Category Archives: In the Field

The wake of revolution

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As loyal readers already know, we spent Thursday through Saturday in the Hatay region of southern Turkey, which is in close proximity to the Syrian border. A growing number of refugee camps dot the dusty landscape of Hatay, and the cities, like Antakya, are increasingly full with those who have escaped violence in Syria.

I don’t want to tread on the stories I’m working on too much. Nearly 9,000 Syrians have reportedly perished at the hands of Bashar al-Assad’s forces since last May. People told me stories of brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and children being slaughtered.

The ones who have survived say they will never be the same.  When we visited the Antakya State Hospital, we talked to people disfigured for life – who say they narrowly escaped death.

A refugee woman who helped us communicate at one of the camps took us to the hospital, where she often volunteers and brings food. The two men we visited suffered tremendous injury in Syria, one said he was injured by a bombing and one from being driven over by an Assad army vehicle during a demonstration. They have both been in the hospital for several months. They told us they were carried over the border mountains on the backs of Free Syrian Army members, then driven to the hospital in Antakya.

I will be writing more about these men and the other refugees I met this weekend, so be sure to look out for those pieces this week!

Antioch’s Religious Blend

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Many people may know Antioch for having delicious desserts like Kunefe, or for being a city on the Syrian-Turkey border. However, Antioch may be best known as a “seat of Christianity.” Ten minutes away from the heart of the city is St. Peter  Grotto, where it’s reported the word “Christian” was first used.

One would assume that since Turkey is 99.8% Muslim, the history of Christianity isn’t honored in Turkey. But, in Antioch, there’s an Orthodox Church, a Protestant Church, a Catholic Church, various mosques and a synagogue… all within 15 minutes walking distance of each other.

Members of all of these places of worship work together on different projects for the community. “Christians, Armenians, Orthodox, Jews… it’s an example of collaboration, and we work together.” said Father Bertogli of the Antioch Catholic Church.

At the Orthodox Church there is even special seating to separate men and women, an accommodation for Muslims who may come to their church, according to Razik Effim, administrator for the church.

“All the religions are in a friendship”, Effim said.

A site that really captures the interfaith feeling of Antioch is Sister Barbara Kallasgh’s house. The Catholic nun says every Monday through Friday, at 6:30 p.m., people from all spiritual walks of life come together to sing songs from different religions and cultures.

LIving in a city near the Turkey-Syria border where they can mix with refugees escaping violence in their homeland “It becomes more important for this city to spread this message of peace,” said Kallasgh.

She believes that music is the best way to convey this message.

“Music is something coming from the heart,” said Kallasgh. “It’s more deep, more rooted than words. Music is something we really can feel together. We don’t struggle with music. There are no borders in music.”

Luis Moreno, a local painter, artist, and volunteer for the services, said that Sister Barbara’s is less of a church, and more of a meeting point. Pilgrims, or those visiting holy sites in the city, can “come and go” as they please, and the atmosphere is neutral.

“People can meet, said Moreno, “sing without problems, and pray together for peace.”

Moreno came to Sister Barbara’s from Syria, where, as a Syrian Christian, he did not converse with others of different faiths.

“I wanted to experience something I could not experience in Syria,” he said, “like the dialogue with Jews and Christians, for example.”

And that, according to Effim, is the whole purpose of the city.

“This is one of the best examples in the world of all the cultures,” said Effim,” and there is no place like the city.”

Artisan Antakya: The Art of Roasting

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Walking around the market in Antayka this weekend, my nose stumbled upon a shop, selling an assortment of roasted nuts. After tasting a variety of samples, we settled on a bag of roasted cashews. Then the owner, Ismai, came out to greet us and invited us to a back corner for some tea. Bar none, Turkish hospitality is like no other I’ve experienced. Where ever you go, people will eagerly offer you a cup of tea, insisting on continuously refilling it. It takes about three cups to become best friends with someone here! Enjoying our tea and roasted nuts with Ismail, I learned that he has been in the nut industry for quite a while. He first started out by himself, pushing a little cart up and down the streets selling nuts. Now, fifteen years later, he owns his own nut roasting company, and ships to many different cities across Turkey.

His business is in Antayka, the Hatay region, which is close to the border with Syria. Currently there are four Syrian refugee camps located in the Southeast region of Turkey. While some of the shopkeepers have been hit hard during the turmoil in Syria, because it’s harder for people to cross back and forth over the border, Ismail said he hasn’t experienced the same loss of business as others.

Several shopkeepers report  their profits drastically declined because Syrian customers aren’t able to frequent them anymore. But, when talking with these various shop owners, there was one theme in common–empathy. They all expressed in some way that even if their businesses took a hit from the Syrian conflict, the most important issue for them was their Syrian brothers and sisters, as they affectionately referred to them. They displayed such humanity and concern for those across the border who are dealing with violence almost daily.

History is alive in Antakya

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Antakya -more commonly known as Antioch to most Christians- is an outstanding place. Obviously, it has religious significance, but people tend to forget that many of history’s  ‘A-listers’ had a personal connection to the area.

According to local tourist brochures, Cleopatra and Antony were married here; St. Luke and St. Peter preached here; Alexander the Great fought here; the Greek goddess Daphne died here. The list could go on.

History shrouds the city of Antakya- the churches, the museums and the people.

Walking around the main bazaar, you’ll find craftsmen keeping history alive through their work- many of them learned their craft from their fathers, who learned from their fathers, who learned from their fathers, and so on. Consequently, trades that were almost entirely driven out of Western cultures years ago often thrive in this historic city.

One such business is the shoe repair, these shops pepper even the most touristy of areas. The shoe repair men (and they are always men) are not relics from the past, but skilled workers that the whole community employs.

“Westerners are shocked. They are always stopping and taking pictures of me. You all throw shoes away like they’re nothing so you aren’t used to the idea,” said Muhammad, a local shoe repairman who opened his shop 13 years ago. He began learning the business from his father at age 15.

A variety of tools are scattered across his very cluttered work station which reeks of fresh leather and noxious glue. Using an old, giant sewing machine, a couple of “shoe stretchers” and a variety of large shears, he can remedy most shoe problems -too tight, too big, too tall, too short.

“It depends on the shoe, but it can be fixed maybe three or four times,” he said.He noted that the most common problem he fixes is “shoes that are worn away on the bottom.”

The bin of shoes next to his table are broken and dirty; they look entirely unfix-able, but he’ll give all of these old, dilapidated shoes a new life.

 

Artisanal treats: Kunefe

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Turkey is famous for many desserts, but one in particular remains a craving for every sweet tooth in Hatay: Kunefe. It is a dessert that is known throughout the country but  Antakya is famous for it.  There are rows of kunefe shops on some of this city’s streets. What distinguishes Kunefe made in Antakya from others is that it is usually made fresh daily, and its primary element is an elastic cheese that is only made in the Hatay region.There are a strips of Kunefe shops in Antakya, and within their well known, Long Bazaar, where we were taught how to make the dessert.

The steps are very simple: First Kadayif dough is made in a special shop where they spin a wheel that sits over hot coals. The result: strings of dough. It is shredded phyllo dough made from flour, milk and sugar. The Kunefe maker buys the dough from the shop to combine with other ingredients. They keep the treat moist by buttering the pan, and placing the dough inside. The dough is then cooked on a hot stove for about 10 to 15 minutes. After it has browned, a thick layer of cheese is placed on top. It is placed on the stove once more for the cheese to melt. You place it on the stove once more to make it a light flaky golden brown.

Then flip it, let it cool and then pour hot syrup, made from sugar and water, on top. When that cools ground pistachios are sprinkled over it, add a little ice cream and you have a simply elegant dessert.

 

The Liwan Boutique Hotel

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When arriving at our hotel in Antakya, Hatay, we were all stunned by how beautiful it was. With its stone walls and elegant furnishings, The Liwan Hotel is far from modern.

The Liwan Hotel

According to the history provided by the hotel staff, it was built by Sekip Nakip in the 1920s. Information in the hotel brochure indicates the Liwan Hotel was first built as a home for a Syrian official, later became a French Embassy, and once housed a doctor who cared for patients inside his home. The building was abandoned for a long period of time until being remodeled in October of 2008.

The Restaurant

Guests from all over the world come to the Liwan, especially from the United States, Germany, and France, according to hotel staff. Famous Turks such as writer Orhan Pamuk and Singer Hande Yener have also stayed in this hotel. Last year the Turkish film series, Asi, was hosted at The Liwan Hotel.

A Room

Ancient ruins of Antakya (Antioch)

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Hatay is known for being a region with ruins that are thousands of years old. On our first day in Antakya (also known as Antioch), we visited an ancient cave where Saint Peter and Saint Paul are said to have hidden with early Christians during the Ottoman empire. It can be traced back to the Acts of the Apostles in the Christian Bible. The oldest elements of this church date back to the 4th and 5th centuries. We touched the walls they touched as they were developing the essentials of the religion we now know as Christianity.

There was also a stone altar, and chair that were later added by crusaders around the 9th century.

Another great thing about this historic site was the tunnel created to crawl up to escape from Ottoman attack.

Tolu Taiwo: On Display

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During this trip I’ve been so preoccupied with finding Africans– and so thrilled when I make a connection with them– that I haven’t really thought about how I come across to Turkish people. The African population, after all, while existent, isn’t that big. In Istanbul, there hasn’t been much of a problem. However, Antioch is a different story.

One woman pointed to me, then to her arms and face, and then at my skin in amazement, as if she couldn’t believe that one human could be so dark. One little boy on the street stopped to stare at me for literally two minutes. I tried to engage in a conversation about his bike with him, but he wasn’t having it.

Picture by Caroline Pahl

A local art store owner, though, reassured me that the people’s reaction was not out of spite. “They are not racist,” he said, “but many of them rarely see someone of your color.”

Strange. But fair. No one is disrespectful of me, and no one has denied me anything. Instead of just feeling uncomfortable myself, I need to put myself in their shoes: If I saw someone different from me for the first time, I’d give them a glance, too.

Delightful sweets

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There is one sweet treat that is well known because it has this country in its name, Turkish delight. When popping a little square in your mouth, its not often that you think about what is in this wonderful treat. It comes in multiple flavors, and sold in many shops around Turkey. The treat is created from a mix of starch and sugar based gel. Also in the mix you can find nuts, such as pistachios, walnuts or hazelnuts. It can also contain sweet fruit like dates and fruit flavors like pomagranette.

The taste originates from either artificial flavors, syrup, honey, or molasses. The morsel is usually diced in small cubes, doused in powered sugar to create an explosion of flavor in your mouth when eaten.

Interview with formerly imprisoned Turkish journalist

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I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Ahmet Sik, a journalist that was released from jail just two months. His interview has received a lot of press from social media and networking sites. It has been tweeted and retweeted over one-hundred times including tweets from Turkish press and news outlets. Check out an article I wrote about the interview in the International Herald Tribune: