I took a dolmus to Harran, another town mentioned in the old testament hereabouts. It was once an important trading town on the road South to Syria, the border was only a few kms away. The road to it went through fields of lupins in yellow flower that before the irregation made possible by the Atatürk Dam would have been desert.
I think I'm getting used to being on the road & being well away from the known. Things that would have struck me as being exotic don't. Perhaps that will come back when I cross into Iran.
Harran is just a village, with a unique to Turkey architectural style. Many of older buildings there were constructed of mud bricks with roofs the shape of pointed domes. Around the buildings las the ruins of the ancient city that was destroyed by the coming of the Mongols. Dressed stone poked up between weeds & pasture land for goats. The remains of Roman walls could be seen as well as those of reputedly the oldest mosque in Anatolia. A cool medieval castle slowly crumbled away beside the village.
Having reached this far East I am backtracking to Istanbul by nightbus to pick up at least one & hopefully 2 visas & with fortune a bike care package sent from Amsterdam. I'm looking forward to picking up a couple of books & properly washing all of my clothes.
I cycled 0km
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