Kastabala in August
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by Fred Moore - August 2007
Today, with several friends we head toward Osmaniye, to visit three sites: Kastabala
Hierapolis, Karatepe Rugs and Karatepe Aslantas open-air museum. This will be
a different adventure from those we normally take; we have two cars and five
friends to show around. I'm riding with Greg, Candi and Susan; Carol will be
traveling with Scott and Glenda. It simply was a beautiful day and we'd all
planned to see new things. Each of us has seen these sites before to some degree
but today we will see and hear things new about each one.
Once on the autobahn, we head east toward Osmaniye. After about 40 minutes
we pull off the highway for a rest stop. This roadside stop is just outside
of Osmaniye and a few minutes from our exit ramp. While we all take an opportunity
to stretch a red car pulls into the lot which is near empty and parks so close
to our car the man can almost not get out of his own car. He bangs the side
of our car as he does extricate himself from his own; sometimes you have to
wonder what goes through the mind of someone like this. He's kind enough to
inspect our car (rubbing his fingers across it) but then goes about his business
obviously satisfied he has done no harm.
After a short 15 minutes we get back onto the autobahn and continue to the
Osmaniye exit. There is a heavy haze in the air so there is no clear view of
the beautiful landscape toward the hills and mountains in this part of Turkey.
We're just past the wheat harvest and many farmers are burning wheat stubble
from their fields; this makes a beautiful landscape impossible to appreciate.
As we near the exit for Osmaniye, we ease off the gas and glide down the ramp
to pay our toll. Once past the tollbooth, I direct Greg to turn right, then
shortly to turn right once more. Scott is following in his car as I provide
leadership from the lead car.
We've come onto a two-lane road but it's paved and in good repair. It isn't
far before we come into a village and then what appears to be a major waterworks
area. The Ceyhan River flows through this region but also there are major man-made
canal systems and this road seems to parallel a channel of the region's irrigation
system. We come to a rise in the roadway, then a bridge that has plenty of hardware
mounted to one side, mechanical locks for water diversion, we think. The channel
today is full to near capacity and truly appears to be on the verge of cresting
its banks. I speculate the water to be extremely cold; it is flowing with serious
force as we look out across the surface.
Again we continue but not far along we encounter some brown signs; these always
indicate something of historical significance. Today the sign directs our course
to Kastabala-Hierapolis. It's about four miles ahead; we turn yet again onto
another paved road along another irrigation channel and continue to drive.
We very much enjoy these adventures into the countryside, never knowing what
to expect but never leaving disappointed by the time taken to adventure out.
I especially like it when the roads are paved! The land we are passing through
is all agricultural; it's fall so most of the crops have been harvested or are
near harvest time. As we round a gentle curve we draw nearer to our first goal,
we begin to see the castle looming far above some scattered ruins. We're looking
at Kastabala Bodrum Castle. Here, just ahead, is the sign directing our turn
toward the site itself.
The pathway is not paved (the weather has been dry though, so it's fine) and
would be more accurately described as a two-wheel rocky tractor path to a farmer's
field. It only a short drive, so we ease onto the unpaved surface then up and
over a knoll in front of us to the parking area. At the entry to the site, there's
a small cleared lot for parking; one might get six to eight cars in here. Also,
to one side, is a wood shelter maybe ten feet square where the site attendant
seems to be lodged. Opposite it is a marble fountain, with faucets, for fresh
water.
We pull to a stop and park the car in the little shade available. The gentleman
attendant says the entry fee is two liras per person. We give him the fee for
three of us (since we've been here before some stay behind) and begin the trek
up an unimproved narrow footpath strewn with loose rocks and debris; lined to
each side with upright and toppled columns and other ruins. The incline is not
steep but you are constantly ascending the hillside.
The colonnade is probably the length of a football field or two, it not easy
to see the end from where we begin but as we look back from above it's not that
long a climb. Our literature indicates the site was founded in the 1st century
BC; the castle dates from the medieval age. Two thirds of the way up the pathway
we find the ruins of a church. The site once boasted a magnificent column street,
amphitheater, basilica, church, stadium and bath complex. At the top of the
rise we're actually standing overlooking the Roman Period site; above us quite
a bit higher on the jagged rock cliff stands the Bodrum Castle/Fort from the
Middle Ages: 1300 - 1400. As we look away from the castle above across the valley
below, we see the theater with seating for some 10 or 12 thousand people, maybe
more, it's a small theater as compared to some we've visited. It's also fairly
intact for something from the 1st century BC. Just beyond it and in the flat
of the valley are some partial ruins of two structures, the stadium and the
hamam. But the imagination must be engaged to view these structures. Around
the entire site off to some distance there are remains of constructed tombs
and tombs carved from the rock cliffs above us. I find it quite fascinating
that the signs at the entry to the site were only placed there in 2001. Obviously
this is one of those numerous archeology sites that just has gone unattended
for a very long time. It's a site worth your time!
The literature, to which I refer, I've collected from the Internet, as the
books I have do not discuss this ruin at all. We're given a leaflet at the entry
point but it fails to fully enlighten us to what we're viewing as well. Those
books that do mention it simply state its existence and move on with no discussion
of it in any full way. That's a real pity because it's obvious this was a center
of some renown at one time in the very distant past. This is a fate of many
sites throughout Turkey; there simply are not enough resources on earth to excavate
the multitude of sites across this great country. How sad!
Again referring to the literature, it is noted that in the fifth century AD
this whole area was rich in olive oil and exports from here were considerable.
However, today we see little evidence of that; from where we're standing, I
see no olive trees at all. There is a great deal of agriculture in progress
here though and the earth looks very rich.
We spend about thirty minutes wandering around these ruins and carefully make
our way back down the trail to the car. We bid farewell to the attendant and
turn the car toward Karatepe and our second goal of the day, the kilim cooperative.
We wend our way through some more beautiful countryside as we ascend the hills
ever climbing toward Karatepe. We progress first turning this way then that
way then back until we curve and climb into even more spectacular landscapes.
We come to the brown sign for Karatepe but I tell Greg to pass it by we have
a few miles yet before the right turn to the kilim village. Another ten minutes
or so and there's the sign indicated our right turn; we descend onto a gravel
road and curve and fall into the valley below. This is a road you hope you don't
meet anyone coming at you on; it's passable but only in places and it's simply
better to not meet anyone. We descend for ten or fifteen minutes and then out
on the plateau we see the village just ahead. As Greg makes his final turn into
the village the road narrows even more with fencing on both sides of the car.
Look out there's a chicken, it's a hen; it's extremely thin but running like
mad right down the left tire track just in front of us! We simply follow behind
as there's no where to go, then as quickly as it came it's gone.
Immediately on the right is the kilim facility we've come to visit. We pull
into the parking area and under the tiny bit of shade there for us. Before we
can get out of our cars two young women have come out to greet us. We're taken
first into the show room; this is a large open room with kilims hung all about
the walls and draped over easels. There are bench seats around half the room
all adorned with kilim works from the looms on the premises. We all take time
to visually consume the pieces strewn about showroom. After a short period of
investigation we all move to the building adjacent to the showroom - one I'll
call the loom-room. In this building there are 12 or 14 looms set up and 8 or
10 girls weaving kilims as we watch.
The first loom to the left inside has two girls, one working from the front
and one working from the back. Very interesting; I had not thought one could
weave from both sides but it looks easy. These girls are using 100% wool to
create these wonderful pieces; all the work is done on site from the dyeing
of the wool to the weaving of each piece. Designs can be brought in and commissioned
kilims can be produced as well. We are all taking special note of one loom where
the young lady is weaving a kilim with Adana's Roman Bridge, Mosque and Ceyhan
River in it; this is a beautiful kilim and we try to buy one. Not for sale we're
told, too bad. It appeared that several were being made; I suspect they were
probably for an Adana business or individual.
We spent about an hour at the cooperative; the ladies all bought a small sample
of the kilims available and then we departed. It was nearing lunchtime so we
decided to do lunch before we stopped at the Karatepe out door museum. I suggested
we weren't far from Kadirli and should go to lunch there. We ascended the same
road to get back where we'd come from; we met no one as we climbed either, thank
you.
Once atop the mountain again we headed off for Kadirli. We drove across one
razorback after another with serious drops on both sides of the car. The roadway
seemed to be placed on the only flat surface available at this elevation. One
curve brought us a panorama with a lake view the next spread out before us a
vast agricultural vista. Cultivation of crops has to be a significant challenge
on these hillsides. I can't imagine a tractor on many of them but it's obvious
they use tractors up here; we see them everywhere. We travel for nearly forty
minutes before the city comes into view. I know my companions were beginning
to think I'm crazy talking about this city that never seemed to materialize.
We drive the full extent of the city and as we leave the city limits on the
road to Kozan we come to our lokanta for lunch. This is a service station "Opet"
where Carol and I have had a wonderful meal in the past. We all review the meat
selections in the cooler (there's Adana kabob, chicken, lamb chops and shish
kabob) and name our choices. We move a couple tables into place so all seven
us can be seated together; we get drinks and salads while we await our main
courses. The salads have come and everyone comments on their size. Greg and
Glenda think these may be for sharing; no, they simply are individual serving.
Along with the salad are three serving plates (to be shared) of onions, chopped
tomatoes and a combo of hot peppers and pickles. We get through our salads and
here come the main courses; again there are comments about portion size.
We spend at least an hour savoring this wonderful meal; great friends, great
food and lively conversation make our day to this point very rewarding. We wrap
up our leisurely lunch with tea and a rest stop. The proprietor bids a fond
farewell and asks us to come back soon. We all get back into our cars and head
back to the mountaintop at Karatepe-Aslantas. Our drive back up the mountain
didn't seem as far or as long as that trip down to the lokanta.
We arrive at the final goal of the day and pull into the parking area. Immediately
the ladies are captivated by the spoon carver. This gentleman must have several
hundred carvings available for purchase. There is a multitude of spoons and
then there are bowls and other adornments for one's table. Each of the ladies
buys a number of different things and we tuck them away in the cars so we can
walk the trails unencumbered.
We ascend the hillside to the museum building to pay the entry fee - 2 lira
again. This site dates from the 8th century BC and was brought to the attention
of archaeologist by shepherds who tended their sheep and goats through these
mountains. There were stories of a lion stone in the mountains but the archaeological
community was always skeptical until finally in 1946 a group decided to investigate
the sightings. The stone was found and the site excavation began shortly afterward.
In 1952 the site was considered completely free of further discoveries and the
original excavator (Dr. Bossert) chose to abandon the site; his colleague (Dr.
Cambel) chose to stay on, ultimately making Karatepe-Aslantas her life's work.
She is fully responsible for the open-air museum we visited today; the first
of its kind in Turkey.
Once we pay our fees we want to see the indoor museum but we are directed up
the hill path; we protest we want to see the museum contents first. Fortunately
we have Candi along and she makes our case for the indoor museum. We learn the
'usual' and the staff's preferred method is that you do the outside trail FIRST
then you do the inside and finally wrap up the whole trek with the video presentation.
We wanted to complete of visit 100% backward; video, indoor museum them outdoors.
We only won a concession on the indoor museum so we did two, one and three instead
of one, two and three!
This is NOT a visit to be done in August! This whole complex is well worth
the visit but the height of summer is NOT the proper time. There is NO air conditioning
in the museum facility except in the video room. The climb and the circular
trail of the outdoors is demanding and it ascends and descends steeply. This
is NO walk in the park if you pardon my pun! Our initial ascent is to the south
gate where you can mount the wall and get a view of the entire mountaintop.
The Ceyhan River has been dammed at this elevation and the reservoir created
by the dam is very beautiful.
As we turn our backs on the river view we are staring directly into the south
gate with its walls of pictographs and hieroglyphics. Another most important
historical notation here has to do with language translation; thanks to a parallel
Phrygian and Hittite hieroglyphic the Hittite was finally translated. This was
the first real breakthrough to any translation of Hittite hieroglyphics. Some
of the significant pictographs at the south gate are the galley, the hunting
scene, a women suckling a baby and a life size statuary of the storm god Baal.
There are plenty of individual scenes to review and all are fairly visible for
rocks that are nearly 3000 years old!
Once we leave Baal standing alone, we begin our descent down the other side
of the mountain. We're now headed for the north gate and a whole new set of
stone panels. This could also be called, the sphinx gate, as there is one to
either side of the entry here. This gate deserves another pause as you walk
around looking at a completely different set of stone etchings. Two fierce lions
flank the outer most walls at this gate just beyond the sphinx.
We leave the north gate now and descend further to the museum below. Once we
get back to the museum we are directed into the video building and sit for a
30 or 40 minute presentation on the site we've just traversed. The video is
partially narrated English and peppered with English subtitles elsewhere. The
Adana Rotary Club on the 50th anniversary of site's first excavation created
the video and a brochure to highlight the site. Karatepe-Aslantas is dedicated
to Dr. Cambel, a bust of her likeness stands at the entry to the site. Dr. Cambel
was also instrumental in the creation of schools and educational opportunities
for children in the shadow of this amazing discovery. Her thoughts was simple;
to preserve the historical significance of this area the population living near
to and around it must know and understand their ancestors and their ancient
life.
Once again, even though we've been to each of these three destinations before
it's always great to join like adventurers for more discoveries. It's extremely
difficult to venture out, even to those places one has already been and not
stand in awe before the magnificence of these centuries old ruins. Scott and
Greg both reminded me of my fantasy of standing in the mist of ancient Rome
or Hittite civilization; stand silently among these ruins and hear the cacophony
of commerce, social intercourse and nature all about you! This thought brings
our day to a close, we head for the cars and for home.
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