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Fairy Chimneys, Magic (to Me) Carpets, & Whirling Dervishes...
(by Patti Day-Miller - May 14, 2010)
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Hot air balloon ride
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Many in our tour did something very special before breakfast our first morning in Cappadocia. They took a hot air balloon ride over the very unique landscape in this region. And to a person, they all loved it. The weather was great. The scenery was spectacular. And as one person said, “If you were ever gonna take a hot air balloon ride, this is the place to do it!” |
After breakfast it was the full day tour of the Cappadocia region. The patterns of erosion here are quite hard to believe until you see them. Some are called “fairy chimneys,” and received their name because it was once believed that these were the above-ground chimneys of fairies, who were believed to live underground. Some look like cones with a cap, and some are 130 ft. high. One common shape is that of a mushroom, while others might be pedestal-shaped or elongated. They are all quite amazing to view.
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Fairy Chimneys
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Pat with camel shaped rock formation. |
One stop was at what Meri called a “natural zoo,” where many of the formations there do resemble animals. After our first rest stop that day, Meri got back on the bus and held up a Turkish newspaper that pictured a smiling Barack Obama and headlined, in English, “Welcome, Mr. President.” (The rest of the paper was written in Turkish.) Our all American tour group applauded. Later, she gave that paper to me to take home to our friends, Les and Jean, who I knew would enjoy seeing how the Turks were so delighted with President Obama’s visit. In fact, I want to again thank other tour-mates who gave me English-version newspapers for our friends. (We tried to buy a paper daily, but were only successful once, because they stock so few newspapers written in English that others beat us to it, except for one day. By the trip’s end we had copies covering the G-20 Summit, as well as our president’s two days in Turkey.) |
Masterful weaver at her craft. |
Next it was to a carpet workshop where we saw the silk-making process and watched women weaving on looms. Later we were taken into the sales presentation rooms and saw dozens of lovely Turkish carpets in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Some were absolutely gorgeous to my eye, and all were quite magical works of craftsmanship to me. (I lack the patience or creativity to produce such wonders.) Some of our group later bought carpets there.
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A wide variety of coloful yarns are used to produce some of the most beautiful carpets in the world. |
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Goreme Valley
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Next, our bus stopped at the Open-Air Museum in the Goreme Valley for us to see the early rock-cut Christian chapels and monasteries there. From the ninth century onward, these 30 or more churches were carved out of the soft, volcanic tuff. Many of them feature Byzantine frescoes depicting scenes from the Bible, particularly Christ’s life and the deeds of the saints. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There is a walking path through the open-air museum, and Meri walked with us taking us into a few of the structures, explaining what is known of the individual churches. In St. Barbara’s Church there is a fresco depicting her, as well as one showing Saints Georgius and Theodorus slaying a dragon, and also one featuring a seated Christ. We also saw the monks’ cells and their dining room, which featured a table that seated 40, and then Meri left us so that we could explore on our own.
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Rock-Cut Dwelling
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From there it was to Avanos, situated beside the “Red River,” where we visited a pottery workshop (a business for that family for several generations) and viewed pots being thrown by hand on a potter’s wheel (tour-mate Michael even tried his hand at it) and then we were taken to another area to see the painstaking process of hand-painting the designs. Finally, of course, our path lead to the retail shop, where some bought lovely treasures for themselves or others.
From there it was an exciting ride back to the Peri Tower Hotel, because we drove through a hail storm en route. After dinner that night, many of us had signed up for the optional tour to see a whirling dervish ceremony (Sema Ritual). It was raining, as we boarded our bus that evening for the drive to the mosque, but we were very fortunate to have gone so many days in Turkey with such great weather. This event was inside; so, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain! |
Woman painstakingly hand-painting pottery. |
We were instructed by Meri to remain silent throughout the ceremony, including no applause, and that no photographs were allowed to be taken. (The Mevlevi order, known as the whirling dervishes, was founded by the Sufi mystic known as Mevlana whose mausoleum we visited earlier on this tour, and whose beliefs I’ve described in previous articles.) Love is the central theme of the mystical cycle of the sema ritual, which represents the sharing of God’s love among earthly beings. For man, the dance represents a spiritual ascent to divine love.
The ritual is very symbolic, including even the clothing worn and the musical instruments played. The conical headdress represents the tomb of the ego, and the wide, white skirt symbolizes the ego’s shroud. The ney (reed flute) represents the breath of God. A string instrument (ud) and a drum (duvar) and cymbals are also used. At the onset of each stage of the ritual, the men hold their arms crosswise over the chest, which represents the number one and testifies to God’s unity. In their belief, they are saluting the soul, which is enslaved by shapes and bodies. |
The Mevlevi, bowing at the end of the ceremony. |
My guidebook describes the sema ritual as having five parts. The men enter wearing a dark cloak, which they later remove. The first three are prayers, greetings, and musical connection to the divine. Then the ritual moves into four whirling salutes: truth through knowledge, the splendor of creation, total submission before God, and coming to terms with destiny. During the swirling, the dervishes extend their arms, raising their right arm/palm upward (to allow divine energy to enter their body), and their left arm/hand slightly downward. Verses from the Koran are read after the “dance.” They then don their dark cloaks and bow, signifying the return to the state of subservience and acceptance of their destiny. This ritual, which for us was a performance/glimpse of one religious sect of another culture (which was, incidentally, outlawed by Ataturk), is a sacred way of life for those who follow Mevlana’s teachings. (And though no photographs are allowed, they do hand out a brochure, which features segments of the ritual, which we are picturing here.)
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| A bus ride back to our hotel, and it was time for bed, after a very full, most enjoyable, but long day. |
| Comments (1) |
On July 6, 2009 della said:
I would have liked to be a mouse in your pocket. Wow! You covered a lot of territory. Excellent story, good writing, very informative. |
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