| |
|
Turkey
Egypt
Photographs
and text by
Susan Godding
|
|
| |
|
Total
Solar
Eclipse,
Nevsehir,
Turkey |
|
A group of us, among many, travelled to Nevsehir in Cappadoccia, central Turkey, in order to view the total solar eclipse in March 2006. The line of total eclipse was due to pass over Libya, part of Egypt and over central Turkey north-eastwards. So we went armed with telescopes, telephoto lenses, cameras, paper, information and enthusiasm, all brought with us from the U.K. ‘Borrowed’ from the hotel were pillows and sheets, to form a background to see the ripples of the ‘wave effect’ from the penumbra.
|
|
We shared each other’s equipment and waited for the three minutes of total eclipse in various ways; wandering around the site looking at the hollowed out dwellings; watching people; reading; ensuring the equipment was set up accurately; or watching the shadow cover the land and the volcano appearing clearly above the horizon.
The shadow was never totally dark, although deep enough for the lights of the nearby town to come on and the birds to quieten, even at total eclipse. The social bonding of the occasion was incredible as was the jubilation after the event.
A solar eclipse of the sun occurs when the passage of the moon passes between the earth and the sun and presents an unique opportunity for viewing the sun with the naked eye without any detrimental effects. We were given ‘glasses’ with specially prepared lenses for viewing both before and after the total passage because of the danger.
|
|
|
Our expert, Giulio, explained all the things we should watch out for; a ‘ripple’ effect that shows waves on a plain light background – we could see that clearly over the smooth white rocks and the sheets borrowed from the hotel and spread out; diamond rings immediately pre and post the total eclipse – these were easily seen; the solar flares – not great this year but the corona was visible; and Baily’s beads, a series of ‘spots’ of bright light around the shadow – which I did not see. Since I did not have special photographic equipment this was my best and safest method of capturing the solar eclipse – apart from a few seconds of video on my digital camera.
|
|
The volcano, barely visible in the bright sunlight, became far more distinctive as the moon covered the sun (or the penumbra covered the land), finally rising in the distance above the nearly black horizon. You realised how so much of the land between this volcano and those in the other direction had dominated the land and caused such deep laval flows. Most of the hills in the area were formed from tufa – from the volcanic ash – and subsequently easily carved out to become dwellings and towns. The famous features of Zelve and Goreme are from tufa. Unfortunately, being soft also means that rain and dust, driven by the wind, have worn down the original ‘buildings’ which have become too dangerous for human habitation.
|
|
|
|
It is from these laval deposits that the underground towns, originally presumed to have been from the times of the Christian persecution, were formed. Some of the depths of these towns go down to 60 levels. They are carved around a central shaft that acts as a ventilation shaft and means that someone as slightly claustrophobic, as I am, was quite happy on the whole down below. I only panicked when the way out was blocked by one group and the way forward by another and we had to wait to go on, fortunately by a fairly large chamber that I was able to pace around in! There were a number of these underground towns and they were said to be interconnected – which is easy to believe. If we had not had a guide , in this case they were also well-lit, it would have been very easy to lose one’s way down there – a wonderful setting for a horror story. |
|
|
Carpet
Weaving,
Turkey |
|
Turkey
is a
centre
for
carpets,
particularly
silk
ones,
and
we
were
told
that
the
greater
number
of
knots
to
the
square
inch
the
better
the
quality.
I
can
believe
that
having
seen
the
work
involved.
The patterns are traditional ones and, as can be seen from the photo, intricate. The looms, also traditional, were set up as can be seen from the photo.
|
The dyes they used are from nature and they had a display of the plants used, the colours achieved and the setting agents required. Lovely skeins of the bright colours festooned a stand.
Naturally, we had a show of the carpets from which some of us were lucky enough to buy at a good price. Needless to say, the silk ones were more highly priced. There was also a pottery in the same vicinity, achieving both high quality porcelain and run of the mill souvenirs!
|
|
Ihlara Valley, Turkey |
|
A lovely sight of green in the pre-Spring surroundings, this Valley was quite deep and had been so for some generations. Several rock-cut chapels, some with lovely or deteriorated Byzantine decorations, were all the way along the valley that we traversed. As can be seen, some were accessible, others not. It was not always easy to distinguish the saints to whom they were dedicated and so they are known as ‘chapel of the snakes’, or some similar identification from some features.
|
|
They were nearly all easy to reach from the floor of the valley, although some were perched much higher up the sides and these were taken to be tombs rather than chapels.The villagers from both ends of the valley had cultivated it and, where allowable, the path skirted fields or passed by groves of willows grown for pollarding.
|
| Hattusas, Turkey |
The Hittites of about 1800-1200 BC were foreigners who successfully settled in Anatolia forming an empire whose influence even extended to Egypt with whom they fought. One famous and well-documented, from both the Egyptian and Hittite viewpoint, battle between them was of Qadesh at the time of the pharaoh Ramesses II some 3260 years ago. This ended, according to the Egyptians, with a victory by them and from it developed the oldest Peace Treaty that is in existence - a copy of which hangs in the U.N. building in New York. Embassies, naturally, went back and forth between the two countries and we were ‘told’ that a greenstone block, in one of the temple storerooms at Hattusas, was a gift from Pharaoh to the King. This is unsubstantiated but its existence there strains credulity since its transportation would have involved donkeys and possibly carts to carry its tonnage over difficult terrain. It has been calculated that to go from North Egypt to Baghdad would take at least a month’s travel, so to Hattusas would be even further and longer.
|
There has been a reconstruction of the possible wall that surrounded the temples and palace at Hattusas from the surviving walls, bases of which abound the site. Since little has been found apart from wide stone bases, it has been presumed that the walls were made of organic natural materials that have disappeared over time, such as wood and mud. The archaeologists also uncovered numerous fragments of pottery and tablets forming a large library, from which the only knowledge of the Hittite Court has been deciphered. The reconstructed remains of storage jars, from fragments found in situ, give us a good idea of how wine, water and grain were stored at Hattusas and the size of the jars used.
|
Nowadays, this area is used by the local villagers as a place of pasturage for their herds of sheep and goats led, as is the Middle Eastern custom, from in front by one or more, according to the size of the herd.
|
|
|
| |
| The men, or boys, remain with the herds throughout the day and probably return to the village by night, as they do elsewhere in Turkey. There are still wolves around the hinterland – we had seen skeletal remains whilst in Nevsehir. |
|
This rock sanctuary is about 1.5 miles from the present day village at the ‘entrance’ to the Hattusas site but only about 1 mile on a direct line from the palace. Originally, as you can see, there were buildings across the front of the cleft that would have been the temple precinct. It lies in the cleft between two rocks, with two galleries, to the left one more open and to the right a ‘secret’ gallery that opens, slightly, into a high cleft. As we arrived there were a group of Germans chanting the Egyptian ‘Hymn to the Sun’
|
The divinity, Sharruma, patron of King Tudhaliya IV who is believed to be the king responsible for the final arrangements of this sanctuary around the middle of the 13th century BC, is depicted as an escort of the Great King (possibly after his death). He ‘holds’ the king carefully in the crook of his elbow.
|
| Opposite that there are a line of gods of the underworld, wearing shirts, belts, short skirts and shoes curling up at the toes. The horned pointed hats show they are divinities. |
|
|
|
|
|
Egypt
With
thanks
for
editorial
assistance
to
Ken
Griffin,
tutor
at
Swansea
University,
Wales. |
| |
| Osirion at Abydos |
This well-known site is situated in Middle Egypt about 160 km north of Luxor. The 19th Dynasty New Kingdom temples of Seti I and his son Rameses II dominate and are the most frequently visited of this site dedicated to Osiris. However, the Osirion, built to celebrate the rebirth of Osiris after his wife, Isis, had magically ‘rejoined’ the body his brother, Seth, had cut into pieces and scattered throughout the land, is just outside the temple of Seti I. The green colour celebrates the rebirth of the land and it was deliberately built so that the life-giving waters of the Nile would regenerate annually the reeds growing there.
|
|
| Hatchepsut’s temple, West Bank, Luxor |
|
|
Seen from a balloon in the early morning light, this magnificent façade dominates the countryside as, no doubt, the female pharaoh of the 15th dynasty intended. Built into the rock, its courtyards were used for generations of festivals. The hill to the left foreground was extensively used by nobles and entrances to many of their tombs can just be identified juxtaposed with modern buildings. Indeed, many modern buildings, not only here but all over Egypt, are built over ancient sites. The Valley of the Kings is over the brow of the hill to the right of Hatchepsut’s temple.
|
| ‘Taxi’, West Bank, Luxor |
At the conclusion of the balloon ride it was brought down in the middle of a corn field – that is maize, or corn-on-the-cob. We hope the farmer was recompensed as he was very annoyed. However, we celebrated the successful trip with a few dances, much to the delight of children arriving at school. Taxis are frequently ‘over crowded’ as are lorries, buses and anything except the police jeeps! Apparently, once the fare is accepted – particularly if from a foreigner and therefore ‘inflated’ – additional passengers travel free. |
|
| |
| Meir, Middle Egypt |
|
|
Typical of a number of Middle and Old Kingdom tomb sites, Meir is situated halfway up a cliff and dug into it. The distance one has to go, nowadays, to visit was initially supposed to be a deterrent to grave robbers but in fact very few tombs in Egypt have escaped these predators. Do not be misled by the apparent ‘pathway’ and ‘steps’, these were covered with shifting sand and equally difficult to walk upon as was the original sand or rock, in fact I found it was easier to avoid the modern for the original.
|
|
|
| The decorations varied from relatively none – or totally desecrated by later generations – to absolutely brilliant. The best of these at Beni Hasan is currently on the limited to no visitors list, and definitely no photography, of the Egyptian Government. However, those at Meir were extremely interesting. |
|
|
|
|
|
