Turkey is where a lot of stories that I've learned growing up have taken place. It's actually surprising how much. Of course, it makes sense once you think of it...Roman Empire, the beginnings of civilization and all that...
But did you know St. Nicholas aka Santa Claus was born in Patara, Turkey? And his church (which is a tiny, cute, and very cozy place... but no snow and now elves or reindeer) is in a nearby village?
They have a statue of the traditional Santa Claus we see in advertisements, books, and movies standing in the village square and it looks very out of place.
Did you know that many people think that Atlantis is actually off the coast of Turkey?
Hey, I might have said that one already.
Noah and his Ark are supposed to have landed on Mount Ararat along the Eastern border of Turkey after the flood.
And in a museum I saw a plate that had the Sufi word Yummi engraved into the bottom. The word means happiness. So when we say something is Yummy, it's actually from way, way, back beyond your stomach and your tongue. :)
I also got to visit a place where the cave holds clay and a natural hot spring. Cleopatra was said to have visited often and put on clay masks as a beauty treatment.
It used to be free. Now it's 3 New Turkish Lire.
History, Fiction, and commerce interwoven.
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