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Monday, 11 May 2015

R stands for Roads





The Silk Road or long road (Uzun Yol) is the historic system of caravan trails through Turkey, Persia (Iran), India and China that allows trade to prosper and cultures to come into contact over the centuries.





 We travelled along The Silk Road to visit the ancient city of Konya, the spiritual home to the Whirling Dervishes,  I wrote about  the Dervishes on a previous ABCW 'W' post.


The Whirling  Dervishes.


The Selimiye Mosque in Konya.

The trip along the Silk Road was quite a dreary journey until we arrived at the most beautiful ancient city of Konya, a just reward for sitting in a rickety old coach for what seemed like an eternity.  



The journeys and conquests of Alexander The Great probably created The Silk Road, where armies march, merchants quickly follow. After their Parthian campaigns, the Romans developed a liking for silk and fostered trade along the route of The Silk Road. The Byzantines loved the luxuries of the Orient and did what they could to keep them coming. The Seljuk Turks did even better, improving roads and building beautiful Caravanserais to encourage trade with the east.

 The Caravanserais is a resting place for the weary travellers and merchants.

They provided food and beds and also the ubiquitous Hamam (Turkish Bath).





 




The Sultan Han built in the 1230's a striking old Seljuk  Caravanserais it is a fine example  of a Seljuk royal caravan lodging and the second  largest in Anatolia.

 


I have come to the end  of a very long road and hope you have enjoyed my journey through a most spectacular country.

  ...My sincere thanks to the Radiant Denise for devising ABCW and also to our most Revered Roger for his hard work in the administration of ABCW.



 

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17 comments:

  1. Roger Owen Green11 May 2015 at 12:21

    Very informative, as usual,. Di!

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  2. ellen b.11 May 2015 at 17:59

    A great choice and introduction to R, Di! I love roads and where they can take us!

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  3. Reader Wil12 May 2015 at 06:50

    I certainly have enjoyed the journey in Turkey and on the Silk Road. Thank you Di!

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  4. Unknown12 May 2015 at 08:01

    One of the trips that still are on my bucketlist ;-)

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  5. Leovi12 May 2015 at 08:31

    Very nice photos, good catches of The Silk Road!

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  6. Gattina12 May 2015 at 22:12

    Brings back memories ! I have done this road too !

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  7. DougPhoto200913 May 2015 at 06:02

    Thanks for sharing your journey on the Silk Road.

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  8. Melbourne Australia Photos13 May 2015 at 06:54

    Enjoyed the Road trip! My "R" is for RABBIT!

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  9. Melbourne Australia Photos13 May 2015 at 07:28

    "R" for Right as Rain!

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  10. Jutta.K.13 May 2015 at 07:39

    Hey, I'm doing this time for the first time and I am glad that I post here my link ..
    Your contribution is fascinating and impressive, a strange world for me.
    ♥Greetings

    ReplyDelete
  11. My Desktop Daily13 May 2015 at 07:54

    Great intro! My "R" stands for RUSSET Autumn leaves.

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  12. Su-sieee! Mac13 May 2015 at 12:43

    The Silk Road! How exciting. That's another place I'd like to travel down.

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  13. fredamans13 May 2015 at 14:59

    I love the dancers!!

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  14. Lmkazmierczak14 May 2015 at 10:58

    Always look forward to your intros...always interesting and informative♪ http://lauriekazmierczak.com/rain-ragged-dandelion/

    ReplyDelete
  15. Rosy14 May 2015 at 11:43

    Thank you for sharing your wonderful experiences and thank you so much for the tour as well.

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  16. Beloo Mehra15 May 2015 at 01:05

    R is for road indeed!

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  17. Trubes18 May 2015 at 01:08

    Thank you all for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
    I've not been able to reply personally as I have been out of action with
    a nasty bug.
    Best wishes,
    Di.
    ABCW team.

    ReplyDelete