Southeastern Anatolia
Transkript
Southeastern Anatolia
© Lonely Planet Publications 597 Southeastern Anatolia What does it have on its menu? For starters, you can choose from a wealth of historical cities, such as Mardin, the region’s trophy piece, perched on a hill dominating Mesopotamia; Şanlıurfa, swathed in historical mystique; the old city of Diyarbakır, ensnared in mighty basalt walls; Bitlis, brimming with Islamic architecture; and the honey-coloured town of Hasankeyf. For main course, adjust your camera setting to ‘panoramic’ and shoot life-enhancing images of enigmatic Nemrut Dağı, topped with colossal ancient statues; shimmering Lake Van; or the water-filled crater of the second Nemrut Dağı, near Tatvan. And for dessert there’s an array of off-the-beaten track cachet destinations, including Bahçesaray, possibly Turkey’s most secluded village; Darende, a hideaway near Malatya; and a string of lovely churches around Midyat. Best of all, you can savour these sights without any tourist hustle and bustle. Oh, and southeastern Anatolia has its fair share of earthly pleasures (hmmm, pistachio baklavas…). With all the negative coverage this area gets in the media, you are probably worried about security. Rest easy: apart from a few spots that are off-limits to foreigners (mainly along the border with Iraq), southeastern Anatolia poses very few travel challenges and most of its attractions are perfectly accessible to independent travellers. Here what will linger longest in your memory is a warm-hearted hoş geldiniz (welcome). So clear the slate and plunge in. HIGHLIGHTS Feel elation while watching the sun set (or rise) from Nemrut Dağı (Mt Nemrut; p616), the ‘thrones of gods’ Van Bitlis Nemrut Daÿî (Mt Nemrut) Hasankeyf Bahçesaray Savur Go heritage-hunting among the historic buildings of Bitlis (p641), Hasankeyf (p639) and Mardin (p633) Swap stress for bliss in the perfect valley- Lake Van Darende Gaziantep Mardin Šanlîurfa Midyat village seclusion of Darende (see boxed text, p627) and Savur (p637) Fall in love with the Gipsy Girl and feast on culinary delights in hedonistic Gaziantep (p598) Nourish your soul in the great pilgrimage city of Şanlıurfa (Urfa; p607) and confess your sins in a Syriac church around Midyat (p638) Scramble all over Van’s castle (p646) and get a rush from its lively atmosphere before touring the shores of Lake Van (p642) Catch the daily minibus to the mountain village of Bahçesaray (p650) – a white-knuckle ride you’re unlikely to forget SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA Turkey’s wild child – southeastern Anatolia does feel different from the rest of the country, and that’s part of its appeal. Apart from a few Arabic and Christian pockets, this huge chunk of territory is predominantly Kurdish. 598 S O U T H E A S T E R N A N AT O L I A • • K a h r a m a n m a r a ş ( M a r a ş ) lonelyplanet.com SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA Erzincan Alpköy Kemah Ulaš Çat i r) ehr Rive at N tes Oÿuz Fîr phra u Îliç (E To Sivas Peri Suyu Yedisu Divriÿi Kavak D860 Çetinkaya Kangal Tunceli Kemaliye SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA Alacahan D850 Akçapînar Pertek Hekimhan Keban Elazîÿ Yazîhan Gürpinar Šelalesi Darende D300 Battalgazi D300 D300 Harput D260 Gürün Aslantepe MALATYA Sivrice Kale Ergani Yešilyurt Gündüzbey D330 D885 Pütürge Nemrut Daÿî National Gerger Büyüköz Park D850 Elbistan Doÿanšehir D360 Nemrut Damlacîk Daÿî Narince (2150m) D360 Gölbašî To Kayseri (284km) D360 Bingöl D300 Aÿîn To Kayseri (150km) Kahta Adîyaman Šambayat Bismil Bucak Siverek D360 D950 D885 Atatürk Dam D360 DÎYARBAKIR Savur Kahramanmaraš Atatürk Dam D835 Pazarcîk Araban To Îslahiye (25km); Yesemek Open-Air Museum (105km); Antakya (197km) GAZÎANTEP (ANTEP) Nizip To Hassa (20km) Kilis Yešilli Mardin D875 Savaš Rumkale Viranšehir Öncüpînar Elbeyli To Aleppo (60km) Kocatepe Kîzîltepe Šenyurt D400 Birecik Soÿmatar D885 Šuayb City Bazda Caves Barak D850 D400 D400 ŠANLIURFA (URFA) Halfeti BelkesZeugma Eu (F phra îra te tN sR eh ive ri) r Raqqa KAHRAMANMARAŞ (MARAŞ) %0344 / pop 543,900 If you’re heading to this neck of the woods from Cappadocia or the Mediterranean coast, a stop in Kahramanmaraş is mandatory for all ice-cream lovers. This town produces an insanely good dövme dondurma (beaten ice cream), which is justly revered throughout Turkey. If you find that’s not reason enough to stop here, there are a handful of cultural treasures that will keep you busy for at least a day, including the Ulu Cami (Atatürk Bulvarı), built in Syrian style in 1502, the hilltop kale (fortress) and the lively bazaar. The Hotel Belli (%223 4900; fax 214 8282; Trabzon Caddesi; s/d TL45/80; a) has been refurbished and features spruce rooms and prim bathrooms. Han el Ba'rur Ceylanpînar Harran Akçakale SYRIA From the otogar (bus station) there are hourly minibuses to Gaziantep (TL12, two hours, 80km), while five daily buses ply the stunning route to Kayseri (TL20, 5½ hours, 291km). GAZİANTEP (ANTEP) %0342 / pop 1,100,000 There’s one Turkish word you should learn before visiting Gaziantep: fıstık (pistachio). This fast-paced and epicurean city is reckoned to harbour more than 180 pastry shops and to produce the best pistachio baklavas you can gobble down in Turkey, if not the world. Antep is a greatly underrated city that proclaims a modern, laissez-faire attitude while thumbing its nose at Urfa’s piety. One of the