Dogubeyazit to Diyarbakir

On returning to Dogubeyazit, speeches were being made in the square. Our driver had told us that a famous Kurdish singer was going to be singing as part of the two day celebrations being held in town. Police presence was high. We had lunch around the corner and listened as a children's choir sang and then a man with a stringed instrument. After dessert we returned to the hotel to grab our bags and made for the dolmuses to Van.

By the time we reached the city it was late afternoon. Set on the eastern banks of Lake Van, the city was once the Urartian capital. Once we arrived, we had a decision to make. We hoped to be able to spend two nights in Diyarbakir, and if we were to do so we would have to rush through the sights of Lake Van to do so, which means we'd be skipping the sites to the southeast of the city and the castle. We flipped through the guidebook and decided that we had already seen our fair share of castles and ruins and decided to leave the next morning to drive along the coast of Lake Van in hopes of reading Diyarbakir that evening. Our decision made, we took the rest of the day to walk around the shopping areas along the main street, shopped for sunglasses, and checked out various restaurants.

We woke early and hopped a bus headed west and asked them to let us off at the harbor for Akdamar. On the edge of town we passed a statue dedicated to the cats for which the city is known. Fluffy white, with different colored eyes (one blue and one yellow), the Van cat has become highly prized. Images of the cat adorn postcards and posters advertising the city.

On the shore of Lake Van, we waited by the harbor for a group of tourists to arrive so that we could share a boat to the island on which the Akdamar Kilisesi sits. Built in 921 by Gagik Artzruni, the King of Vaspurkan, the remnants of the church boast relief carvings considered to be among the masterworks of Armenian art.

A Turkish family soon arrived and we boarded a boat for the 20 minute ride. The day was clear, the sun beat down upon us as we sat atop the cabin for the best views. We toured the church and the island. A Frenchman who had arrived with us told us he was planning to swim. The family picnicked under a tree. A Turkish tour group arrived, and once they had finished wandering the island, we caught a boat back to shore with them. We ate sardines by the dock and then flagged down a passing bus to Tatvin, on the south-western corner of the lake.

There, we were stuck. Buses to Diyarbakir were booked solid until the next morning. We found a simple hotel off the main street that ran the length of the town and decided to spend the afternoon atop the nearby Mt. Nemrut, an extinct volcano.

The taxi crept up the slope to the crater's edge and then stopped to let us admire the view. The sun was setting and the rays shone golden on the landscape before us. Within the crater were a series of lakes, a large one which could yield fish the size of men, a hot lake fueled by thermal activity beneath the surface, and a cool lake. We climbed back into the taxi and the driver slowly eased us into the crater. He stopped at various locations to let us feel the heat eminating from the earth or admire the views. The sun crept below the crater's lip and the temperature dropped quickly. Ed said he had never before been in the crater of a volcano and was fascinated by the ecosystem contained therein.

We crept back into the sun and then zoomed back down the mountain. The sun continued setting and by the time we were back in town it was dark. We walked along the road to the edge of town and then headed back towards our hotel, stopping to eat at a pide restaurant. We sat in a small courtyard in front of the restaurant near a hotel. The waiter seemed excited to see us, beaming as he brought us our food.

Our bus left at nine the next morning for Diyarbakir. We ate breakfast in a small restaurant by our hotel and then boarded a van which took us to the bus station just outside of town. The ride was uneventful. Arriving in Diyarbakir, another van took us just inside the basalt walls of the old city. The driver pointed to a hotel a few meters away. We thanked him and shouldered our packs. Ed had made a reservation at the Otel Buyuk Kervansaray and we walked the length of the city to get there, past shops and mosques and markets and bus stations.

We arrived to find a beautifully renovated Ottoman style building, with rooms set around an expansive courtyard. A woman checked us in and told us that all their amenities were available 24 hours. The pool, the hammam, the restaurant. Except during weddings, since it would be odd if people were swimming during the festivities. We thanked her and after checking in availed ourselves to the kitchen before heading out to explore the old city.

First we went south to climb the ramparts for the view over the surrounding fields and back over the city. Satellite dishes dotted the rooftops. We followed the walls to the southeastern corner of the city before climbing down and ducked into the small alleyways searching for various mosques and old houses, dodging the children who seemed to attach themselves to Ed around every corner. "Hello!" "Hello!" By the time we found the Ulu Camii we were ready to call it a day. We sat in the expansive courtyard flanked by intricately carved columns, soaking up the atmosphere.

Back on the main streets we walked to the northern edge of the city. Passing a barbershop, I asked Ed if he still wanted to get his haircut. He asked if I minded, and I told him I'd take a nap in the shop and avail myself to some cay. The barber was a university student, excited to have foreign guests. I sipped tea and settled into a chair while the man cut Ed's hair. There were constant distractions as friends called or visited. The cut took longer than expected, but he did a good job. Ed was pleased, and we left as the sun was beginning to set.

Back at the hotel, we went for a swim under the stars and then walked into the hamam. Just as we were wondering where to find the soap, Hasan appeared and proceeded to wash and massage us. After trekking and the past few days of constant travel it was good to lie on a hot marble slab and let someone wash my body. Afterwards, as we sat in the courtyard lingering over our dinner, Ed joked that for us, visiting Diyarbakir was all about the Kervansaray hotel. I laughed and agreed. After the exhausting past two weeks, it was about all I was able to enjoy. Posted by eku at September 21, 2004 10:05 AM