Download KEEP THE FLOW – OUR JOURNEY TO TURKEY A REPORT OF

KEEP THE FLOW – OUR JOURNEY TO TURKEY
A REPORT OF THE GERMAN PARTICIPANTS
On April 19, the German group met very early in the morning at Stuttgart airport. We had to check in
for the flight to Istanbul. In Istanbul, we had to change from the international to the national airport and
continue our flight to Nevsehir, the capital of Cappadocia. After another 2 hours in a small bus, we
arrived in Aksaray. The city is located in the center of Turkey at the foot of a huge volcano named
Mount Hasan. It was very hot in the afternoon. When we left the bus, our Turkish host families
welcomed us. We spent the first night in different Turkish families. It was very interesting because their
homes looked quite different compared to ours.
The next morning we had a meeting at the entrance of Hazim Kulak Anadolu Lisesi. The students
sang the national anthem in front of their school building before they entered. At school, we had the
chance to see different lessons and to get to know more Turkish students. We found it very interesting
that the furniture of the classrooms looked quite old but they were equipped with modern touchscreen
monitors. Teachers used them to show short movies or pictures. Nevertheless, it was quite difficult to
follow the lessons because Turkish is a real difficult language. In the afternoon went to Somuncubaba
Mosque, which is in a walking distance. Somuncubaba was a holy man who gave bread to the poor.
Muslims still adore him very much and go to the Mosque to pray. After the visit of the mosque, we
went to a restaurant where we had traditional and regional dish. It was very tasty. In the evening, we
went back to our host families.
On Tuesday, we had a fantastic trip to Selime Cathedral, an ancient center for religious activities of
Christians located in the Guzelyurt district of Aksaray. It was built in the 8th or 9th century. People
carved huge rooms into the volcanic. There were rooms for cooking, sleeping and living and of course
a cathedral with old frescos of the 11th century. We climbed up the steep hills to find more and more
caves. Most of them were very dark. In the region, there are so many caves that some of them are still
undiscovered.
We drove on to Ihlara Valley, a huge canyon shaped by a small river. The valley is a beautiful natural
resort. After a volcanic eruption of Mount Hasan, thick layers of ashes and lave covered the whole
region. Tectonic movements led to pressure and cracks. Erosion by water and wind created an
impressing landscape of rocks, springs, waterfalls and fairy chimneys. The colors of the rocks were
also impressing. Some of them were grey, others brown or reddish. In the rocks, there were several
Christian cathedrals. Old frescos at ceilings were made by artists who used pigeon eggs or stones to
create their colors. These colors are still very shiny – after more than 900 years. Post meridiem we
went to Belisirma Village on the right side of Melendiz River, which passes through the valley. We had
the opportunity to eat fresh fish of the river and vegetables. Around 6 pm, we drove back to Aksaray
where we met our families.
On Wednesday, we spent the morning in the underground city together with a tour guide who
explained all details. Christians used to live in this placing during the Byzantium period. About 1000
years ago, Romans persecuted Christians. In the Underground City Christians built a system of caves
to be able to hide before the Romans. Only 10% of this city is excavated yet. The whole tunnel system
is 40m deep. People also constructed ventilation systems and water supply. They could close doors
with heavy stone wheels. Back on the surface we met a funny iceman who made jokes with tourists.
This was entertaining.
We had lunch in a nice place – a restaurant in a cave. The meal was delicious. In the afternoon, we
saw the fairy chimneys of Göreme. These rocks of volcanic material were created by water and wind
thousands of years ago. In that period, three volcanoes in the surrounding area were very active. They
broke out several times. Each eruption caused a new layer of ashes and lava. This way these layers
piled up very high. However, the material was very soft and so wind, water and plants could dissolve it
easily. Only the upper layer could resist to erosion because it was harder. When cracks built at the
surface, water could find its way through the soft layers in the deep. It cut the landscapes, created
valleys and steep hills with hard stones on the top. Wind and rain made the surface of these hills
round and smooth. Much later people came to that place and settled in caves that they could carve out
of the soft rocks. We went through this impressing landscape and took many pictures.
On Thursday, we met at school with our teachers and groups. Then we took a bus to Konya, the
capital of the whole region with more than 2 million inhabitants. Dschalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi
lived in Konya in the 13th century. He is the most popular poet of all Muslims and well known all over
the world. He is also well known as a philosopher and theologian. We entered the huge mosque
where he was buried. At the entrance, we had to cover our shoes with plastic bags. Inside the
mosque, we could see beautiful ornaments at the walls, golden chandeliers and original books of Rumi
and his followers. There were many people from all over the world. Some from Korea, some from
Azerbaijan or even from the United States. Many people covered their heads and faces with veils. We
had some time to buy booklets or postcards. Then we had a fantastic lunch in a traditional restaurant
nearby. In the afternoon, we went to a Turkish shopping center and bought souvenirs and gifts for our
families. The weather changed rapidly that day. At 4 pm, we had snowfall and it was very cold. We
drove on to a salt lake. It was a long trip and we arrived there around 8 pm. We went to the coast of
the lake and stepped through the shallow water. It was terribly cold so we returned to the bus quickly.
We sang some international songs in the bus and returned late in the night.
On Friday, we went to different lessons at school. In the morning, we had one more chance to
communicate with our friends from Turkey. Around noon, school was out. The muezzin called people
to mosque. Every Friday people meet at mosque to pray. Shops close for some hours and people stop
working. The Friday prayer is the most important one in the week. We found out that Muslim people
pray 5 times a day. The first prayer is early in the morning when the sun rises. The last prayer is late in
the evening. People pray in the direction of Mecca. We had a good lunch and returned to our families.
On Saturday, we had our flight back to Germany. Unfortunately, there was an accident at Istanbul
airport. Our flight was cancelled and we had to wait for further information in the airport building. Later
we were taken to a nice hotel near Nevsehir where we could stay until Sunday morning. Then we
could fly back to Germany.
We enjoyed our stay in turkey very much and we were positively surprised about the hospitality and
the kindness of our host families, Turkish teachers and students. The landscape around Aksaray is
very impressing. There are snow-covered volcanoes, salt lakes, desert and green fields. It is a
beautiful part of the world and we would really like to come back one day.
We also think that we got rid of many prejudices about religion and traditions. People in Anatolia are
very open minded, warm hearted and friendly. We can recommend visiting this fascinating part of the
world.
Thank you!
The students Fabio, Leon, Alexander, Simon, Mattis, Lisa, Theresa, Annika, Leonie and the teachers
Mrs. Schwarz and Mr. Kubick