Kayseri in our bags (Turkey I)

Hi everyone! After a long time, Isak and I enjoyed some time together again in one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been, TURKEY! We had dreamt for two years about this trip and finally we made it. It was a short trip for this country, only 13 days, that’s why we didn’t have time to rest or even to sleep. Everyday we woke up early, went out, walked around all the cities and spent some hours on the plane or in the bus (once we had to travel for13 hours! I don’t recommend it). But we didn’t care about this bustle because we had a lot of awesome and lovely moments together that we will always keep in our memories.

During this trip we visited 5 cities, 1731 km: Kayseri, Cappadocia, Fethiye, Antalya and Istanbul.

In this post we will write about Kayseri, a city in the centre of Anatolia next to a well-known area, Cappadocia. Due to its airport and the short distance between the city and Cappadocia (about 1 hour by car), many tourists decide to visit Kayseri. The actual reason why we decided to stay in Kayseri is because Isak (My Panda :*) and his family live there, so we spent 2 days discovering the most important places and delicious Turkish food.

First of all, the main attraction in Kayseri is its gorgeous and huge Erciye Mountains. If you like skiing and want to spend your holidays here, these mountains are the best option because they have the longest sky slope in the world. Moreover, you should know that it is a half active volcano. The heart of the mountain is still filled up with lava.

The Grand Bazaar is another important stop that you should make in your tour. This bazaar is the biggest one in the centre of Turkey and it was built in the 13th century. It has around 600 shops where you can find real Turkish objects related to the tradition of its culture. We were in two different bazaars in Istanbul too (we will write a new post for this trip) but I personally prefer Kayseri Grand Bazaar because there are not too many tourists and you really can feel the traditional environment of Anatolia and see how Turkish people are in their daily life.

    

Our next stop was Republic Square where there is a huge Atatürk Statute in the middle. In this trip I realised that Atatürk is one of the most important people in Turkey, even after his death. He was the founder of the Turkish Republic and the founder of the new Turkey in 1923.

 Hunat Camii and Madrasah is a very interesting place to visit in Kayseri. Madrasah is a Muslim school, college or university that is often part of a mosque. Nowadays, this place is used for people to drink a tea in a quiet environment or to visit some of the antique Turkish customs in some of the several rooms there are here.

 

                                        Entrance of the building                          Isak, the best tour guide ;)

In one of the rooms there was a man who was painting flowers and other different paintings on posters with water and a kind of oil. This is a famous Turkish art called “Ebru”.

:’( I forgot mine

There were some women who were weaving pretty carpets which you can buy for a high price. In Turkey, weaving a carpet is another kind of art. All Turkish citizens have some of them in their houses and they have an important meaning in their home.

Nobody can deny that Turkish food is very tasty and extremely delicious. Don’t worry, we will write a post for popular meals and desserts in Turkey. For now, I’m leaving you a sneak peek, Just fall in love with all these edible presents that you can find in every corner of Kayseri:

Famous baklava

Kayseri pastirmasi

Halka tatlisi

Dried fruits and nuts

Turkish delights (Irene's mum favourites)

Famous manti from Kayseri

Kayseri used to be the central trade centre of Anatolia (today’s Turkey) but even now it is one of the trade centres of the country. Kayseri pushed the button for tourism and making huge investments for tourism. It’s a city full of historical heritages and culture.

It is common to find fountains in Turkey around parks, squares, mosques or bazaars with drinkable water. It’s an Islamic tradition (more than 92% of the population in Turkey are Muslims) and a cultural component too. Cleaning is the basis of Islam.

Most important and famous Architect of the world was Mimar Sinan the Arch, architect of Ottoman Empire in the 16^th century. He designed and built hospitals, food houses, libraries, schools, Madrasahs and mosques all around the world.

Mimar Sinan The Arch Architect of Ottoman Empire in 16th Century 

In the next picture we have the famous postcard of Kayseri. On the left side you can see Kayseri castle. On the right side Merkez Mosque.

Please leave an e-mail or comment if you have any questions

Regards

Irene Jimenez & Isak Uzun