Nov 15 - I started out today thinking we were going to do a series of hops from one dolmuş to another to reach our destination. However, the hotel owner informed me that by 9:00, the time we were walking out the door, was too late to make all the connections and get back to Antep. I’m not completely sure that this is the case, but in any event I organized with a taxi to do the trip.
From Gaziantep we drive east along the main highway. The terrain is low hills, many covered with olive or pistachio groves. We leave the main highway on the western side of the river and go north to the Zeugma Archaeological Site. It was from this place that many of the fantastic mosaics we saw yesterday came from. Zeugma means ‘gate’ in ancient Greek, meaning that the Euphrates Valley here formed the border between classic East and West. It was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 17 CE. In 256 CE, it was destroyed by the Sassanians and has been abandoned since.
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The part of the former town we look at is housed inside a large warehouse to keep the excavations away from the elements.
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We are now in what is considered Mesopotamia. The name that applies to the lands of the Sumerians and Babylonians is also valid here, in the upper reaches of the rivers that feed the Fertile Crescent.
Cross the river and go through the town of Birecik. Part of it is squashed between the river and limestone cliffs on the east bank. There are a number of very old mosques here, but we are just driving through and just get a glimpse of it all. The cliffs are dotted with small holes that are obviously man-made, and probably quite old.
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To the north of town we stop at a wildlife conservation center (Kelaynak Kuslari Koruma Alani) where a few hundred northern bald ibis have been given a safe place to nest. These birds, once common in the Middle East and Europe, are virtually extinct now due to hunting, habitat loss, and poisoning from DDT. One colony in Morocco and and this one in Birecik attempt to keep their numbers from reducing further.
At this time of the year, they are kept in a huge cage, only let out during breeding season and to raise their chicks in wooden boxes affixed to the walls of the cliffs. Most of them return to the cage after that, and the ones that don’t usually attempt their historical migration across the Arabian Peninsula to Ethiopia. However, there is always loss of returning individuals, so it is clear that this migration route is perilous. The war in Syria made it even more difficult for many years.
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On to the town of Eski Halfeti, also on the east bank of the Euphrates. This town was partially submerged by the dammed waters, so a new town was built up above the cliffs to replace the lost housing.
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The main reason to go to Halfeti is to take a boat trip upriver to see the fortress of Rumkali and another semi-submerged village. To this end, Eski Halfeti has a large number of tourist boats, equipped with popular Turkish music on loudspeakers, that do the hour-long run upriver. The town also hosts a series of floating restaurants. We pay the 50 TL per person and get on the first boat leaving.
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The music is a bit loud, but that is the business model for these boats. Anyway, it is all Turkish, so we get to listen to something new. On some of the boats we pass, there is a lot of dancing going on.
Rumkale Fortress is built on a thin projection of land into the river, where the Merziman flows into the Euphrates. It would not have originally looked this way, since the non-flooded water levels were much deeper in the valley than they are now. Nonetheless, it is an easily defended promontory that makes it a natural place to built a fortress.
The original fortification here probably date to Hittite times, but the real building was during the Hellenic and later Roman period. Due to restoration work, it isn’t possible to climb around on the fortress now. It can only be seen by boat or from a viewing platform on the opposite side of the river at the confluence.
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Eat at one of the floating restaurants. The food is good but overpriced. Then the long ride back to Antep. The driver is in a big hurry to pass the trucks, so it is a relief when we are back on the double-lane highway.
Lunch will last us through dinner, but since Gaziantep is so well known for its cuisine, we stop at a popular place to eat some desserts.
