We started the morning with a typical breakfast buffet. It looks beautiful with colorful salads, cheese, processed meat, hummus, olives, and lots of bread, pastries, and sweets. It just doesn't seem like breakfast food, so I'm opting for yogurt mixed with apricot jam and cereal. Their yogurt is much like the Greek yogurt that has become so popular in the states and is very good.
Leaving the hotel, we drove about 12 miles to the Amuq Valley, also known as the Plain of Antioch, along the Orontes River. Our first stop today was a typical Ferrell adventure. He has been reading about a tel (ancient ruins typically covered in dirt with varying degrees of excavation) called Tel Tayinet. He had never been there, so we passed it the first time around. Several of us had GPS, so after turning around, we found a tiny dirt road to the top of a low tel. There was an old, but not ancient structure on top. The guard pointed us to the site and we tramped through fields of red poppies and thistle.
There are two temples from the early Iron Age (ca. 1200—900 B.C.) found there that have a floor plan similar to that of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. Unfortunately the remains are covered now for protection, but we could visualize the temple courtyard, Holy Place, and Most Holy Place.
We found shards of pottery, but had to leave them -per the law in Turkey.
After we returned to the bus, we spent some time researching the site online. The University of Toronto made significant discoveries a few years ago. We also learned that many of the artifacts they discovered are in the museum that is currently closed. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
There is another tel across the road (Ancient Alalakh), but there isn't anything to see at the excavation site, so we are off to the next site.
Our final destination today is Adana. As we drive north and then west, there are beautiful mountain passes, stunning hillside orchards, and luscious green farms. We often see pink oleanders along the road side.
More wind turbines.
This particular tour might not be for everyone, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the scenery along the drive. Turkey has beautiful and varied terrain, with something new to see at every turn. Some are napping, others knitting and crocheting. I'm enjoying what the other Sharon on the tour calls Kodak moments. You can't get a picture of everything (although I'm trying) so sometimes you just have to take a snapshot in your mind. They will be memories for a lifetime.
We stopped for lunch in a lovely little town called Osmaniye. We had some of the best grilled chicken and salads of the trip. Some sampled local cuisine including roasted nuts, seeds and Baklava.
We watched as this couple made thin, crepe-like shells, then grilled them on a hot iron and filled them with spiced cheese crumbles.
We passed fields of sunflowers just beginning to bloom. Another couple of weeks and it will be stunning.
Our next stop is the Karatepe Museum. We strolled through walls of interesting carved blocks of basalt. Most of the museum is outside and the blocks have been placed where they were found. The walled fortress controlled a passage from eastern Anatolia to the north Syrian plain. It became an important Neo-Hittite center after the collapse of the Hittite Empire in the late 12th century BC. The site showcases gate houses, sculptures of lions and sphinxes, and even a huge statue of the storm - god Baal.
These people were bilingual (Phoenician and Luwian) and inscriptions found here from the 8th century served as a Rosetta Stone for the Luwian language.
Ferrell noted the North gate sphinx that shows a creature typical of this time period with a woman's head, eagle's wings, and lion's body (or maybe a bull's body).
The Hittite people in the area were conquered by the Assyrians somewhere between 720 and 680 BC.
We stopped along the road for a quick picture of the Hierapolis Casabala. The city atop the hill has ruins from a number of time periods ranging from 175 BC to the 7th century Byzantine.
There are blooms and tiny pomegranate fruits (below) along the roadside and (barley in the field above).
We also saw about 20 storks flying through the fields as we passed. No babies, just storks. They are kind of hard to make out, but this is the best I could do from the moving bus.
We arrived safely in the town of Adana, ready for our next adventure. Come back tomorrow and see where we've been. We will be seeing more areas Paul visited on his first journey: Lystra, Derbe, and Iconium.
I am enjoying every post! Keep them coming.
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