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canaryrecords · 4 years ago

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Five years after having first presented a substantial group of recordings by Kemany Minas from February 1917, the Canary album I made was heavily revised twice due to obsessive research by Harry Kezelian and Harout Arakelian. Recently a group of early Minas performances from Dec. 1916 arrived as part of the legacy of Christine Gabaly, and I revised the album yet again (now comprising his nearly-complete discography, lacking only the two takes of his performances of the song "Memo"), this time giving the notes entirely to Harry Kezelian, whose amazing work deserves a feature in the LA Times, New Yorker, NY Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, NPR or some similar outlet. It is an absolute masterpiece of what is commonly called "rediscovery" of early 20th century music by a performer who I said for years we'd never know about. I was wrong. I'm happy to share it with you: ====== Sixteen discs made in eleven months have survived for more than a century with the name Kemany Minas Effendi on their labels. Lacking a surname - “kemany” and “effendi” are titles, making him “violinist Mr. Minas” - this great artist remained an enigma for many years. The identity of Minas has been ascertained from scraps of information in out-of-print Armenian books and newspapers, as well as oral history from Udi Richard Hagopian of California. Minas Chaghatzbanian arrived at Ellis Island at the age of 26 on July 13, 1913. Destined for Providence, Rhode Island, he had left behind his his wife Varter in Malatia, Turkey. Arshag Alboyadjian’s “History of the Armenians in Malatia” (published 1961 in Beirut) includes the first mention of Minas as a performer, only two months after arriving: “The one united [Malatia club] picnic of Attleboro and Franklin [Massachusetts] was a singular and unforgettable affair for its type. In 1913 at the well-known farm belonging to the Urfatsis [Armenians from Urfa], that picnic took place, where more than 200 Malatia natives were present, from surrounding towns. The lavishness of the specialty dishes and drinks of Malatia was beyond measure. The famous and prematurely-deceased violinist Minas Chaghatzbanian was there. The merry-making had neither measure nor bound. [Visiting geologist] Professor Mugerdich Vorperian [of Malatia] was also there, who in that period had come to America for the purpose of taking certain classes. Professor Vorperian spoke, issuing a call to the Armenian community, to not remain in foreign lands, but return to the Homeland. The poor Professor himself returned and became a victim of the wolves and hyenas. Doctor Garabed Yazmajian also spoke at that picnic, and issued a call to those present, that they should give vigor to the patriotic purposes adopted by the Society. On the occasion of that picnic, a sum of nearly 900 dollars was collected, which was an amazing thing in those days, and could only have taken place thanks to the sacrifices of the natives of Malatia.” By 1914 Minas was living in the Back Bay section of Boston and working at Bedros Boyajian’s Arevelyan Surjaran (Oriental Coffeehouse) in Boston first at 32 Tyler and then at 84-A Harrison Ave. A June 24, 1914 ad in the Armenian-language newspaper Azk (the Nation) read: “We are informing the Armenian community of Boston and the vicinity that we have reopened our Armenian Coffeehouse, where food will also be served at certain times of the day. First-rate kebabs and choice dishes. The famous violinist Mr. Minas Chaghatzbanian will play choice Oriental pieces in the coffeehouse. Call the Chaghatzbanian band for weddings, picnics, and other celebrations. - Bedros Boyajian, proprietor.” December 6, 1916, Kemany Minas made his first recordings for the Victor Company at the age of 29 or 30, both as a vocalist and a violin-playing accompanist to Diyarbekir-born singer Karekin Proodian along with two shadowy figures named Morene (kanun) and Hagop (oud). We guess that “Morene” is a misspelling of Zaven Yapchaian, a native of Kharpert, Turkey who made several solo recordings in the early 1940s. It is not out of the question that the oudist Hagop was James (Puzant) Nazaretian, known as Jimmy Nazareth, a native of Adana, Turkey, although according to his student Emmanuel Baghdayan, he didn’t start playing the oud until he was done with his US Navy service toward the end of 1919. Of the 12 sides recorded that day, Minas was soloist on six. On those six sides, he performed one folk song “Memo” and five gazels in makams Oushak, Hijaz, Huseyni, Sabah, and Rast. By the time of those recordings, the Armenian genocide had been ongoing for over a year. Minas’s wife Varter may have already been killed. If Minas hadn’t read reports the fate of the Armenians of Malatia, the statement in Viscount Bryce’s Blue Book report to the British Parliament in October 1916, widely reprinted in the newspapers, was clear: “The same barbarities have been committed everywhere, and by this time travelers find nothing but thousands of Armenian corpses all along the roads in these provinces. A Moslem traveler, on his way from Malatia to Sivas, a nine hours journey, passed nothing but corpses of men and women. All the male Armenians of Malatia had been taken there and massacred; the women and children have all been converted to Islam.” The best Minas could have hoped for his wife was forced conversion or abduction. Armenians in America were tormented. They hoped for the best, but their worst fears turned out most often to be true. Their loved ones and homes were gone. As Minas sang (in Turkish) in the 1916 piece “Chifte Telly Gazel,” “karibim, vatanim yok, vatanim yok” (I’m an exile, I have no homeland, no homeland). More common in the 19th and early 20th century than it is today, the gazel form is essentially a vocal taksim (structured improvisation), in which the singer employs a piece of poetry as a vehicle for vocal improvisation within a given mode, as in Arabic mawwals and Greek amanades. Successful performances demonstrate both emotional power and skill in delineating the framework of the mode. As a semi-professional Armenian musician from the backwaters of Eastern Anatolia, Minas was a deeply impressive vocalist. He profoundly understood the modes and delivered the verses he selected (often relating to exile) with emotional verve. Although clearly never classically trained, he likely sang in the Armenian church as a boy, when the Eastern modes were still being used to sing the liturgical services everywhere in Anatolia, each Ottoman maqam having an equivalent in the the Armenian liturgical modes. Minas recorded again in November 1917 for Columbia Records in joint sessions with singer Garabet Merjanian (a native of Kayseri). Richard Hagopian, keeper of the Armenian-American community’s musical oral history, informs us that the brilliant violinist Harry Hasekian (a native of Marash) performed on “most of” the Kemany Minas sides, and certainly about nine sides appear to have Hasekian accompanying Minas. Among the other Minas’s other accompanists at the sessions were Thomas Takis, a Greek clarinet player (apparently a native of Smyrna) and Looder Hampartzoumian (also known as Luther Artinian), an Armenian native of Chomakhlou who played the saz, each of whom accompanied Minas on gazels. Among the performances he recorded at those sessions was a re-recording of “Memo” (not issued until years later as the flip side of a Turkish-language disc by the Greek singer Marika Papagika), one sharki, “Seni Gordukje Titriyor Yuregim” (Upon Seeing You My Heart Trembles), an Istanbul classic with music by Roma violinist Bulbuli Salih and lyrics by Armenian singer Hanende Hadji Garabet, and seven kef songs - party-time dance numbers, delivered with a palpable smile. On “Sheker Oghlan” (I’m In Love With You, Sweet Boy), a popular song known throughout Anatolia, Minas ventures into the realm of the dirty joke, describing the intimacy between a boy and a girl for whom he burns. Minas was in great spirits (and probably full of liquid spirits) during the recordings. We can imagine it was these songs or ones like that that he played at the at the Massachusetts Malatia club picnic in 1913. Richard Hagopian has said Minas was a single man, a “bekyar martig” (bachelor) in Armenian. These lone working-class immigrants were known for their life of partying, gambling, hanging out at coffeehouses and restaurants, becoming friendly with belly dancers, and so on. Minas wasn’t born to suffer. He was born a ham. Armenians have often dealt with their sorrow through comedy. It is part of the national psyche. His Columbia discs all sold well, but his most enduring hit was not a party song, It was his response to the ongoing genocide in the form of a song dating back at least to the 1850s, “Eghin Havasi.” Originally the lament of an Armenian woman whose husband had gone abroad as a migrant worker and never returned, sung in both Turkish and Armenian, it originated in the town of Egin (Agn in Armenian) in the province of Kharpert. It was Minas’s masterpiece and among the best-selling “ethnic” recordings in the U.S. in the 1910s-20s until Columbia deleted their Armenian and Turkish catalog, taking on new meaning for Armenians in America. Its reimagining was derived from the 1894-1896 Armenian massacres ordered by Sultan Abdul Hamid when the Bank Ottoman in Constantinople was seized by a group of Armenian revolutionaries under the leadership of “Papken Suni” (his nom de guerre), a native of Agn. In reprisal against the freedom-fighter’s native town, orders were given “to take the necessary action,” upon which the military engaged in a 48-hour massacre, in which upwards of 2,000 Armenians were killed, 980 of the 1,150 houses were torched, and “all were pillaged.” Armenians assembled in their church and “offered up special prayer owing to the great fear prevalent in their town,” but their religious plenipotentiary was “compelled by the authorities, under pain of death, to telegraph to the Patriarch that the Armenians were responsible for the outbreak there.” (Quotation from Vahakn Dadrian, Warrant For Genocide). In the wake of the 1896 massacre of Agn, the lyrics were re-written: “Egin de veran olmush, bulbul eotmuyor” (Egin is in ruins, the nightingale doesn’t sing). Minas Chaghatzbanian was about 10 years old at the time and living in a city about 87 miles to the south. His performances includes those lyrics blended with the earlier emigration narrative: “benim yarim cevresine sarsinlar” (let them wrap me in my beloved’s shroud). In an essay called “Gardens of Our City” written decades later by Hagop Asadourian (born in Chmaklou in 1903), a genocide survivor, rug merchant, writer, and amateur singer, described an Armenian picnic in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx: “Gradually, the smoke of barbecued lamb would saturate the atmosphere and mix with the other smoke of burning memories! At that point, joining this mixture would be the sonorous voice of [tenor Armenag] Shah-Mouradian, singing ‘Hayasdan,’ pouring out of the throat of a ‘morning glory’ phonograph! You would then hear the ‘Groong’ (Crane) of Zabel Aram [Panosian], and especially a Turkish-language andouni (emigrant song) called ‘Egin Havasee,’ springing forth with sad fluctuations from the depths of kemanchist Minas’ soul:

Yar, seven years have passed since you left All the trees you planted have given fruit Those who went with you have returned home Come back, my love, come quick, don’t be a stranger Whoever “invented” exile, may he never see heaven…

Minas, a talented and wounded andouni (homeless one) himself, having just fallen out of his nest, how sadly would he mix his voice to the dolorous strings of his own violin! What a soulful rendition of that heartrending andouny. A song that was written, one felt, for this very group, to express this very condition of theirs. A song, mixed now with forgotten, distant sounds, echoing through the trees and bushes of Van Cortlandt with surges of grief. Only to bounce back in broken waves and then submerge into the hearts of …. Chomakhlou and Evereg, Kayseri and Sepastia, Gurin and Garin!” -Hagop Asadourian, “Gardens of Our City” Despite Asadourian’s professed antipathy toward Turkish music, he managed to quote from memory not only the lyrics that Minas actually recorded but another verse from the same folk song with the same theme. Though the Armenians of Malatia were Armenian-speaking, every word sung or by Minas on his recordings is in Turkish, with the exception of the interjection “mayrig!” (mother!) in the first verse of “Eghin Havasi.” Minas’s end came quick. Richard Hagopian has said that Kemany Minas was sick and came to Fresno, California for the climate. Alboyadjian’s book on Malatia lists Minas Chaghatzbanian among compatriots who died in Fresno. The March 22, 1918 issue of the Fresno-based Armenian-language newspaper Asbarez reported: “On March 14, in the Colfax Hospital, Minas Chaghatzbanian, 33, passed away from an illness of the lungs. The funeral took place out of Holy Trinity Church with Very Rev. Fr. Vartan officiating, and the body was placed in Ararat Cemetery.” Colfax death records have a “Minas Chagarchban” having died in Placer County at the age of 33 on March 14, 1918 four months after Kemany Minas recorded for Columbia. 1920s advertisements for Kemany Minas discs used the epithet “vaghamerig” (Armenian for “one who died too young”) or the Turkish, “merhum” (“the departed”). In 1947, S.M. Dzotsigian, a native of Agn and resident of San Francisco, in the section on Malatia in his encyclopedic work “Arevmdahye Ashkharh” (Western Armenian World) states: “The people of Malatia say that Violinist and Troubadour Minas is also from their city, although others give testimony as to his being from elsewhere. The popular dance-songs of this Troubadour Minas were recorded on phonograph discs.” Minas’s Columbia discs remained in print for more than a decade after they were recorded and sold as well as any Turkish-language recordings did in the U.S. in the 1920s. Their influence was strongly felt on a generation of players who followed, particularly the Philadelphia kef groups including the Vosbikian and Arziv bands. This is all we know.

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tomasorban · 5 years ago

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Atargatis, the “Syrian Goddess.”

In his account of the Syrian cult center Hieropolis, Greek writer Lucian called its goddess “Hera.” However, he added that the natives gave her (and her consort) “another name” (Attridge and Oden 1976: 43). That was almost certainly a form of Atargatis, life-giving divinity associated with rivers and springs, motherly protector of humans and animals. Atargatis often served as tutelary or protector deity of urban centers — the providence or luck of the place (Semitic Gad, Greek Tyche, Latin Fortuna). Especially on coins, she often wore the “mural crown” with battlements (crenellations) as representation of the town she cared for (Bilde 1990: 159). For example, she was Gad or Tyche of both Edessa and Palmyra..

Her epithets included “Pure,” “Virgin,” “Savior,” and “Mother of the Gods” (Lightfoot 2003: 82: Bilde 1990: 162), and her iconography connected her particularly to Cybele, the Great Mother. Like her, Atargatis was often depicted riding or accompanied by a lion. Often she sat on a throne flanked by two sphinxes or two lions. Her headdress was usually topped by a crescent moon and draped with a veil. In her hands she carried various objects: a plate or cup, a scepter or staff, and ears of grain, but most often she held a spindle and a mirror. Sometimes doves or fish were near or actually on her. In some places Atargatis was associated with dolphins. At other places, the eight-pointed star emphasized her association with the planet Venus (Drijvers1980: 31).

The earliest evidence of this goddess comes from the site of the ancient city Hieropolis — “Sacred City” — which is the modern Membij and the Greek Bambyce. Her name and image appear on “a bewildering variety” of coins dating to the latter part of the 4th and the early part of the 3rd century BCE (Drijvers in Toorn, Becking, and Horst, 1999: 114). An Aramaic form of the name was ‘tr’th Ataratha, which the Greeks transformed into Atargatis and perhaps, in some places, shortened and altered to Derketo or Derceto (Lightfoot 2003: 37). Other spellings include Ataryatis, Attayathe, Ataryate, and Tar’atha. There is general scholarly consensus that the name derived from a combination of the names of the Canaanite goddesses Anat and Astarte (Drijvers in Toorn, Becking, and Horst 1999: 114), though some still think that the name also hides the third Canaanite goddess Asherah (Maier 1986: 67; Oden 1979: 58ff.). (See my articles on the Canaanite goddesses and goddess matters.)

A work about the goddess and her holy city, now bearing the Latin title De Dea Syria “About the Syrian Goddess,” dates to the 2nd century CE and is attributed to Lucian of Samosata (Attridge and Oden 1976; Meyer 1987: 130-141). Lucian wrote in Greek about, among other things, his visit to the great temple at Hieropolis, a walled sanctuary on a hill in the center of the city. As we saw, Lucian identified Atargatis with the Greek goddess Hera, but he also connected her to several other goddesses, for instance, Rhea (Cybele), Athena, Artemis, and Aphrodite. In addition, he saw her as having aspects of Nemesis and the Fates. Lucian described in considerable detail the shining magnificence of the temple, its numerous cult objects and statues, the multitude of its priests, and the various rituals celebrated there. Twice a day there were sacrifices, the ones to Hadad-Zeus being performed in silence. Those to the goddess were accompanied by flute playing and rattle shaking. In one rite, young men castrated themselves to become cross-dressing priests at the temple (Attridge and Oden 1976: 23, 37, 39, 55). The obligatory lake or pond lay nearby, full of sacred fish which no one was allowed to eat; nor could anyone eat Atargatis’s sacred doves.

In the temple, the goddess was supported by lions, and she held a scepter and a spindle. She wore on her head “rays and a tower” (Attridge and Oden 1976: 43). She was accompanied by a god sitting on bulls. Lucian identified him as Zeus, but remarked that the locals called him by another name. Very likely he was the Canaanite storm god Baal-Haddu (Syrian Hadad), the consort of Atargatis in the area.

To the north and east of Hieropolis was Edessa (modern Urfa), which, according to Christian legend, was the first ever kingdom to become Christian. However, well into the 5th century CE the city had a temple to Atargatis (as Venus star). Over and over again, the Christian bishop of the period had to forbid self-castration in honor of the goddess (Drijvers 1980: 77). A pool with sacred fish still exists at Urfa, though the carp are now dedicated to Ibrahim. At Edessa Atargatis was guardian of the city and especially of the springs near the citadel and the nearby river (Drijvers 1980: ix, 8, 79, 121).

She also had temples at Duro-Europos on the Euphrates and Palmyra (Tadmor), an oasis in the Syrian desert.

Dura-Europos was famous for having one of the oldest synagogues, almost complete and decked with frescoes. The city was a military post on the upper Euphrates, on the border between the Roman Empire and the troublesome Parthians (Drijvers 1980: 3). Atargatis shared her temple there with her consort Hadad. She might also have had a connection with the Adonis temple (Drijvers 1980: 23, 108).

Palmyra was also famous but for another reason: Zenobia. A warrior queen, she ruled and expanded the Palmyrene Empire after her husband’s death in 267 CE. Atargatis was considered Palmyra’s Tyche and identified with Artemis (Glueck 1937:370). She is known from two bilingual inscriptions, and her temple was probably one of four official “tribal sanctuaries” (Kaizer 2002: 153ff.). In addition, there is some evidence that at Palmyra she was equated with the ancient Arabian goddess Allat, whose iconography was very like that of Atargatis (Kaizer 2002: 99ff. 148 note 30; Drijvers 1980: 100).

Further, Atargatis was worshiped in what is now Israel at Ashkalon, originally a Canaanite city, then Philistine, then Phoenician. It was the site of Artagatis’s main temple in the southern Levant. According to the Apocrypha, she also had an “Atargateion” near Qarnaim (II Maccabees 12: 26). At Ashkalon, where she was called Derketo, she seems to have appeared as half fish, a mermaid goddess. In De Dea Syria, Lucian reported that he saw a statue of a Phoenician goddess who was a mermaid; he confirmed that she was called Derketo (Attridge and Oden 1976: 21).

Atargatis was also recognized by the Nabataeans, though she was never one of their pantheon (Healey 2001: 140-141). Evidence suggests that the Nabataeans were originally nomadic herders from Arabia who, in Greco-Roman times, controlled the main trade routes between Arabia and Syria and grew rich on frankincense and myrrh. Their kingdom flourished in the Hellenistic period (323-64 B.C.E.) and became part of the Roman Empire in 106 CE (Taylor 2002: 8). On a hilltop at Khirbet Et-Tannur, north of Petra in southern Transjordan, sits a small, ruined, but “extraordinary” Nabataean temple dating to the first part of the 1st century CE. Its excavator thought it was dedicated to Atargatis and her consort, but not everyone agrees (Healey 2001: 61). Certainly the sculpture and other decorations of the ruins suggest that the goddess worshiped there was very like Atargatis. The sculptured reliefs include the head of a goddess with two fish on her crown, winged Tyche figures, a lion, goddess heads with fruits and leaves, and reliefs of a Hadad-like god (Glueck 1937).

At the renowned Nabataean capital Petra, Atargatis’s cult was not very important, but there is some evidence of the goddess’s presence there (Taylor 2002: 132; Lindner and Zangenberg 1993). She might have been identified with the Arabian goddess Al-`Uzza, the Venus star, who was the tutelary deity of Petra. Like her, Atargatis had a close association with springs and water. At Petra is a sanctuary that archaeologists named the Temple of the Winged Lions (Healey 2001: 42-44). It may have been dedicated to an Atargatis-like goddess (Hammond 1990).

In the West she was usually called Dea Syria, the “Syrian Goddess.” Atargatis reached Rome during the first Punic War (264-241 BCE). By the time of the Roman novelist Apuleius, around 150-160 CE, the goddess’s begging eunuch priests had become notorious. In his story The Golden Ass, he described how a disreputable band of wandering followers of the goddess acquired Lucius in his donkey form and used him to carry the silk-bedecked image of their “foreign” goddess (195-199). The goddess he praised as “omnipotent and omniparent [all-generating]” (195), while he dismissed the priests as “lewd and very naughty fellows” (196). In the novel Lucius was restored to human form by the great goddess Isis (261-272).

The variations in the iconography of Atargatis resulted from her being identified with so many local goddesses, as well as great goddesses such as the Egyptian Isis. A splendid Egyptianized statue of her, complete with encircling snake, stood on the Janiculum in Rome in the 3rd century CE (Godwin 1981: 158 Plate 124). From Hieropolis in northern Syria, then, the cult of Atargatis disseminated all through Syria, northern Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean area, and the western part of the Greco-Roman world, even to Britain (Lightfoot 2003: 59).

#ancient #Religion #history #goddess #atargatis

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saricanta · 6 years ago

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The Pool of Abraham, is believed Abraham was thrown into the fire by Nimrod and the flame turned to water and burning logs into fish. Nevali Çori (under the water after the Ataturk Dam in 2002) is known as the valley of the plague, and the most mysterious discovery of last century, with the ‘T’ shaped huge stones and the zero point of the history, the oldest temple on Earth, Göbeklitepe.

Its history dates back to Paleolithic Ages thanks to the transit point on the Silk Road.

HALFETİ

It locates on the Silk Road route and also in Mesopotamia. There is also a boat tour to Rumkale in Halfeti even the Gaziantep side of the Euphrates River. Hallfeti is also known as the cittaslow in here. It locates in the west and 122 kms far away from the city centre.

In my opinion Halfeti disctict is a break point for me to cool. Be sure a boat tour on the Euphrates Rivar would be good for you. You can also drink a glass of tea in the only cafee in the sank city near the famous mosque in there. After rambling among Halfeti, to have your meal in Birecik would be so good choose for you.

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sundown in Halfeti

I give you quickly some short information about the city is the weather in Urfa is still so hot even in September. I can’t bear 37’C in here. In against of the hot weather, i suggest you to wear pants while walking among in the borders of Urfa. You would remember my suggestion in your visit.

big cave

TOWN

In the city centre, The Pool of Abraham, Ayn Zeliha Lake, Urfa Castle and some caves while walking up to look Urfa city at the hill. You should visit Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum and Haleplibahce Mosaic Museums. Both of them are so close to Pool of Abraham (Balıklıgöl). Especially Archaeology Museum would be waiting for you to impress you within historical travel. [More detailed Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum post is planning.] *Klaus Schmidt -the famous archaeologist of Göbeklitepe- Memory House is also waiting for your visit.

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You can visit the bazaars around Balıklıgöl. Those bazaars are the same as in the syria border from Hatay to Urfa. There are some little ottoman caravanseraies (han). You can also taste Mırra coffee or Menengiç coffee in Gümrükhanı.

How to go to GOBEKLITEPE ?

The distance to the Zero Point of The History (Göbeklitepe) is 15 kms from the city centre but this time the route is to northeast. There is a minibus line travels between city center and Göbeklitepe. Two times (at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.) from the city centre and travels backs two hours later. The fee changes from 3 to 5 Turkish liras.

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Harran is famous for the houses as known as HARRAN HOUSES

because of their shapes were built as cupola.

I’d like to see the ruins of the world’s first university, Bazda Caves – old quarries- and Samas ve Sin Reliefs. By the way, Am I the only person who liken Suayip Ancient City to Stonehenge in England?

The place I didn’t get a chance to visit to Sogmatar Ancient City (in Harran) where people worshipped the Moon, planets and The Sun. Don’t you think it’s mysterious? Harran knowns as the place where civilizations birthed and civilizations met. Is the closeness of the Gobeklitepe temple’s location a coincidence?

RELIGIOUS PLACES

You can visit many mosques and tombs in Urfa is also known as City of Prophets. Some of them are Mevlid-i Halil Mosque where Abrahom was birth in it, İmam Bakır Mosque and tomb, Selahaddin Eyyubi Mosque – old St.Yuhannes Church- and Hasab Padişah Mosque and the Pool of Abraham.

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*There is also another old church is Fırfırlı Mosque. As you see in the name, it is used as mosque now. With its different design and effects of the church, it’s worth to see it in the city center.

If you are travelling through the Southeastern of Turkey, you should be known you would get some kilos, you are in the most delicious tastes route. You can visit to get some information about these local tastes in the Şanlıurfa Kitchen Museum in the city center.

EAT LOCAL or TRADITIONAL DISHES

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Tastes in the southeastern kitchen are quite good. Meat based tastes with hot tastes are Urfa. You can also taste the local yummy taste Ciger (liver) in here. You would peel off roasted red peppers (local name is isot) and onions after you order your Ciger.

If you have enough time to spend in there, you can go to any butcher to prepare him lahmacun ( very thin turkish pizza covered with seasoned minced meat and onions) and/ or Siverek Tava (ingredients; full-fat ground meat, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, urfa pepper, salt, black pepper and oil) stuffing. After you take the stuffing, you would go to bakery to be cooked the stuffing. Additionally, you won’t pay the baking fee for it. While telling you these local dishes, I really feel like eating it. Now, I’m finishing the post to eat Lahmacun. Enjoy your meal both you and me!

LOCAL DESSERTS

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Do not forget to taste local desserts in Urfa. Şıllık, Billuriye, and Baklava (originally from Gaziantep but Üstüneller is good at in Urfa)

Note: There is another local thing is called Sıra Geceleri. I do not suggest you to join that kind of fun, because of the fee and quality balance. I do not suggest you it but it’s your choice. *I can suggest you just only Manici Otel for a good Sıra Gecesi, you can even drink alcohol there.

saricanta

Şanlıurfa |En The Pool of Abraham, is believed Abraham was thrown into the fire by Nimrod and the flame turned to water and burning logs into fish.

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fatbunnybonnie · 5 years ago

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THE SHOEMAKER

The weather was getting cooler. Thankfully, the summer was fertile, and I was able to save the money to build a new boat. I’m not the type to like anything. I want a perfect boat. It’il smell like skin. It will gently wrap my foot, but it won’t squeeze. The color will be brown, but it’s just plain not brown! Soft, light, and most importantly — like a mousse of freshly boiled plain Turkish Coffee — with more — a lively brown.

Our master Hasan has a father. He can make a shoe like this. ‘They described the location of the shop. I found it. It was a tiny place in a secluded corner of a poor neighborhood.

When I entered the shop, a heavy smell of leather greeted me. Inside — even though it was tried to be illuminated by light — was extremely dim. The inside of the store seemed to be lined up at random. I saw her in the middle of this mess of things. He quickly nailed the sole of his shoe. He was so intrigued that he didn’t even notice my progress! God knows how many times his patched outfit was falling apart. He had worn slippers on his feet. He was a poor man. If you saw your hair that was gray and shed in places, wrinkled hands, lightened ‘eyes, you would think you were at least seventy years old. Who knows what he had seen in his youth? No country has visited, nor witnessed events, nor had lived love! But now the eyes of poverty were killing me, and the waist twisted by the burden of sorrow was driving the shoe in my hand:

- Selamın aleyküm Usta! (Hello master!)

He slowly lifted his head:

Hello, son, I’ve never heard you come. Sorry.

I described the shoe I wanted to the master. He said he could make the shoe. But to be of good quality, I had to find good and solid leather.

It took me two days to find the skin. When I found a skin like I wanted, I breathed with the master. I was wondering who this master was. Why was he working at this age? I couldn’t resist and I started talking:

- Who are you, Usta? Where are you from?

- I’m Abraham. We moved here from Urfa when I was still a baby. My father used to have a field. We’re broke because of a scam. My family had to migrate here.

- How long have you been a shoemaker?

- When I was six, my parents gave me an apprentice to a shoemaker. I’ve been making shoes ever since.

I finally asked that question, which I was most curious about.

Master, why do you work at this age? Isn’t Hasan Usta looking at you?

- Oh, boy! The money Hasan earns is enough for his own family. It’s a shame for him, isn’t it? I’m old, but thank God I’m holding my hand. I can’t burden anyone else while I can still work!

We kept talking until we finished the shoe. When the job was over I took my shoes and left the store with great pleasure.

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pamphletstoinspire · 6 years ago

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Padre Pio and the Holy Face of Manoppello

Padre Pio, Padre Domenico da Cese and the Holy Face of Manoppello by Paul MacLeod (Belmont, Victoria, Australia)

This article originally appeared in an issue of the magazine “The Voice of Padre Pio” and also has appeared in the diocesan newspaper of the Archdiocese of Perth in Australia.

Thanks to Mr. Paul MacLeod (a friend of both my wife and I, along with Padre Pio’s cousin Anthony who introduced us to Paul), Paul’s article is a major contribution to the knowledge of the Holy Face of Manoppello wherein, he summarizes the most important elements of the Holy Face and highlights Padre Pio’s devotion to it, and the special last visit Padre Pio made to the Holy Face to his friend and fellow Capuchin — the Servant of God Father Domenico da Cese—the apostle of the Holy Face.

Padre Pio’s Last Visit

In September, 1968, Padre Pio’s life was nearing its end. He was 81, and for two months he had not been well. But September 20 was the 50th anniversary of his receiving the stigmata, and his prayer groups had gathered at his friary at San Giovanni Rotondo to celebrate that event. He said Mass that day, but was unable to the following day. However, he gathered the last of his strength on Sunday, Septembe 22, to say Mass in a church packed with pilgrims. At the end, he nearly collapsed and had to be helped from the altar.

A little earlier that morning, a fellow Capuchin and friend of Padre Pio, Fr. Domenico da Cese, went to open the church at Manoppello, more than 200 kilometres away to the north, in the province of Abruzzi. Inside the church he found Padre Pio on his knees, his head in his hands, before the image known as the Holy Face. Padre Pio said to him: “I do not trust myself any more. Pray for me. Goodbye until we meet again in Paradise.” Within 24 hours, Padre Pio died in his cell in the friary at San Giovanni Rotondo.

Padre Pio was known for his not-infrequent bilocation—being in two places at once—even attending the canonization of St. Therese of Lisieux, in St. Peter’s basilica in 1925. Pope Benedict XVI was to visit the image at Manoppello nearly 40 years later, but by a more mundane method of transport, by helicopter. But why did Padre Pio and the Pope choose to visit the Holy Face?

Since 1660, the church at Manoppello has contained an ancient piece of a rare cloth known as byssos, or sea-silk, a gossamer-thin and transparent fabric woven from fibre from mussels, once used in Egypt to cover the faces of dead Pharaohs. This cloth bears the image of the face of a bearded man with open eyes, a slightly opened mouth and a bruised left cheek. It was believed locally to be what was once known as the Veil of Veronica.

In St. Peter’s basilica in Rome, one of the four massive columns supporting the dome has long been known as the “Veronica pillar”. It features a statue of Veronica with a cloth bearing an image of the face of Christ and a bas-relief of an angel also displaying the image. Within the pillar is a treasury in which is kept what is claimed to be the cloth with which a woman named Veronica wiped the face of Jesus on His way to Calvary. This cloth, contained in a reliquary and shown to the people in St. Peter’s on Passion Sunday each year, is black with brown areas and no visible image. It was placed in the pillar in 1625 by Pope Urban VIII. Where did it come from?

Well, the existence of a portrait of Christ “not made by human hands” had been known since the sixth century, and from 705 it had been kept in its own chapel in the old St. Peter’s, built by Constantine. It became known as the “vera eikon”, or “true image”, and the name “Veronica” appears to have been applied in the Middle Ages to a woman whom Blessed Anna Catherine Emmerich names as Seraphia in her account of her visions of the Passion. How did it get to Rome?

This question is discussed at length in a recent book by a German journalist, Paul Badde. He suggests that the cloth was, in fact, “the napkin which had been on His (Jesus’) head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself ” (Jn 20:7) Badde recalls a tradition that a cloth with the face of Jesus was taken by the Apostle Jude after the Ascension to King Abgar of Edessa, a prominent city at the time, some 600 kilometres from Jerusalem and now known as Urfa, in Turkey. The king was immediately cured of an illness that had kept him bedridden. Another very old tradition says that the Greeks who came to Philip asking “to see Jesus” (Jn 12:21) had been sent by Abgar. The cloth apparently remained in Edessa, and was hidden in the city wall when the city was under attack. It was rediscovered in 525 and taken to Constantinople, then to Genoa and finally to Rome. So what is the cloth at Manoppello?

As already stated, the “image” now kept in the pillar in St. Peter’s was placed there in 1625, after rebuilding work. But it was — it seems — not the image that had been venerated there for centuries. It had disappeared, probably in 1506, stolen from the frame in which it was held by two sheets of glass. The frame, broken glass and all, is still to be seen in the treasury at St. Peter’s. (there are fragments of glass in the cloth at Manoppello.) Interestingly, Pope Urban VIII promptly issued a decree ordering the destruction of any copies of the “Veronica”, unwilling to admit that one of the most precious relics in Christendom had vanished.

Meanwhile, an anonymous pilgrim arrived in Manoppello in 1508 with the cloth wrapped in a package and gave it to a Dr. Leonelli who was sitting on a bench in front of the church. He went into the church and unwrapped it, but on going out he could not find the person who had brought it. The cloth remained in the Leonelli family until they passed it on to another doctor who gave it to the Capuchins, who have held it ever since. Badde points out in his book that the dimensions of the cloth at Manoppello means that it would not fit in the frame now used in St. Peter’s to hold what certainly appears to be a forgery. Perhaps because of the fact that St. Peter’s still has what is purported to be the “Veil of Veronica”, little attention had been drawn to the image at Manoppello. But Fr. Domenico da Cese believed it should be better known, and in 1977 he took a large photograph of it to a Eucharistic congress in Pescara, the nearest large centre. Then things started moving.

A journalist from Switzerland wrote an article about it, which came to the attention of a Trappistine nun in Germany, Sister Blandina Schömer. Fascinated by the image, she obtained permission to move to Italy and devote herself to research on it, which she has continued up until the present. Meanwhile, Fr. Domenico had gone to Turin in 1978 for an exposition of the Shroud and while there, he was killed when he was struck by a car after leaving the cathedral. He was reputed to have the stigmata and cures have been attributed to his intercession,and moves are now being made to begin the Cause of his beatification.

The principal findings of the research by Sister Blandina and others are that:

 the cloth is so thin and delicate it would be impossible to paint on it;  The image is visible from both sides;  When superimposed on the image of the face on the Shroud of Turin, the image of Manoppello matches exactly.

The conclusion is that the Holy Face of Manoppello is very likely the cloth “rolled up by itself”, found by Peter and John in the tomb on the first Easter morning. The visit to Manoppello by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 was the first journey of his pontificate inside Italy upon which he himself had decided. His homilies have increasingly contained references to the Face of Jesus.

Padre Pio was canonised in 2002. Did he make one last visit to look upon the Face of the Man whose wounds he had borne for 50 years before entering into the eternal vision of his glorified Lord?

For More Pamphlets about Saint Padre Pio

Please Visit the Website: https://www.pamphletstoinspire.com/

#padre pio

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visitturkeytr-blog · 7 years ago

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10 Cities you must visit once in your lifetime

New Post has been published on http://www.visitturkey.in/10-cities-you-must-visit-once-in-your-lifetime/

10 Cities you must visit once in your lifetime

Find out what the best destinations in Turkey are as awarded by real travelers. 10 places in Turkey you must see in your lifetime

Quite often I am asked whether I’m a ‘city girl’ or a ‘country girl’…. truth is, I think I’m a bit of both. Sometimes there’s nothing like a countryside escape – wide open space, clean air, friendly locals… but after a while I tend to crave a city escape. Here are my picks for the top cities you must visit once in your lifetime!

Don’t see your favourite city on the list? Leave a comment below to let me know your favourite city in Turkey and why you think it should be visited!

1. Ankara (Ancyra)

Ankara (Ancyra) — the capital of Turkey and its second largest city

Ankara, the capital city, is the beating heart of Turkey which bears the footprints of many civilizations.

2. Antalya (Attalia)

Antalya (Attalia) — the fastest growing city, hub to an array of beach resorts

Antalya is the most important tourism destination in Turkey, also known as the paradise on earth or the Turkish Riviera.

3. Bodrum (Halicarnassus)

Bodrum (Halicarnassus)

Bodrum (Halicarnassus) — a trendy coastal town in the Southern Aegean which turns into a crowded city in season when it serves as a playground for Turkish and international holidaymakers alike, featuring a citadel, Roman ruins, trendy clubs and a number of villages surrounding the peninsula each with a different character from classy to rustic

4. Bursa

Bursa — the first capital of the Ottoman Empire

Bursa is like an open air museum, one of the capital cities of the Ottoman Empire, stands as a reflection of the early periods of the Ottoman culture.

5. Edirne (Adrianople)

Edirne (Adrianople) — the second capital of the Ottoman Empire

6. Istanbul (Constantinople)

Istanbul (Constantinople) — Turkey’s largest city, the former capital of both the Ottoman and Byzantine Empires, and the only major city in the world to straddle two continents

Welcome to the city of the past, the present and the future. Istanbul not only joins continents, it also joins cultures and people.

7. Izmir (Smyrna)

Izmir (Smyrna) — Turkey’s third largest city

Izmir, with its 8,500 years of history, is gloriously situated on the western edge of Turkey, the bountiful, the fruitful and the beautiful.

8. Konya (Iconium)

Konya (Iconium) — a quite large city that is the heartland of mystic Sufi order, the site of Rumi’s tomb, and with some elegant Seljuq architecture, all surrounded by vast steppes

Konya is one of Turkey’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, known as the city of spiritual whirling dervishes.

9. Trabzon

Trabzon — the wonderful Sümela Monastery is just outside the city and it is a great gateway to exploring the Turkish Northeast

Trabzon is a hub of the Black Sea Region, with a long history, rich culture and great natural beauty.

10. Urfa (Edessa)

Urfa (Edessa) — magical city with beautiful architecture and extremely friendly locals at the gates of Eastern World; where Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, and Persian cultures mingle

Şanlıurfa – Home during its long history to a number of cultures and civilizations, Sanliurfa enjoys an extremely rich cultural heritage.

http://www.visitturkey.in/our-turkeyisopen-campaign/

Source: http://www.visitturkey.in/10-cities-you-must-visit-once-in-your-lifetime/

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weditchthemap · 6 years ago

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Top 6 Things To Do in Sanliurfa, Turkey - The Birthplace of Agriculture and Beyond

Arriving in Sanliurfa (Urfa)

Sanliurfa, or “Urfa” as the locals call it, it one of the oldest inhabited regions on Earth. It’s the birthplace of agriculture and was even home to civilizations predating agriculture, evidenced by Göbekli Tepe, a 12,000 year old temple near Urfa more than 6,000 years older than Stone Hedge! Needless to say, Urfa’s history is vast and the city earned a well-deserved spot on our itinerary. It also doesn’t hurt that our favorite Turkish dish, cig kofte, has its origins in this city.

We arrived in Sanliurfa, Turkey by bus after attending a Kurdish wedding in Diyarbakir, a city 2-hours east. Almost immediately we noticed a more conservative dress among the women in Sanliurfa. Whereas in other Turkish cities we observed some women wearing head scarves, a portion of the women walking the streets in Urfa were wearing niqabs, covering their faces, with the exception of their eyes, in black fabric. A handful of men also wore long white tunics and baggy pants called salvar. Arabs comprise a visible minority in the city and Arabic writing is noticeable on store fronts giving the city a Middle Eastern vibe. We also noticed a few intriguing chin tattoos peeking out from a handful of older women’s headscarves and decided to research these mysterious markings. Turns out we were lucky to spot these tattoos as deq facial tattoos are an almost extinct beautification tradition once practiced among some nomadic, Kurdish and Arab peoples.

A Very Brief History of Urfa

Urfa is a spiritual center and pilgrimage sight attracting visitors from all over the world. It is believed to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham making it an important religious destination. Urfa was fought over by the Persian and Roman Empires and became a center for Christianity until the Arabs took control of the city in 637. The city was originally named Edessa by Alexander the Great, then Urfa in 1637 by the Ottoman Empire, and ultimately renamed Şanlıurfa (Glorious Urfa) in 1984 in the aftermath of the Turkish War of Independence. Urfa is currently home to thousands of Syrian refugees from its war-torn neighboring country.

What to See and Do in Sanliurfa

1. Stimulate Your Senses at the Gumruk Bazaar and Try Some Local Urfa Foods

On our first evening in Urfa we ventured to the Gumruk Bazaar, said to be one of most authentic bazaars remaining in Turkey. We walked through the wood carving and metal welding stalls where sparks flew and machines whirred. Towering piles of crushed red pepper and spices were scattered throughout the marketplace. While staring intently at a curious food item that looked like strands of hair, the vendor, noting our bewilderment, pulled some wisps apart and encouraged us to try it. We tasted the odd treat and the yellow strands clung to Scott’s beard as if he’d eaten a barbie doll. It turns out that Pişmaniye or “fairy floss” is a cotton candy-like dessert but, unlike cotton candy, pismaniye contains butter and flour giving it a rich flavor.

We entered a large covered courtyard in the middle of the bazaar which houses several cafes where you can linger and people watch. We tried a local coffee called Mirra coffee. Only thimble-sized, it’s not a drink to sip on. It’s thick, dark, and super concentrated - what it lacks in flavor in makes up for with the jolt of energy it provides. Fittingly its name comes from the Arabic word “mur” for bitter.

Lamb spleen kebab - yep, that is the local dish that Scott insisted we try for dinner. On the outskirts of Urfa’s Gumruk bazaar we sat for dalak kebab. As is customary (and the best thing ever) additional plates of food accompany meals in Turkey. We were served mint, parsley, onions, lemon, and grilled pepper as condiments for our kebabs. The innocuous looking grilled pepper turned out to be sadistically spicy. So painful in fact that we hurriedly ordered the gooey salty yogurt drink, ayran, that we usually avoid, hoping the dairy would cut the spice. It worked! No wonder this drink is the drink of choice with kebab. Urfa is also renowned for Urfa kebab (less spicy than it’s cousin the Adana kebab) and eggplant kebab. Something to note: because Urfa is a pilgrimage site and a religious destination it is almost impossible to find beer or alcoholic beverages.

2. See the Sacred Fish at Balikli Gol

Balikli Gol, or The Pool of Abraham, is a magnificent manicured lake with a biblical tale. This site is religiously significant as it’s believed that, a long time ago, King Nimrod sentenced Abraham to death but when Abraham was thrown into the burning wood pyre, the flames miraculously turned into water and the logs into fish. The lake is filled with thousands of sacred carp that are well-fed by tourists (you can buy fish food from lake-side venders). Legend has it that if you spot a white carp amongst the grey ones you’ll be blessed but, if you catch or eat a carp from the lake you’ll go blind. The lake is surrounded by a large tidy park and rose gardens. It’s a nice shady place for a stroll and you can grab tea or food from several carts and cafe restaurants on the grounds. We stopped to eat roasted corn from a stall but felt unsettled when a group of needy children begged persistently for the ear of corn.

Cig kofte, or “raw meatballs,” are also believed to have originated during the time of Abraham. Folklore states that when all of the wood was collected to make the pyre to burn Abraham a hunter’s wife prepared raw venison without fire. Raw venison, bulgur, spices, onions, tomatoes, red pepper paste and herbs were kneaded together creating spicy raw meatballs. Cig kofte with raw meat was deemed a health risk and banned for consumption in Turkey in 2009. As a result it is difficult, though not impossible, to find cig kofte with raw beef or lamb. Although we love this “now” vegetarian dish we unknowingly tried the meat version in Diyarbakir and dare I say, it was sensational.

3. Crawl into the Cave of Abraham (Ibrahim Halilullah Dergahi)

Abraham, known as Prophet Ibrahim to the Muslims, is believed to have been born in Urfa. The cave where Abraham’s was born is now a pilgrimage sight for those across many faiths. It is believed that Abraham was born in the cave and remained there for the first few years of his life because king Nimrod commanded that all newborn children be killed. Scott and I entered separately into Abraham’s Cave as the cave has different visiting areas for men and women. Most of the cave is submerged in water. As I ducked to enter the stone prayer room, an extension of the cave, I was handed a head scarf. Women drank and splashed water on their face from a faucet of ‘holy’ water (further confirming my belief that in Turkey people like full sensory interaction with historic and religious sites) and peered into the cave behind a glass wall. I noticed that to leave the women ducked and walked backwards to exit the cave, not entirely sure why (but hoping to appear less ignorant), I followed suit.

4. Go to Göbekli Tepe, the Oldest Known Temple in the World

15km northeast of Urfa, in what was known as the fertile crescent, lays the ancient temple of Gobekli Tepe. This historic sight is estimated to have been built around 9500 BC, pre-dating hieroglyphics. It also pre-dates farming and settlements, revealing that religion was around before the establishment of villages and towns. It’s still an excavation site in which only about 5% of the ruins have been uncovered. At the site tall rectangular limestone pillars are engraved with the shapes of animals and arranged in circular formations. These massive pillars, weighing several tons each, were carved before metal tools and pottery were developed! This fascinating temple is changing the way in which archeologists understand history.

While eating breakfast one morning in Urfa we met a friendly english speaking doctor in the restaurant who helped us to communicate with the server. After chatting with her for a while she asked about our plans for Urfa. When we mentioned that we planned to visit Göbekli Tepe she offered to drive us there without a moment of hesitation. This is reflective of the hospitable sentiment you can expect to find in Urfa. Unfortunately, our schedule didn’t match up with her kind offer but we were able to take the bus without any trouble. Bus '0’ goes directly to Göbekli Tepe from Urfa several times a day.

5. Get Lost in History at the Sanliurfa Archeology and Mosaic Museum

We visited the Sanliurfa Archeology Museum, an extensive three story museum which carefully and chronologically displays artifacts from hunter gathers during the Paleolitic era up through the rise of Islam. The museum requires a few hours in order to do it justice. The findings on display include everyday objects like cooking utensils and jewelry but also fascinating items like the Urfa Man, the "oldest naturalistic life-sized sculpture of a human." It’s an incredibly engaging and well-curated museum.

Entrance to the Haleplibahce Mosaic Museum, located next-door to the Archeological Museum, is included in the ticket price of the Sanliurfa Archeology Museum. This small museum was never intended to be a museum at all - in fact this Roman villa complex was accidentally discovered in 2006 when the land was cleared to build a theme park. The highly detailed mosaics are worthy a visit.

6. Witness the Controlled Chaos of Sanliurfa’s Outdoor Produce Market

We happened to be in Urfa on a Wednesday and stumbled into an frenetic farmer’s market, held every Wednesday and Saturday. There was a lot of commotion and we were captivated by the sights, the smells, the energy and the transactions of the marketplace. Scott photographed the happenings with great interest but the locals and farmers, not overly accustomed to tourists, took an even greater interest in Scott. Many people instead that Scott take their photos as they smiled in participation. He was approached by at least a dozen people and asked a ton of questions in broken english. He was offered a freshly cut melon and took part in several pleasant exchanges.

After spending a quick three days in Urfa we reluctantly left the city to head to our next destination, Antakya, which lured us with the promise of a cheesy dessert called kunefe, a local speciality. While riding a local bus to Urfa’s regional bus station the bus driver asked where we were from, sized-up our perception of Trump with a thumbs up/down, pulled the bus over, got up from his seat, walked over to us and tore off a piece of his breakfast simit to share with us. This seemed like the perfect conclusion to our visit in Urfa as his kindness will forever memorialize our pleasant time in this historic city.

Pin this travel blog post on Urfa so that you can read it later.

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thesynaxarium · 2 years ago

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Today we celebrate the Holy Apostle Thaddeus of Edessa. Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy, was by descent a Hebrew, and he was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. The holy Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy must be distinguished from Saint Jude, also called Thaddeus or Levi (June 19), who was one of the Twelve Apostles. When he came to Jerusalem for a feastday, he heard the preaching of John the Forerunner. After being baptized by him in the Jordan, he remained in Palestine. He saw the Savior, and became His follower. He was chosen by the Lord to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom He sent by twos to preach in the cities and places where He intended to visit (Luke. 10: 1). After the Ascension of the Savior to Heaven, Saint Thaddeus preached the good news in Syria and Mesopotamia. He came preaching the Gospel to Edessa and he converted King Abgar, the people and the pagan priests to Christ. He backed up his preaching with many miracles (about which Abgar wrote to the Assyrian emperor Nerses). He established priests there and built up the Edessa Church. Prince Abgar wanted to reward Saint Thaddeus with rich gifts, but he refused and went preaching to other cities, converting many pagans to the Christian Faith. He went to the city of Beirut to preach, and he founded a church there. It was in this city that he peacefully died in the year 44. (The place of his death is indicated as Beirut in the Slavonic MENAION, but according to other sources he died in Edessa. According to an ancient Armenian tradition, Saint Thaddeus, after various tortures, was beheaded by the sword on December 21 in the Artaz region in the year 50). May he intercede for us always + Source: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2020/08/21/102355-apostle-thaddeus-of-the-seventy (at Urfa, Turkey) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChfpciwPHq3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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anamedblog · 7 years ago

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Uses of the archaeological past in Istanbul’s contemporary art scene

by Gesualdo Busacca, ANAMED PhD Fellow (2017–2018)

Before starting my residency at ANAMED, I was very much looking forward to dive into Istanbul’s art scene, which I had imagined as a vibrant constellation brimming with art galleries, museums and exhibitions.

My expectations were not disappointed, as the city’s cultural life is currently further enriched by the events happening under the umbrella of the 15th Istanbul Biennale. Something I had not foreseen, however, is the presence of a distinctly archaeological sensibility in the works of so many Istanbul-based artists. In hindsight, this should not be so surprising for a city whose complicated identity resides widely in the stratification of people, things and stories that have inhabited the shores of the Bosphorus throughout Istanbul’s long history.

In this short article, which is not or tries to be comprehensive, I will briefly discuss a handful of works that I have encountered in the last few weeks and found particularly interesting and thought-provoking, especially from an archaeological perspective. These works all happen to belong to young and talented female artists: Burçak Bingöl, Canan Budak, Nazlı Gürlek, CANAN, and Hera Büyüktaşçıyan. In their works, archaeological remains are not simply the materialization of the city’s far-reaching memory, but also sites of contention and multiple interpretations. For some of these artists, archaeological remains are also starting points for obdurate endeavors of interpersonal connection, not only with the people living in the past but also between humans and other forms of life.

1. Burçak Bingöl, Falling into II, 2017, Anna Laudel Contemporary

As one of the artists featured in the group exhibition “Past meets Present” at Anna Laudel Contemporary in Galata, Burçak Bingöl plays with one of the cornerstones of archaeological imagination: the potsherd. Breaking the usual distinction between form and decoration, she boldly presents a vase in fragments where the only decoration – a colorful Ottoman-style floral design – lies in the cracks, while the surface of the vase is simply glazed white. In this way, the fragments reveal something that the vase in its entirety would have concealed. Winking at the Japanese aesthetics of wabi-sabi, this work is an ode to the beauty of things imperfect and incomplete, as most of archaeological things are.

Burçak Bingöl, Falling into II, 2017

2. Canan Budak, “Kırmızı,” 2016

Presented in Diyarbakır in 2016, Canan Budak’s video performance “Kırmızı” reflects on archaeological imagination and on the interplay between presence and absence in the construction of the archaeological past. Under the eye of a drone overlooking an excavation trench, a number of red blocks are moved from a location to another, creating new architectural features that stand out among the other archaeological remains due to their bright colour. The newly created entity is thus abstract and yet inherently material; it might be pointing to something that used to be there as well as being something entirely invented. In this way, Canan Budak makes several points about the performative construction of collective memory, which is also strongly connected to the ways place is created through the construction of material and immaterial boundaries.

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3. Nazlı Gürlek, “ONE,” 2017

I could not fail to mention Nazlı Gürlek’s performance piece “ONE,” both because it was staged here at ANAMED on September 23th 2017 on the occasion of the exhibition “The Curious Case of Çatalhöyük” and because it deals with the core of my own doctoral research, i.e. the architectural paintings from Çatalhöyük. Fittingly enough, the first time I met Nazlı at Çatalhöyük in 2016, it was right in front of the very same painting that provided the inspiration for “ONE.” When we met again this September during one of the rehearsals of “ONE,” she told me that she felt immediately drawn to the fluid geometric patterns of the Neolithic painting, although she also felt a sense of frustration due to our very limited understanding of its meaning and original context. This sense of frustration, however, was not an end point; it rather was the beginning of an obdurate desire for connection and understanding that the performance expresses in all its urgency, a desire to be “ONE” with the past that is not discursive but rather emotional, almost visceral, and firmly grounded in the human body.

Starting from the archaeological understanding that the painting was created as part of a ritual, Gürlek creates a contemporary ritual bringing together multiple ways of expression including painting, sound, documentation and movement. In the course of the 3-hour performance, two 9-metre rolls of paper with drawings inspired by the Çatalhöyük painting are gradually unfolded by the performer (a deeply empathic Aslı Bostancı), while images of the Neolithic painting are projected onto a low wall. In one of the most intense moments of the entire performance, Bostancı spreads soil on one of the paintings, creating ephemeral forms that are superimposed on Gürlek’s drawings and ideally also on the Neolithic painting. This multi-layered effect well corresponds to the nature of Çatalhöyük paintings as ever-changing palimpsests of superimposed painted layers.

Performer Aslı Bostancı during one moment of Nazlı Gürlek’s “ONE.” Photo Photo by: Jason Quinlan.

4. CANAN, “Bird Woman,” 2017, ARTER

As part of her solo exhibition “Behind Mount Qaf,” currently on display at ARTER, CANAN presents one of her recent works, entitled “Bird Woman” (2017). Inspired by her visit to the 11,000 years old site of Göbekli Tepe near Urfa, CANAN reinvents the engraving of a female body on a stone slab from the site by depicting her in a state of metamorphosis into bird. The engraved stone slab is surrounded by a group of stylized birds made of found stones. The artist explicitly links the work to a Persian legend recounting the journey of 30 birds to Mount Qaf in search of salvation, but the work can also be read in the light of an animistic worldview based on the commonality and permeability of human, animal and material forms, which are all always – just like the birds and the bird woman in the installation – on the verge of turning into something else. This relational and dynamic worldview characterizes many contemporary indigenous societies and may also be reflected in the highly dynamic portrayals of animals and humans in the steles of Aceramic Neolithic Göbekli Tepe.

CANAN’s exhibition “Behind Mount Qaf” will be on display at ARTER until December 24th, 2017.

CANAN, “Bird Woman,” 2017. Photo by Murat Germen

5. Hera Büyüktaşçıyan, “Archipelagos / Archipelago,” 2017, Daire Sanat

Hera Büyüktaşçıyan’s work “Archipelagos / Archipelago” is a site-specific installation for the exhibition “Floating Tactics After a Sunken Island,” currently on display at Daire Sanat in Cihangir. Engaging with the theme of the exhibition, Büyüktaşçıyan explores the intersections between sense of place and the mobility of people and things. Attaching human-like feet to found pieces of concrete and marble, she seems to wonder: what if, just like the many people who arrived and left the shores of the Bosphorus throughout Istanbul’s history, the things left behind could move too? Where would they go – perhaps stumbling a bit, especially those with one or three feet – if they really had a chance to leave? “Archipelagos / Archipelago” is only the last example of a number of works where Büyüktaşçıyan engages with the material remains of the past in an effort to bring back the erased or forgotten stories of previous inhabitants. Extensive historical and archaeological research is also an important component of Büyüktaşçıyan’s art practice.

The group exhibition “Floating Tactics After a Sunken Island,” featuring Hera Büyüktaşçıyan and other artists, will be on display at Daire Sanat until November 11th, 2017.

Hera Büyüktaşçıyan, “Archipelagos / Archipelago,” 2017

#fellows #impressions

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saricanta · 6 years ago

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“It has been considered a potential site for the Garden of Eden.” DM UK “Gobekli Tepe is too extraordinary for my mind to understand.” prof. Steve Mithen, Reading University

saricanta-gobeklitepe

Göbeklitepe was added to World Heritage List by UNESCO on the 1st of July, 2018. Why it is so important? Did you hear its name before adding to World Heritage? Did you search on it on the web? What did you find? And, what did I find?

Fertile Crescent On World Map

I don’t know the reason why, but something attracts me in Göbeklitepe. It gives me the impression that it is not an ordinary place was found out. It is important first civilizations were founded in the Fertile Crescent.

I couldn’t see Göbeklitepe for half and a year long. Some excavations, the death of German archeologist Schmidt, restorations in it caused me to see it late than I expected. I heard the news about the visit of Göbeklitepe from a couchsurfing friend from Chile. It’s so weird that you can’t hear or read anything about the city where you live in it. It’s not acceptable situation.

Göbeklitepe takes fifteen kilometers from the town, since 5th August there has been a minibus travel among Göbeklitepe and Şanlıurfa city center. There are two travels from the town to Gobeklitepe. You can go to Gobeklitepe using the ‘Abide bus stop’ At 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. the local bus “Number “100” and it travels backs from Gobeklitepe at 12 a.m. and 6 p.m.

It’s 7000 years older than the shape like Stoneheng and 7500 years older than Pyramids in Egypt. It means its date 12000 years back from now on. The year is 10th century B.C. The age is called Pre-Pottery Neolithic B.

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Why IT IS SO IMPORTANT ?

1. It dates back to the known histroy even in the history in the regious books.

2. There is one more interesting that there is no any human living place even any humanbeing ruins around the area.

3. It is known that Göbeklitepe is a temple. It is a temple against the belief “the most common knowledge about the first human settled and then started to worshipped.”

4. In opposite of the common knowledge about the humanbeings started to religious rituals before settling.

5. There is an important figure in old monuments – Solar bird Deities.

resource

6. Göbeklitepe consists of 20 temples but just only 6 of them were unearthed.

7. There is no clear information when the construction was done and it’s construction duration.

8. These famous T shape pillars were sculpted after completing their moving completed and their weight is up to 16 tons.

9. The first wild wheat is transfered from Karacadağ -between Diyarbakır and Urfa– to Göbeklitepe. The first fermation of cereal to beer was done in the region. It was a kind of motivation to work much more and also in rites and celebrations. Cheers! 🍻

timothystephany.com/gobekli.html

10. These Göbekliepe pillars were constructed in the direction of East – West. In the equinox times (21th of March and 23th of September) the Sun allignes in these pillars. In the other times of the year, these pillars were alligning to other twelve ones.

You will see 12 pillars in the temple, they symbolizes 12 months in a year and the figures in the pillars tells which month it is. It’s all about the sky. Is the ancient Turkish calendar with twelve animals coming from these pillars? Did you notice the number “12” in some religion and beliefs. What is the importance of it?

http://www.theepochtimes.com

The figure in T shape pillars symbol has a resemble with the traditional dress of natives – Aborijins- in Australia.

human-resonance.org

There are two different thoughts about eclipse of the sun and spaceships attending.

There is no clear information whether Göbeklitepe was consturcted by people or aliens. In this subject, there are some different videos on video sharing websites to support their thesis.

And, Noone knows why Göbeklitepe was embed and abondened.

Bonus, The sister of Göbeklitepe was found in the sands of Şanlıurfa province where Göbeklitepe locates in. Archeological excavations were started short time ago. It’s not only the one but it is the most big and important one, most of the rest were destroyed by unconscious people. Karahan Tepe is not one of them, and excavations were started a short time ago.

saricanta

saricanta tells you about Potbelly Hilly "It has been considered a potential site for the Garden of Eden." DM UK "Gobekli Tepe is too extraordinary for my mind to understand."

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justforustravel-blog · 7 years ago

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RAMADAN’S PLACES TO GO ALSO - #FishLake, #Iftar, #KONYAMevlanaMuseum, #Ramadan, #SpiritualAtmosphere, #UNESCO

New Post has been published on http://justforustravel.com/2017/10/11/ramadans-places-to-go-also/

RAMADAN’S PLACES TO GO ALSO

Ramadan in our country’s a lot to be seen there. I will write a series on this subject. Here’s the first one I’m starting.

KONYA Mevlana Museum

in the world is recognized Mevlana lived in Konya in the Museum and Tomb are also located here. Every year tourists from every corner of our country and in many countries of the world visiting this place. Maulana announce yourself, how could you? His religion, to tell people using a different language and style, to create the emotional bond between people caused. Its architectural structure of the Mevlana Museum, the mausoleum is worth visiting. The words of Rumi has managed to win hearts. “no matter what, come again,”, “a lesson from the ant should take for granted take for granted or else you should get if you have the whole world in front of you reverse serils.”, “he who knows himself knows us and knows.”, “Glad when you’re going at a time you committed to me or my pain deep donsay”, it is enthroned in the hearts of the people with words like. The world saw that Rumi was tolerant of the religion of Islam with these words. Rumi has impressed the whole world with the philosophy based on love and tolerance, and UNESCO was declared as the year of Rumi in 2007. The most interesting part of the Mevlana Museum, the kubbe-I hadra ( Yesil vault). In the Museum, the tomb of Mevlana, used, large boilers, Sufi musical instrument, it is possible to see the tombs of great personages. To strengthen your spiritual atmosphere, especially in the month of Ramadan is one of the places to be visited Mevlana Museum.

Rumi the spiritual atmosphere in your Iftar

Konya region, will give you unforgettable moments that appeal to taste food and warm people. Great restaurants around it is possible to find the mausoleum of Mevlana. On the menu of Iftar the Konya region; local okra, lentil soup and tomato soup. You can choose between this soup. My advice is to experiment surely your okra soup,with warm bread next Ramadan, you will be amazed at the taste.

then you will meet the famous tandoor lamb soup Konya. This tandoor is not used a fork while eating, you can eat comfortably in your hand. The most important feature of the smokehouse; cooked in a wood fire, touch immediately separated from the bone almost in the mouth and dissolved. Served with bulgur pilaf or rice pilaf upon request. Would you eat a meat loaf and a knife and go to Konya? Will come to your table as you taste unintentionally. Salads are really delicious. Fresh vegetables grown by the villagers in a way are being used. Amazing delicious food is eaten After of Konya a dessert of the famous desserts from the hair. I would recommend to buy this a dessert tea.

fish Lake (SANLIURFA)

located southwest of the center of Sanliurfa, fish Lake called Aynzeliha and Halil-ür Rahman regarded as sacred by the Islamic world. Prophet Ibrahim Prophet’s known as the great fire, when he falls thrown in. According to rumor, only the creativity religion who defended the Prophet Abraham, Nimrod the ruler of that time begins to struggle with the cruel and the people worshipping idols. Today Urfa Castle Hill thrown into the fire by Nimrod from the catapult. Meanwhile, come by the commandments of God “o fire, be cool for Abraham and salvation” the order is given. On this command fire, water, wood becomes the fish. Prophet Ibrahim, rose Falls and he falls right into the garden of Halil-ür Rahman Lake turns into. Rumor according to Nimrod’s daughter, violet, after Abraham himself, because Abraham believed, he throws it in the fire. Aynzeliha Lake where the trade fell. Which is holy fish Lake draws thousands of visitors each year. Fish Lake’s also as fish bait is thrown when I would like to see this magnificent spectacle. The fish in this lake is too large and is undefeated. According to the people of the region, people are poisoned from eating this fish. The spiritual atmosphere in mosques and around fish lake is a sacred place. Fish Lake offers an atmosphere of tranquillity and spiritual it reflects very well the atmosphere of Ramadan especially. The evenings are very cool.

Fish of the lake, in a peaceful environment Iftar

when mention of Sanliurfa, Halil Ibrahim sofrası he comes to mind first. Sanli Urfa in this sense is very rich meals. When you sit down at your table if you unintentionally Iftar raw meat, Urfa kebab, falafel, tzatziki and salad. With an extensive menu for your Iftar if you want, if you want liver, you can make buttermilk and accompanied with roasted peppers. In Sanliurfa, I strongly recommend you should make time for you ñ boy, I will taste the soup, taste and appearance astonishes people. The Urfa kebab and some lamb meat prepared with plenty of’s feeling ni will have another taste in Sanliurfa. Very tasty Kebab boiler which is unique to this region.

after dinner, which is a local dessert Dessert Urfa’s Sam and the baby’s to taste don’t forget.After eating your desserts or baked in the embers of the fire next Mirra Turkish coffee you can drink unique to this region. After enjoying your Iftar, you can visit the tombs and go to the mosque for worship. Fish lake has many hotels available to stay around. You can retreat at your hotel after visiting fish lake and the surrounding area thoroughly.

hacı Bayram-ı Veli Mausoleum (ANKARA)

real name was numan bin Ahmed, and his work hacı Bayram-ı Veli. Zulfadli Village of Ankara in 1532 tea Bar was born. The works of Turkish typing Turkish in Anatolia has significantly increased and has impressed the use. Hacı Bayram-ı Veli, combining science and mysticism, and Islam in terms of demand and has trained with many. This place when you visit the mausoleum of haci Bayram Mosque and isolation Chambers, it is possible to see. Haci Bayram and those who follow him to achieve spiritual maturity for a period of forty days, they’ll be in the Chamber of the ordeal. People enter the room and get away from the ordeal; God’I think, worship, eat less, sleep less and allowing silence to connect with God spirituality and more absorbed. ‘Rage and hatred blinds the eyes to see the truth. Good thinking narrows anger, confuse.’ hacı Bayram-ı Veli, the spiritual ways in a very great scholar.

hacı Bayram-ı Veli’s shadow Iftar

Ankara, as it is with the spiritual atmosphere is a very important city with its own unique dishes. It is possible to find a restaurant that makes great local food around the mosque. Chickpea, wheat and lamb soup made with the taste of incegiz is amazing. Ankara beypazarı casserole to taste again, I suggest that are unique to the region. Among the flavors the marinade dry meat rod and also you won’t find elsewhere. A thin sheet of finely cut and cooked in with the hair simple and quite a delight with a delicious dessert to be spilled syrup on it I suggest to look at sibit.

#fish Lake #iftar #KONYA Mevlana Museum #Ramadan #spiritual atmosphere #UNESCO

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pamphletstoinspire · 7 years ago

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Padre Pio and the Holy Face of Manoppello

Story with images:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/padre-pio-holy-face-manoppello-harold-baines/?published=t

Padre Pio, Padre Domenico da Cese and the Holy Face of Manoppello - by Paul MacLeod (Belmont, Victoria, Australia)

This article originally appeared in the diocesan newspaper of the Archdiocese of Perth in Australia.

Thanks to Mr. Paul MacLeod (a friend of both my wife and I, along with Padre Pio’s cousin Anthony who introduced us to Paul), Paul’s article is a major contribution to the knowledge of the Holy Face of Manoppello wherein, he summarizes the most important elements of the Holy Face and highlights Padre Pio’s devotion to it, and the special last visit Padre Pio made to the Holy Face to his friend and fellow Capuchin—the Servant of God Father Domenico da Cese—the apostle of the Holy Face.

Padre Pio’s Last Visit

In September, 1968, Padre Pio’s life was nearing its end. He was 81, and for two months he had not been well. But September 20 was the 50th anniversary of his receiving the stigmata, and his prayer groups had gathered at his friary at San Giovanni Rotondo to celebrate that event. He said Mass that day, but was unable to the following day. However, he gathered the last of his strength on Sunday, September 22, to say Mass in a church packed with pilgrims. At the end, he nearly collapsed and had to be helped from the altar.

As already stated, the “image” now kept in the pillar in St. Peter’s was placed there in 1625, after rebuilding work. But it was—it seems—not the image that had been venerated there for centuries. It had disappeared, probably in 1506, stolen from the frame in which it was held by two sheets of glass. The frame, broken glass and all, is still to be seen in the treasury at St. Peter’s. (there are fragments of glass in the cloth at Manoppello.) Interestingly, Pope Urban VIII promptly issued a decree ordering the destruction of any copies of the “Veronica”, unwilling to admit that one of the most precious relics in Christendom had vanished.

The principal findings of the research by Sister Blandina and others are that:

 the cloth is so thin and delicate it would be impossible to paint on it;

 The image is visible from both sides;

 When superimposed on the image of the face on the Shroud of Turin, the image of Manoppello matches exactly.

Padre Pio was canonised in 2002. Did he make one last visit to look upon the Face of the Man whose wounds he had borne for 50 years before entering into the eternal vision of his glorified Lord?

#padre pio

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gozel · 7 years ago

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Research Paper: Turkey-ISIS Oil Trade

By David L. Phillips

Introduction

The sale of oil products by ISIS garners about $500 million/year. The US led multinational coalition has pledged to destroy ISIS. Its strategy includes depriving ISIS of financial support. Allegations abound that Turks are engaged in oil trade with ISIS. Additionally, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his family are allegedly implicated. Erdogan takes these charges seriously. He promised “to vacate his post of Turkey’s presidency if the claims are substantiated by concrete evidence.”

The Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights appointed a team of researchers in the United States, Europe, and Turkey to investigate the allegations. Researchers focus on secondary media sources. This research paper cites relevant reports.

Smugglers transport oil using a variety of means, generating significant revenues for ISIS. Smuggled oil finds its way into Turkey’s export facilities and onto tankers in Ceyhan bound for international markets. There is no “smoking gun” linking the Government of Turkey or Erdogan directly to ISIS oil sales. It is apparent, however, that Turkey turned a blind eye to ISIS oil trade. Turkey failed to seal its border, facilitating ISIS oil exports. Turks have profited at stages of the supply chain.

Transport Trends

Article: “ISIS Export Gateway to Global Crude Oil Markets“ Publication: London Shipping Law Centre, Maritime Business Forum Date: March 12, 2015

George Kiourktsoglou (Visiting Lecturer, University of Greenwich, London) and Dr. Alec D. Coutroubis (Principal Lecturer, University of Greenwich, London) provide the most extensive account of the ISIS oil industry and potential links to Turkey. ISIS began taking over oil fields in late spring 2014. Since then, ISIS has expanded its operations by creating a loosely integrated and thriving underground economy, consisting of approximately sixty percent of Syria’s oil assets and seven oil producing facilities in Iraq.

ISIS has set up an extensive network of middlemen in neighboring territories and countries, with the aim of trading crude oil for cash and in kind. Upon extraction, oil is first lightly refined on site and then a supply-chain network brings it to the market. The supply chain comprises the following localities in Turkey: Sanliura, Urfa, Hakkari, Siirt, Batman, Osmaniya, Gaziantep, Sirnak, Adana, Kahramarmaras, Adiyaman and Mardin. The string of trading hubs ends up in Adana, home to the major tanker shipping port of Ceyhan on the Eastern Mediterranean. The terminal is operated by Botas International Limited (BIL), a Turkish state company.

The authors examine tanker charter rates, in order to establish transport patterns. They look at the map for crude oil loading terminals that geographically fall within, or border the sphere of ISIS control, over a period of years. They consider deviations in the patters from July 2014, when ISIS started off its smuggling operations, until mid-February 2015. They also consider the integration of ISIS smuggled crude within the global oil markets. A part of ISIS smuggled crude oil is fed into the global oil markets, transported in tankers leaving the port of Ceyhan.

Whenever the Islamic State is fighting in the vicinity of an area hosting oil assets, the exports from Ceyhan promptly spike. Unusual spikes are found from July 10-21, 2014. This spike coincides with the fall of Syria’s largest oil field, Al-Omar, to ISIS. Another spike takes place between the end of October and the end of November 2014. It happens at the same time as fighting between ISIS and the Syrian army over the control of the Jhar and Mahr gas fields, as well as the Hayyan gas company in the east of Homs province.

The authors believe that there is active shadow network of crude oil smugglers and traders, who channel ISIS crude to southeast Turkey from northeast Syria and northwest Iraq. The illicit supply chain along Route E90 delivers ISIS crude to Ceyhan.

Smuggler Citings

Article: “Despite U.S.-led campaign, ISIS Rakes in Oil Revenue“ Publication: Associated Press Date: October 23, 2015

The Islamic State takes in up to $50 million a month from selling crude from oilfields under its control in Iraq and Syria. Washington has been talking to regional governments, including Turkey, about its concerns over the export of energy infrastructure into ISIS-controlled territory in Syria (e.g. equipment for extraction, refinement, transport and energy production). ISIS management of its oil fields is “increasingly sophisticated,” with assistance from international actors in the region. According to Iraqi intelligence officials, ISIS sells the crude to smugglers who in turn sell to middlemen in Turkey. ISIS is believed to be extracting about 30,000 barrels per day from Syria, smuggled to middlemen in neighboring Turkey. This amount is augmented by up 20,000 barrels per day, mostly from two oilfields outside Mosul. The ISIS “finance ministry” puts at 253 the number of oil wells under ISIS control in Syria. Of these, 161 of them were operational, benefitting from production equipment originating in neighboring countries including Turkey.

Article: “IŞİD petrolü üç güzergahtan Türkiye’ye gidiyor“ Publication: Cumhuriyet Date: December 2, 2015

ISIS oil is transported to Turkey via multiple routes. Oil from the Raqqa region is transported via the northwest route. A satellite image of the motorway at Azzaz Shows 240 trucks waiting on the Turkish side of border, and 46 trucks on Syrian side of border (13-11-2015). Trucks travel to Dortyol and Iskenderun Port. Satellite images of Deir Ez-Zor show hundreds of tankers carrying oil to towards Qamishli (18-10-2015). After entering Turkey, oil is sent to the “Tupras” refinery in Batman, about 100 kilometers away. Oil is also transported from Syria to Cizre. A satellite image shows 1,104 trucks (14-11-2015).

Article: “Inside Isis Inc: The journey of a barrel of oil“ Publication: Financial Times Date: October 14, 2015 Smugglers load larger jerry cans (50-60 litres) of oil into metal tubs or small row boats to move cargo across the river and into Turkey. On the other bank, tractors pick up the supply and took it to a local market. Some Syrian and Turkish border towns (e.g. Besalan) have co-operated by burying small rubber tubes under the border. A popular crossing point for smugglers carrying jerry cans of fuel on their backs has been from Kharbet al-Jawz in rebel-held Syria to Guvecci in Turkey.

Article: “Islamic State Financing and US Policy Approaches“ Publication: Congressional Research Service Date: April 10, 2015

ISIS has no traditional export facilities or access to the open market. As a result, ISIS transports oil by truck to the Turkish border where oil brokers and traders purchase the oil with cash at a steeply discounted price, as low as $18/barrel. Oil sales initially provided the majority of ISIS revenue, but gradually declined due to an extensive campaign of US-led air strikes. The US and Turkey co-chair the Financial Action Task Force, which has studied ISIS revenue streams and recommended measures to prevent cash flow.

Article: “Turkey sends in jets as Syria’s agony spills over every border“ Publication: The Guardian Date: July 25, 2015

The oil-smuggling operation of Abu Sayyaf, an ISIS leader, has been drastically reduced, although tankers still make it to the Syria-Turkey border. According to an ISIS member, “I know of a lot of cooperation... I don’t see how Turkey can attack the organisation too hard. There are shared interests.”

Article: “Raqqa’s Rockefellers: How Islamic State oil flows to Israel“ Publication: Al-Araby al-Jadeed Date: November 26, 2015

ISIS oil exports are managed by a colonel in the Iraqi Intelligence Services. He indicated, “After the oil is extracted and loaded, the oil tankers leave Nineveh province and head north to the city of Zakho, 88 kilometers north of Mosul. After IS oil lorries arrive in Zakho - normally 70 to 100 of them at a time - they are met by oil smuggling mafias. The person in charge of the oil shipment sells the oil to the highest bidder. Once in Turkey, the lorries continue to the town of Silopi, where the oil is delivered to a person who goes by the aliases of Dr Farid, Hajji Farid and Uncle Farid.”

Article: “ISIS Oil Trade Full Frontal: “Raqqa’s Rockefellers”, Bilal Erdogan, KRG Crude, And The Israel Connection” Publication: Zero Hedge Date: November 29, 2015

Vladimir Putin detailed the scope of the operation in meetings with his G20 colleagues. “I’ve shown photos taken from space and from aircraft which clearly demonstrate the scale of the illegal trade in oil and petroleum products,” he told journalists on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Antalya. The very same day, the US destroyed some 116 ISIS oil trucks, an effort that was widely publicized in the Western media. In the two weeks since Russia’s revelations, Moscow and Washington have destroyed 1,300 ISIS oil transport vehicles.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-28/isis-oil-trade-full-frontal-raqqas-rockefellers-bilal-erdogan-krg-crude-and-israel-c

Article: “Mevzuattan çıktı... Erdoğan zorda! İşte IŞİD petrolüne belge” Publication: Gazeteciler Date: December 4, 2015

Turkey amended its transport, trade and custom policy in June 2014. Regulations govern the “transiting of raw Petrol and Fuel via Turkey by road or railways.” (Approved by Ministry of Trade and Customs on June 24, 2014, item no. 1208098). The Reyhanli border gate is not officially used for trade of oil products. However, the Russian Ministry of Defense provided satellite imagery of oil tankers crossing at Reyhanli.

http://www.gazetecileronline.com/newsdetails/18904-/GazetecilerOnline/mevzuattan-cikti-erdogan-zorda-iste-isid-petrolune

Article: “Iran: Elimizde IŞİD’den Türkiye’ye petrol sevkiyatının kanıtları var” Publication: Rota Haber Date: December 4, 2015

Iran says it has proof of oil smuggling from ISIS to Turkey. Iran’s Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, Mohsen Rezaei, says the government has photographs of truck tankers bringing ISIS oil to Turkey. Rezaei is quoted, “If Turkish government does not have information of the oil trade in the country, we are willing to give it to them.”

http://www.rotahaber.com/m/dunya/iran-elimizde-isid-den-turkiye-ye-petrol-sevkiyatinin-kanitlari-var-h572301.html

Article: “German deputy speaker: NATO must stop Turkey support for ISIS” Publication: Rudaw Date: October 12, 2014

According to Claudia Roth, deputy speaker of the Bundestag and a Green Party MP, Erdogan’s “dealings with the ISIS are unacceptable. Also that the ISIS has been able to sell its oil via Turkey is extraordinary.”

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/12102014

Article: “Turkey Launches Crackdown On Oil Smugglers Feeding ISIS” Publication: Huffington Post Date: June 12, 2014

Smuggled fuel came from oil wells in Iraq or Syria controlled by militants, including ISIS, and was sold to middlemen who smuggled it across the 900-kilometer Turkish-Syrian border. Analysts estimate that the Islamic State group gets up to $3 million a day in revenue from oil fields seized in Iraq and Syria. Western intelligence officials have alleged that Turkey is turning a blind eye to a flourishing trade that strengthens ISIS, and Secretary of State John Kerry has called on Turkey to do more to stem the trade. Oil smuggling was a booming business until about six months ago, when Turkish authorities cracked down in response to media reports. New checkpoints and border controls were set-up in Hatay Province. Turkey says it seized nearly 20 million liters of oil at the border in the first eight months of 2015, about four times as much as in the same period the year before.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/06/isis-oil-money_n_5938472.html

Article: “How ISIS Uses Oil to Fund Terror” Publication: Huffington Post Date: September 19, 2014 There are about 8 million people living in ISIS-controlled territory who desperately need fuel and energy supplies. ISIS crude oil is either refined in small facilities or exchanged across the border — mostly in Turkey — for refined oil products. The southern corridor of Turkey has thus become a gateway for oil products and illicit trading. Cross-border trade violates U.N. Security Council resolution 2170 requiring Members States cut the finances of ISIS, Nusra front and other Qaeda splinter groups.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/27/isis-oil_n_5877008.html

Allegations of Turkey’s Official Involvement

Article: “CHP’li Altiok ve HDP’li Kürkçü ISID’ten petrol alimini 4 ay ��nce meclise taşimişti” Publication: Siyasi Haber Date: December 3, 2015

CHP İzmir MP Zeynep Altıok HDP İzmir MP Ertuğrul Kürkçü accused Turkey of oil trade with ISIS in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (27-7-2015 and 27-7-2015). They referenced Martin Chulov’s article in The Guardian (26-7-2015). Chulov maintains that when Abu Sayyaf was in charge of energy trade for ISIS before he was killed in an air strike on May 15. US Special Forces recovered Sayyaf’s computer records confirming that Turkey was the main buyer of oil from ISIS. Chulov is referenced in Birgun newspaper saying that Turkish security forces were protecting the oil trade (28-7-2015).

http://siyasihaber1.org/chpli-altiok-ve-hdpli-kurkcu-isidten-petrol-alimini-4-ay-once-meclise-tasimisti

Article: “Aykut Erdoğdu yolsuzluk bağlantılarını belgeleriyle anlattı” Publication: Çağdaş Ses Date: October 21, 2015

CHP MP Aykut Erdoğdu alleged that partner companies of Berat Albayrak, Erdogan’s son-in-law, and his brother-in-law, Ziya Ilgen, were involved in the ISIS oil trade (17-12-2014). A court case has been brought against him for “insulting the President.”

http://www.cagdasses.com/guncel/25639/aykut-erdogdu-yolsuzluk-baglantilarini-belgeleriyle-anlatti

Article: “Opposition MP says ISIS is selling oil in Turkey” Publication: Al-Monitor Date: June 13, 2014

Ali Ediboglu, an opposition MP, said: “$800 million worth of oil that ISIS obtained from regions it occupied this year (the Rumeilan oil fields in northern Syria and most recently Mosul) is being sold in Turkey. They have laid pipes from villages near the Turkish border at Hatay. Similar pipes exist also at the Turkish border regions of Kilis, Urfa and Gaziantep. They transfer the oil to Turkey and sell it at a discount for cash. They refine the oil in areas close to the Turkish border and then sell it via Turkey. This is worth $800 million.”

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/business/2014/06/turkey-syria-isis-selling-smuggled-oil.html#

Article: “As Turkey turned blind eye, ISIS took advantage” Publication: CBS News Date: September 4, 2014

Hursit Gunes, a member of Turkey’s opposition, accuses the Turkish authorities of ignoring oil smuggling by ISIS. “The money they get from smuggling could be stopped if the Turkish government and the neighbor countries had decided that they shouldn’t get a coin.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/as-turkey-turned-blind-eye-isis-took-advantage/

Article: “Ankara’s oil business with ISIS” Publication: RT Date: November 27, 2015

Last October, the US Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen said Islamic State was earning $1 million a day from oil sales. “According to our information, as of last month, ISIL was selling oil at substantially discounted prices to a variety of middlemen, including some from Turkey, who then transported the oil to be resold. It also appears that some of the oil emanating from territory where ISIL operates has been sold to Kurds in Iraq, and then resold into Turkey.”

https://www.rt.com/business/323391-isis-oil-business-turkey-russia/

Article: “Suspicious Report: “ISIS Selling Oil to Turkey through Qatari Brokers” Publication: Veterans Today Date: December 4, 2015

the Arabic-language Al-Akhbar newspaper quoted unnamed sources inside ISIL: “ISIL regularly sells crude it obtains from Iraqi and Syrian oil wells to Turkey through some Qatari middlemen”. In some transactions, oil is bartered for weapons.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/12/04/suspicious-report-isis-selling-oil-to-turkey-through-qatari-brokers/

Article: “Struggling to Starve ISIS of Oil Revenue, U.S. Seeks Assistance From Turkey” Publication: The New York Times Date: September 13, 2014 On September 13, 2014, The New York Times reported the Obama administration’s efforts to pressure Turkey to crack down on ISIS sales of oil. James Phillips, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, maintained that Turkey has not fully cracked down on ISIS’s sales network because it benefits from a lower price for oil, and that there might even be Turks and government officials who benefit from the trade.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/world/middleeast/struggling-to-starve-isis-of-oil-revenue-us-seeks-assistance-from-turkey.html?_r=0

Article: “Sınırsız sınır...” Publication: Radikal Date: September 13, 2014

Fehim Taştekin wrote in Radikal on September 13, 2014 about illegal pipelines transporting oil from Syria to nearby border towns in Turkey. The oil is sold for as little as 1.25 liras per liter. According to Taştekin, many of these illegal pipelines were dismantled after operating for 3 years, once his article was published.

http://www.radikal.com.tr/yazarlar/fehim-tastekin/sinirsiz-sinir-1212462/

Article: “ABD Hazine Bakanlığı: IŞİD’in petrol satışına Türkler de aracılık ediyor” Publication: Diken Date: October 24, 2015

According to Diken, David Cohen, a Justice Department official, says that Turkish individuals act as middlemen to help sell ISIS oil through Turkey.

http://www.diken.com.tr/abd-hazine-bakanligi-isid-petrol-satisina-turkler-de-aracilik-ediyor/

Article: “Is Turkey Really Benefitting from Oil Trade with ISIS” Publication: TIME Date: December 2, 2015

Analysts say it’s very unlikely Ankara has anything to do with ISIS oil. “To go as far to say that Turkey would shoot down a plane to protect its oil supply is unfounded,” says Valerie Marcel of Chatham House. Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations in the London School of Economics and Political Science, agrees that the claims amount to a conspiracy theory. “I think it would be very misleading to say there is an unholy alliance with Turkey and the Islamic State,” he says. According to TIME, “That’s not to say ISIS oil isn’t being imported to Turkey. Getrges adds, “ISIS sells to anyone, it’s not about ideology.”

http://time.com/4132346/turkey-isis-oil/

Article: “Syria conflict: Russia accuses Erdogan of trading oil with IS” Publication: BBC News Date: December 2, 2015

Russia’s Defense Ministry accused President Erdogan’s family members of being involved in the trade of petroleum with ISIS. Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Turkey was the biggest buyer of “stolen” oil from Syria and Iraq. Antonov presented satellite images showing oil tankers travelling from IS-held territory to Turkey. The trucks, travelled to three locations, including refineries, in Turkey. Some oil was sent to a third country. Antonov indicated, “According to available information, the highest level of the political leadership of the country, President Erdogan and his family, are involved in this criminal business.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34982951

Article: “Erdogan’s son-in-law ‘linked to Isis oil trade’” Publication: The Times Date: December 5, 2015 An opposition MP claimed this week “that there is a very high probability” that Berat Albayrak, Turkey’s energy minister and Erdogan’s son-in-law, was linked to the supply of oil by the terrorists. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article4632906.ece?CMP=Spklr-_-Editorial-_-FBPAGE-_-TheTimesandTheSundayTimes-timesandsundaytimes-_-20151205-_-World-_-296171993-_-Imageandlink&linkId=19327838 Article: “Russia accuses Turkish President Erdogan’s son-in-law of being ‘linked to Isis oil trade’” Publication: The Independent Date: December 5, 2015 Berat Albayrak was chief executive of Calik Holding, a pro-government conglomerate with an interest in energy and oil, until 2013. Albayrak also managed Powertrans, a company that trucks oil from Iraqi Kurdistan. Albayrak was targeted as part of a thwarted corruption investigation in December 2013, on allegations of tender-rigging and bribery. He was elected as AKP deputy in June 2015, and then appointed energy minister. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-accuses-president-erdogans-son-in-law-of-being-linked-to-isis-oil-trade-a6761436.html

Article: “Putin ve Erdoğan arasında ‘IŞİD petrolü’ atışması” Publication: Hürriyet Date: November 26, 2015

Berat Albayrak, Erdogan’s son-in-law, was appointed Minister of Energy and Natural Resources in November 2015. Erdogan’s son, Bilal, has a marine transport company - BMZ group. This company also owns a Maltese shipping company involved in oil transport. Erdogan denies involvement by members of his family. He maintains that the Assad regime and “supporters of that regime” are the buyers of ISIS oil. http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/putin-ve-erdogan-arasinda-isid-petrolu-atismasi-40019208

Article: “Meet The Man Who Funds ISIS: Bilal Erdogan, The Son Of Turkey’s President” Publication: Zero Hedge Date: November 26, 2015

Gürsel Tekin, CHP vice-president, said: “President Erdogan claims that according to international transportation conventions there is no legal infraction concerning Bilal’s illicit activities and his son is doing an ordinary business with the registered Japanese companies, but in fact Bilal Erdogan is up to his neck in complicity with terrorism. As long as his father holds office he will be immune from any judicial prosecution.” Tekin adds that Bilal’s maritime company doing the oil trades for ISIS, BMZ Ltd, is “a family business and president Erdogan’s close relatives hold shares in BMZ and they misused public funds and took illicit loans from Turkish banks.”

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-25/meet-man-who-funds-isis-bilal-erdogan-son-turkeys-president

Article: “IŞİD petrolünü Bilal Erdo��an’ın şirketi satıyor“ Publication: Sol Haber Date: December 2, 2015

Finian Cunningham, who worked for British and Irish press (The Mirror, Independent, Irish Times) alleges that Bilal Erdogan who controls BMZ group is implicated in the oil trade. He says that oil comes from Deir Ez-Zor to Batman in Turkey and then transported to Iskenderun Port where it is loaded onto BMZ group-owned tankers for export to world markets.

Article: “Bilal Erdoğan’s firm purchases two new tankers at cost of $36 million“ Publication: Today’s Zaman Date: December 15, 2015

The BMZ Group, a company owned by President Erdoğan’s son, Bilal, purchased two tankers in the last two months at a total cost of $36 million. According to the Deniz Haber news agency, the two tankers bought by the BMZ Group, named Türkter 82 and Armada Fair, will be registered in October.

Article: “Are These The Tankers Bilal Erdogan Uses To Transport ISIS Oil?“ Publication: Zero Hedge Date: November 30, 2015

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said, “All of the oil was delivered to a company that belongs to the son of Erdogan. This is why Turkey became anxious when Russia began delivering airstrikes against the IS infrastructure and destroyed more than 500 trucks with oil already. This really got on Erdogan and his company’s nerves. They’re importing not only oil, but wheat and historic artefacts as well.”

Article: “İtalya savcılığına Bilal Erdoğan şikayeti“ Publication: Rota Haber Date: December 4, 2015

Bilal Erdogan allegedly took $1 billion to Italy in October, 2015. Lawyer Massimiliano Annetta filed a petition with the Bologna prosecutor’s office about alleged money laundering by Bilal Erdogan, requesting an investigation into the money he brought into Italy.

US Views

Article: “Kurdish former MP faces court case over ISIS funding claim“ Publication: Rudaw Date: October 27, 2014

US Treasury Undersecretary David Cohen said, “Last month, ISIL was selling oil at substantially discounted prices to a variety of middlemen, including some from Turkey. It also appears that some of the oil emanating from territory where ISIL operates has been sold to Kurds in Iraq, and then resold into Turkey.”

Article: “ISIS oil smuggling to Turkey insignificant: US official“ Publication: The Daily Star Date: December 4, 2015

The State Department has dismissed Moscow’s charge that Erdogan and his family are involved with ISIS oil trade. According to Amos Hochstein, U.S. special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs, “The amount of oil being smuggled is extremely low and has decreased over time and is of no significance from a volume perspective - both volume of oil and volume of revenue.”

Article: “Russia says it has proof Turkey involved in Daesh oil trade“ Publication: The Daily Star Date: December 3, 2015

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, “The irony of the Russians raising this concern is that there’s plenty of evidence to indicate that the largest consumer of ISIL oil is actually Bashar Assad and his regime, a regime that only remains in place because it is being propped up by the Russians.”

Mr. Phillips is Director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights. He served as a senior adviser to the State Department under President Obama. He was also a senior adviser and foreign affairs expert to the State Department under Presidents Clinton and Bush. Phillips is author of Losing Iraq: Inside the Post-War Reconstruction Fiasco. His most recent book is The Kurdish Spring: A New Map for the Middle East.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-l-phillips/research-paper-turkey-isi_b_8808024.html

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weditchthemap · 6 years ago

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A Travel Guide to Gaziantep - Turkey's Culinary Capital in Southeast Anatolia

A Brief Overview of Gaziantep

Traveling to Turkey? Make sure to add Gaziantep to your itinerary! Renowned for it’s cuisine, Gaziantep is a top gastronomic destination. In fact, Gaziantep’s food is so remarkable that it’s been recognized by UNESCO. Some sources even call Gaziantep “the food capital of the world.” In addition to the food scene you’ll find the world’s largest Mosaic Museum, an authentic coppersmith bazaar, a millennia-old castle, and hand-made leather (Yemeni) shoes. These skillfully made shoes are so famous that they were used on the set of Harry Potter - even Brad Pitt owns a pair.

Colloquially called Antep, Gaziantep is located in southeast Turkey. It’s one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Located just 60 miles (95km) north of Aleppo, it is the 6th most populous city in Turkey. It’s accessible by plane and bus—you will find transit information about how to get to Gaziantep here. While Cappadocia is famous for it’s hot air balloons and Istanbul for its Blue Mosque, Gaziantep is famous for it’s food, especially pistachios. Pistachios are one of the most important ingredients in Gaziantep’s world famous baklava. You can find baklava in hundreds of shops throughout the city. Actually, did you know that Gaziantep is the birthplace of this tasty and buttery baked delicacy? Keep reading to learn more about the city’s best baklava.

Walking the Streets of Gaziantep

Despite being a large city, with a population of about 2 million people, Gaziantep holds onto traditional values. Whereas in the western region of Turkey head scarfs are the most common choice by women, in Gaziantep the head scarf is often times worn in addition to loose conservative clothing. It still did not seem as conservative as Urfa, our previous destination in Turkey. Interestingly, I read that many ‘Urfans’ compare Gaziantep to Las Vegas saying it’s full of “sin and lust.” Considering that you can’t find a drop of alcohol in Urfa but beer is available at some shops in Gaziantep, I suppose the analogy holds true, but perhaps only on a relative basis.

The city has grown over 30% in recent years due to the Syrian refugee crisis. Gaziantep is currently home to 400,000 Syrian refugees. It was documented that on one day they once accepted over 20,000 individuals. Learn more about Turkey and their Syrian refugees. Predictions put total Syrian refugees in Turkey to exceed 5 million by 2028.

Where to Stay in Gaziantep

If you stay in Old Town, almost everything is within walking distance. We visited in the summer month of July and daily temperatures approached 100 degrees F (38c). Unless you are in Gaziantep for an extended period of time (more than 4 days) I would encourage you to stay within the central part of the city known as Old Town. Unlike Istanbul this midsize city goes without crowded sidewalks and unrelenting noise. Feel free to adventure into other neighborhoods to catch a glimpse of student, hipster, or Syrian life—just keep in mind that you’ll want travel tips and advice from a local as I couldn’t find a comprehensive travel blog about neighborhoods outside of Gaziantep’s Old Town.

We stayed at the lovely Tugcan Hotel (the golden star in the map below.) We spent 4 nights soaking up the luxury and comfort of this centrally located hotel. Everything from the diverse foods served at breakfast to the variety of saunas in the spa left us completely satisfied.

What to do Do in Gaziantep

Gaziantep is a city for the senses from tasting meat stews accompanied with yogurt, salivating over stuffed eggplant kebab, viewing ancient mosaics the size of ballrooms, hearing hammering at the coppersmith bazaar, to smelling rich, buttery baklava. Read the sections below for detailed information on how to plan your trip to Gaziantep. Green flags on the map depict the locations of things described below. If you get an early start you can accomplish everything on the map in 1 day (note, not everything described below is on the map but is within a 3 minute walk to any given flag). The map is just to show you how close most things are (within walking distance).

Here is another travel blog for planning your trip to Turkey’s Gaziantep region.

What to See in Gaziantep

Mosaic Museum (Zeugma Mosaic Museum) - This is likely the farthest attraction you’ll visit while in Gaziantep, however it is the primary tourist attraction of this region in Turkey. It’s north of the highway listed as D400 on the map above. It’s easily accessible by taxi or bus, if you feel adventurous. We walked from Old Town but I would not recommend this during the summer months. The Mosaic Museum is free with a Turkish museum pass or 20 Lira ($3.5 USD) a person.

Culinary Museum (Gaziantep Emine Göğüş Mutfak Müzesi) - Informative, centrally located, and a great way to jumpstart your culinary adventure in Gaziantep. The cost is 2 Lira ($.35 USD) per person.

Castle (Gaziantep Kalesi) - Located in the Seferpasa area of Gaziantep (just north of Old Town), the castle is easy to find. It is the most prominent landmark in the city.

Toy Museum (Gaziantep Oyun ve Oyuncak Müzesi) - On display here are about 600 handmade toys dating from 1700 – 1990, as well as many others, including toys based on cartoon characters and doll houses. You will find this right in the middle of the city!

Mosques - Liberation Mosque/Independence Mosque, Ömeriye Camii, Alaybey Mosque are the popular ones but they are all over.

Coppersmith Bazaar (Bakircilar Carsisi) - I had a hard time distinguishing between the “general bazaar” and the “coppersmith bazaar”. If they are two distinct entities they blend into each other seamlessly. Walk around the bazaar and watch the craftsmen engraving, welding, hammering, and sharpening copper items. I tried to haggle but was shocked at the relative standardization of many of their prices. Don’t worry too much about trying to save money as the prices are reasonable. If you want something to remember Turkey and your budget travel means a Turkish rug is too expensive you can still afford some of these beautifully hand-crafted pieces of art. It was nice to see that the goods are produced on site. Unlike other bazaars, like the grand bazaar in Istanbul, the shop keepers didn’t hassle us as we walked from shop to shop.

English Language Films and Shopping Malls - This is the first time we have seen English-Language films east of Antalya. There are three malls in the city and all three of them have at least some showings of movies in English. If you want to shop or catch a movie check out the malls. The closest and in walking distance to Old Town is the Forum Gaziantep. Next there is the Sanko Park Shopping mall which is a bit farther outside and west of Old Town. Lastly there is the Primemall Gaziantep AVM which is located 20 minutes away by bus in the University section of the city.

What to Eat in Gaziantep

I’m sure you’re asking yourself, “where should I eat when visiting Gaziantep?” There is a long and short answer to that question. The short one first—anywhere - you won’t be disappointed! For the long answer, keep reading.

Imam Cagdad – Receiving over 7,000 reviews on Google and ranking in the top 5 places to eat in the area do not miss this large kebab and baklava restaurant right next to the bazaar. We split a simit kebab (bulgur, garlic, and mint with ground meat), a coban salad, and some ezme. The waiter could not quite understand why we only ordered one meat dish for two people. Salads are seen as side items—most places will actually give you unlimited salads for free as the expectation is that you will order meat as your meal. The restaurant is huge and you shouldn’t have to wait more than a few minutes for a table. Expect to sit next to strangers mid-meal as the restaurant uses rows of tables. Prices are very reasonable given the quality and location.

We strolled through the alleys early in the morning watching the city come alive. Most shops were still closed but we spotted the occasional baker getting ready for the day. We walked in to small shop where two men worked to make the small crispy strings of dough - shredded filo dough - used in many types of baklava and kadayif.

Katmerci Abdo Usta – A trip to Gaziantep isn’t complete without tasting the regional breakfast treat, Katmer. Traditionally eaten by brides and grooms on the morning following their wedding, this heavy dish packs a lot into a tasty package. Katmer should be made to order. We enjoyed watching the phyllo dough get filled with sugar, pistachio, clotted cream, then painted with copious amounts of butter. When taken out of the oven the katmer was allowed to settle as it was puffed with air. Another sprinkle of the green pistachio powder and then dish was ready to be cut and served. Katmer isn’t quite as ubiquitous as baklava shops (you won’t go more than 100 feet (30m) before spotting a baklava shop), but you won’t have a problem finding Katmer.

Tahmis Kahvesi – Located near the Bazaar you can lounge out at this restaurant/cafe and enjoy some zahter tea. The restaurant has an open air café across the street. We hear they play live music on Sundays at 2pm. They are rated #3 in places to eat in Gaziantep, so they’re a popular spot.

Yesemek Restaurant – Rated #4 in places to eat in Old Town this restaurant offers cafeteria style dining with a stunningly beautiful interior. Located a stone’s throw away from Imam Cagdad we were a bit hesitant to eat here since we were eager to try out a new part of town. This fear quickly dissipated as the friendly man in front allowed us to sampled the delicious food at the front counter. What we loved the most about this place was how they serve small portions allowing us to sample many items. We ordered 5 mezzes on 1 platter and 5 soups on another platter. Relatively, it was a bit pricey at 70 lira ($12 USD) but we found trying so many different regional dishes to be well worth it.

Kocak Baklava – If you want to try the best baklava in Gaziantep, the city where Baklava was invented, you need to come here. This place (there are actually two locations near each other) is a 20-30 minute walk north west of Old Town. Since the best baklava is known to be in Gaziantep, which supplies 90% of the country’s buttery treat, it is very probable that this place has the best baklava available on the entire planet. The service is near perfect. Although they were constantly packaging orders, no doubt being sent all over the world, we managed to get our very own baklava specialist tending to all of our baklava-related needs. It was amazing and you’ll pay for it - prices are about double what you’ll pay in Old Town, but it may be worth it - it’s also rated #2 in places to eat in all of Gaziantep.

Small Streetside Kebab Shops – You really can’t go wrong with wherever you choose to eat in Gaziantep. Walk off the main drag and follow your curiosity…or nose. It’s a safe bet to eat where others are eating. We stumbled upon a kebab shop and decided to eat there, the numerous cats in the alley helped us on that decision. Sylvie ordered a chicken kebab and lentil soup using her Turkish. We had to translate how to ask for extra vegetables. The man serving us was all smiles and seemed really invested in our dining experience. He promptly brought us a few salads and a free small order of cig kofte. When we told him we were from America he was so excited that, after bringing our order, he returned with a scoop of the infamous ground meat we’ve been seeing all over Gaziantep. We have seen the dish, usually in a large metal pot, sitting on a burner in the front of the majority of street side restaurants. The meat is cooked with onions and peppers. I took a taste and wasn’t too fond of it, Sylvie hated it. Our server used charades to illustrate that the meat was in fact lung meat.

Upon finishing our meal the chef approached us and asked if the food was good. When we responded that it was delicious his eyes lit up. He took my hand and grabbed me towards him planting two large kisses on both of my cheeks and he gave me a close hug. He said “Assalamu Alaikum” and taught me how to respond by saying “Wa Alaikumussalam”.

Here is a great primer on Gaziantep cuisine

Meyan Şerbeti - this drink, can be found on the backs of street venders. It’s prepared with the roots of a licorice plant. It has a unique and bitter taste. It’s definitely an acquired taste, but worth a try. It’s supposed to be good for treating coughs and other bronchial ailments.

What to Buy in Gaziantep

1. Souvenirs at the Coppersmith Bazaar

Engraved copper plates and zinc plated copper pitchers can be found in many of the shops at the bazaar. Make sure you take your time inspecting them - from a glance they may look similar but at closer inspection the quality and craftsmanship varies a lot from piece to piece. Expect to pay between 125 and 450 lira on a pitcher ($20 - $80 USD).

Soap - Aleppo soap is likely the oldest soap made in the region. It’s made with laurel and good for the skin and hair. You’ll fine numerous types of organic soaps made from olive and other vegetable oils. The soap will cost you under a dollar.

Yemeni Leather Shoes - Traditional leather shoes are handmade right in Gaziantep. Children shoes were 30 lira and adult shoes were 90 lira ($5 and $16 USD, respectively).

Food Items to Buy

Nuts, Seeds, and Dried Fruit - In addition to the omnipresent pistachio you’ll find stores stockpiled with a variety of nuts, seeds and dried fruit being sold by the weight. You’ll also find snacks like imitation bugles for sale ($1 a pound is a steal). Make your own trail mix but just remember that some store owners get a little weird if you try to measure out the quantity yourself.

Grains - Similar to the nuts and seeds you’ll find dozens of grains in shops for bulk purchase

Other Dried Food (Peppers, Eggplant, etc) - I found this quite interesting. Many shops around the bazaar had large ropes threaded with dried food items hanging in front of their store. At first I just thought they were decoration but one night we ate a stuffed eggplant and learned that the dried food was purchased and then rehydrated to be used for consumption.

Baklava - Although this was in the “things you must eat” section I cannot stress enough the importance of trying all the local baklava. You can see in the picture below that this particular shop (rated #1 in Gaziantep) sells 20 varieties of Baklava. They charge between 70 and 135 lira per kilo ($5.5 to $11 USD per pound).

The Infamous Pistachio - The sheer number of varieties of this infamous nut is mind boggling. You’ll find heaping mounds being sold all over the city. Depending on the type you’ll pay between 45 and 80 lira a kilo ($3.5 - $6.0 USD per pound).

Did you know

Pistachios are so synonymous with Gaziantep, that they are known as Antep fıstık (Gaziantep nut) all around Turkey.

The pistachio, or pistacia vera, is a member of the cashew, mango, and sumac family, and is native to the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Queen of Sheba loved pistachios so much that she demanded the entire pistachio producing region’s harvest be reserved for her.

A pistachio tree takes approximately seven to ten years to mature.

Final Thoughts On Visiting Gaziantep

I hope I have answered your questions on why you should visit Gaziantep. This travel blog is a jumping off point and I encourage you to read more about southeast Turkey—we have found it to be the most rewarding region of Turkey. Please write us with any questions you have and I wish you a happy travels.

If you plan to continue your travels east of Gaziantep do not miss visiting the old Armenian city of Van, the Kurdish Capital of Diyarbakir, or the old Assyrian city of Mardin.

Pin this Gaziantep Turkey Travel Blog to save and read another time.

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