Miss Adventures

There are a ton of books, both fiction and non-fiction, about Turkey and the Middle East. While most of them are useful in learning about the region’s history and culture, few hold my interest for more than a couple pages. That’s not the case for the following three books, which I am reading or have skimmed heavily (and plan to read when I get around to it).

Birds Without Wings. This novel, by the author of Corelli’s Mandolin, is set in Turkey during the population exchange. It gives a good overview of Greek/Turkish relations and also has a moving personal story.

The Root of Wild Madder: Chasing the History, Mystery, and Lore of the Persian Carpet. Part of the dance that is a visit to Turkey and the Middle East is the browsing (and possibly purchasing) of carpets. You sit, drink tea, and let carpet sellers unfurl dozens of colorful rugs in front of you. This book, which focuses more on Iran, the home of the Persian carpet, is a good primer on the history and production of carpets in general. I’ve yet to find a similar book that is specific to Turkey. Another book I like in this category is Tribal and Village Rugs: The Definitive Guide to Design, Pattern & Motif.

From the Holy Mountain. William Dalrymple has penned many excellent historical/travel books. This one’s subtitle is “A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium,” and the author travels through parts of Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt in search of the roots of Christianity. I am also keen to point out Mr. Dalrymple’s latest nonfiction work, The Last Mughal, which looks at the events that led up to the downfall of India’s last emperor, Bahadur Shah II. In case you didn’t know, the Mughals of India had roots in Turkey and the Middle East. So, in many ways, I feel like I’m following in Dalrymple’s footsteps…but perhaps in reverse.

As I come across more good reads about Turkey, I will add them to my Amazon store. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these suggestions.

It’s an hour later and I’m still bawling over a piece that I saw on BBC News regarding the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange. A situation this grave is enough to make an inactive person like me want to do something to help. While I may consider a letter-writing campaign at some point, I’m moved right now to assist the Veterans for Peace organization get the word out about the lawsuit Agent Orange victims (American, Vietnamese, and Korean) are bringing against the manufacturers of the chemical which is still causing gross deformations in children. The appeals hearing for the lawsuit takes place on Monday, June 18. In the meantime, the VFP is trying to get 1 million signatures for its petition to President Bush as well as raise contributions for the AO Victims Tour.

Of course, the Veterans for Peace do more than just advocate for compensation for AO victims. They currently are involved in educating the public about the human cost of war, and have campaigns concerning Iraq, Vieques and the School of the Americas, to name just a few. Humanitarians may also be interested in a new report about the vast number of children among Iraqi refugees or the ongoing efforts in Darfur by the UN Refugee Agency.

Okay…now I’ve done my part (at least a little bit). Now go do yours.

Last weekend we went to Beypazarı, a small village an hour and a half by bus from Ankara. Located on the old “Istanbul to Baghdad route,” Beypazarı has been inhabitated by various tribes and peoples, including the Seljuks, who left behind a 12C mosque, and the Ottomans, whose “konak” houses dot the town’s hillside. Beypazarı is known for its silver, especially filigree work, and is responsible for 60% of Turkey’s carrot (havuç) production.

Beypazarı, whose name translates roughly as “gentleman’s market,” struck me as a typical Anatolian village. Off the hot, dusty (but tidy) cobbled streets, old men huddled, drank tea, and played backgammon. A majority of the native women covered their hair with broad, patterned silk scarves that fell to about waist-length. Meanwhile, during the festival, young men wearing finger cymbals danced two-by-two to music that was part Turkish flute (ney) and part techno drumbeat. Near the town’s Ottoman Müze, what appeared to be a high school woodwind quartet played the requisite “Rondo alla Turca” from Mozart’s Sonata No. 11.

While more cosmopolitan parts of Turkey, such as Istanbul, like to play up their historical and geographical connection to mainland Europe, Anatolia looks to its pan-Turkish heritage. And, Beypazarı being the Turkish heartland, it wasn’t a surprise to find a large mosaic map in one town square which highlighted the “Turkic” areas of the world: Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Bulgaristan (Bulgaria), Turkmenistan, Uighur Mongolia, etc. Groups of beautiful, dark-haired, light-eyed girls wore the traditional costumes from these regions.

But back to the food. Those famous carrots were a central theme at the Beypazarı Festival. Multiple vendors offered bottles of fresh carrot juice, while others sold carrot helva. Further along, there were stands overflowing with dried fruits (including incredibly sweet sun-dried tomatoes) and nuts, packages of grape leaf dolmas and walnut baklava, and ayran, a yogurt drink not unlike a lassi. We stopped at a döner kebap stand and later watched village women rolling out and cooking gözleme (a bit like a pancake) filled with a hard, white cheese (beyaz peynir) and parsley (maydonaz). Beypazarı’s classic dish, which we didn’t get a chance to taste, is a casserole of lamb, rice, eggplant and earthy, easily attainable ingredients. The village also makes good use of a copious amount of walnuts by preserving them in a “walnut sausage,” a confection that looks exactly like the meat product but is flavored with nuts and sweetened with grape jelly. In addition to ayran and carrot juice, Beypazarı residents wash down their meals with mineral waters from the Inözü Valley.

Only an hour and a half from Ankara, Beypazarı is probably a sleepy town for 364 days per year. But it still merits a visit for its lovely Ottoman houses, gorgeous silver, and honest food. And even though the village is not quite on the tourist route, it has a surprisingly sophisticated, English-language website, helpful for planning a daytrip.