The Trip That Keeps Growing: 23 April 2023 A Day in the Life of a Cappadocian Farmer • Underground City • Whirling Dervish Ceremony

Today was National Sovereignty and Children’s Day in Turkey. It is a national holiday and everywhere you look people are flying the Turkish flag. Our hotel had a huge flag on the side of the building. The first Turkish president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, dedicated this day (23 Apr) to all the world’s children – the keepers and creators of the future. It also commemorates the dawn of the new Turkish republic in 1923 after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Today was also the day that a 6.2 earthquake, centered in the Sea of Marmara, struck and was felt in Istanbul. Here in Cappadocia we did not feel it, but Ahmet’s daughter was in Istanbul and was very shaken by it – Ahmet spent a lot of time on the phone calming her down until she could go and stay with her grandparents.

This morning we participated in one of OAT’s cultural experiences – a Day in the Life. We traveled to a small town in Cappadocia which still retains much of its authentic character as it has not been transformed by the tourism industry. The town and surrounding area rely on their rural agricultural lifestyle and still use their traditional customs and beliefs. Upon arrival we met with a local farmer and his wife who took us on a walk around their property. They own about 3 acres of land where they grow numerous trees and vegetables – apple, peach, pistachio, lemon, olive trees and tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, squash, eggplant to name a few vegetables. The woman brought out two baby goats that were only about 10 days old. We got to hold them and then fed them some milk from a bottle. We then walked to their small animal enclosure where they had a donkey, some chickens, and the rest of the goats. In addition to the vegetables he raises for his own use, the farmer is quite adapt at grafting different types of fruit trees together. One tree will produce three different types of fruit – apple, apricot, and peaches. His wife had prepared our lunch, but we were able to help with the pita bread. It was our job to spread the tomato sauce around the small dough circle and then top it with goat geese – like a small pizza. We then carried it over to the outdoor woodburning stove where her husband cooked it. The meal contained a lot of traditional Turkish foods – lentil soup, hummus, pickled beets, cucumbers and peppers, small meatballs, and of course the pita bread. Dessert was custard with fresh fruit. They live a very simple life, but they are very happy. One of her daughters-in-law helped with the lunch and they are all very excited about the baby she is expecting in about another month.

The Baby Goats

Feeding the Baby Goat

The Animal Enclosure

Helping to Make the Lunch

Enjoying Our Lunch with the Family

After leaving our hosts, we drove to one of the underground towns – Oxkonak. These underground, multi-level complexes provided a defense against the many Hittite armies that invaded this area. All the rooms had heavy millstones for doors that could be rolled in place to seal off the outside world. It is believed that there are about three dozen of these cities, although only a few have been excavated. In Oxkonak, there are hundreds of these rooms that were built to provide shelter for thousands of people for periods up to 3 months. As we explored some of these rooms, we wandered along narrow, sloping passageways that connected kitchens with their enameled food storage areas, water cisterns, stables and living quarters, and even a wine producing and storage area. It is hard to imagine how they lived like this, especially with all their animals. Although deep underground, they were all well-ventilated with giant air shafts.

Narrow Passageway between Rooms

One of the Underground Rooms

Another of the Underground Rooms

Underground Room Used to Make and Sore Wine

Model of one Level of the Underground City

Back at the hotel, we took an optional tour to see the Whirling Dervishes and to witness the legendary “Ritual of Sema.” Dervishes were Muslim religious figures similar to monks.

The Dervish date back over 700 years as part of Sufism (An Islamic order defined as the inner and mystical dimension) and Mevlevi Order (an order formed in 1312 by followers of the 13^th century Persian poet, Islamic theologian and Sufi mystic Melvana Jelaleddi Rumi). The Mevllevi Order was organized by Mevlana’s son in the Turkish city of Konya and soon spread to other towns with 114 tekkes (monasteries or Mevlevihanes) established throughout the Ottoman empire, including cities like Belgrade, Athens, Cairo, Mecca, Baghdad, and Damascus. But after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WWI, these Sufi organizations were declared illegal and the tekkes were either closed, turned into mosques, or became museums. In 1953, the Turkish government permitted public performances of the Mevlevi Sema (Whirling Prayer Ceremony).

The Mevlevi Sema, the order’s most distinct practice, is a dervish mystic religious rite that is a carefully planned and executed ceremony of the whirling done by Mevlana Jelaleddi Rumi in ecstasy on the streets of Konya in the 13^th century. In the dance the Dervish spin faster and faster to summon the divine. Originally it was done weekly at all Tekkes. Symbolism plays a role in this ceremony also – the camel’s hair hat (a sikke) represents a tombstone of the ego; the white skirt (a tenure) is the shroud of the ego, taking off of the black cloak means to be spiritually reborn to the truth, and the folding of their arms crosswise at the beginning of the ceremony represents the number one, testifying to God’s unity. This ceremony has seven parts that symbolize the whirling dervish’s love of God, humankind and all creation:

1. Natt-i Şerif- Praise for God, the Prophet Muhammed, and all the prophets that preceded him (Musa/Moses and Isa/Jesus, etc.)

2. Kudum – the beating of a small kettledrum symbolizes the command of God who created the universe

3. Ney – the open-ended reed flute used by Mevlevi to produce soulful, breathy music that symbolizes the breathing of life into all creatures

4. Greeting – the dervishes greet each other three times, a symbol of the soul being greeted by its secret soul

5. Whirling – During this part, the dervish drop their black cloaks to reveal the white costumes fitted to the torso, with long, flowing skirts. The dropping of the cloak symbolizes the casting off of falsehood and the revelation of truth. Each dervish places his arms on his chest to symbolize his belief in the Oneness of God. Bowing, he kisses the hand of the Sheikh Efendi (spiritual leader) and seeks permission to enter the Sema.

As he enters, each dervish slowly unfurls his arms, his right hand reaching up to heaven to receive its blessings, the left hand down to communicate them to earth. He whirls counterclockwise, right to left, with his heart at the axis of the turn.

The dervishes complete four whirling sessions of approximately 15 minutes each, resting briefly between sessions. The Sheikh Efendi joins in the final session, turning slowly.

6. Prayer – prayers are recited from the Koran in praise of God

7. Fatiha – The Fatiha (first chapter of the Koran) is recited in memory of all prophets, martyrs and believers, followed by a prayer for the welfare of the nation and its leaders.

The ceremony is very somber and to some extent uplifting. Just watching them twirl almost puts you in a trance. How they can remain upright after twirling around for 15 minutes was amazing. I was getting dizzy just watching them. Whie they are twirling, the right foot remains planted on the ground and the left foot is used to propel the body around the right foot. The eyes remain open but unfocused while twirling. That must take some time to learn.

Unfortunately, you cannot take pictures during the ceremony, but they did return after it was over and twirled for about 10 minutes so you could take pictures then. While originally this ritual was only done by monks, todays participants are not monks but have ordinary jobs and families. They do this as a means to perpetuate this ceremony so that it is not forgotten. It was a very interesting experience.