Mustafa Kemal

One of the things Mausi found a bit astonishing in Ankara was the almost total absence of women with headscarves. There were some of course, but not nearly as much as Mausi had expected. The women in Ankara looked liked the ones in any other European Capital regarding clothes and hair styles. Thanks to their interpreter Mausi learnt a bit more about the history of modern Turkey.

After the Turks had unfortunately sided with the Germans in WW I they took a lot of punishment when the war was lost. Neighbouring states and also those from farther away like Britain occupied those parts of the country that had something to offer. Like oil wells in the south of Anatolia. Between 1919 and 1922 the occupants were driven out by force thanks to a young officer named Mustafa Kemal Pascha, who had been elected Head of the Great National Assembly in 1920. After the peace of Lausanne in 1923 he dismissed the Sultan and tried to transform Turkey into modern state of western European style. He wanted to turn Turkey into a Republic for his people, although he had to use dictatorial means to achieve this.

He abolished for example Arabic characters in books and newspapers and exchanged them for Latin ones. He abolished Islamic law and introduced laicism, the separation of religion and state. He was probaly too far ahead of his people in the 1920's because Mausi has a feeling that his ideas have not really rooted themselves firmly in the Turkish society. Sadly, he died in 1938 at the age of 57. Nonetheless he is still much admired and held in high esteem everywhere. One cannot walk through Ankara without seeing his portrait everywhere and his Mausoleum cannot be overlooked either.



The mausoleum and adjoining museums occupy one of the many hills in Ankara. From up there one probably has the best view over the whole city, in all directions. The museum contains several wax figures of the Kemal Ataturk (Father of all Turks) himself and every bit of his personal or state possession the museum people could get their hands on. It makes a very interesting collection indeed. Still, Mausi was not most impressed by the jewellery nor the porcelain or the state cars but by Kemal's library. There were books about philosophy, history, natural sciences, sociology and encyclopedias in several European languages.

Still, Mausi can't help the feeling that the pendulum is swinging back, despite the western looking women in Ankara. In the country it is quite a different matter and Laicism seems not to be that popular anymore. It will be interesting to see what will happen in the next few years, especially as Turkey wants to become part of the European Union.

The "Traditional" House, Karsan

This house is built around seven courtyards. Built around 1600 in our calendar (This year is 1388 in the Shia Calendar), the house was the home of the family who controlled the road to Esfahan from Karsan Each courtyard had a function, the entrance one is the grand approach intended to impress visitors. It is flanked by two more, one on each side dedicated to trade and commerce. At right angles to these and to the central core of the house are two more, one for the women to relaxe and the other for the males to entertain their friends. Behind the house are still others which provide a kitchen garden and kitchen area surrounded by storerooms and accomodation for servants. The other provided space for the bath house and accomodation for minor members of the household. Wind towers channel cool air into the interior - Mark 2 airconditioning. Ducts and airpassages allow the air to circulate throughout the house and in winter wooden shutters can be closed in the towers and in the ducts to stop the flow of cold air and allow fires to heat the rooms. Not bad for 400 year old technology ...



The picture shows the facade that faces the Western courtyard. It is almost impossible to get a picture of the whole house as it is tightly surrounded by buildings. The "tower' is one of the six "wind towers" serving the structure. The central portion of this building is three storeys and a basement. The rooms are large, magnificently decorated and beautifully restored.

Fingarden Palace, Karsan

The well spring at Fingarden pours upward from the great cenral hole in this pool and in three others. The force of the water rising is tremendous and one can only marvel at the engineering feat that the taming of these springs represents. One marvels even more that it is still, after a little over 400 years, still functioning so beautifully.

The Fingarden Palace

Built around 1580, this wonderful palace was a summer residence for the Shah and his court. It is laid out within high walls and has formal gardens cut by walkways and the pools, fountains and baths are fed by a natural spring. The detailed decoration on the ceilings and walls is best described as stunning and the state of preservation is a tribute both to the builders and to those who now care for it so lovingly. Located some 150 km South of Tehran it is on the outskirts of the City of Karsan.

The main part of the palace sits across the southern wall of the enclosure and the springs rise from the pools in front of it and beneath its wing pavilions. At this time there was nothing as splendid as this in Northern or Western Europe and even the Southern Europeans were not enjoying this degree of expertise except where they interacted with the craftsmen of the East.

The stunningly decorated vaulting of the eastern pool pavilion.

The interior of the large plunge pool in the Bath House of the complex. This has a number of rooms and includes a hot pool, a tepidarium, toilets (waterborne flush) changing rooms and a massage room. All courtiers were expected to bathe regularly, a marked contrast to European Courts of the time. James I of England (VI of Scotland) is reputed to have never done more than wipe his face and hands with a damp cloth.

Cyrus' Castle

Located above the town of Abyaneh, this castle was continuously occupied, extended and "modernised" for over two thousand years. It was fnally abandoned around 200 years ago.

The Abyaneh Shrine

Exploring some history

Iran/Persia is one of the oldest civilisations in the world. It is also one of the oldest "nation states" with a history stretching back to around 1500 BC. Yes, it has seen invasions and conquerors, the last being the Seljuk Turks who brought Islam to the Persians, converting them from Zoroastrianism. Traditions die hard and some of their buildings and building techniques are still the same as they were when Xerxes invaded Greece or Alexander marched his conquering army across this landscape. Last Friday I had the interesting experience of visiting a town, once a city, founded before Cyrus the Great was born. That puts its founding at around 1000 BC. Abyaneh is a fascinating place, the buildings, all of them, constructed of mud and timber and literally clinging to a mountainside. Atop the mountain is the ruin of a castle built by Cyrus the Great and the town is home to a small Holy Shrine, the tomb of the son of one of the great Shia "Imams".

The pictures I wanted to include won't upload for some reason, but I'll keep posting them one at a time to show some of the streets, narrow winding alleys, paved with stone and having a central drain. The houses are all more than one storey, though some are no longer occupied. The ability to build these structures is still very much alive and well in this land of contrasts and proud people. I have also included pictures in the shrine and wish I could have taken some of the Great Mosque (It being Friday it was in use) which boasts what is probably an ancient Christian Altar table dated to pre-Islam and is certainly not Zoroastrian despite the signs!