The itinerary indicated that our tour group needed to move on, so I waved goodbye to the Old Greek House and its furry denizens.
Our first stop after leaving Cappadocia for Konya was the Kaymakli Yeralti Sehri underground city. People lived in this incredible underground network of sleeping quarters and storage areas when they were being attacked above-ground. I could see that the quarters were cramped, the lighting was dim and the smells were likely strong, but I can totally understand why this option was preferable to the alternative.
The next stop was St. George's church-turned-mosque, where we had a
chat with the imam (he's seated to the right of our tour guide, who translated from Turkish to English for us). The imam answered our group's questions, which were many and variegated. One of the members asked him to sing the call to prayer for us -- imams usually have a muezzin, who is specifically tasked to this job, but the tour guide said that this mosque is small enough and this imam's voice is good enough for him to do it -- and he agreed. He had a lovely, strong voice that was resonant and inviting. As we left, the imam shook hands with us and paused to say a few words in classical Arabic to Mohamed (although he speaks Turkish, he knows some classical Arabic from his studies of the Koran). He said that Mohamed has a special aura, and I totally agree with him.
We paused for lunch at rest stop on our continued journey towards Konya. Mohamed and I ordered small plates of battered fish, green beans, chicken, lamb, and pistachio baklava -- all for only $30. The next historical site was the Sultanhani Caravansary: built in 1220 and situated on the Konya-Aksaray highway, Sultanhani was the largest and best caravansary (i.e., an inn with a central courtyard for travelers in the desert regions of Asia or North Africa). I found the stonework to be just as intricate and the walls as imposing as I had expected.
Our final destination for the day was the Mevlana Muzesi, which houses the body of the Sufi mystic Rumi. It was clearly an extremely popular destination, as it was packed even though we had arrived just one hour before closing.
For dinner, which would be on our own, the tour guide recommended Konya's specialties: sauteed liver with onions and peppers, and flat pita with minced meat. After Mohamed and I dropped off our bags at the hotel, we started walking on the main street to find a suitable restaurant. I anticipated that it'd be easy because I had seen many restaurants on the bus drive to the hotel, but I quickly realized that almost all of the restaurants were closed. I was puzzled, and then remembered that it was the Bayram holiday -- and after walking about one hundred steps, I started to dismay at finding anything open. Mohamed said "let's walk back towards the Mevlana Muzesi and the mosque next to it. If Turkey is like Egypt, I bet there's something good that's open nearby." And he was totally right: we found a busy restaurant at which I was pleased to see locals dining. The best part was when Mohamed pointed to his own liver to order this well-known specialty because the waiter spoke only Turkish
and German. (The waiter didn't get it, but eventually brought out a menu with pictures so we were saved.)
On the way back, we decided to walk on the other side of the main street for a change of scenery. I was so surprised to see these stunning dresses in this famously conservative city. I thought the burgundy and gold dress was a beautifully unexpected blend of classic and modern aesthetics, and the blue and pink ones were spirited and frothy confections of sequins and tulle. I wish the shop had been open so that I could have seen them up close. So many pretty things to buy!
