Friday 5 November 2021

Turkey has a secular constitution specifically without a state religion, however the government claims that 99.9 percent of the population are Muslim. Actual number is surveyed to be south of 90 and perhaps much less depending on definition. At least half, probably more, are pretty relaxed about it, i.e. say they believe in Allah, but, like most western Christians, rationalize or just ignore the bits in their holy books they don't like. One friend calls their religion, at least along the Mediterranean coast, Islam lite. Beer, wine, spirits and pork are all readily available and very few women wear even as much as a head scarf. Current president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made himself quite unpopular with many Turks by a program of Islamization, for example spending more money on mosques than on schools, despite increasing support for secularism.

Nevertheless, minarets sprout everywhere, even some without a mosque. We have seen one on a petrol station, one on a separate saguaro cactus-looking tower and one in a lake on the Euphrates River (actually that one had a small mosque under water below it, flooded over by a dam). Wherever we are, can always count on a call to prayer at around 0530. The semi-deaf crew often sleeps through this electronically projected cacaphony, the distaff contingent does not.

We cruised the Euphrates today to view spectacular scenery, ancient ruins and a village that was abandoned when its access was flooded. After that traveled to Gaziantep where our modern hotel, the Sirehan, was built in an old caravanserai located amidst an extensive, downtown bazaar. A wonderful variety of things are for sale including spices, copper and silver containers, leather goods, produce and baklava, lots of baklava. We wandered around all afternoon where Jan forced me, forced I say, to buy her a magnificent two-sided silk scarf and a copper receptacle for our used tea leaves. Like in Didim where we bought a wallet and belt for very reasonable prices, the entertainment value of the salesmen was almost worth the price of the items. Total for our full and excellent dinner in a fine restaurant was about thirteen US dollars.

Jack & Jan