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Antakya vista from Mosaic Hotel |
A few weeks back myself and Solo_ojo headed to Antakya. My first round there last year proved to not be
enough time spent in the city and its exterior environs. Antakya is located
in the Hatay Province in southern Turkey near the Syrian border.
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Antakya's sweet Pedestrian walkway that is lined with some cool buildings. Solo_ojo is on a mission for coffee... |
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peek-a-boo renovations in disrepair giving us a glimpse into the past |
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typical alley |
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rooftop circuitry |
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pretty wrought iron abounds |
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the city's abundant foliage tumbles over their doors |
You (history buffs) might be
more familiar with its name in ancient times: Antioch. Early Christians
gathered here and it’s actually said that this is the place where the term
‘Christian’ was first coined as being followers of da man himself- Jesus of Nazareth. Several
Christian communities still remain here from their modest beginnings when St.
Paul and St. Peter were hanging out in these parts.
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I always find street art interesting in every Turkish city... |
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inside of the Orthodox church |
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for Dad and Davido and Dr. Kolohe K Kitty Kat |
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window decorations... |
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another architecturally incredible minaret |
Of course, Antioch goes back
much further than the Christian era… Archaeological excavations have given dates
going back as far as the 6th Millennium BC. More recent, Alexander
the Great was here as the Roman Empire extended down into the region, as well
as Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Oh yea, it’s also an important Crusader site…
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the dizzy-inducing wallpaper at the Mosaic Hotel, described as an "almost boutique hotel" |
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Front and center the "almost boutique" Mosaic Hotel... |
I visited all types of religious
structures on this trip: mosques, churches (both Catholic and Orthodox), a synagogue (looking very ordinary and unassuming I might add), as well as a
Korean church- which I originally mistook for being the Catholic church… heh
heh.
The archaeology museum is not
to be missed. It could possibly rival the Zeugma in Gaziantep in terms of
mosaics, but where the Zeugma dominates is in the layout of the museum with
many of the mosaics laid out on the floor and you can walk over them on foot
bridges. This is remarkable and it was a shame to not be able to do that with
the ones on display on the floor in Antakya. Some of them cover so much area
that it is hard to see the individual details from side angles. The museum did
have a high viewing area though that you could walk up to (precarious, short
winding steps). I bought some books- of course. This seems to be a no-brainer
for me; museums and books…
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Zeus doing his thang... |
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"The Evil Eye" mosaic from the 2nd century AD |
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It's interesting to note that a dog, a scorpion and a bird are all attacking The Evil Eye... Gruesome |
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This mosaic is entitled "Negro Fisherman" from the 2nd century AD. Notice he is depicted as being, shall we say, well endowed |
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My foot as seen from atop the viewing deck. It's as if I'm taken back to the 2nd century AD walking on this mosaic...Yea, that's right everybody has a fantasy they want to live out and this just happens to be 1 of my many... |
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guarding the entrance to something important |
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more guard creatures |
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spillage canals of sorts- otherwise known as a sacrificial alter... |
The old part of the city is
charming. The bazaar is, like every other bazaar in Turkey, a treasure chest. I
never really know what I’m looking for when I first arrive, but I usually
manage to find something. I found a bolt of silk fabric here and bougtt 2.25
yards to replicate an awesome dress that a friend designed back on Maui last
year. The dress is going to be AWESOME!!!
I recall the last time I wore it (unfortunately way too long ago) was when entertaining a
gentleman friend in Istanbul last summer. It is a real winner of a dress for
sure and I’m excited to have a twin made… Yes, I definitely need more exposure
in this frock!
Solo_ojo and I met Feridae, a
lovely Kurdish chick originally from Bingöl, at the pension we were staying at,
‘Belkis Ev Pansyion’ or something like that. We
convinced her that we were cool and to travel with us ‘local American with
little money’ style… She got it, and we had a ball. We headed south one day
towards the border to a village- Samandağ. From
there we headed to a beach community, Cevlik, where the famous “Titus Tunnel” is
located. So Vespasianus/Titus were like a dynamic duo father/son team (both
became ((Roman)) emperors). The tunnel
was built (by Jewish slaves mostly) to divert the Orontes River. So they cut a
channel along and through solid rock. The tunnel is massive and pretty cool. I
suggest to anyone in the area to give it a go! Don’t forget to bring a
flashlight. Try not to lose your phone as you might see it’s demise. Solo_ojo had
an unfortunate accident with his prized camera. Beer was needed at this point
in the story…
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in Cevlik: beach or Titus Tunnel... decisions decisions |
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view from the trail to the tunnel |
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Feridae! |
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another vista from the trail. Here we are looking towards Syria |
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360 degree views were amazing |
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it's hot with the sun high up in the sky beating down upon us |
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Solo_ojo and Feridae on da trail |
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the bridge leading down some stairs to... the tunnel! |
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Titus/Vespasian Tunnel entrance |
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the other side of the rainbow of sorts... |
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we're going in deep |
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pausing to relish in the history |
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We are nearing the other end here and brilliant sunlight is beaming down upon us |
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looking up to the heavens: literally a slice of heaven illuminated |
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in through the out door. There is a decrepit set of stairs on the left-hand side that you can see. The bottom portion has eroded away. So many amazing sights to soak in here. |
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canal uphill of the tunnel |
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break time with water and fresh fruit |
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backside entrance pathway |
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Roman script with Vespasian's name engraved near the back entrance to the tunnel |
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some cave tombs a bit further along |
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inside the burial chamber |
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Feridae looking inquisitive |
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letting a little light through |
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the innards full of empty tombs cutout from the rock |
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Feridae relaxing |
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my foot relaxing |
Afterwards we rewarded
ourselves with cold drinks (ahem... beer mostly) and mezes. We then proceeded to the beach below to
get our tans on. While this part of the
Mediterranean is not pristine, it was nice to jump in after a long hike on a
very hot day. Granted, there was some
plastic bags floating close to me. Lodging onto me actually. It was strange.
But what made it tolerable was trying to teach Feridae how to not be afraid of
the waves. This was delightful as noticed by not only both of us with our
laughs (Feridae got mouthfuls of water while laughing), but by the rest of the
peeps enjoying their day at the beach. My bikini might have been a little
over-the-top for the peeps to deal with, but I didn’t really care…
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The beach at Cevlik |
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Solo_ojo getting his sleep on |
We hitched a ride all the way
back into Antakya with a soldier. I
wanted to ask so many questions, but tried to just keep my mouth shut… Feridae
was our translator as he didn’t speak any English.
Some of my favorite places
from my first trip here were revisited. For example, the handicraft place next
to the mosque and Catholic church that sells the sour cherry liquor… Yea I
definitely hit up that shop. Also the cool coffee café. The café is pretty much
the only place in SE Turkey that resembles the kind of coffeehouses I’m used to
in America and Europe, etc. I think we hit up that place a few times daily.
I can’t blog and exclude
comments on Hatay cuisine. First of all, the region is known for hummus (ground-up chickpeas and tahini), which
is difficult to find in the rest of the SE region. I find this strange because
of the close proximity to Syria- just a stone’s throw across. The feel of the
city is definitely a fusion of Arab-Turco customs/traditions/cuisine, etc. Künefe (a popular hot cheese Turkish sweet) is also
considered to hail from Antakya. I’ve
been hip to the Pomegranate syrup/salad dressing for a while now so that was
not a new discovery there. The usual
Turkish kebap varieties abound there as well.
Belkis’ Ev Pansyion (ev= house in
Turkish) is a very sweet bed and breakfast located in the central historic
part of downtown. It is near everything that I like about Antakya. A divine
restaurant, Leblon, is right across the cobble pathway from her place, as well
as the coffeeshop less than a block away.
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Belkis' Ev some some of her flock of animals |
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favorite coffeeshop in SE Turkey for sure |
Belkis’ courtyard is full of
vibrant life. It’s like a sort of animal kingdom with cats, dogs, birds,
turtles, etc all roaming around freely. Her trellis was covered with vines
choke full of fruit. There was enough shade everywhere to keep out the sun beating
down on the pavement during the heat of the day. Everybody (only 5 rooms)
gathers in the courtyard and talks story. This I always find delightful. The
house is her husband’s childhood house
and it is filled with so much character. I met her daughter, Rana, too as well
as other family members and friends of hers. She is a charming woman and I
highly suggest for anybody going there to book your accommodations with her.
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Leblon Restaurant across from Belkis' bed n breakfast. Food is solid, and rooftop seating to book looking over a large mountain with a cool castle in disrepair. Cold Efes too... |
The bus ride back was
tolerable. A 4-hour ride put us back into Gaziantep at 11pm, and I was back
home by midnight. Just in time to crash for a few hours and wake up at 7am to
return to work. All in all a fantastic mini-vacation weekend Turkey Trotting.