Safranbolu

Thrilled by our foray to Termal, Ceylan and I were again needing to escape from Istanbul and the winter blues. This time, we headed six hours east to a town called Safranbolu. Plenty of Turks, but not a lot of foreigners, come to visit this mountain town that is placed between Ankara and the Black Sea in Central Anatolia. I think this is because it is not conveniently situated near any big tourist hot stops, like Cappadochia, Istanbul, or Ephesus. That is a real shame because this was one of the most relaxing and interesting trips I have taken thus far. Safranbolu is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites, because the old town center is one of if not the only city that has refused any "modern" architecture and strictly consists of restored Ottoman homes. If anyone is curious of what it feels like to walk the streets of an "Ottoman" town, this is the place to do it. Ceylan and I packed our bags and hopped on the bus, which took us through some gorgeous mountain scenery blanketed in white snow. This is the first time this winter I have seen any snow like I was used to in Massachusetts; Istanbul has very few snow days, and if it does snow it tends to immediately melt. Ceylan and I got to the bus station, where the hotel folks picked us up. The hotel in which we stayed was, in my opinion, one of the coolest parts of the trip. The whole point of going to Safranbolu is to stay in a restored Ottoman mansion, many of which in Safranbolu have been converted into small 6 to 8 bedroom hotels. We stayed in the Havuzlu Konak, or "Mansion with Pool," so-named for this huge stone pool sitting in the middle of the breakfast room (above). Our room was huge, and had a padded bench running along the walls of the room in the traditional Ottoman style. 

The  city itself was really interesting, just wandering around these narrow streets of wooden houses (right). Upon my insistence, we packed ourselves into a taxi and headed off to the nearby village of Yoruk Koy. I was interested to go because I heard it is this old Bektashi (a certain order of Sufi dervishes) village. I am currently doing some research on Bektashi calligraphy, so I really wanted to see this village. Ceylan and I got out of the cab and found Yoruk Koy in a state similar to what I imagine Safranbolu must have looked like before its restoration. It was pretty deserted, and definitely not very popular with the tourists. I saw a man walking by, and asked him if there were any old houses belonging to Bektashis. Someone must have called ahead and told him we were coming because he told us to walk with him to his family's house, which was built by his grandfather, who was a prominent Bektashi in the community.  This house (left) was absolutely amazing. Our host told us that the house has been in his family for many generations. I was really excited because there were a lot of architectural details that included Bektashi symbolism, especially the wall paintings, which our host told us were 130 years old. For example, you can probably see over the fireplace in the living room a painting of a vase with 12 carnations in it. Supposedly these flowers are meant to represent the 12 imams, a belief usually associated with Shi'ism. There was even a few fake clocks painted on the walls! When Ceylan noticed that one of the clock's time was set for eternity at 9:05, she asked our guide if that was because that is the time when Ataturk died. He looked really surprised that we even knew about that, and then told us that the painters just painted the time that they were done with the painting; so, the clock painting was finished at either 9:05 in the morning or evening, 130 years ago! 

Back in town, Ceylan and I explored the rest of the city. We found an old caravansaray, 

which are basically nightly pit stops for caravans traveling along the Silk Road. These caravansarays can be found throughout Turkey and Iran. This was my first time seeing a real live one, so I was kind of excited. Generally, they are built like fortresses, to protect the traders and their wares from bandits in the night. Ceylan stands outside of its massive wooden doors (right). 

The food, as always, was great. The best restaurants are in the hotels themselves, so Ceylan and I had a nice dinner in our own hotel the first night we arrived. It was very romantic; right next to a roaring fire! Safranbolu is famous for saffron, as its name implies. Our favorite use of saffron though was in the lokum (Turkish delight). Ceylan and I went to this super-cute coffee shop in the middle of the historic bazaar there, and we were served this beautiful arrangement, just for ordering a cup of coffee (below)!!! Ceylan and I also tried to hit up the Turkish delight factory behind the petrol station, but it was unfortunately closed. I tried to look sad and sweet-talk my way in there, but it definitely wasn't going to happen.