When the first day of COVID-19 SOP travel relaxation was announced by the government we were among the first flights leaving the country to fly to Turkey via Qatar on the dot of 1 March 2022.
Known in the olden days as Constantinople (now Istanbul), it is a city destined to be the centre of the world.It is the hinge between Asia, Europe, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the Balkan world, and Italian states.
I have little knowledge about architecture in the region except for the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Gelata Tower and the image of the most famous Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan playing in my mind.
I set my mind to not making the trip an architecture tour or hunting for iconic buildings because of my lack of exposure and knowledge of Turkey architecture.I would just go and enjoy the scenery, culture, and food like a typical tourist.
After the Bosphorus Cruises and Uludag ski resort, our tour guide brought us to Kusadasi to visit the Ephesus, the mind-blowing ancient Greek theatre.The trip proved that I was wrong about “boring” ancient architecture in the region.It has changed my perspectives on the timelessness of this ancient architecture centralised in Europe but with the oldest built structures across the Asian continents.
The excavated remains of Ephesus reflect centuries of history, from classical Greece to the Roman Empire – when it was the Mediterranean’s main commercial centre – to the spread of Christianity.Paved streets wind past squares, baths, and monumental ruins.The Temple of Hadrian was built before 138 A.D. for Emperor Hadrian’s visit.
In Ankara, another magnificent building is the Kamal Ataturk mausoleum which was completed on 1 September 1953 and demonstrates the play of modern majestic architecture with scale, ambient lights and proportion and is worth a visit.
A must-go destination is Cappadocia!The built structure reminds me of Minas Tirith in the Lord of the Rings films.The cave structure of Cappadocia feature “rock-cut architecture.”This method is very different from traditional building techniques.Instead of adding materials to build they subtracted rock to create negative spaces.With axes and chisels, builders carved away rocks to create an ornate cavity.
Turkey is a country where you can find most European architectural influences like the scenery of Tuscany, Paris streetscapes, rural Switzerland, Spain, Greece and many more.
To conclude, do not underestimate the architecture of another country.
After ten days away, we not only brought sweet memories but came home with COVID-19 and were quarantined for the next seven days.
