Starting in Kahramanmaraş, the focus was food! The city is home to the Mado company, the largest producers of dondurma. Dondurma is a combination of goat milk, orchid extract (called sahlep) and sugar. This mixure is then beaten with a long stick until its consistancy is thickened and then cooled. It is the only ice cream I have eaten with a knife and fork. The day began with sahlep (a hot drink) and ended with delicious flavors of dondurma. The hours between these wonderful Turkish treats was filled with so much food, I cannot begin to list it all here.
In Gaziantep, there was a beautiful mosaic museum. All of the relics had been pulled from an ancient Greek city located nearby. The detail in each of the mosaics was unbelievable.
They depicted Greek mythology or were intricate geometric shapes. My photos are quite dark, due to the fact no flash was used, but the museum website offers better photos if you're interested. www.gaziantepmuzesi.gov.tr
Next stop was Şanlıurfa, the prophet Abraham's city. The story is told that Abraham was cast into the fire, but God chose to save his life by turning the fire into a lake.
The Balıklı Göl (fish lake) is the main attraction in this very friendly, clean, and interesting place. During the day, people gather near the lake to feed the multitudes of fish that jump out of the water to grab at the food being thrown to them.
There was a castle there with the outer walls still holding strong, but with little of the interior left. The views of the city were nice though! Urfa is also the birthplace of the prophet Job.
This is my travel buddy, Kanber. A man that does not take life seriosly! Here, sporting a tradional purple scarf, worn by old Syrian men and women in Urfa. Now, the time has come to find out the how to get to the next ancient destination, we are headed to the mountains.
Purple suits you Kanber!
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