Pasabag valley - Devrent Valley - Gorëme Valley - Zelve Valley
We have wandered around these valleys in the rain ... and every one of them has impressed me for different reasons ...; be it because of the rock formation shapes of the Devrent valley or the history behind the almost unrecognisable frescoe remains of some churches in the various valleys, reduced to just some pigments tinging the corroded walls .. . or even the capacity one's mind has to "travel" back to the 10th, 11th or 12th centuries in which most of the cave churches in the vast monastic complex of Gorëme valley were erected ... is less relevant than the fact that I have been impacted upon.
To hear that the Zelve valley once housed one of the largest communities of the region in an amazing cave town now reduced to a ghostly assembly of caves and find out that right there Christians and Muslims are said to have lived together in perfect harmony until 1924 ... is astounding.
The strong rain was not able to interfere with the "raw beauty" of these valleys ... and although we were not able to visit some of the "best " churches within the region ... the unique opportunity to "walk into" this almost surreal atmosphere has been worthwhile and ... deserves a "revisiting" trip one of these days.
Dinner at a local restaurant allowed us to try another really tasty specialty of the region " Nevschir Mantisi" (a ravioli like local cuisine specialty) eaten with a garlic infused yogurt poured over it.
Soon after dinner, some of us were driven to Sarihan, also known as the yellow Caravanserai built in 1249, though having undergone restauration in the 1980's, where we will be watching some folkloric dances, including the famous whirling Dervish performing dance.
Dinner at a local restaurant allowed us to try another really tasty specialty of the region " Nevschir Mantisi" (a ravioli like local cuisine specialty) eaten with a garlic infused yogurt poured over it.
Soon after dinner, some of us were driven to Sarihan, also known as the yellow Caravanserai built in 1249, though having undergone restauration in the 1980's, where we will be watching some folkloric dances, including the famous whirling Dervish performing dance.
I wonder what tonight's performance might hold for me. I am literally dying to see the whirling Dervish dance ... and have been since I first saw a World Press black and white winning photo of Dervish dancers spinning round ... as if almost coming out of the photo frame.
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