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World Bulletin, Turkey
Mrarch 29 2014
A French missionary's notes of his travels in Mesopotamia
In the springtime of 1860 was the period in which his journey began
from the docks of Iskenderuntaking route through the well-known cities
of Antakya, Aleppo, Urfa and Antep. During his journey he recorded
important information about the relationships between communities,
living conditions and its geography.
Omer Aymali / World Bulletin / History
For hundreds of years, thousands of Christian missionaries studied in
various regions for the purpose of spreading their religion to all
walks of life. Since the 16th century, these people learned to
specialized in diverse fields such as teaching and medics, and began
nourishing their new goals to be able to influence every society in
which they entered into. As well as working out the ways to spread
their influence to the local people of foreign lands, they also spent
of their riches to strengthen the colonialist cause.
As such, the missionaries' works within Ottoman lands seems fitting in
this perspective. The initial aim was to spread the religion of
Christianity and form connections, elongate and improve relations with
Christians living in Ottoman territory. With the Ottoman Empire losing
power, the aim was also to determine their weak points and acquire
privileges. In turn, the Ottoman Christian elements would serve their
aims to connect them with European societies.
In every period, missionary activities within Ottoman lands was used
in an influential manner. The first step of these activities was to
roam the land as individuals or as a group to establish connections
with Christian populations. The second step was to compete and make
lasting the providing of various privileges, permanently placing
European culture, language and religion among the Ottoman Christians.
An unfounded opportunity for the missionaries was the confessional
community's `personal law' system, which the Ottoman Empire would
implement for its minorities. The Ottoman Empire would give rights to
those who belonged to different cultures and religious groups,
allowing them to practice and preserve their own culture and beliefs.
This situation made it easier for the missionaries to work more
effectively. Like this, the missionary travellers found helpful allies
every where they went.
Victor Chapod was one of the missionaries who embarked on important
travels in Ottoman regions. Chapod, an important member of the French
Catholic missionary academy, was famous amongst the Catholic
communities living in Anatolian lands. He travelled in the lands of
the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East, where French
missionary activities took place. Chapod also gained a doctorate in
social sciences from the French School in Athens due to some of his
discoveries.
His journey began in the spring of 1860 from the docks of
Alexandretta, taking route through the well-known cities of Antioch,
Aleppo, Urfa and Antep. During his journey he recorded important
information about the relationships between communities, living
conditions and its geography. Even if the information on the notes
isn't objective enough, it gives us an important understanding of the
area and the community.
The observation of exit and entry into the Alexandrian docks:
The travels which I did in this area, did not contain the intent of
pleasure or tourism. The main purpose of the travel in this area was
to expose the traces of Greece, Rome and the Byzantine. Also it was to
identify just how much these traces had been wiped out or disappeared.
I travelled with an Austrian ship via Izmir-Rodos route and my Western
Mesopotamia journey started with my ship casting anchor at the docks
of Iskenderun. By looking from sea, from the first light of dawn, in
an image that reminds the cold weather and the pollution, was what
could be seen of a small, desolated and old city whose straight back
has leant itself on the mountains. This gloomy city which gives one
negative feelings, only made the two factories which were situated in
the middle of this port city make the houses around seem small.
In an instant the seaport moved with the ship casting anchor to it and
then beggars and carriers began to approach the port which we were
nearing. After the bargaining made by the experienced sailors, our
luggage were brought and given to these carriers¦
The moment I stepped foot onto dock, starting from the customs
officers, many discontent eyes had set upon me. Due to these officers,
from my clothes to my luggage, ever part of me and my provisions was
thoroughly searched. Especially with the suspicion that I was carrying
dynamite, the boxes where I put my photography machine and utensils
drew attention and was also shown as much care. In this time the
officials treated me like I was some spy. When they couldn't find a
thing on me they let me go and I was taken by a guide to a hotel in
what could be said was the cleanest area at the port. Immediately
after settling in and taking a short rest at the hotel, myself and
some others who were here for other purposes were taken to the
authority in charge of the mobile security forces and responsible for
the safety of the city. This mobile security force was strikingly
disorganized, held weapons that didn't resemble each other's, wore
diversely fashioned clothing and were far from being disciplined
soldiers. I was questioned by their commanders. They took my
valuables, in which was my photograph machine. The French Consulate of
this city had to coerce and struggle in order to retrieve them.
After this it was time to return to the city. Following a route that
had turned to swamp we entered Iskenderun by tracking on foot for
maybe 2, maybe 5 kilometres in rainy and very dull weather¦ They took
me to a hotel which they told me was better. But it was far from every
health and safety regulation, the salon was full of smoke and there
was pots on top of fire which they grabbed the food with their bare
hands from placing it onto the plate making it all an unforgettable
scene for me. I couldn't stand the scene and smell of it all so I
retreated to my room. The next day when I decided to go around the
city to do some exploring I was shocked at what I saw because I wasn't
expecting to see such a thing here. On the eve of Easter, the whole
city was furnished with Spanish, Norway, Swedish and our flags and
banners. Of course, the French governor who was protecting the
Christian missionaries was acting as their leader.
Two hours after we set travel for Iskenderun we arrived at a town
named Belen. This place was like an eagle's nest or a summer
sanatorium village. A little while after this we reached the Antakya
Lake. This lake resembled a swamp more than anything. We suffered a
lot from the drenched, awful road that forced us to pass through and
in between the puddles that lead back into the lake. One day later at
around noon we could finally see Antakya. We entered a dense green
field that was soothing to our eyes. The entrance to the city
contained houses with gardens and trimmed grass.
Antakya maybe this geography's most beautiful Ottoman city, a wide
oasis has been established here, it is for this reason that its open
to strong winds but still due to their being a few hundred year old
gigantic trees and forests it isn't affected as much from the winds.
This city, throughout its history and even today holds an important
place for being central for trade and education since the Hellenistic
and Roman era. The old and new city is mixed within one another. But
their still remains relics from history's old periods that is slowly
decaying within the new Antakya. The history as a whole, even the
graves are about to be lost. Our dinner was surprisingly modern and
this area seemed unusual to me. Beautifully prepared with herbs was a
lamb roast, and we were servedby waiters who somewhat copied the
European style service and our environment was very peculiar in that
it was illuminated by lanterns which gave it a dark lighting effect.
We roamed around the streets of Antakya with Shakir the day after the
enthusiastic Holiday celebrations. This travel made me feel emotions
that resembled my last tour of Paris. The women were separated into
two groups, veiled and non-veiled. The non-veiled women were the
Christians and were well dressed, and using makeup. But everyone in
this Muslim town was celebrating this Christian holiday with
enthusiasm. The next day I went with my guide to the north of Antakya,
at around four hours walking distance by foot there was a town that
was built over old Byzantine remnants and this town's old name was
`Soueidie' or now called Suadiye. The town locals were very welcoming
to us. What took my attention was that this place had a wealthy
community and that they were generally Arminian and Arab. When I was
roaming around I saw two things which affected me deeply. The first
was an old canal that passed through every residential area. I learnt
that this canal which had 40 meter high walls, was used for
transferring water. The second was a splendid rocky road that lead to
the Christian cemetery. I learnt that both things were built by the
Romans.
The next day we started our trip from Antakya to Aleppo with the small
group that I gathered. We started our journey on horse and foot, and
continued on the old Roman road leaving the barren desert like land
and the ocean line behind us. Five or six hours later we arrived to a
residential area named `New City'. This place left me surprised right
from the beginning. Iskenderun's repulsive and stuffy weather wasn't
present here. Even though it appeared to be like an uninhabited place
within the desert, there was wide spread and comfortable tents and
less buildings. And as a hotel there was this type of tent pitched.
Our journey to Aleppo took two days and in the end we could finally
see its grey hills. The first and most outstanding thing was the grey
colour that dominated the surroundings.Other than the small patch of
green field that could barely be seen, the city that attached itself
around the magnificent Aleppo tower showed that this was one of
Syria's biggest residential areas. Also the mosques thin long minarets
within this crowded view added to the environment a striking feature
and emphasized that this town had Muslim attributes.
We entered Aleppo through a wide precinct and the first thing to come
across us was the governor's mansion, the empire high school and the
army barracks. After this the roads became like a maze. Everywhere had
crowed markets and lots of people. When I compared this city to those
I had visited before, for example Cairo, it was packed with
provisions, and there was magnificent long thin minarets but had areas
beneath in its shade people who were in all sorts of pain and
suffering.
Damascus was an important central and a city which had short levelled
buildings that stopped the light from coming in. However Aleppo, to me
seemed colder, grey and more serious than the others. Other than this,
it had narrow roads between houses which were joint to one another,
small windows and more of a commercial trade atmosphere, and for all
this to be jammed into a narrow area gave a prison like feeling.
Generally due to the outside climate being very hot the daily life
stopped from ten in the morning until five in the evening. The city's
community would withdraw to the shade of the straw rooftops and the
women and men would smoke argyle. Army vehicles would constantly roam
the streets, and was a city that was strikingly militant. This city
had great importance for Istanbul, it is for this reason that every
term a strong, energetic governor is appointed, additionally the
number of soldiers of the garrison here would continuously be high.
Because, I've been told that the governor's first task here is to
secure the Sultan's authority.
We left from Aleppo with seven people and eight horses, and started
trailing a dusty and damaged road heading to the north-east. Our first
stop was the residential area of Telafer. This place was most probably
a Yezidi village. They told me that these people worshipped the devil.
The thing that caught my attention most about this village was that it
was very dirty everywhere and on one side had piles of bones and skin
from various animals. Instead of houses, the locals were staying in
shelters made from stone and mud that was amidst the filth of the
place.
Our hike which started again the next day, ended with our arrival to
Nizip. From what I've been told, to the north of Aleppo, the next
biggest residential region after Kilis was here and it was
surprisingly lively. With commercial liveliness, cleanliness,
orderliness and well maintained fruit gardens, I learnt that this was
a real Turk town. This Turk town was stupendous. One of the most
important attributes of this place was that Turks and Armenians lived
together here.
After roaming around here I understood that the Euphrates completely
changed the geography here and created a living within the nature. Due
to the water flowing from the Euphrates it was made use of by every
living thing around the area. After following the Euphrates bank for a
little longer we came across a place that allowed us to pass to the
other side. This place was Birecik.
The next day we ended our short trip in `Rakka' and set camp just
outside the city. Rakka was an antique city left over from the Romans.
The thing which caught my attention most was that the majority of its
population were from Circassia. I must explain here the Circassians.
They do not resemble the people of this area at all, they are of a
completely different nature¦
Although they are Muslims, they still don't resemble the Muslims,
Kurds and Bedouins from other areas that I've travelled. Actually they
are close to Turks but still possess a difference. Their houses are
nice, they're attractive, clean and well maintained, they take care of
their appearance and they certainly do not wear rags. They are
migrants which fled from Caucasia and sought refuge with the Turks and
were accepted. The empire allowed them to settle in this region. They
produce quality leather. It's due to this that their boots and vests
are made from leather and are generally black, they wear pants that
stick to their figure and come over their knees, and this attire makes
them look very courageousand gives them confidence.
Swarms of Locust go around the area like black clouds, they destroyed
critical water deposits along our path, so these people advised me to
change my course. Due to this I needed a new route and guide. We
changed our course to `RaÅ?-el Ain' and from their propositions of
guides, I chose the region's best and most reliable, an old
Circassian. After 20 Bedouins cut our path, under normal circumstances
they would have attacked us, but when they saw a Circassian fighter
next to us they just gave greetings and withdrew.
Urfa in this region looked like a gleaming fortress city. A city that
was surrounded by thick and high walls made it look like a big castle.
When looked at from outside it was apparent that deeper inside Urfa
split into two. At the front was the Prophet Abraham Lake, with
sparkling waters and encircling it were great trees and green fields,
giving it a spectacular appearance. The city starts from behind this.
The city is generally like the others, tall and small windows and the
grey colour is dominant, but with one difference, every house here
resembles the Italian verandas with the houses being in the front and
having gardens and entrances. And this creates an important
difference. The work which caught my eyes attention most was the
Abraham Mosque. The detailed minarets made from marble gave a majestic
and attractive appearance, outside of the mosque there are two wide,
and clean pools. It is all kept fancy and maintained well.
We reached Antep. This city occupies an important area in the region.
It doesn't look like remnants from the middle ages. It has illuminated
and wide roads and can be easily understood from the surroundings that
it has specifically professionalized in the painting industry. The
city population is made up of Turks and Armenians. The Armenians
however secluded themselves to the outer side of the city. When I get
closer to them I encounter the same question constantly. `You
travelled everywhere, do you like this place also?' This city has a
live and active French school which the Armenians send their children
to it. The Schoolbooks come from France¦
I was told about the remnants of an old town near this city called
`Cyrrhus'. Without wasting any time I quickly went there and came
across an amazing scene. I saw the remains of a monument belonging to
Theodaret from the 5th century. Encompassing it was a 400 metre
fortress wall, at some points its height reached 50 metres. Later we
left this beautiful city. With this route, our journey from the south
towards Aleppo was quite active. It was very interesting seeing the
stone bridges from the Roman period, groups of men and women wearing
the same clothes, farms and working villagers. However the thing that
gets ones attention most in this region was that everywhere women
worked more. The men would either lay in a shade of a tree or sit down
and smoke cigarettes.
After two days of rest we left for our trip again. This time our goal
was a monastery half a day's length from Aleppo. After an enjoyable
hike I reached the Saint Simon Monastery. Out of all the places that I
travelled in Syria this was definitely the most beautiful. For Europe
to spread its religious beliefs and continue its existence this place
is a protected and maintained, and an important political central.
The priests were free to do any type of ritual and sermon within the
church. Also there is a system here for it to maintain itself. Around
the building that was made for worship are barns for stock animals, a
school and a dormitory. We left here with very pleasant memories and
again continuing our path we arrived at Islhiye. I learnt that this
places historical name was `Nicopolis'. We found a large caravan area
where we could eat our lunch. We received a lot of attention from the
guests after they learnt we were foreign travellers and we spoke with
them for a great while. This was my final stop on these lands. On my
journey which lasted over four months I saw great and impressive
hospitality and tolerance from the Turks. On my travel I also had the
opportunity of getting to know the native people who lived in the
areas of Mesopotamia and the Euphrates.
Reference:
Olcay Ozkaya Duman, Haktan Birsel
Updates from A France missionary's notes of his Mesopotamian travels:
>From Iskenderun to the Euphrates, North Syria-West Mesopotamia
http://www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/132294/a-france-missionarys-notes-of-his-mesopotamian-travels
Mrarch 29 2014
A French missionary's notes of his travels in Mesopotamia
In the springtime of 1860 was the period in which his journey began
from the docks of Iskenderuntaking route through the well-known cities
of Antakya, Aleppo, Urfa and Antep. During his journey he recorded
important information about the relationships between communities,
living conditions and its geography.
Omer Aymali / World Bulletin / History
For hundreds of years, thousands of Christian missionaries studied in
various regions for the purpose of spreading their religion to all
walks of life. Since the 16th century, these people learned to
specialized in diverse fields such as teaching and medics, and began
nourishing their new goals to be able to influence every society in
which they entered into. As well as working out the ways to spread
their influence to the local people of foreign lands, they also spent
of their riches to strengthen the colonialist cause.
As such, the missionaries' works within Ottoman lands seems fitting in
this perspective. The initial aim was to spread the religion of
Christianity and form connections, elongate and improve relations with
Christians living in Ottoman territory. With the Ottoman Empire losing
power, the aim was also to determine their weak points and acquire
privileges. In turn, the Ottoman Christian elements would serve their
aims to connect them with European societies.
In every period, missionary activities within Ottoman lands was used
in an influential manner. The first step of these activities was to
roam the land as individuals or as a group to establish connections
with Christian populations. The second step was to compete and make
lasting the providing of various privileges, permanently placing
European culture, language and religion among the Ottoman Christians.
An unfounded opportunity for the missionaries was the confessional
community's `personal law' system, which the Ottoman Empire would
implement for its minorities. The Ottoman Empire would give rights to
those who belonged to different cultures and religious groups,
allowing them to practice and preserve their own culture and beliefs.
This situation made it easier for the missionaries to work more
effectively. Like this, the missionary travellers found helpful allies
every where they went.
Victor Chapod was one of the missionaries who embarked on important
travels in Ottoman regions. Chapod, an important member of the French
Catholic missionary academy, was famous amongst the Catholic
communities living in Anatolian lands. He travelled in the lands of
the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East, where French
missionary activities took place. Chapod also gained a doctorate in
social sciences from the French School in Athens due to some of his
discoveries.
His journey began in the spring of 1860 from the docks of
Alexandretta, taking route through the well-known cities of Antioch,
Aleppo, Urfa and Antep. During his journey he recorded important
information about the relationships between communities, living
conditions and its geography. Even if the information on the notes
isn't objective enough, it gives us an important understanding of the
area and the community.
The observation of exit and entry into the Alexandrian docks:
The travels which I did in this area, did not contain the intent of
pleasure or tourism. The main purpose of the travel in this area was
to expose the traces of Greece, Rome and the Byzantine. Also it was to
identify just how much these traces had been wiped out or disappeared.
I travelled with an Austrian ship via Izmir-Rodos route and my Western
Mesopotamia journey started with my ship casting anchor at the docks
of Iskenderun. By looking from sea, from the first light of dawn, in
an image that reminds the cold weather and the pollution, was what
could be seen of a small, desolated and old city whose straight back
has leant itself on the mountains. This gloomy city which gives one
negative feelings, only made the two factories which were situated in
the middle of this port city make the houses around seem small.
In an instant the seaport moved with the ship casting anchor to it and
then beggars and carriers began to approach the port which we were
nearing. After the bargaining made by the experienced sailors, our
luggage were brought and given to these carriers¦
The moment I stepped foot onto dock, starting from the customs
officers, many discontent eyes had set upon me. Due to these officers,
from my clothes to my luggage, ever part of me and my provisions was
thoroughly searched. Especially with the suspicion that I was carrying
dynamite, the boxes where I put my photography machine and utensils
drew attention and was also shown as much care. In this time the
officials treated me like I was some spy. When they couldn't find a
thing on me they let me go and I was taken by a guide to a hotel in
what could be said was the cleanest area at the port. Immediately
after settling in and taking a short rest at the hotel, myself and
some others who were here for other purposes were taken to the
authority in charge of the mobile security forces and responsible for
the safety of the city. This mobile security force was strikingly
disorganized, held weapons that didn't resemble each other's, wore
diversely fashioned clothing and were far from being disciplined
soldiers. I was questioned by their commanders. They took my
valuables, in which was my photograph machine. The French Consulate of
this city had to coerce and struggle in order to retrieve them.
After this it was time to return to the city. Following a route that
had turned to swamp we entered Iskenderun by tracking on foot for
maybe 2, maybe 5 kilometres in rainy and very dull weather¦ They took
me to a hotel which they told me was better. But it was far from every
health and safety regulation, the salon was full of smoke and there
was pots on top of fire which they grabbed the food with their bare
hands from placing it onto the plate making it all an unforgettable
scene for me. I couldn't stand the scene and smell of it all so I
retreated to my room. The next day when I decided to go around the
city to do some exploring I was shocked at what I saw because I wasn't
expecting to see such a thing here. On the eve of Easter, the whole
city was furnished with Spanish, Norway, Swedish and our flags and
banners. Of course, the French governor who was protecting the
Christian missionaries was acting as their leader.
Two hours after we set travel for Iskenderun we arrived at a town
named Belen. This place was like an eagle's nest or a summer
sanatorium village. A little while after this we reached the Antakya
Lake. This lake resembled a swamp more than anything. We suffered a
lot from the drenched, awful road that forced us to pass through and
in between the puddles that lead back into the lake. One day later at
around noon we could finally see Antakya. We entered a dense green
field that was soothing to our eyes. The entrance to the city
contained houses with gardens and trimmed grass.
Antakya maybe this geography's most beautiful Ottoman city, a wide
oasis has been established here, it is for this reason that its open
to strong winds but still due to their being a few hundred year old
gigantic trees and forests it isn't affected as much from the winds.
This city, throughout its history and even today holds an important
place for being central for trade and education since the Hellenistic
and Roman era. The old and new city is mixed within one another. But
their still remains relics from history's old periods that is slowly
decaying within the new Antakya. The history as a whole, even the
graves are about to be lost. Our dinner was surprisingly modern and
this area seemed unusual to me. Beautifully prepared with herbs was a
lamb roast, and we were servedby waiters who somewhat copied the
European style service and our environment was very peculiar in that
it was illuminated by lanterns which gave it a dark lighting effect.
We roamed around the streets of Antakya with Shakir the day after the
enthusiastic Holiday celebrations. This travel made me feel emotions
that resembled my last tour of Paris. The women were separated into
two groups, veiled and non-veiled. The non-veiled women were the
Christians and were well dressed, and using makeup. But everyone in
this Muslim town was celebrating this Christian holiday with
enthusiasm. The next day I went with my guide to the north of Antakya,
at around four hours walking distance by foot there was a town that
was built over old Byzantine remnants and this town's old name was
`Soueidie' or now called Suadiye. The town locals were very welcoming
to us. What took my attention was that this place had a wealthy
community and that they were generally Arminian and Arab. When I was
roaming around I saw two things which affected me deeply. The first
was an old canal that passed through every residential area. I learnt
that this canal which had 40 meter high walls, was used for
transferring water. The second was a splendid rocky road that lead to
the Christian cemetery. I learnt that both things were built by the
Romans.
The next day we started our trip from Antakya to Aleppo with the small
group that I gathered. We started our journey on horse and foot, and
continued on the old Roman road leaving the barren desert like land
and the ocean line behind us. Five or six hours later we arrived to a
residential area named `New City'. This place left me surprised right
from the beginning. Iskenderun's repulsive and stuffy weather wasn't
present here. Even though it appeared to be like an uninhabited place
within the desert, there was wide spread and comfortable tents and
less buildings. And as a hotel there was this type of tent pitched.
Our journey to Aleppo took two days and in the end we could finally
see its grey hills. The first and most outstanding thing was the grey
colour that dominated the surroundings.Other than the small patch of
green field that could barely be seen, the city that attached itself
around the magnificent Aleppo tower showed that this was one of
Syria's biggest residential areas. Also the mosques thin long minarets
within this crowded view added to the environment a striking feature
and emphasized that this town had Muslim attributes.
We entered Aleppo through a wide precinct and the first thing to come
across us was the governor's mansion, the empire high school and the
army barracks. After this the roads became like a maze. Everywhere had
crowed markets and lots of people. When I compared this city to those
I had visited before, for example Cairo, it was packed with
provisions, and there was magnificent long thin minarets but had areas
beneath in its shade people who were in all sorts of pain and
suffering.
Damascus was an important central and a city which had short levelled
buildings that stopped the light from coming in. However Aleppo, to me
seemed colder, grey and more serious than the others. Other than this,
it had narrow roads between houses which were joint to one another,
small windows and more of a commercial trade atmosphere, and for all
this to be jammed into a narrow area gave a prison like feeling.
Generally due to the outside climate being very hot the daily life
stopped from ten in the morning until five in the evening. The city's
community would withdraw to the shade of the straw rooftops and the
women and men would smoke argyle. Army vehicles would constantly roam
the streets, and was a city that was strikingly militant. This city
had great importance for Istanbul, it is for this reason that every
term a strong, energetic governor is appointed, additionally the
number of soldiers of the garrison here would continuously be high.
Because, I've been told that the governor's first task here is to
secure the Sultan's authority.
We left from Aleppo with seven people and eight horses, and started
trailing a dusty and damaged road heading to the north-east. Our first
stop was the residential area of Telafer. This place was most probably
a Yezidi village. They told me that these people worshipped the devil.
The thing that caught my attention most about this village was that it
was very dirty everywhere and on one side had piles of bones and skin
from various animals. Instead of houses, the locals were staying in
shelters made from stone and mud that was amidst the filth of the
place.
Our hike which started again the next day, ended with our arrival to
Nizip. From what I've been told, to the north of Aleppo, the next
biggest residential region after Kilis was here and it was
surprisingly lively. With commercial liveliness, cleanliness,
orderliness and well maintained fruit gardens, I learnt that this was
a real Turk town. This Turk town was stupendous. One of the most
important attributes of this place was that Turks and Armenians lived
together here.
After roaming around here I understood that the Euphrates completely
changed the geography here and created a living within the nature. Due
to the water flowing from the Euphrates it was made use of by every
living thing around the area. After following the Euphrates bank for a
little longer we came across a place that allowed us to pass to the
other side. This place was Birecik.
The next day we ended our short trip in `Rakka' and set camp just
outside the city. Rakka was an antique city left over from the Romans.
The thing which caught my attention most was that the majority of its
population were from Circassia. I must explain here the Circassians.
They do not resemble the people of this area at all, they are of a
completely different nature¦
Although they are Muslims, they still don't resemble the Muslims,
Kurds and Bedouins from other areas that I've travelled. Actually they
are close to Turks but still possess a difference. Their houses are
nice, they're attractive, clean and well maintained, they take care of
their appearance and they certainly do not wear rags. They are
migrants which fled from Caucasia and sought refuge with the Turks and
were accepted. The empire allowed them to settle in this region. They
produce quality leather. It's due to this that their boots and vests
are made from leather and are generally black, they wear pants that
stick to their figure and come over their knees, and this attire makes
them look very courageousand gives them confidence.
Swarms of Locust go around the area like black clouds, they destroyed
critical water deposits along our path, so these people advised me to
change my course. Due to this I needed a new route and guide. We
changed our course to `RaÅ?-el Ain' and from their propositions of
guides, I chose the region's best and most reliable, an old
Circassian. After 20 Bedouins cut our path, under normal circumstances
they would have attacked us, but when they saw a Circassian fighter
next to us they just gave greetings and withdrew.
Urfa in this region looked like a gleaming fortress city. A city that
was surrounded by thick and high walls made it look like a big castle.
When looked at from outside it was apparent that deeper inside Urfa
split into two. At the front was the Prophet Abraham Lake, with
sparkling waters and encircling it were great trees and green fields,
giving it a spectacular appearance. The city starts from behind this.
The city is generally like the others, tall and small windows and the
grey colour is dominant, but with one difference, every house here
resembles the Italian verandas with the houses being in the front and
having gardens and entrances. And this creates an important
difference. The work which caught my eyes attention most was the
Abraham Mosque. The detailed minarets made from marble gave a majestic
and attractive appearance, outside of the mosque there are two wide,
and clean pools. It is all kept fancy and maintained well.
We reached Antep. This city occupies an important area in the region.
It doesn't look like remnants from the middle ages. It has illuminated
and wide roads and can be easily understood from the surroundings that
it has specifically professionalized in the painting industry. The
city population is made up of Turks and Armenians. The Armenians
however secluded themselves to the outer side of the city. When I get
closer to them I encounter the same question constantly. `You
travelled everywhere, do you like this place also?' This city has a
live and active French school which the Armenians send their children
to it. The Schoolbooks come from France¦
I was told about the remnants of an old town near this city called
`Cyrrhus'. Without wasting any time I quickly went there and came
across an amazing scene. I saw the remains of a monument belonging to
Theodaret from the 5th century. Encompassing it was a 400 metre
fortress wall, at some points its height reached 50 metres. Later we
left this beautiful city. With this route, our journey from the south
towards Aleppo was quite active. It was very interesting seeing the
stone bridges from the Roman period, groups of men and women wearing
the same clothes, farms and working villagers. However the thing that
gets ones attention most in this region was that everywhere women
worked more. The men would either lay in a shade of a tree or sit down
and smoke cigarettes.
After two days of rest we left for our trip again. This time our goal
was a monastery half a day's length from Aleppo. After an enjoyable
hike I reached the Saint Simon Monastery. Out of all the places that I
travelled in Syria this was definitely the most beautiful. For Europe
to spread its religious beliefs and continue its existence this place
is a protected and maintained, and an important political central.
The priests were free to do any type of ritual and sermon within the
church. Also there is a system here for it to maintain itself. Around
the building that was made for worship are barns for stock animals, a
school and a dormitory. We left here with very pleasant memories and
again continuing our path we arrived at Islhiye. I learnt that this
places historical name was `Nicopolis'. We found a large caravan area
where we could eat our lunch. We received a lot of attention from the
guests after they learnt we were foreign travellers and we spoke with
them for a great while. This was my final stop on these lands. On my
journey which lasted over four months I saw great and impressive
hospitality and tolerance from the Turks. On my travel I also had the
opportunity of getting to know the native people who lived in the
areas of Mesopotamia and the Euphrates.
Reference:
Olcay Ozkaya Duman, Haktan Birsel
Updates from A France missionary's notes of his Mesopotamian travels:
>From Iskenderun to the Euphrates, North Syria-West Mesopotamia
http://www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/132294/a-france-missionarys-notes-of-his-mesopotamian-travels