x0x Exploring worlds of winter and spring in Cappadocia

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x0x Exploring worlds of winter and spring in Cappadocia

By Honor Auchinleck

We left Ankara in the driving rain. By the time we reached the shores
of Toz Gulu, inky clouds were dripping with icy rain and darkness. I
was beginning to question the wisdom of going away for the weekend. As
it turned out, it was the best thing we could have done!

The next morning we woke to find a light covering of snow on the
wrought iron railings and the vine outside our window at the Museum
Hotel in Uchisar. Gradually the clouds began to clear. The sun broke
through. Wonderful views over a sparkling winter paradise of cones and
pinnacles or fairy-castles began to unfold. It was a day that promised
treasures. The first was not long in coming.

A fresco of a mounted figure on a white horse -- perhaps St. George -
depicted against a faded green background on an arch above a door to
an apparently unnamed cave church on an untouched snow-covered
hillside above the Open Air Museum at Goreme. Although the horse and
rider have been scratched and defaced, talent and the hint of romance
was still there.

I rather liked the idea of being welcomed to the area by a handsome
knight on a fine white steed. Who better than St. George? Being
locally born he was something of a Byzantine celebrity. But in the
absence of the real thing, a painting is the next best -- or perhaps
even better.

St. George embodies romance and adventure, not only in Cappadocia but
right across Europe. They are qualities that have as much appeal as
they ever did. In this simple little painting by an unknown artist
there is a marvellous feel for colour and a sense of grace. The
colours are probably a simple mixture of plant and/or mineral matter
and remarkable talent. In the modern world, it seems almost
incongruous that one can still find an artwork of such beauty on a
snowy hillside. Hidden away in Cappadocia you can still do so.
Unfortunately the church was locked. I had left the torch in the car
so we couldn't even see through the grill to see if there were any
more paintings inside.

Our discovery made me want to find out more and to see more. A little
more information would help me develop my understanding of local
history and Byzantine artwork. Just outside the entrance to the Goreme
Open Air Museum and slightly up the hill, we climbed to another
cave-church where red-ochre geometric designs highlighted the simple
remaining architectural features. The designs possibly date the church
to the period between 726 and 843 AD when icons were banned and many
of those existing were destroyed. Perhaps designs from that period
were adapted and copied for use later. Part of church has fallen in
and we had to take care not to fall into a snow-covered hole.

One of the best places to get a feel for Cappadocia is in the Open Air
Museum in Goreme. A good time to visit is in the fall or in early
spring when blossom instead of snow bedecks the fruit and almond
trees. It is a treat not to have to queue and jostle to see the
frescoes and designs and to have time to respond at leisure to the
artworks.

At the Open Air Museum at Goreme you can see examples of Byzantine art
from some of its most primitive to much more sophisticated work.
Perhaps one of the best examples of some of the primitive art form is
in St. Barbara's church where there is a ochre-coloured painting of a
rather ungainly bird. Surprisingly the bird is not without an
extraordinary charm. Paintings in the Viper's Church appear unfinished
and are interesting because they give some insight into techniques
used and how church decoration evolved over a space of two or three
hundred years.

On the hillside there is an unnamed church with little decoration.
Although a cover had been erected above the dome, thawing snow was
still seeping through the stonework. In the floor open sarcophagi are
covered with glass under which are the remains of small skeletons.
There are no inscriptions or other evidence to tell us who these
people might have been. Research is hampered by the lack of
documentary records.

More sophisticated illustration can be found in the Apple Church where
there is a depiction of Christ looking rather like a forebear of
England's colourful and controversial Henry VIII! In the Apple Church
we learnt that the abbreviated Greek letters on the frescoes stand for
saints' names. For instance IC stands for stands for Christ and
something like IW always means John the Baptist.

The Karanlik, Tokali and the Sandal Church are among the more
sophisticated and almost all the wall surfaces are decorated.
Interestingly, the Tokali Church claims to be one of the oldest known
rock-cut churches in Cappadocia, dating from the last decades of the
tenth century and first decades of the eleventh century. There appear
to be at least two different painting styles -- an earlier one where
paint was applied direct to the walls and the slightly more recent
where plaster was applied to the walls as a foundation before
painting. Some of the figure paintings are remarkable. Intricate
depiction of the folds in drapery makes some of the figures look like
three dimensional sculpture. Different aspects are likely to appeal to
different tastes.

Comparing the different styles of painting, it appears that the
development of local style was reasonably free of the more
prescriptive influence and patronage more widely found in larger
cities. Constantinople was one of the main artistic centers in the
Byzantine era. But here, unlike Constantinople, little or no luxury
materials were used in the creation of their masterpieces.

These unknown artists probably had little instructions or assistance.
They may have learnt by word of mouth. Whatever methods they used to
learn their trade they had to cope with problems such as preparing and
depicting their images on rough surfaces. Despite the probable
difficulties, these paintings create a sense of wonder and admiration
for artistic achievement dating from almost a thousand years ago. It
is also remarkable that many of the colours have lasted so well.

If the Open Air Museum introduces you to unique local Byzantine art
forms, then the refectories gives some idea of the way people lived.
In one there was a wine press. Others may also have been kitchens as
well as dining rooms. It seems as if they sat at tables and on benches
with long pits carved from the tufa rock where the assembled diners
could put their legs. No doubt niches carved from the walls served as
cupboards or for candles or lamps. There were no mod-cons for these
people. Nevertheless there is an impression that they made themselves
as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.

Before we left the Open Air Museum, I saw a book on how to paint in
the State-run Dosim shop. I was not surprised. If artworks in the
Museum resulted in making me want to try and follow some of the
techniques of those unknown ancient masters, I am sure others feel
likewise.

It was late in the afternoon when we took our barbecue to the Kiliclar
Deresi or Sword Valley. Clearly other picnickers had been there
before. Lying beside a brown apple core we found an amphora handle. It
was reasonably light so it is likely that it is not very old.

Lighting a fire proved difficult in the absence of dry kindling. Back
issues of the Turkish Daily News were no substitute! The newspaper
does not catch fire easily. We discovered that dry thistles did the
trick although we had to take care we didn't embed prickles in our
food.

We soon had a good blaze and the makings of a fire to toast bread and
cook our meat and tomatoes. Meanwhile the sun was sinking and the last
light was bringing out the wonderful shades of mauve, charcoal-grey,
shades of pink and streaks of acid yellow on some of the stones cones
or fairy castles. A draught of home-made sloe gin (we picked the sloes
near Esenboga.) helped us to keep the cold at bay while we finished
our lunch.

While the Open Air Museum gives an excellent introduction to history
and culture generally, and more specifically to life in monastic
complexes and cave-churches and their frescoes, some exploration of
the town and surrounding area of Mustafapasa reveals different aspects
of the region. The advantage of a spring visit to the area is that the
days are getting longer, the weather is usually better and one can
wander further afield.

Last spring we spent many hours absorbed in photographing the
intricate details in the stone-carved surroundings of window-frames
and doorways. Mustafapasa has some of the most beautiful doors and
windows that I have seen to date in Turkey. It is a pity that due to
the soft stone of the building material and lack of funds, many of the
older houses and mansions are crumbling, rather like caves and some of
the cones and pinnacles in the surrounding countryside. I have heard
that some of the houses in the town have interesting wall-paintings.
It is something for another time. One day I might meet someone who is
willing to show me an interior. In the meantime I don't want to
intrude on people's privacy.

One of the fascinating things about Mustafapasa is that it is hard to
tell exactly where the town ends and the countryside begins. Behind a
wall where I thought there was a house, came the ear-piercing bray of
a donkey. Perhaps there was a house there as well and the donkey was
tethered outside in preparation for a day's work. Tumbledown houses
are still used for practical purposes, such as storage for hay, fodder
and farm implements. In some of the larger caves, wooden carts in
various states of repair can be seen. Sometimes carts with attractive
and brightly painted Cappadocian scenes can be found.

Other houses built against a hillside seem to extend into caves.
Unexpected caves are inhabited. It is also hard to tell how far
monastic complexes extend and where cave-churches begin and end. This
is all part of the appeal and mystery, not only of Mustafapasa, but
other towns and villages in the region.

The better-known churches of St. Stefanos, St. Nicholaios and St.
Sinassos are signed. In other cases, crucifixes above the main
entrance or the shape of the cave are the only indication of the
original usage. Some of these nameless churches are also used for
storage. In others the wall are covered with graffiti indicating that
they might be popular venues for local couples wishing to escape the
strictures of their families. Here one can learn the Turkish for some
amorous expressions without having to resort to a dictionary.

Visiting caves and cave-churches and chapels in Cappadocia is hardly a
conventional experience. The main door or gate of St Nicholaios was
locked but a path led to a low part of the wall and we scrambled over.
Fruit tress in the former ecclesiastical courtyard were covered with
little knots of ribbon, fabric, tights and loo roll. The site still
appears to have a special significance for local people. Among the
tress just beyond the grounds of the church is a long stone that may
at some time have been a tombstone. Now it is usefully used as a
picnic table and is surrounded by smaller stones used as seats.

The Sinassos Church was also locked and with good reason. But we were
able to see through a hole in the wall. Areas of the ceiling were
cracked and bulging with the weight of the stone above. In other
places the ceiling had collapsed. I realized that it might be my only
opportunity to see the church before there are more rock falls. Tufa
was easy to carve but it crumbles just as easily. Caves have been
crumbling for as long as the tufa formed from the lava flows from the
volcanoes of Erciyes and Hasan Dagi, have covered the area. Now birds
and bats are the only residents. Even they may need to consider
alternative accommodation in future. In spring the growing strength of
their songs replaces the liturgies of past centuries.

From above the Sinassos Church we saw steps leading up the side of the
fairy chimney behind the entrance to the church. Our son suggested we
follow. I accompanied him to the first room. It was a dovecote full of
niches for birds. The windows looked directly across the valley into
the windows of the dovecote opposite. Near the entrance was large
mill-wheel-shaped stone that could be rolled across the entrance.
Pigeon manure was an important source of fertilizer and no doubt birds
and their eggs were eaten too.

Many dovecotes in the region are easily identified, not just by the
regular pigeon-sized entrances, but also frequently by ochre geometric
designs painted on the outside walls. One evening near Uchisar we saw
a flock of pigeons alighting on a tufa cone. I wondered if they were
returning to a dovecote where innumerable generations of pigeons had
been roosting over many centuries?

Outside the dovecote, high up on the slopes behind the fairy-chimney
we found our first short-stemmed blue iris in flower. Close by there
was a small spring which would provide water for a whole carpet of
magnificent blooms. Every season in Cappadocia has its treasures. The
iris was a promise of a rich and wonderful wildflower blooming to
come.

We climbed to the summit of some of the surrounding ridges. High up,
tiny rock falls start with the slightest provocation, causing further
damage to the landscape. Frost, snow and the baking hot summers erode
enough without the activities of man. I sat on a stone, writing in my
notebook for a while. It was a treat to feel the warm sunshine on my
back while in the higher peaks there were still drifts of snow.

We were lucky to be in Cappodocia at the cusp of the seasons. Down in
the valleys one could almost feel the warmth gathering in the furrows,
ploughed in readiness for sowing. Later we saw bags of seed being
delivered to the fields by taxi. The difference between the Goreme
Open Air Museum and the valley around Mustafapasa is that in the
Mustafapasa region one sees how people live with their history and
environment. There is more to be seen and enjoyed than one could
possibly include in a year of weekends, let alone one or two weekends
or short holiday from Ankara.

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