Culture, History and Fabulous Food … What More Could You Want?

Southeastern Turkey is not generally the first thought when it comes to vacation hot spots.

For many, a trip to Turkey is a second or third tier destination, a place to visit after all of the European capitals have been checked off the list.  Even for those tourists, the allure of the Turquoise Coast, the caves of Cappadocia and cosmopolitan Istanbul has long eclipsed anything the Southeast had to offer. Even Turks didn’t travel to this poorest of regions until recently. “I grew up thinking the east was a forgotten part of our country,” said Ayse Porcaro, a native of Ankara who lives in Boston with her American husband Nick. “We thought, ‘Why would anyone go there?’ Nothing grew, there was nothing to see. It was no man’s land.”

But in the past decade, that’s changed. This largely Kurdish region of the country is now fertile, thanks to irrigation provided by the Southeast Anatolia Project, (known by its Turkish initials as GAP). The public works project has brought dams and aqueducts to the region, jumpstarting the economy and shining the spotlight on one of the most fascinating areas of Turkey. Although the project is controversial – it threatens to flood important historic sites – its positive social effects are undeniable. Even on the archaeological front, the potential flooding has resulted in dramatic digs, including the uncovering of the ancient city of Zeugma, a treasure trove of Greek and Roman ruins and mosaics.

Today, for travelers seeking the exotic and unspoiled, a destination that is still untrodden by the masses, the southeast beckons. The faithful can travel in the footsteps of St. Paul who traversed this area of Asia Minor.  The Silk Road also passed through here, bringing explorers and their wares into the Turkish heartland. History lovers can visit Abraham’s birthplace, hear ancient Aramaic spoken in the Assyrian churches in Mardin, visit the purported first Christian church carved into a rocky hillside outside Antakya (ancient Antioch) and trek amongst Roman, Byzantine and Hittite ruins.

For tourists interested in an adventure, the good news is that the infrastructure, from roads to hotels and restaurants is surprisingly welcoming. Hotels, some built on the sites of ancient caravan stopovers, or caravanserai, range from basic to very comfortable. And the gastronomy in the southeastern cities of Gazi Entep, Antakya and Adana is among the best in Turkey, showcasing exquisite produce, well spiced meats and fish and intricate desserts.

Historic highlights

Less than two hours by air from Istanbul, the city of Diyarbakir on the banks of the Tigris River is a gateway to this once forgotten area of Turkey.  Although this gritty city isn’t much to see, it deserves a stop for its huge basalt city walls, second only to China’s Great Wall in scope. Considered the unofficial capital of Turkish Kurdistan, the city’s history dates back to Byzantine and Roman empires. The city is home to many medieval mosques and madrassahs (schools), with the 11th century Great Mosque the most imposing.

Abraham, a figure of great importance in the Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths, was born in Sanliurfa or Urfa, the ancient city of Ur. Here, you can visit Abraham’s cave – a holy spot that requires a head covering for women – and see families strolling along the sacred fish-filled lake of ancient Muslim legend. There’s a lively bazaar filled with all manners of handicrafts, all at really cheap prices.

While in Urfa, don’t miss a visit to nearby Harran, one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world.  The sight of the city’s distinctive beehive-shaped mud houses rising from the Syrian plain will take you back in time.

The nearby Ataturk Dam is the biggest in Turkey and fourth largest in the world. Surrounded by lovely parks, the dam is the pride of the country, named for the revered leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a military hero and founder of the modern Republic.  The progressive reforms he established give Turkey its unique profile as a secular Muslim nation.

A sunrise or sunset climb to the top of Mt. Nemrut is the highlight of any visit to the southeast. Mini-buses leave regularly from Kahta down below to deposit visitors to the foot of the summit, from which the 20-minute ascent can be steep and a little treacherous. But the reward is a view of the disembodied heads from the shrine of Antiochus Commagene, a megalomaniac monarch who built a vast burial mound and decorated it with colossal statues of himself along with other assorted gods.

Gaziantep, located between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean Sea, is the business and finance capital of the southeast.  It’s also home to an incredible Archeological Museum, the repository of Roman mosaic collections excavated in 1999 from Zeugma.  The museum’s overgrown garden, with its hodgepodge of statuary, is a quirky oasis.  The city also boasts a wonderful bazaar, famous for copperware and mother-of-pearl furniture. But it’s most renowned for incredible pistachios and, better yet, for the baklava made from them.  

With few exceptions, the food is outstanding, built upon a natural Mediterranean diet of olive oil, fresh meats, cheeses, yogurt and produce. Typical appetizers, or mezze, might be grape leaves stuffed with meat and bulgur wheat, zesty lamb meatballs and smoky pureed eggplant. The food in the south is spicier than elsewhere in the country, and fiery hot peppers are served as an accompaniment to dishes like köfte, a robust blend of ground meat, bulgur wheat, onion and garlic. Thanks to the parade of cultures that traveled the ancient Silk Road the cuisine combines the best of Armenian, Arabic, Greek, Jewish, Kurdish and Anatolian cooking. For dessert, a favorite is kadayif, a variation on the traditional baklava resembling a bird’s nest of crispy strands of dough dripping with sweet syrup and served with kaymek, or clotted cream.

The quality of the food is just another surprise along this journey. Everywhere you travel, the warmth of the Turkish people makes a strong impression. Westerners are welcome, and it’s not unusual to see buses filled with groups touring the area. Still, most travelers are Turks discovering their own country. They, like Ayse Porcaro, are surprised by its rich offerings. There’s so much to experience here that one visit really isn’t enough. As the word gets out, the only downside is that this historic, friendly place won’t stay a secret for much longer.  

For more information about touring this region, contact the Cultural Turkish Foundation, http://turkishculturalfoundation.org, call 1-877-FOR-TURKEY or visit www.tourismturkey.org.