I have some wonderful 4th of July cards today from Audrey R of Austin TX. I have been holding these creations for quite a while as I wanted to share them with you in summertime. I hope you like them,
If you have creations that you would like to share on my blog, drop me a message or email at htondre@aol.com
There's still so much more to see in Sanliurfa...the Kizilkonyun Necropolis, which also had beautiful floors filled with mosaics that now fill the Sanliurfa Museum. In addition to the Necropolis, the Sanliurfa museum is filled with amazing finds from Gobeklitepe and Karahantepe. It also has a full life sized make of Gobelkitepe! WOW.
Just sending out some Love to the DH today. I hope he is having a great week in Texas and looking forward to his weekend. Love you dear.
So another thing to see in Urfa is Shuaib Ancient City; This settlement from about 4-5 century AD. It the two-story city there is a structure made of stone blocks on the upper level and caves on the lower level. It is said that the Prophet Shuib used this place as a house and temple. Ascending to Mount Sinai from here Moses received his first revelation and became a prophet.
One more amazing thing to see in Urfa is this beautiful pool of fish called Balilki Gol, this "legend" to my knowledge is mentioned in the Quran, but I do not know for sure. In english this place is called the Pool of Holy Carp.
Legends say that Abraham, (İbrahim in Turkish) who was born and raised in here, was also the great enemy of the King Nimrod, since he was the one to declare war on idolatry during his time. Abraham won the heart of the King Nimrod's daughter, Zeliha. King Nimrod sentenced Abraham to death, like every other furious king would do and commanded to build a massive pyre to burn him alive. Rumor has it that when he was tossed in the fire, the flames became water and the burning logs turned into fish. Still today, this pool is considered sacred and the fish inside it holy; it is also said that anyone who eats them will be struck blind!
One thing I hear about Sanliurfa is its rich heritage in craftsmanship. I hope to be visiting lots of local bazaars. According to what I have read, they are quite famous for their work in felt, weaving, jewelry, carving, metal work, oh, such a long history list of crafts that I can't wait to see.
One thing that is famous and comes from south Turkiye is filigree. I have heard of a specific type that comes from Sanliurfa is filigree wristbands (bracelets). WOW, look that up. (Sanliurfa + filigree + Turkiye + bracelet)
I can't believe this marks a week since I have been in Urfa! Wow, tomorrow my friend Merve will come and join in! Another amazing thing in this area is Beehive houses in Harran. These houses are constructed of clay with no wood and have existed for HUNDREDS of years. It's amazing. I hope you all are checking out my FB (and that I have Wi-Fi to post photos on there periodically) Of course you can always search on the internet to see I guess.
Yes, I am being corny and using a card with BEEs on it!
Hello all, happy Monday! I am still visiting in a city named Sanliurfa, or just Urfa. Another amazing prophet that comes from Urfa from the Bible is Job. He's also a prophet in the Quran (Ayub). I am told there is a place where you visit the cave where Job was. I hope to see this on this trip.
Here's a card that I found in a fancy store on Istiklal Caddesi (street). Which is hugely famous place in Istanbul. It has a famous red trolley and everything. It's a shopping mecca. Well, imagine my surprise when I found a store called Panter Kirtasiye. Kirtasiye is basically a stationary or paper store? in the broad sense of the term. I was super excited as I have been looking for beautiful papers, which I KNOW are in that city but I haven't managed to find yet. At any rate, imagine my surprise when I saw a wall of handmade cards. Esp card there were some that were using TURKISH theme stamps. I was tickled. I asked the man if he knew or sold any stamps. To no avail. At any rate, the cards were very simple, but I was very enamored with the stamps so I purchased a couple of them that I will be sharing. I was happy they had the card maker's name on the back. The artist is Mine Fiore.
Happy Saturday everyone! Another wonderful day in Urfa. Another amazing thing about Urfa is that it is the birthplace of the prophet Abraham (among others that I will talk about later). They have currently built a beautiful mosque around the cave where he was kept safe from King Nimrod as a child. You can enter, Christians, Muslims, even non believers, as long as you are respectfully dressed and see the location. WOW. To me it is just amazing to think that the beginning of modern day Christianity came from Abraham's offspring, and the birth of modern-day Islam also came from Abraham's offspring.
In addition to Gobekli Tepe, there is a more recently discovered place called Karahan Tepe, which is equally as fascinating. They are unearthing it now and have found amazing things there. You can see much of what they have recovered in the Archeological Museum of the city, one of the biggest in the country. They have not yet stated if it pre-dates Karahan Tepe.
There's many significant things to see in Urfa, but one of the most important things to see is GobekliTepe. I am sure many of you have heard of it or seen it on TV now. It's currently thought to be the oldest temple in the world, dating at around 9500 BC to around 8000 BC. WOW.
Today we fly to Sanliurfa (otherwise known as Urfa). Most people will refer to it as Urfa, there's even a kabob known as the Urfa Kabob. We are staying in an Airbnb of sorts, it's an independent place though, not a personal home with other people. Since I am traveling with a guy, I needed two rooms, so there is absolute privacy. It just makes more sense to rent a house of sorts than a couple hotel rooms. I will say there's not a lot of choices in Urfa, hotels and Airbnb is expensive compared to other places in Turkiye. The place is lovely though, in the "old district" which is beautiful and quiet! This place will be home sweet home for two weeks!
Having so much fun and getting ready for the trip tomorrow! Sanliurfa is a medium sized city at just over a half million people, but it has amazing history and so many important biblical and ancient sites nearby. I can't wait to see them. I am spending a week there with a dear friend, Merve and another week with a translator/helper who is also becoming a good friend, Nakip (who I sometimes refer to as my son, lol). Typically a city this small wouldn't merit such a long stay but I want to take it nice and slow and just enjoy each day, not in a rush to see anything.
Happy Monday everyone. It's the start of week 4....This week is super exciting because I am traveling in Turkiye to a city in the southern border next to Syria called Sanliurfa. I leave for Urfa on Wednesday. There is so much incredible history there including what they think is currently point zero in mankind, Gobleki-Tepe.
Wishing all the Dad's in my life a very Happy Father's day today from me and John. Best wishes and huge hugs all the way from Istanbul. (well, right now I am in Sanliurfa).
Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you are ready for the new week. I have some more wonderful work from the kids in Turkiye. I just love how they put my name as Holi (how you would spell it in Turkish) and many of them actually spelled it correctly which is even more impressive.
Happy Friday everyone. I know it just sounds weird to say Happy Friday. On vacation I tend to forget the days of the week. I only keep track of them because certain days of the week are neighborhood pazaars. So if I want to go shopping for local things (like fruit, veggies, or maybe lace remnants), I need to know the day of the week and what Pazaar is happening that day. A Pazaar is a temporary set up Bazaar that lasts only one afternoon or one day.
Hey sweet dear, you are in my thoughts today. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Huge hugs and kisses. I wish I could have Turkiye and YOU at the same time. Have a fun summer. Kisees.
One interesting thing about Istanbul, and some other Turkish cities is that there's dogs and cats that are "pets" of the city. They are vaccinated and tagged and let go in the city. Many of them are quite popular. and are well beloved and taken care of. People generally don't shoe them away, for example, you will see a cat up on a display of an expensive clothing store! Now, in a food establishment, of course they are sent away (but sometimes fed nearby). You will see them everywhere, even in Mosques and Museums. No one bother's them and lots of people love and pet them.
Here's a card I made from My Aunt Lisa's Birthday today. I hope she has a very special day. Hug and Best wishes for your day.
Happy Saturday. I hope you are having a nice weekend. Today makes it just over 2 weeks now with about a month and half left. Next week in Turkiye is a major Islamic Holiday, so much will be closed and the trams and such may be free, so they will be SO SO SO crowded, it will be best to avoid at all cost. I am one of those people who look at a full, and I don't mean, no seat, I mean, FULL to the point where you can not physically cram another body inside and think, hmmm, i'll wait. Yea, you could be waiting for a LONG LONG time. It's crazy. Istanbul is 20 million people, most of whom use the trains.
Happy 3rd Monday in Istanbul. WOW, doesn't that sound weird. I have been here a couple weeks and already it's the third Monday. How cool is that? here's a cute little card to brighten your day! Hugs all.
Happy Birthday Cuz. I hope you have a very special day today. Big wishes to you from Turkiye. Man, are we getting old or what? I can't believe it. Have a great celebration this year. I am sure Ayana will do something special for you. Hugs
Happy Tuesday everyone! what's everyone doing this summer? I guess technically it's not summer yet. When does summer start? in Texas it sure feels like summer, though I am often not there for half of it, I am there for the hotter half--August and September.
WOW, Monday number 2, I guess it's almost 2 and a half weeks, but not quite. Who would have thought time would go so fast. I am so relaxed and enjoying this time. I typically wake up, listen to music, prepare for the day (there's no point in going out very early, nothing is open), leave the house, take the train, stop a my favorite place for juice or coffee, maybe a snack; Exchange cash and go shopping for lace, walk around and relax with some cold water. Drop by and chat with friends or enjoy a snack in the afternoon. Grab the train back home and take a little rest. Get up and go to grab dinner somewhere. Take a nice long walk afterwards and maybe stop for tea or coffee. Ahhh, what a perfect day.
Happy Birthday Dad! I hope you have a special day today! Huge hugs from Turkiye. Hope the grandkids come to visit you. This cute card come from a wonderful kit by Pink and Main.
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