Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Günaydın!
I should say goodnight. Now I am on the verge of misery. I am soooooooo sleepy.
Up at 6 A.M., to, guess? EAT! Rush to throw things back into my suitcases, get them zipped and into the hallway.
Shuffle downstairs. I am on the edge. Breakfast is buffet style, but not a bunch of choices.
5.5 hours to Konya. We head out to the bus and Abdullah miraculously has 99% of the luggage already packed. Everyone takes photos and walks around a bit before loading up.
We make a couple of stops along the way. Visit a couple of interesting shoppes.
Just when we think we're on our way touring, Berna anounces, "okay everyday, we're going to stop for some lunch." Ughhhhh!
Horozluhan Restaturant. It was very quaint and huge. Kinda dim lighting, but the "meat stew" was kinda tasty but we just didn't know what kind of meat. I decided that I was going to pass on the salad from now on. I knew I was not going to eat it, so I just waved my hand to the waiter not to even sit it in front of me. The lemon and olive oil dressing needed some herbs and spices in it.
Most of the lentil soups that we've had are pretty good. I may have to try this when I get home.
I ordered the pizza which is not like our pizza but tasty.
Afterwards we headed on towards Konya. Konya (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈkon.ja]) is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey., is the seventh most populous city in Turkey. As of 2011 the Konya Metropolitan Municipality had a population close to 1.1 million people.
We arrive at the Mevlana Muzesi.
The Mevlâna museum, located in Konya, Turkey, is the mausoleum of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, a Sufi mystic also known as Mevlâna or Rumi. It was also the dervish lodge (tekke) of the Mevlevi order, better known as the whirling dervishes.
Sultan 'Ala' al-Din Kayqubad, the Seljuk sultan who had invited Mevlâna to Konya, offered his rose garden as a fitting place to bury Baha' ud-Din Walad (also written as Bahaeddin Veled), the father of Mevlâna, when he died on 12 January 1231. When Mevlâna died in 17 December 1273 he was buried next to his father.
Mevlâna's successor Hüsamettin Çelebi decided to build a mausoleum (Kubbe-i-Hadra) over his grave of his master. The Seljuk construction, under architect Behrettin Tebrizli, was finished in 1274. Gürcü Hatun, the wife of the Seljuk Emir Suleyman Pervane, and Emir Alameddin Kayser funded the construction. The cylindrical drum of the dome originally rested on four pillars. The conical dome is covered with turquoise faience.
However several sections were added until 1854. Selimoğlu Abdülvahit decorated the interior and performed the woodcarving of the catafalques.
The decree of 6 April 1926 confirmed that the mausoleum and the dervish lodge (Dergah) were to be turned into a museum. The museum opened on 2 March 1927. In 1954 it was renamed as "Mevlâna museum".
One enters the museum through the main gate (Devisan Kapısı) to the marble-paved courtyard. The kitchen of the dervishes (Matbah) and the Hurrem Pasha tomb, built during the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent, are located on the right side. On the left side are 17 dervish cells lined up, covered with small domes, and built during the reign of Murad III. The kitchen was also used for educating the dervishes, teaching them the Sema. The ṣadirvan (washing fountain) in the middle of the courtyard was built by Yavuz Sultan Selim.
One enters the mausoleum and the small mosque through the Tomb gate (Türbe Kapisi). Its two doors are decorated with Seljuk motifs and a Persian text from mollah Abdurrahman Cami dating from 1492. It leads into the small Tilavet Room (Tilavet Odası) decorated with rare and precious Ottoman calligraphy in the sülüs, nesih, and talik styles. In this room the Koran was continuously recited and chanted before the mausoleum was turned into a museum.
One enters the mausoleum from the Tilavet Room through a silver door made, according to an inscription on the door, by the son of Mehmed III in 1599. On the left side stand six coffins in rows of three of the dervishes (Horasan erler) who accompanied Mevlâna and his family from Belkh. Opposite to them on a raised platform, covered by two domes, stand the cenotaphs belonging to the descendants of the Mevlâna family (wife and children) and some high-ranking members of the Mevlevi order.
The sarcophagus of Mevlâna is located under the green dome (Kibab'ulaktab). It is covered with brocade, embroidered in gold with verses from the Koran. This, and all other covers, were a gift of sultan Abdul Hamid II in 1894. The actual burial chamber is located below it. Next to Mevlâna's sarcophagus are several others, including the sarcophagi of his father Bahaeddin Veled and his son Sultan Veled. The wooden sarcophagus of Mevlâna dates from the 12th century now stands over the grave of his father. It is a masterpiece of Seljuk woodcarving. The silver lattice, separating the sarcophagi from the main section, was built by Ilyas in 1579.
The Ritual Hall (Semahane) was built under the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent at the same time as the adjoining small mosque. In this hall the dervishes used to perform the Sema, the ritual dance, on the rhythm of musical instruments such as, the kemence (a small violin with three strings), the keman (a larger violin), the halile (a small cymbal), the daire (a kind of tambourine), the kudüm (a drum), the rebab (a guitar) and the flute, played once by Mevlâna himself. All these instruments are on display in this room, together with an ancient Kirşehir praying rug (18th c.), dervish clothes (Mevlâna's included) and four crystal mosque lamps (16th c., Egyptian Mameluk period). In this room one can also see a rare Divan-i-Kebir (a collection of lyric poetry) from 1366 and two fine specimens of Masnavis (books of poems written by Mevlâna) from 1278 and 1371.
The adjoining small mosque (Masjid) is now used for the exhibition of a collection of old, illustrated korans and extremely valuable prayer rugs. There is also a box (Sakal-i Ṣerif), decorated with nacre, containing the Holy Beard of Muhammad.
The mausoleum was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 5000 lira banknotes of 1981-1994.
Karatay Medrese is a medrese (a school with a frequently but not absolutely religious focus) built in Konya, Turkey, in 1251 by the Emir of the city Celaleddin Karatay, serving the Seljuk sultan.
Since 1955, the place serves as a museum where Seljuk tiles are united, while artifacts in stone or in wood are on display in Ince Minaret Medrese, also in Konya. The collection of Karatay Museum was particularly enriched by the finds collected as of the 1970s in Kubadabad Palace royal summer residence on Lake Beyşehir shore, at eighty miles from Konya to the west.
A caravanserai, also built by Celaleddin Karatay in the outskirts of Konya, carries his name too.
On to the Ince Minaret.
Built between 1258-1279 by the Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate vizier Sâhib Ata Fahreddin Ali who later founded the Anatolian beylik of Sâhib Ata. The minaret was originally much taller than the section that survives today, and had an unusually slender appearance in comparison to the minarets of other contemporary Seljuk mosques, hence the name of the structure.
The building has a highly ornamented stone façade which includes relief work of scripts, geometric patterning and vertical ribbon-like lines. The entrance is surrounded by a band of elegant Thuluth, depicting Sura 36 and Sura 110.]
Restored in 1956, the minaret was damaged by lightning in 1901, the edifice is used today as a museum where stone and wooden artefacts dating from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods are displayed.
Now this is really work. We drove almost 3 hours to Nevsehir, to our hotel. Everyone was a bit relieved because we'd be planted here at least 2 nights.
Our bus wound up a narrow road. We all clapped as Abdullah manuevered our huge tour bus around an overturned trash can. The man can really wheel that bus. It was pretty dark by now and we really couldn't see much of the resort.
We all headed into the lobby for check-in. The room was quite small but we all fit. Famished from today's activities, we were all offered beverages. I chose the lemonade. Not quite like mine, but it worked.
The manager was all smiles as he welcomed us to the resort and gave us instructions on how to reach our rooms. We headed out and of course, had to ask directions. We had to cross the cobblestone driveway and through a narrow opening and down some stairs, through a hallway and down some more stairs and through another hallway and around a corner. Bunny and I peeked out of a set of double doors before went into our room. The view over the countryside from this terrace was awesome. The resort was lit up like Christmas. Looked to be very nice. But the ultimate would be a beautiful hotel room.
I slid the key across the reader, pushed the door open and "oh my goodness." The room was absolutely gorgeous. We walked around to check out the place. It was rustic but decorated beautifully. The bathroom was beautiful as well. We even had a jacuzzi. The bathroom was huge.
Bunny then went out to survey the area. I went out to the terrace and looked out over the valley and thought, "if I ever came back to Turkey, I'd come to Cappadocia. I think Ron would really love it here. The weather was perfect. It is absolutely beautiful here. Of all the hotels we've been to so far, this is by far the most beautiful.
I walked around the terrace, there was a large outdoor lounging area and a smaller (but bigger than my front porch) indoor lounging area. The furniture for both was very plush and nice.
I decided to head back to the room. Daydreaming time can and will be resumed later. I tried to work the TV and make a phonecall. The phonecall didn't work. I putzed around waiting for my luggage. Set up my notebook and surfed to see how much these rooms were. To my surprise, our room ran about $370 each night.
To view their webpage click here: http://www.cappadociacaveresortandspa.com/ppc/
All of a sudden an image popped into my head. It was of my luggage. I thought, "Oh my goodness, my luggage (which has been around the world) will be on it's last leg." I thought this because there are no elevators. After a bit, my first bag arrived and yes, there were some ripped areas. It was even more dirty than the day before. I'd really have to scrub them down when I get back home.
The young man was sweating and out of breath. I reached for my wallet and I guess he saw me going for it and just stood there. I asked, "do you have the other 3?" He said, "yes they are coming." He didn't appear to want to leave, so I gave him the money.
Bunny had been visiting and said that Audrey and Carolyn's room was a bit smaller than ours and no jacuzzi. She said, "let's go eat." I really wanted to get cleaned up, but the bag I needed hadn't been delivered yet.
Bunny led the way. I had no idea of where I was going. We had to go back across the drive to the dining area. It too was very nice. The sliding doors were open and the view was gorgeous. Dinner was plated and very nice. Even had free water on the tables.
After a nice sociable dinner we headed back to the room taking in the view. The air seemed cooler. When we arrived at our room I closed the windows, as I was sleeping near them. I really liked the way they opened. They opened from the top and were pulled back to open. Reminded me of the small windows in my bedrooms. But these were huge. Probably 5' x 3'. The ones in the bathroom were open also. There was another room next to ours, but it seemed tiny. I closed the bathroom window because I could also see the upper terrace and yes, I was a bit paranoid.
First things first, wash and set my hair and then I had to wash a few clothes.
Bunny and I talked a bit, mainly about the room and I surfed a bit before calling it a night.
- comments