Leaving the Turquoise Coast we head to the interior of Turkey, climbing over the Taurus Mts. (the first of their 3 ranges). A long day's drive allowed Salih to field many topics of further discussion about this country, it's history, customs, religion... These mountains, unlike the Rockies, are in strata which absorb the snowmelt, soak down to underground rivers leading to the sea. Once there the waters mix with the salt ocean, thus creating the turquoise color. We also saw one of the last remaining Lebanese cedar forests.
Two special stops today: After learning a bit about Mevlana Rumi, popular 13th century mystic and poet, we visited his mosoleum in the holy city of Konya. Rumi founded the Whirling Dervishes. He was not an orthodox Muslim, but preached tolerance towards all peoples and religions. A gourmet lunch followed with Turkish ice cream - goat's milk and honey, thick enough to cut with knife and fork. Heavenly!
Our second stop was to explore Sultan Han, the largest Seljuk caravanserai (camel "motel") in Turkey. These rest stops were popular from around 100 - 1200 A.D. Run by the state, they provided safe passage every 19 miles for the many camel-laden murchants following the Silk Road from China, Afganistan, Syria.
Arriving in the large region of Cappadocia tonight we see that a strange new landscape awaits our exploration for the next few days.
Pix: rock strata; Rumi's tomb/ mosque; pilgrimers drinking from the sacred fountain; Sultan Han caravanserai
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