Yunus Emre and Bird Heaven

Our first excursion outside of Ankara took place yesterday.  With Mehmet Gulsen as able tour guide we left traveling west from Ankara through Polatli with our first destination the tomb of Yunus Emre in the town that bears his name.  Yunus Emre lived in the 12th century and was a mystic poet who wrote about love and life.  He is revered by the Turkish people.  His final resting place is in a small town and is little visited (from what I could tell).  Along with three tombs (more on that later), there is a small but very beautiful mosque, a small museum and a "culture house" (a house done in old Ottoman style).  Mehmet conversed with the caretaker and learned that the first tomb ended up being next to the high speed rail between Ankara and Eskisehir and local people had dreams where Yunus Emre complained to them about his sleep being disturbed by the close trains.  He was dug up (and found to be a non-decomposed body after 800 some years!) and moved a little way.  This was his second tomb.  For reasons I am not clear on, he was thence moved to his third and current tomb, about 50 feet from the second tomb.

The mosque at the Yunus Emre tomb

The third and current tomb

Randy and Mehmet at the current tomb

The second tomb

Alice with third tomb and mosque behind

A statue of Yunus Emre

Inside the wonderfully tiled mosque

Tile detail

More tile

Another tile example

We then drove the back roads through sheep and goats (see pictures) to the town of Mihaliccik.  Randy was hungry so we found an open lokanta on the main square.  The chef/owner was also a landholder on nearby village Dinek and grew his own vegetables.  We had the best ever Turkish green beans and I bought his last jar of them to take home - home grown from his garden.  We also ate the local cheese (rather bland) and yoghurt and Randy had chicken and potatoes.  Mehmet and I drank the local spring (cesme) water.

A sheep (part of a large herd) crosses our path in the hinterland of Turkey

The shepherd dog who watched over the sheep herd

A herd of Ankara goats also crossed our path.  The sheepherder offered to catch one so I could see it up close but that generous offer was declined

Chef/owner of the best place to eat in Mihaliccik

Mehmet and Randy waiting anxiously for food

The local cheese made from "mixed" milks

The best green beans ever!!

This is the place to go in Mihaliccik and worth coming from a distance to eat at

We then drove over the mountains through a beautiful snow laden fir forest to the first hydroelectric plant in Turkey and its dam.  This was at Sariyar.  We could actually drive over the dam.  Next was a bonus visit to the tomb of Yunus Emre's master Tabduk Emre at the town of Emremsultan (appropriately named).  This tomb was not as impressive but it was nice to see where the master was laid as a kind of symmetry to the day.

We then went to Nallihan, a town with some history to it as one of the han towns on the route from the western Turkish coast to Ankara.  The hans were built by the Selcuk turks one walking day apart from each other for travelers and their beasts to lodge at.  While the han at Nallihan is no longer there the town had a few less historic buildings and press for poppies next to its city hall.  Our next and penultimate stop was at Bird Heaven (Kus Cenneti), a bird viewing place next to a wetlands.  The talkative caretaker did not see many (if any) visitors and was anxious to share his high powered binoculars with us and tell us about the many birds that lived there.  It was a particularly beautiful place with colorful rock formations in the mountains.  The main bird we saw was the ruddy duck, a very pretty yellow, black and white large duck.   They were there in great numbers.  We hope to return later in spring when even more species are present.  Lastly, we stopped at Beypazari, a historic town that is something of a tourist destination.  Our first choice restaurant was closed but we did quite well at Konak and ate the typical cuisine including the taharna soup.  We walked a bit but it was dark so we need to make another trip to this appealing destination.  They are famed for carrots so Mehmet bought himself and me a bunch.  All in all it was an amazing trip full of surprises and learning.  We can't wait for the next one!

The snow forests.  We were told that hunters sometime hunt for wild sheep here.

One of the spectacular views along the drive - like a mini Grand Canyon

View to the lower side of the dam at Sariyar

Mehmet, Randy and our trusty Megane car on the dam

Final resting place of Yunus Emre's master Tabduk Emre

Historic city hall of Nallihan (a mansion from the late 1800's)

Ruddy ducks at the Bird Heaven wetland preserve

View across Bird Heaven to the green and red colored mountains

The friendly caretaker of Bird Heaven (Kus Cenneti)

Alice and Mehmet at Beypazari, known for its carrots (note large and a little scary carrot statue behind)