jadi perjalanan kami berlima diteruskan dengan melawat tempat-tempat yang menarik, antaranya:

• Underground city: Bandar bawah tanah yang lengkap dengan segala-galanya untuk hidup. Dapur, bilik senjata, bilik tidur, gereja. Pintu pun diperbuat dari batu!
• Caravanseri. Tempat persinggahan untuk pedagang-pedagang di sepanjang Laluan Sutera yang terkenal itu.
• Esentepe Panoramic View. (Kawasan ambil gambar lompat-lompat)
• Ihlara Valley. Tempat ini sangat cantik!
• Nar Lake. Tasik yang asalnya adalah sebuah kawah gunung berapi!

Kervansarayi. Ini adalah tempat persinggahan untuk para pedagang berehat. Di sepanjang laluan sutera (the Silk Route) terdapat beratus-ratus tempat persinggahan seperti ini. Laluannya amat panjang, menghubungkan Turkmenistan (Xinjiang, China) hingga ke bandar Bursa di Turki. Pernah dengar lagu Kitaro; Caravanserai? Ya, inilah bangunan yang dimaksudkan!  (photo credit : Denise)

Jumaat yang tak dapat dilupakan!

Namun, ada satu peristiwa yang agak ganjil berlaku kepada kami pada hari itu yang tidak dapat dilupakan. Sewaktu di Kervansarayi, terdapat sebuah masjid terletak bersebelahan. Sangat sempurna untuk kami menunaikan solat Jumaat yang pertama di bumi Turki ini. Kedengaran Khutbah pun sudah berkumandang. Setelah menggigil kesejukan berwuduk, lantas saja menuju masuk ke masjid tanpa menghiraukan pemuda-pemuda Turki yang masih melepak di luar kawasan masjid.”Ohh rupanya orang Turki ni pun sama macam orang Malaysia, bila orang dah nak mula sembahyang baru masuk masjid” kata hati kecilku sambil terbayang anak-anak muda melepak di atas motorsikal kapcai di tanah air.

Bolos saja pintu masjid itu, aku terus duduk berdekatan heater yang terletak di tengah-tengah masjid. “Eh? Takkan depa dok dengar khutbah ikut kaset je?” Aku merungut sendirian. Tetapi kerana bersangka baik, aku berlapang dada. Ini mungkin caranya di Turki. Lagipun semua orang khusyu’ mendengar, aku taat menuruti cara di sini. Setelah keset dimatikan, azan berkumandang dan semua jemaah ke saf hadapan dan bersolat.

“Oh dah solat Jumaat la ni” getusku.

Salam kedua diberi, solat Jumaatku selesai. Seorang pemuda bermuka putih bersih naik ke mimbar dan mula berbicara dalam bahasa Turki. “ Laaaaaa….baru nak start khutbah ke????????? Abis yang kaset tadi tu ape??? ”. Rupanya di Turki ni mereka rajin juga pasang ceramah agama sebelum Jumaat macam di Malaysia. Bagaimana pula dengan Zaki, Ami dan Aiman? Mereka sekapal saja sepertiku. 

Apa nak buat, nak bertanya orang lain semasa kaset dipasang; tak boleh kerana disangka tengah berkhutbah.Lagipun sukar sekali untuk berjumpa orang Turki yang boleh berbahasa Inggeris. Kesimpulannya:

* Khutbah dalam kaset bukanlah cara orang Turki ye adik-adik

* Malu bertanya, solat Jumaat dua kali!

* Janganlah terbayang anak-anak muda diatas motor kapcai sewaktu khutbah jumaat semasa di negara orang.

Esentepe Panoramic View Point. According to Bro Khan, the top right of this photo was the location of Star Wars movie. The actual panoramic view was way better than this photo though. Allah Almighty! Your eyes are actually way way way better than a DSLR.

Ihlara Valley. Dahulu kala orang-orang Kristian melarikan diri dari orang Rom dengan bersembunyi di Lembah Ihlara ini. Terdapat berstus-ratus Gereja lama didirikan didalam batuan gunung berapi di lembah ini.

 

Cantikkan? Ihlara Valley

from left:denise,peter,moon,zhen,shirley,aiman,zaki

To be continued.....Kapadokya 2.0? (Yes, i'll stick to the blog's format and leave the penyapu 2.0 on a different field)