Safranbolu Part 3 : Walk around the arasta.

Merhaba,

  Yesterday our new dinghy and recertified life raft were delivered.  So we’re pretty close to being ready to set off within the next few weeks.  I’m also just about finished with the emails of our Black Sea trip.  This final one about Safranbolu and one about our last evening in Ankara; and finis!  Then I can begin araṣtirmak (to research) the places we’re tentatively planning to visit on our way to London.  

   Looking back on the 3 Safranbolu emails it’s hard to believe that we did so much before 2 pm! 

Ru

Safranbolu Part 3 :  Walk around the arasta.

We all started out following Taṣ though the narrow streets of shops, but it’s hard to souvenir shop as a group.  And as it was about noon, Randal wanted food more than he wanted stuff, so we went off on our own to a small “not tourist” restaurant to share some lentil soup and grilled chicken.  We were to regroup at 2 pm.

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More blue caps.  If I didn’t already say, we drank enough water during over our 7 days to collect almost 90 caps.

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Randal loves these light weight construction blocks.  We have a North Cyprus photo just like this.

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The date on the sign says 1661!

We were doing our group thing at this point, so as we passed I took photos of the traditional coffee making, but didn’t stop to sample any. 

Lonely Planet review for Arasta Lonca Kahvesi

This is one of the town’s most congenial places for a coffee, but it’s in the thick of the arasta action, so you pay for the atmosphere (çay TL2.50); head to the backstreets for a quieter, cheaper cuppa.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/

  (I have paid both less and more for Çay (tea) other places.)

Arasta: Row of shops near a mosque, the rent from which supports the mosque.

Lonca: Dictionary definition is “guild.”

Kahvesi: Kahve is coffee and the si makes it a possessive. 

So maybe Coffee of the Arasta Guild

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Traditional coffee making; but the woman is in very western dress with no head scarf.

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I’m not leaving Turkey without one of these long handled “coffee makers.”

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I think these small Ottoman house models were becoming lamps

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Pinocchio is alive and well in Turkey; we see puppets everywhere.

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Randal times 2.

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Soon the vines will be leaf covered and providing shade.

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The Izzet Mehmet Pasha Mosque (I think)

Built in 1796 by Izzet Mehmet Pasha  entirely of cut stone.

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Kazdaḡli Mosque 1778

It was built by Kazdagli Mehmet Aga in 1779. The mosque was constructed from stone and brick. Its brick minaret has one balcony (serefe). The mosque, which was sold to private person in 1930’s, was donated to Safranbolu Municipality by Müezzinoglu Family (Nuri – Meliha Isitan) in 1975. Ownership of the mosque passed from the Municipality to General Directorate of Foundation in 2004 and its restoration was accomplished in the same year.   http://www.waymarking.com/

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I like this photo, and hope these historic building will always be protected.

But from my experiences Turkey is really very much more modern than this photo would imply.