Sunday, September 28 –

Got to do my tabata workout on our private terrace as the sun came up. Then a quick breakfast and onto the bus, saying a fond farewell to Cappodocia.

Our first stop was at the Guzelyurt Mosque, which was originally a Byzantine Church built in 385 AD. We got to meet an imam who answered our questions about the Muslim religion.

He was a young man (29), and it was interesting to learn not only about the religion but also about the lifestyle and career of an imam.

Next was a stop at the Sultanhan Caravansaraie. Which is the largest caravansaraie in Turkiye. What is a caravansaraie, you ask? (no worries, I did too). It’s a roadside inn along trade routes where merchants had a safe place to trade their goods, feed and rest their animals, and spend the night. There are hundreds of them along the route (a day’s travel apart). Kind of a Holiday Inn for the 12th-14th century crowd.

Sultan Han was a large caravansaraie built along along the Silk Road in 1229. It is in good shape and one can imagine it as a hub of activity as well as a respite spot for weary travelers.

We then had another quick rest stop lunch, before heading to Konya, our home for the night and home of the Mevlana Museum, most famous for housing the mausoleum of Rumi, the 13th century poet and mystic.

Rumi is revered in Islam, but this museum is a bit of a madhouse as people seem to process through the building as a moving mass of humanity with smartphones held high overhead clicking away. Felt like the tour of a rum cake factory in the Bahamas!

It felt “off” as I felt this is supposed to be a holy place–the call to prayer happened as we were entering, and a flood of folks came in to prayer, but in that chaos? I am generally the queen of irreverence, but not when it comes to places of worship–praying there could not have felt very meditative or spiritual.

The rest of the complex, illustrating life as a dervish (the whirling kind). The cells where they lived, the ritual hall where they performed, and the sarcophagi and cemeteries where they were buried were interesting and a little less insane. if I am honest, I wasn’t sad to move on.

We are only in Konya one night, in a standard business type hotel, so no fun photos (or room cats). We had a group buffet dinner at the hotel (which had a much more impressive selection than I anticipated) and made it an early night as everyone is excited to hit the Mediterranean tomorrow!

12,834 steps

5.8 miles