Day 5: Canakkale to Kusadasi

 We’re at the ruins of Troy by 8:30 am opening time. Troy was thought to have been a mythical invention existing in the literary works of Homer and Virgil. However, in 1871 amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann got permission to dig here in the belief that he had found the site. 

In the years since, with a lot more archaeological investigation, it’s been established that Troy consists of 9 different time layers, the oldest being dated to 3,600 BC. These are mud bricks from that first layer.

These are the early defensive walls from layer 1 or 2

But it’s the Helen of Troy era, the Greek legend, that we’ve all come to see, in layer 6 or 7. This photo next is claimed to be part of king Priam’s Palace. When the Greeks sacked Troy, having gained entry by the wooden horse ruse, Priam was killed by the son of Achilles. Schliemann further ravaged Troy by making off with Priam’s treasure, which was then exhibited in Berlin until captured by the Russians in 1945. Today it’s on display in St Petersburg where its ownership is disputed by both Germany and Turkey.

This was Troy’s harbour. The sea in those times covered the flat green area just beyond the trees.

A wooden walkway threads through the ruins and Info boards in Turkish and English describe the various points of interest. This is the walkway running along the later and sturdier walls of the city.

The final level was the Roman occupation, and here’s a small Roman amphitheatre where plays would have been performed.

Finally, in  the car park, is  a replica wooden horse. There’s no exact description from Homer or Virgil, even if there was in fact one at all,  so it’s whatever wooden horse you want to imagine. Tour guide Ali in the red jacket is seen leaning on one of its front legs imagining it's lunchtime I would guess.

Unlike most of the tour group, we resisted the temptation to buy a souvenir wooden horse from the gift shop.

On the way to the day’s final antiquities site, Pergamon, we call in to the village of Bergama for a pre-arranged village lunch: we split into groups of about 6 people that then go to individual houses. It’s a unique experience.

We’re not far from Pergamon, which is on top of a steep hill. The bus decants us by the cable-cars, reassuringly described by Ali as “Swiss-made”.

We’ve still got a steep enough final climb from the cable-car station, but seeing the ruins ahead spurs us on.

It’s fairly flat on the top with an open area and some columns remaining which, I think, was the temple of Athena. We have to enter the main city through the narrow portal you see on the photo underneath.

Here’s the entrance tunnel, built with effective defence in mind.

Through the tunnel, we can see the impressive hillside amphitheatre with a capacity of 10,000 plus. It’s also one of the steepest theatres in the ancient world, so good views of the performance but you don’t let go of your hat or ice-cream.

The city’s origins are obscure, around 800 BC is a best guess. It came to prominence under Alexander the Great’s general Lysimachus in the 3^rd century BC. 

This next photo is of the remains of the library that was founded in the 2^nd century BC, and was believed to be the second largest library after Alexandria in Egypt, with 200,000 papyrus scrolls. 

The papyrus raw material came from Egypt, and the story is that the Pharaoh Ptolemy V came to see Pergamon’s library as a rival to Alexandria’s and so wouldn’t supply any more papyrus. But Pergamon revived the skill of producing parchment from animal skins for script. Parchment, unlike papyrus, could be made into books and is very durable. There is even a modern day pastime called pergamano which involves writing on and embossing parchment.

The elegant columns are beautifully decorated.

 I’d not heard of Pergamon before this visit. It's a privilege to view and appreciate the skill and craftsmanship in all these ancient cities that have survived through the centuries. I wonder if our age will leave such artistic wonders for future generations.

Day 4: Oct12th Istanbul to Canakkale

 We have an 8:00 am departure. It’s the longest day’s journey and we’ll be travelling along the Gallipoli peninsula before crossing the Dardanelles strait into Asia. Along the way we’ll be calling in at some of the locations that saw the fiercest action in the First World War Gallipoli campaign of 1915. 

The weather’s not great again but it maybe suits the sombre settings where men lost their lives in 1915. Just before getting to the battlegrounds we have lunch at the waterside. We hope the approaching ferry has good brakes.

Turkey entered the Great War on Germany’s side, but we wanted to send supplies to our ally Russia through the Bosphorous/ Dardanelles straits, because Russia’s northern ports were frozen solid for much of the year. 

Churchill, who was First Lord of the Admiralty, felt he had the solution: our navy would force the straits, bombard Istanbul and force Turkey into surrender. We could then send unrestricted supplies to Russia. 

So in March 1915 the Royal Navy, with French support, started cruising up the Dardanelles. There was no opposition: unbeknown to the taskforce the Turks had run out of ammunition. However, the ships struck mines and three battleships were sunk and three more vessels damaged. So they withdrew and waited a short distance away. The Turks guessed another assault was coming so hurriedly scraped together ammunition and reinforcements. The Turks were fortunate in having an exceptional commander, Mustafa Kemal, who later became premier of the new Turkish Republic in 1923. 

Our attack came on 25^th April when 16,000 soldiers, many of them Australian and New Zealand troops, stormed the beaches. Initially taken by surprise the Turks fell back, but allied commanders failed to press the advantage and both sides dug in. The landing beaches were short and finding cover difficult, as can be seen at what is now called Anzac Cove.

This is the ridge looming over the cove which gave the Turks a commanding position. It didn’t help that the allied troops named the rock outcrop the Sphynx and believed it a bad omen.

More landings took place, with a final push on  6^th August, but these were all pinned down as well. As the year continued the War Cabinet in London realised that the enterprise was going nowhere and ordered an evacuation. This was completed by January 1916 with no casualties: the Turks just let them go without further violence. 

Altogether, the allies fatalities amounted to nearly 57,000, the Turks 85,000. These are commemorated by war graves, such as this:

And also memorials. This one marks the landings in Turkish, erected after the war on the orders of president Mustapha Kemal. The tour member with his backpack by the Turkish flag could be the unknown soldier.

The weather turns wetter and we head back to the shelter of the bus. You can see that the bus itself is first class and very comfortable.

A short while later we cross the straits by bridge onto the Asian side, then on to our hotel at Canakkale.

Day 3: Oct 10th Boat Trip on the Bosphorus

 The Bosphorus is a narrow strait a few miles wide that separates Europe from Asia. It divides Istanbul into two halves, and is a busy waterway connecting the Aegean, part of the Mediterranean, with the Black Sea. 

The boat trip sets off from an inlet of the Bosphorus called the Golden Horn. Straight away we can see how close the Asian shore is.

Our boat has seen better days, but chugs manfully off the pier, belching fumes. It’s a pretty view as we pull away.

We approach and pass a couple of moored cruise liners. Whilst bringing trade to sightseeing venues, they also bring the  problem of vast hordes of trippers emerging at the same time  and swamping the venues and all allied facilities like shops, cafes, toilets etc. Still, they look serene and majestic at anchor and, of course, we’re trippers too so shouldn’t complain.

Lots of sights on the waterway, like this palace, the Dolmabahçe Palace, built in the 19^th century for the 31^st sultan Abdulmecid. At the time, it cost the equivalent £2.5 billion: it wasn’t on our tour itinerary but is described as the last word in opulence.

And now a beautiful baroque style waterside mosque in the late afternoon sunlight, built in 1853 so not as old as it looks.

Turkey has some world class bridges. This one crosses the Bosphorus and was the world’s 5^th longest suspension bridge when opened in 1988.

Our boat need to be careful, this is a busy trade route and we wouldn’t want to collide with something this size.

We’re turning round now to return to the starting point, passing wealthy owners’ waterside properties. The light is fading into dusk, but that gives a last chance for a silhouette shot of old Istanbul, trying not to include any crane jibs. A very relaxing afternoon.

Day 3: Fri 10th Oct. More Istanbul

 8:30am sharp on the bus. We’re starting at the Spice Bazaar where tour guide Ali says the best Turkish delight is to be found. It looks very much like the Grand Bazaar, perhaps more elegant.

We’re led into an appropriate shop and given samples to try . We aren’t keen on the Turkish delight you get in the UK, but this is delicious so we buy some, as do most of the tour group. Can’t get over how much the shop proprietor looks like Ali – they could be brothers!

Carrying on round the bazaar, I think it’s more interesting than the Grand Bazaar. Look at all these loofahs for example.

And now numerous brass and copper pots hanging from the ceiling, all guaranteed to produce a genie when rubbed - but only after you get home!

After the bazaar, the bus heads for the Topkapi Palace, a vast building that housed the sultan and his entourage until the Turkish Republic came into being in 1923. It was built in the late 15^th century by Sultan Mehemed II who had conquered Constantinople, as it was then called. Here’s the entrance, straight out of Disney.

The entrance portal itself merits a closer look with its fine marble and Ottoman style script.

First port of call within the palace houses is the china collection. The cup – or is it a small bowl – is amazingly ornate but entirely impractical. Most of the numerous exhibits could be similarly described.

Now the ante-room to the armoury. The tilework detail is amazing as testimony to the wealth and power of the sultans.

The ceiling is even more stunning. They must have spent a lot of time lying on the floor.

The armoury itself contains a variety of ancient weapons, mostly quite similar to European types. These rifles are ornamented flintlocks, purely for ceremonial use.

 This is Turkish chain mail, given an individual look with the pointed helmets.

Moving on to the guards quarters, in fact where they slept, on these platforms. The palace guards were an elite corps chosen for their physique.

 Now, getting closer to the harem, come the quarters of the black eunuchs whose job it was to run the harem. Theirs was a valued and responsible job.

In 1923 when the Turkish Republic was founded the Sultan was turfed out and all the palaces closed so the eunuchs were out of work. They founded a self-help group known as the “Harem Eunuchs Mutual Assistance Society” which ended in the 1950s when the last ones died out. 

And this is where some of the Harem slept. There were so many different levels of inmate and consequent living conditions that it’s impossible to generalise: some had incredibly pampered lives whilst others perished due to neglect.

These shoes would have been worn by a favoured concubine.

Now what did the sultans wear? Example: a robe of gold thread, of ample proportions.

With matching boots, of course.

And a smart uniform for parade day. However, it looks nowhere near generous enough and was no doubt an officer’s gear of around the mid 19^th century not a lot different to our own military garb of that era.

We leave Topkapi through the audience room. All rulers need to be respected,  revered and consulted.

We could have spent the whole week in the palace and didn’t see all of it, but we’re on the move again: First lunch, then the boat trip.