26. On to Antakya

Farewell from Cappadocia
We left our cave hotel, Orhan's family home, to a traditional farewell. They pour water and before the water dries you say you hope they come back. The staff gathered to wave goodbye. We have a full day of traveling by bus ahead of us. There was plenty of time for "study tour" lectures.

Morning Topics
Road south: We are now en route south to the Cilician Gates and on to Antioch of Syria (Antakya). The clouds have burned off and we can see the snow-capped volcano. The road we are on begins at the Black Sea and terminates at the Mediterranean Sea. Alexander the Great took this path as did Paul during his second missionary journey.

Mt Erciyes (Argaeus), a volcano, supposedly is never free from snow.

Excavating: Tells are called huyuks in Turkey. It takes a long time, money, talent to excavate. Much of the labor is "slave" student labor. Why won't they begin excavating Colossea? It would take a minimum of $75K in order to do a few weeks work in Colossea. Last year a little work was started at Derbe.
Challenging Travel: Travel in Turkey is either through the valleys or the mountain passes. Ferrell: You sometimes have to change your wishes into reality. It isn't simple to trace the routes of the Patriarchs due to geographic and political challenges. We just do the best we can.

A variety of crops are grown.

Into the tunnel we go. There were ten tunnels in all. Paul had to take mountain passes.

On the other side, the Taurus Mountains.

Taurus Mountains: Average elevation is 7000 feet. Highest peak in Tarsus Mountains 12000 ft. The pass is 1050 meters above sea level. We saw the Pozanti River.

Craggy peaks.

A few plants impossibly cling to the stone.

Water: Water is one of the biggest problems in the Middle East. About twenty dams have been built along the Euphrates. The Jordan River supplies both Israel and Jordan. Because they each siphon off water, the Dead Sea is drying up.
Orchards: We saw apple, tangerine, peach, orange and apricot orchards during our travels. We traveled through some of the most fertile areas of Turkey. In the Mediterranean area of Turkey, combines are used to harvest. In all other places, the harvesters are the women.

Fertile soil and optimal climate for orchards.

Military: Obligatory service at age 20 for men. If you are in college you can delay your service until age 29. We have second largest army in NATO. In 1923 when the Ottoman Empire fell, thirty-five countries were created. Turkey had problems. Ataturk made many reformations but he didn't touch the army. Recently Turkey changed the law and now the men have to serve just one year in the army. You are a reservist until you are 48 years old. Army is the criteria for maturity and for being considered a man. You are treated as little boy until you serve in the military. Mama makes all decisions at home. Army is first time you are on your own. Men have two memories: circumcision (now doctors do it, previously gypsies did it) and the army. Orhan had to serve for sixteen months. He had to complete four months of basic before he had his first day off. The army has lots of power over politics in Turkey. Politicians consult soldiers about decisions. People trust the army. You don't get to choose your military branch.
Reforestation of Turkey: There is a huge push to replant the forests in Turkey. Most of the young trees are needle pine or Mediterranean fir.
Mosques: There are many mosques with aluminum silver domes. The domes used to be made out of lead. No significance to number of minarets at a mosque.

Afternoon Topics

Ferrell: Paul's first journey and travel at that time. If they walked 20 miles a day, they had to sleep somewhere and arrange for food. The caravansaries did not provide peaceful lodging. II Cor 11. Perils were real. Sometimes they would follow dry river bed and rain would create flooding. In our Bible classes we need get across the difficulties these men faced to teach the gospel. Paul said the perils couldn't compare to the eternal weight of glory.
Ferrell has wondered: Did Barnabus travel by land or sea to get Paul? How did they return to Antioch of Syria?
Paul's typical method of travel: Tarsus is at the end of the Tarsus range. New Testament Iconium was where the city of Konya is today. When Paul arrived at Derbe he turned around. Troas was a travel hub. When Paul traveled west, he walked. When he traveled east, he sailed on coasting ships. Why? Because of the winds. From Jerusalem there is a prevailing northwesterly wind. During Paul's voyage to Rome, Acts mentions the danger of shipwrecking and waiting for favorable winds.
No longer able to stop and take photo of Cilician Gates since the highway was built.
Adana: The fourth largest city in Turkey. Condo co-ops instead of mortgages. Your flat is determined by lottery. You pay more if you draw a "better" floor. In villages, people live in house. Once you own your house, you pay the property tax, which isn't high in Turkey. Orhan pays $400 in property taxes per year. We will stay 2 nights in Adana later in our trip. The city is famous for its kebabs. Why are there so many satellite dishes? Cable is subsidized by government and is only $12 per month. But cable doesn't show the soccer matches.

Ottoman castle

The Mediterranean Sea

Plain of Issus: This is where Alexander's and Darius's forces met in battle. The Greeks defeated the Persians. In Pompeii, there was a mosaic of a youthful Alexander on his horse facing off against the old weathered Darius. Around 165 AD, Euphrates River became the boundary between West (Roman Empire) and the East.

The Battle of Issus (Nov 333 BC) was the first time the Persian army was defeated while Darius was present.

Cultural Divide between Greeks and Hebrews: After Alexander's death, the Plain of Issus was where Antigonus, Ptolemy and Seleucus divided the kingdom between themselves: Antigonus took Greece and Macedon, Ptolemy took Egypt, Seleucus took the area from Anatolia to the Indus River. In 168 BCE, Antiochus Epiphanes ordered Mattathias to sacrifice swine on an altar. This began the Maccabean revolt. Three years later, they took back control of the temple mount. By 105 BC, Israel was controlled by Egypt. Over half of the quotations in the New Testament are from the Septuagint, which was compiled in Alexandria. By 63 BC, the Romans ruled Israel. Paul spoke Greek and Hebrew (and possibly Aramaic). 
Syrian refugees: There are lots of them from the south of Antioch and east toward Iraq. There is a 600 mile border. Officially 1M are in Turkey. Unofficially there are 1.5M refugees. Some beg but some try to find a job. 600,000 live in camps along the border. Syria was established after World War I. Towns were divided in half. Sixty Syrian families have migrated to Ugurp. Some are there legally and some illegally. The owner of an empty house behind Orhan's hotel has allowed a Syrian family to live there.
Weather Change: This morning some people wore socks on their hands, two shirts, jacket and maybe a scarf or a hat as we waited for the balloon ride. Huge change in temperature. Now we are pleasantly warm. It's almost 82 degrees F.
Antakya: Antioch became an independent state in 1924 with the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. In 1939, Antioch voted to join Turkey. The Syrians have never accepted their referendum. Syria maps still show Antioch as a part of their country. Population of the city is 500,000.
The Evil Eye Talisman: In Turkish it is known as Nazar. Evil eyes are a popular souvenir. Supposedly they protect against a malevolent look which can cause injury or misfortune.

This friendly little ram is decked out in evil eyes.

Borek

Side salad and green beans.

Pida bread

The entree

A little sweet. A little sugary