Turkey
Leaving Iraq is at least a little easier than entering the country. The Turkish border, on the other hand, is again very well organized. There are only two posts, Immigration (entry) and Customs. After a short time and friendly treatment, we are through.
We set off straight away to cover as many kilometers as possible today. After seeing and experiencing so much on our journey through the Middle East so far, we are tired and are therefore not planning any more sightseeing. Our motto is therefore: drive and enjoy the scenery.
In Kiziltepe, we drive to a “TIR-Parki”, a truck parking lot, and are allowed to spend the night there for a small fee. The groundsman was so pleased with us that he gave us a bouquet of roses and some fragrant bread. Wonderful.
After a quiet night, we drive on to the Gaziantep campsite, which has a good infrastructure and is ideal for washing clothes and filling up with water in peace.
Gaziantep
Once again we meet overlanders at the Gaziantep campsite.
A Dutch family, Kim with her husband and son, are traveling with a Land Rover and off-road caravan towards Central Asia and Mongolia.
Christian and Sybil from “Benny goes Overland” also spend the night next to us. They have picked up their vehicle, which they left in Georgia for the winter. And last but not least, Peter and Regina, our colleagues, are also here again.
However, we are too tired for more detailed contact, it seems that a certain tension after Iraq is now easing and making us tired.
As our rear brake lights don’t come on, we drive to the MAN garage in Gaziantep, where the damage is repaired. Then we drive through to Tarsus.
Tarsus
The campsite in Tarsus is still free of charge. We take the opportunity to dine in the beautiful and well-kept restaurant right next door. Great atmosphere and good food and once again beer at the table.
Drive along the coast
Today we drive along the coast to Yesilovacik, a small tourist village on the coast. We meet Faik and Katrin from Switzerland and stand together directly on the pebble beach.
The drive along the coast was very tedious. The whole coast seems to be built up. Lots of traffic, lots of traffic lights, lots of through roads. We had had enough and decided to find a route on side roads through the interior.
About the Taurus Mountains
A narrow but paved road leads in many bends from the coast up into the Taurus Mountains. We reach the Ermenek reservoir via a plateau and two passes. We slowly ascend and descend through a wonderful cultural landscape until we reach the highest point at the Moca Pass.
We are beside ourselves, because we find this leisurely drive on Turkish side roads unspeakably beautiful. We reach the Ermenek reservoir with deep feelings of happiness.
Ermenek Reservoir
The reservoir lies at just under 700 m above sea level and has an area of 58 km2 with a length of around 27 kilometers. The dam wall is 210 m high and 132 m long. Coming from the 1525 m high Moca Pass, the lake below looks like a jewel in the landscape. After a bit of searching, we find a spot on the edge of the forest at the reservoir and have a peaceful and good night’s sleep.
From Lake Ermenek to Beysehir
Once again the road climbs high up into the mountains. At the highest point, just under 1900 m, we have wonderful views. The village of Tashkent lies at an altitude of over 1500 m and clings to the side of a mountain. Then, at moderate altitudes, we drive past beautiful flower meadows again. We continue to enjoy this wonderful ride and are delighted by the magnificent landscape.
Beyşehir
Beysehir is a small town situated at an altitude of over 1000 m on the lake of the same name. Its surface area measures 651 km², its length 45 km and its widest point 25 km. Its maximum depth is 10 meters. The lake is known for its abundance of fish. The Hittites were also here, they lived around 1200 BC and their central settlement area was in Turkey all the way down to Israel.
We only use Beysehir as a place to spend the night, in the park by the lake. Today there is a lot of activity in the park and we enjoy watching it.
Pisidia
Ancient Pisidia is located in the western Taurus Mountains and today corresponds roughly to the province of Antalya.
The apostle Paul and Barnabas visited Antioch in Pisidia during Paul’s first missionary journey, as reported in the Acts of the Apostles, and Paul’s preaching in the Jewish synagogue there caused a great stir among the citizens, but the ensuing conflict with the Jews led to their expulsion.
Pisidia is relatively lonely, with little traffic but beautiful landscapes. Our route also takes us along the eastern end of Lake Egirdir, where we stop for lunch in a neglected park.
Lake Ishikli
We reach Lake Ishikli in the late afternoon. The original lake was additionally dammed for irrigation purposes in the years 1950-1953. The Great Meander River flows through the lake. The water area is 64 km² and lies at an altitude of 816 m.
In our opinion, bird photography would be worthwhile at this lake, but only with really “long” lenses, as we can observe many birds with binoculars. And with that said, we spend the night here, near the lake.
Via Ivrindi to Canakkale
We travel along a romantic little river to Ivrindi and from there over densely wooded hills to Canakkale and the Dordanelles. The roads are very narrow and maximum concentration is required, but the landscape is once again inspiring.
Dardanelles and Gulf of Saros
Although there is now a bridge over the Dardanelles, the ferry is more romantic for us. We then drive on to the Gulf of Saros, where we spend our last night in Turkey.
