Todd Culpepper is executive director of the International Affairs Council, a Raleigh-based nonprofit focused on international exchange and education. Culpepper was invited by the Turkish Cultural Foundation to participate in a 15-day educational and cultural tour of Turkey, with stops in Istanbul, Edirne, Canakkale, Bursa, Iznik, Ankara, Amasya, Tokat, Sivas, Kayseri, Cappadocia, and Konya. He is traveling with a small group of business, government, and education leaders from across the U.S.
(Note: I’ve posted two BLOGS back-to- back because the last hotel did not have Internet access.)
The morning found me in better spirits, but I still passed over the bacon at breakfast. Like the others in our group, I expected Ankara would be less interesting than the other places we’d visited considering it is the capital of the country and a large, modern city that looks like many others in Europe. We soon learned we had been too quick to judge.
Our first stop was at the Mausoleum complex of Attaturk, founder of the Turkish state. It is a beautiful array of towers and buildings made mostly of limestone built in the mid-1950s, about two decades following Attaturk’s death, when the country – having recovered from WWII – had amassed the financial means needed to honor him as they wished. Our visit just happened to fall on the birthday of the country’s first prime minister and second president –Ismet Inonu – so we had...
After one night back in Istanbul we said goodbye to many in our group who were only with us for the first week and set out for our next destination: Beypazari, the little village that could. The trip was 200 miles of mostly mountainous countryside. Many times I thought I was driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, until suddenly the terrain gave way to something more akin to Arizona. We were all amazed at this quick transformation.
My stomach was still giving me problems, so my traveling companions became more like moms, dads, sisters and brothers and began producing pills, powders and potions from their bags, all with guarantees to ease my discomfort. I was a walking pharmacy.
My first glimpses of Beypazari were what I was hoping to find – a picturesque traditional village with colorful buildings and narrow, cobblestone streets. Upon scratching beneath the veneer, however, I found a community of wickedly smart entrepreneurs who knew how to lure tourists and...
We left Bursa early, stopping briefly at the towel outlet (think Burlington Coat Factory) and meandered through the hills and valleys to Iznik, another old Turkish town known for its painted tiles. Tile-making was huge in past centuries and can still be seen on display in palaces and mosques throughout the country. It was only about 25 years ago that a retired professor chose to invest time, money and effort to revive the lost art, to the pleasure of individuals and companies far and wide who now have them in their homes and workplaces for every day viewing pleasure. Iznik tiles are special and highly valued because they are made from ground quartz, which helps make the finished tiles more vibrant. We toured the factory to see how each tile is made, baked, and painted. My mouth dropped upon entering the showroom, but it was more about the prices than the beauty of the tiles (although they we beautiful). A collection of exquisite tiles suitable for a lucky shower wall somewhere back home...
Bursa is the fifth largest city in Turkey and one of its economic engines. Textiles are huge here, as are other industries. And while the focus of this tour is on culture and not business/trade, I do have a few statistics to share (given off the cuff by our guide, so consider this is a small margin of error). Unemployment in Turkey ranges from 13 to 20 percent. The average income is less than $5000 per year. A three bedroom apartment will cost you about $200,000 to buy in Bursa (and even more in Istanbul), but most people cannot buy because the lending market – very new to the country – charges 1.4 percent interest per month (yes, per month) for a maximum of 20 years. About 8 percent of the country’s profit goes to 3 percent of the people. So how do people make it? They barely do, and they have to work other jobs – selling in the market, for example – to make up their losses.
Let’s talk silk. Bursa is located at a strategic crossroads along...
It’s always about a woman.
In the legendary city of Troy, that’s supposedly what brought on the war between the Trojans and the Greeks. The Greeks wanted to reclaim their queen, Helen, presented as a gift to the young Trojan Paris by the Goddess Aphrodite (I guess even goddesses liked to throw their weight around). This was all in the 13th century BC. Today the remains are a series of partial stone walls, foundations, and piles of ruble that leave much to the imagination. Thank goodness for signs that show what the city would have looked like. But that’s another point – there are nine ancient cities at the site, built one on top of the other. The first was in 3000 BC. Whether or not the Trojan War took place, it’s a fascinating cultural site with a rich history. And if you can’t buy into the legend of the war, you can’t accept the legend of the horse that was given to the Trojans by the Greeks (“beware of Greeks bearing gifts”)....
Think about the challenges many of us face every day. We worry about our jobs and making enough for our family's needs. We stress about our children getting a good education, staying healthy and finding good friends. We struggle to find balance between work, play, and family.
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