So That's How The Ottomans Lived!

Birgi is a UNESCO town, about two hours from Selcuk.  It is known mostly to Turks as one of Turkey's prettiest towns for its preserved Ottoman structures. You can see centuries of civilization in this town just by walking around - ancient civilizations from several hundred BC are buried beneath Roman structures, Romans fountains are still providing water, the Great Mosque built in 1312, and the elaborate mansion called Çakırağa Konağı.  This town is so picturesque, it is being used as the backdrop for a weekly television show. 

typical stone house

you can see the mud/straw wall in house that has not been renovated

original kitchen

Ottoman house roof construction. the walls do not reach the roof

no lack of interesting fountains throughout town

the Turk was always looking for a fountain to cool himself off

The imam of the mosque gave us a tour to highlight the treasures it holds. He was very happy to be talking to an American and sharing his stories in broken English.

Great Mosque

cemetery behind mosque. most graves are for the family that built the mosque

turquoise tiles

hand carved wooden medallions built and placed without nails or glue

Inside the mosque

corner stone - lion - on back wall of the mosque

The Cakiraga Mansion was constructed by a wealthy leather merchant.  It was started in 1761 and lived in until the 1950's. It is considered the best representation of Ottoman design in the area. The murals of Istanbul and Izmir are historically correct for the mid 1800's.  The ceilings are detailed wood pieces and paintings. Even without furniture, there is so much to look at you find something different every time you look around.

entrance ceiling to room

ornate fireplace with cabinet behind colorful door

much of the wall painting included detailed olive and flower designs

view into the courtyard and surrounding mountains from inside the house

painted drapery above. alcove on left is the toilet

hallway mural

mural of Izmir

ceiling detail

ceiling detail

The Turk, his nephew Ali and wife Eda - our tour guides

mural of Istanbul

ceiling detail

ceiling and painted drapery on wall

pieced wood ceiling

We stayed at a traditional Turkish hotel that sits on a park beside the river.  It was relaxing to sit outside at night and enjoy the evening air. In Turkish manner, we removed our shoes when entering the hotel. Breakfast was in the park and was filling and delicious.  We also had lunch there - traditional kazatma - yum!

our bed with intricately embroidered sheets

Sirince - Greek Village Near Selcuk Turkey

The Greeks and the Turks have a long and complicated history.  Their land around the Aegean Sea has traded back and forth and even today, the island of Cyprus is an island of disputed ownership. The Ottoman Empire sided with Germany for defensive reason in WWI - the Great War. As a result, they lost the empire when Germany lost the war and Ottoman Empire was divided up amongst the victors. Greeks lived in Asia Minor (today's Turkey) and considered this land their home.

The military leaders of the Ottoman Empire didnt settle for the loss of their land though and revolted to regain a country, defeating the Greeks in the Greco-turkish War in 1919-1922. As a result, the Asia Minor Greeks (basically the Christians) were told to leave and in 1923 this was formalized as an exchange of towns between Greece and Turkey.  Sirince was one of those Christian Greek towns in Turkey where the residents were exchanged with the Muslim residents in Thessaloniki, Greece.  

Sirince hillside

Sirince didnt change much from that time, and the population decreased as the young people left to find work.  About 20 years ago, people started to recognize the potential this village had for tourism. But it has become significantly popular over the past 5 years. It is a short drive from Ephesus and Kusadasi (where cruise ships port) for tourists. The cooler mountain weather is a nice break during the summer heat for the local Turks.  The Greek homes were a unique architecture, ready for restoration. The vineyards and fruit orchards were still growing.  And so, Sirince, the tourist destination was born with the investments of local Turks.

Original Greek home - not renovated yet

The Turk gets a drink at a fountain on our hike

Greek home that is being restored

Original outdoor oven

Even the horse drink from the hillside fountains

poster of teach at the Sirince school

We stayed at a restored Greek home made into a hotel - each room decorated differently. The Turk's nephew runs the Kirkinca hotel and restaurant and we enjoyed a delicious Turkish dinner outdoors overlooking the town. During the week, the crowds are smaller, but still we saw groups from Iran, Germany, and many many Turks from other areas of Turkey.

many windows in our room overlooking the street below

stone walls

interesting alcove with old iron

Meze (appetisers)

lamb, yogurt

lamb, peppers, and more

Shops that sell handiwork, organic foods, and of course wines are everywhere.Sirince is known for its wines!  And food.

display of a felting project

Turkish breakfast

Let's Stomp Some Grapes

One of the relatives has a farm with, among other things, red and white grapes. It was time for harvest and STOMPING to make the juice for wine. I found out that he makes better money selling home made wine than he does selling grapes to eat. So, we jumped in the car and headed out to the farm.

First, you pick buckets and buckets of grapes. And in the process you probably eat buckets and buckets of grapes!

red and white grapes are mixed together for this batch of wine

Sometimes, buckets aren't as good as armfuls of grapes.

Then its time to stomp! Grapes go into a woven bag that catches the seeds, skins and twigs so only the juice flows out of the homemade concrete container, into a large plastic jug.

Let the stomping begin!

 

One must keep the stomper happy! Beer goes in, grape juice comes out!

 The large jug of juice is poured into smaller containers so that they fit into the trunk of the car.  These smaller containers will be emptied into large jugs for about 2 years of fermenting.
 

dont spill!

There a necessary breaks - with more beer

And, lunch must be prepared. First, start a fire

 

then scramble some eggs and add sajouk sausage - stir with a makeshift spatula

 

Food tastes so good in the vineyard

bunches of grapes waiting for picking

Ibo is a master picker

These vines have some age on them