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Some of the
important sites for Trekking and outdoor tours
Hasandag (Mount Hasan)
High peaks within large mountain systems,
set amidst a scattering of more humble summits, are like kings
or lords surrounded by their retinues. But most volcanoes are
not like that. In their solitary splendour they are far more
striking as anyone who has seen a photograph of Fujiyama in
Japan will know. However high they might be they are always
alone, and you can feel this fact whether looking upon them from
afar or climbing on the mountain itself. And when you go to
Hasandag you feel this loneliness with extraordinary intensity.
Looking from the west the mountain rises in a single and perfect
cone from the flat central Anatolian plateau. Approaching from
Ankara to the north-west on a sufficiently clear day the
mountain is visible from a distance of 60 kilometres, and as you
draw nearer the view becomes increasingly spectacular. We had
been planning to climb this magnificent mountain just south of
Aksaray on the Ankara-Adana road for a long time and one May day
we set out. The month of May is probably the loveliest time of
the year everywhere in Turkey , but for the Anatolian plateau
with its freezing winters and blazing hot summers, this month is
undoubtedly the loveliest, an exquisite interval when the gray-brown
steppe rolling into the distance is transformed into a brilliant
green.
We got out of our car at the village of Yukari Dikmen amidst
just such greenery. At an altitude of around 1700 the three of
us put on our backpacks and began walking. A crowd of children
from the village insisted accompanying us for a while before
bidding farewell. At 2000 metres we were alone with our mountain.
As we ascended, the greenery of the lower slopes gradually made
way for volcanic boulders. The trees thinned out and became
steadily smaller until finally nothing but a few spikes of grass
remained.
By evening we had reached a height of 2600 metres and the
landscape was a truly familiar mountainous one. We set up camp
and then watched the sun sink between the clouds, realizing what
it meant to be on a truly lonely volcano. Towards the west the
plain far below stretched out as far as the eye could see. It
was like looking down from an airplane. I was reminded of a wall
painting found at Çatalhöyük, one of the oldest cities in the
world dating from 8000 BC. in which Hasandag, together with its
secondary peak to the east, is depicted with smoke emerging from
the summit. It was hard to believe that this serene mountain had
still been erupting at a time when our prehistoric ancestors
were around to witness the event.
The second day began with sunshine. Since we were on the western
face of Hasandag we watched its triangular shadow fall on the
plain. Then we packed up and began to trek over the snow, which
each day melted in the warmth of the spring sunshine and then
froze over once again at night. Towards noon it clouded over and
the incline became steep. We no longer felt like mountain hikers
but now faced the business of serious mountaineering. At one
point we even considered getting the ropes out but before long
we were at the 3260 metre summit. Later we realized that we had
been lucky, and unknowingly reached the highest point of a
crater whose diameter was approximately 500 metres. Following a
tradition on Turkish mountains we found the summit book and
recorded notes about our climb. It was curious to come across a
notebook at a point no one else would be likely to find and to
read the account of others as mad as yourself and write your own
account for others who come after you. With all the solemnity of
an ancient ritual of antiquity the three of us signed the book.
As
evening was falling on the second day we noticed a patch of
snowless ground on an interesting ridge in the centre of the
crater. We mountaineers boast about camping in the most severe
conditions but still do our best to find the most comfortable
camping place. Thousands of years ago the obsidian rocks which
might be described as natural volcanic glass were extremely
important materials useful for much more than making decorative
ornaments for the mantle piece. In the stone age before metals
were discovered the sharpest knives arrow heads and even mirrors
were made of obsidian and the highest quality least flawed
obsidian in Anatolia and the surrounding region was to be found
at Hasandag. As early as 7000 BC this precious mineral is known
to have been carried on people's backs to sell at places
hundreds of kilometres away. What do three mountaineers talk
about when crowded in a single tent inside the crater of an
extinct volcano? Actually the topics of conversation are not
much different from those of people in the cities. The real
difference lies in the speed of speech. Within this narrow space
the speed of life is regulated by the flame of the tiny butane
stove. The snow slowly melts the tea simmers tranquilly and the
sausages brown ever so gradually You are not in a hurry to get
anywhere and there is no urgent business to be done. The
pressure of time which pursues you furiously in the city
evaporates here overnight. This is a marvelous reward for the
trouble of climbing so high carrying a load of 22 kilos on your
back.
At daybreak on
the third day we set off eastwards. From this direction Hasandag
does not preserve such a perfect conical shape. Several
secondary summits can be seen and beyond them another mass which
almost deserves to be called a separate mountain. Descending
rapidly we piled up our camping equipment between the two
mountains. So as to enjoy the hard snow of the early hours to
the full we took only our ice axes and crampons and set off to
climb the second mountain taking a snowy route which seemed to
be the steepest. When we reached the summit and looked
northwards all of Cappadocia was spread out below our feet.
Perhaps we would never get the opportunity to see the hidden
beauties of the region's narrow valleys from such a height ever
again. We just stood and watched. Half a hour later our visit
was over and we set out downwards again. Hasandag had proved far
more fascinating than even we had imagined.
Source:
Hasandag
By Haldun Aydingün,
Skylife 05/98
Life-giving
river of the Anatolian steppe:
Kizilirmak
The Kizilirmak
is the artery which gives life to the Anatolian steppe: to
flowers, insects, people and the soil. With countless
tributaries and a length of 1355 kilometres the Kizilirmak is
Turkey’s longest river. It rises on Mount Kizildag in the
northeast of the central Anatolian region and is soon swelled by
a series of streams close to itself in size in its home province
of Sivas. By the time it crosses into the province of Kayseri it
is already several times its original volume, and continues to
swallow up tributaries along its westward route past towns and
cities.
At
Avanos the river swerves to the northwest to pour into the Black
Sea at Bafra. The Kizilirmak delta, with its numerous lakes,
large and small, is one of Turkey’s most important areas for
birdlife.The Turkish name the Red River derives from the colour
of the water, whereas in antiquity the Kizilirmak was known as
the Halys, a name meaning ‘salty river’. This river valley was
home to diverse civilisations over Turkey’s long history, and
many traces of them are still to be seen today, such as rock
tombs, castles, bridges and settlements.
Five of us decided to follow the course of the Kizilirmak to see
this ancient heritage at close quarters along its valley created
over thousands of years. We were to travel by inflatable dinghy,
and chose the month of June when the river water is at its
clearest. The first stage of our journey was that part of the
river in the province of Kayseri, where roads along its valley
are virtually nonexistent and nature barely touched by man.
This stretch
of the river, approximately eighty kilometres in length, flows
past no large towns.Since differences in altitude are negligible
in this part of Kayseri the river is generally sluggish,
sometimes appearing as still as a lake. But this tranquility
turned out to be deceptive, since on occasions we suddenly found
ourselves racing along and being swept over rapids as the river
suddenly surged downwards. Our chosen method of travel meant
that we had to be prepared for accidental tumbles overboard and
struggling to stay afloat in the rushing water.
The Kizilirmak valley frequently alters in appearance with the
changing geological structure of the terrain. Before reaching
Felahiye Bridge the river flows through high hills and
occasionally rocky gorges, but beyond the bridge this scenery
makes way for volcanic rock. The river is here within range of
the eruptions of Mount Erciyes, the volcano which created this
unique landscape. The colour of the basalt rock constantly
varies, particularly in the afternoon light, to spectacular
effect. The red hue of the river water is turned an even deeper
crimson by the reflections of the rock on the water.
This remote
and rocky landscape is a haunt of large numbers of birds of many
diverse species, one that we frequently spotted all along the
river being the Egyptian vulture.The red waters of the river
flow amidst white willows with olive green foliage, and
sometimes reeds and willows together. We saw anglers in the
welcome shade of the willows fishing for sheatfishes. Some were
fishing with rods but others with nets, despite this being
illegal. The great number of fishermen was an indicator of the
teeming wildlife for which the river and its banks are a
habitat. Colourful dragonflies were plentiful all along the
river.
There are many historic bridges over the Kizilirmak, and during
our journey we passed a halfruined bridge near Çukur, and the
Çokgöz and Tekgöz bridges. The latter was built in 1202 during
the reign of Rükneddin Süleyman Þah, son of the Seljuk ruler
Sultan Izzeddin Kiliç Arslan II. Çokgöz is another Seljuk bridge
which is still in use. It has no less than fifteen arches, hence
the name Çokgöz (Many Arched). Past this bridge the river makes
a sharp turn alongside cliffs, marking the start of a stretch of
spectacular beauty. Near Çukur, on a high rock rising from the
river is the awesome Zirha Castle, perched like an eaglsdm eyrie.
Past Hirkaköy is a great timber bridge nearly 150 metres in
length and broad enough for cars to cross which harmonises
perfectly with the river, enhancing its beauty.
The Kizilirmak brings life to all the lands its passes through.
Wherever the valley floor widens out even a little, farmers take
advantage of the fertile soil. Where the valley widens into
plains several kilometres broad there are villages. If not for
the Kizilirmak this region would be arid steppe land unsuited to
agriculture. As we approached each village the sound of
motorised water pumps could be heard. The farmers raise water
from the river to irrigate their fields, relying mainly on water
pumps, but where these are inadequate constructing huge water
wheels like the one which we saw at the village of Kuþcu.
The Kizilirmak reshapes the dry and harsh conditions of the
central Turkish steppe, creating an environment along its course
on which many living things depend. This was brought home to the
five of us during our boat journey downriver.
Kaynak:
Skylife 08/2000,
By Ali Ihsan GÖKÇEN
Tuz Gölü
(Salt lake)
As you
approach Þereflikoçhisar southeast of Ankara, glinting light to
the west tells you that the Tuz Gölü is approaching. The intense
whiteness and sparkle of the salt crystals look deceptively like
snow and ice. Even when you reach the edge, you still brace
yourself for a freezing sensation as you take off your shoes and
socks. The first step is a surprise, at the second you adjust
your expectations, and at the third you become convinced that it
is really salt beneath your feet. And you start to think about
salt, one of life’s most essential ingredients. Salt makes up
3.5 percent of the human body, which is extraordinary testimony
to the balance of nature, because the proportion of salt in the
world’s seas is also 3.5 percent!
Wearing high rubber boots you can take a long walk across the
lake, if you do not mind sinking occasionally into patches of
mud. The water varies from a few centimetres to half a metre in
depth most of the time, but when the overflow from Lake Beyþehir
pours through channels into Tuz Gölü, the depth increases by
30-40 centimetres. When the water level rises, the ecological
balance of the lake is disturbed. Evaporation diminishes, and
the circulation of the water between atmosphere and ground
becomes erratic.
Tuz Gölü is fed by the Melendiz river, several small streams,
and underground salt water springs. Three salt pans in the lake
produce one million tons of salt a year, or 64% of Turkey’s
total requirements. Saturated salt water is allowed to pour into
the Kaldýrým, Kayacýk and Yavþan salt pans, and when the salt
has precipitated the water is drained off again. Then the salt
is shovelled into wagons which travel along an extensive network
of rails to warehouses on the lake shore. From here the salt is
taken by truck to several privately owned salt processing plants,
mainly situated in Þereflikoçhisar. Here the salt is washed
several times, dried, and packed into sacks for distribution to
factories all over Turkey.
In Ottoman
times the blocks of salt which formed naturally around the lake
were broken up and sold to traders there on the lake shore. The
salt was loaded onto camels and carried off in every direction.
In later years warehouses were built, and then a narrow gauge
railway was constructed to the lake, enabling salt to be
gathered from different parts of it each year. This continued
until the 1970s, when the more efficient salt pans in use today
were constructed.
With an area
of 1500 square kilometres, Tuz Gölü is Turkey’s second largest
lake, after Lake Van. There are several new villages round the
lake settled by people from different parts of the country.
Stock farming and agriculture are practised here, and around the
shores you are particularly struck by the fields of melons and
watermelons. Despite the fact that any object submerged in the
lake waters for even a short time become covered with a crust of
salt, the melons grown close to the lake shores are wonderfully
sweet.
Numerous potteries here produce water jars which the craftsmen
claim are made nowhere else in Turkey or the rest of the world.
Known as salt jars, they are made of clay mixed with salt, The
high level of evaporation which results causes the jars to act
like refrigerators, and water kept in them remains cold in the
hottest weather. Sufficient clay for 200 water jars is mixed
with around 10 kilos of salt. If too much salt is added the jars
crack during firing, and if the proportion is too low the jars
do not allow sufficient evaporation and will not keep the water
cool. While water stored in an ordinary pottery jar remains
fresh and sweet for just five or six months, when stored in a
salt jar it can apparently be kept without any deterioration of
quality for four or five years.
A paved road,
thought to date from Roman times, crosses the northern arm of
the lake from east to west, linking Þereflikoçhisar to Kulu near
Haymana. Many of the marble columns erected along each side of
the submerged road to prevent the caravans from straying off and
getting stuck in the mud are still standing. Today, however,
soil piled on the road has raised it about one metre above the
surface. On Büyükada Island in the lake is a small church dating
from late Roman times, and the remains of a guard house which
offered protection for travellers along the road and is thought
to date from the same period. Red standing stones scattered
through the area are said by local people to mark the graves of
those killed during the First World War. There are also many
ancient burial mounds in the vicinity.
Visitors
touring Cappadocia often include Tuz Gölü in their itinerary. It
is indeed worth coming to see the strange sight of the salt
gleaming like silver beneath the clear lake water. When the
coachloads of tourists stop on the lakeside, no one can resist
paddling on the salt bottom. Disregarding the splashes of water
on their skirts and trousers, they enjoy the sensation of wading
through this unearthly white world. And when the water splashes
dry, a fine layer of salt is left behind as a reminder of Tuz
Gölü.
Source:
By Yücel Tunca,
Skylife 09/2000 |