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Today we head back to Ankara. With a long bus ride to face, Onur planned to break up the ride with a visit to two very special places.
Malatya – Apricot Heaven
The town of Malatya and the surrounding countryside are famous for apricots ("kayisi" in Turkish). Although they are not quite ripe yet for the season, we can see the fruits hanging on the thousands and thousands of trees visible throughout the countryside.
We stopped in town, where Onur left us on our own for about an hour, after directing us to the Grape Must Bazaar. He planned on making some purchases himself and particularly recommended the chocolate covered apricot treats and the "atom," a tennis ball size confection made of dried apricots and nuts.
So off we went in search of the bazaar and the apricots, having no clear idea of where we were supposed to find them (Onur was a little vague in his directions). After a few false starts, we wandered into a shop full of hundreds of apricot gift and culinary choices. I found the famous chocolate covered apricots; while paying for them, the entire group of our fellow German travelers and Onur crowded into the shop, lending an carnival atmosphere to the shop as we ooo-ed and ahh-ed our way through the selections, and kept the shopkeepers extremely busy.
A colleague of Larry’s was planning a going away party for us in a few days, as was Ercan, Meldan’s brother. So we needed some gifts to carry back with us. After jockeying for space around our fellow tourists, we bought lots more chocolate apricots for Ercan (keeping the first package for ourselves and Anna), and some nicely packaged dried apricot confections for Barish and his wife. Then, when we selected one of those calorie-packed "atoms," the shopkeeper insisted we take it free of charge. Leaving the shop, we wandered through the streets sharing the "atom" and wishing we had bought more. Delicious!
With a good half hour left of our free time, we joined Gisela and her friend Doris for a cup of tea in an open-air second-story tea room. There we got to know these interesting women much better—sorry that we waited until our last day of travel together to do so.
Karatay Caravanserai (or Han)
Some hours later, we stopped at a 13th century caravanserai, which Onur tells us is really an inn, or "han." The information sign says "caravanserai," the web sites refer to it both ways, and our itinerary says "caravanserai. " I never did figure out the difference. "Karatay Han" translates to "The Black Foal Inn."
One distinction of this Seljuk structure, built to accommodate merchants traveling along this major portion of the Silk Road, the Malatya-Kayseri road, is the elaborate stonework on the walls. Most caravanserais (or hans) have an elaborately carved portal, but the walls are generally stark, unembellished cut stone. This building is full of examples of fine carvings, including a zodiac and the double-serpent symbol of medicine. The latter image was to alert travelers to the availability of a resident doctor.
Two other distinguishing features of this inn were the beautifully constructed stone private rooms for the merchants, and, inside a large covered refectory, a raised stone platform running the length of the huge arched room. We have no idea what purpose this platform served, only assuming it was where people ate their meals, which were provided free for up to three days for each traveler.
Alas, the beautiful caravanserai, the best preserved in central Anatolia, was the last stop on our amazing Eastern Anatolian Tour. Arriving home in Ankara around 10:00 p.m., we strolled through the busy, swinging 7 Cadde (7th Ave.) in our neighborhood, jostling amongst the Saturday night café crowd as we made our way to our apartment, agreeing that to a great extent, we will miss city life, and we will most certainly miss Turkey, our second "home."
