We all enjoyed a sleep-in then a beautifully set out and typically Turkish breakfast. Originally from Antakya in the south, their jobs had led the men further afield to various parts of Turkey and, in Hüseyin’s case, to other countries such as Georgia. Alena was from Moldova and was appearing in the theatre in Trabzon.
Hüseyin, Alena, Keith and I set off to visit the sites late in the morning, taking the dolmush (minibus) into the centre of town. They line up and move off when they are full or nearly full. It is as good as having a car but allows more people and luggage. We rode along the coast past the port, where ships both large and small were being processed.
Trabzon is a port city and for nearly 3000 years has been significant for traders. Its name comes from the word ‘trapeza’ which means table, given to the flat land above the sea where the colonists from Sinop founded the town. After the fourth crusade sacked Constantinople (now Istanbul), the nobles were forced to flee. It was then that Alexius Comnenus I formed a new empire of Trebizond, with a centre at Trabzon. The empire lasted until the Ottomans defeated it in 1461, despite valiant resistance. After WW1, the many Greek residents tried to establish a Republic of Trebizond but they were overcome by the Turks and the area became part of the Turkish Republic.
The centre of the city has a park for a square with a magnificent statue of Ataturk in a finely sculpted cloak riding a horse in the centre. Also honoured with statues are five natives of Trabzon who have contributed to public life, one of whom is celebrated partly for his role in directing a primary school. Another was a writer and one was a medical researcher. Minibuses arrive from everywhere at the end of the park and drive around it as they set out on their outward journeys. The city stretches on all sides and is extensive. We passed a car outside a florist being decorated with real flowers for a wedding.
The museum was closed for lunch when we arrived so we took a mini-bus to the Aya Sofya museum. Ayasofya was constructed by Manuel Comnenos I, a king of the Trabzon Empire in the 13th century. When Trabzon was conquered by Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror, it was turned into a mosque. Renovations were carried out in 1864 and during WWI the building was used as a hospital and store house. It resumed use as a mosque but in 1964, after renovations, it was opened as a museum.
We entered through an arch that had ancient and worn reliefs showing the story of Adam and Eve. An eagle decorated the keystone and signified the house of Comnenos. Inside we were surprised to see so many frescoes in excellent condition, given that it was used as a mosque. Many, many bible stories are illustrated, along with portraits of the saints, Jesus and Mary. Mythological beasts and griffins are thrown in for good measure. The cross shaped building was in the Byzantine style, with domes. The whole effect was of a Cathedral, given that we were used to so many tiny rock churches.
As we walked out through the far entry, the bell tower in practical square and sturdy style seemed not to belong and we found out that it was added two centuries later. I think the bell tower was planned by some stolid and money conscious type who said that there were already enough flights of fancy in the frescoes, architecture and fish scale roof tiles so let’s go basic and use the rest of the cash on the church picnic prizes or give it to the poor. Or maybe a committee worked on it.
The garden really sets off the stone church building and has a beautiful white flowering shrub in it that perfumed the air. The paths are lined with Islamic tomb stones and stone work that shows the superb skills of the stone masons. The designs are really beautiful. Part of the garden is now a tea room and it was there that Hüseyin and Alena sipped chai as they waited for us. To the side there were tea rooms on stilts, which had originally been store rooms which were raised to defeat the mice.We had commented on the fact that it was Mothers’Day – only remembered when our children contacted me. Hüseyin bought me a Mothers’ Day gift of a cloth typical of the Trabzon and Black Sea areas. He is so sweet and said that he likes mothers. He also gave us a little model boat each which is very appropriate, given that we were high on a hill above the port and could see a ship well from there.
When we arrived back in the centre, Alena and Hüseyin went off to the theatre because Alena is in Trabzon doing performances with a Moldovan group. We continued on to the Museum which was set up in a fantastic mansion that had a great deal of Italian influence and many building materials imported from Italy.
The museum is in a mansion which is fully furnished in many rooms and acts as part of the museum itself. It was built between 1889 and 1913 and the Teophylaktos family, who built it, only lived there for four years before going bankrupt. Imagine all that planning and excitement and the pleasure of the final result, only to lose it. Actually it is a little like an overdecorated cake in that there are so many painted, carved and gilded touches in every room and on every surface that you have to make yourself concentrate to see any one of them in detail. It reminded me of the Italian church in Alexandria where marble walls, columns and carvings were actual in some places and painted on in others. I read that the architecture and decorations come from the Baroque-rococo tradition of Europe, and yet there are eastern influences in some parts. Apparently the Ottoman Empire was slowly abandoning its own style in favour of a more European look for palaces, but it was unusual to see it and influences from classical eras, in a family home.
During the Independence war the building was used as headquarters and Ataturk stayed there for two nights in 1924. After being used by various government departments, it was used as a girls’ school. Thirteen years of renovation followed before it could be opened as a museum!
Downstairs the rooms were furnished simply but with elegance. No doubt when your sitting room is bigger than someone else’s whole house, any furniture in it is going to look less rather than more. There was an entry hall which opened onto a large waiting hall from which doors led to the dining room, sitting room, library, reception room, study, games room, living room and an enormous glass roofed entertainment hall with a baroque balcony. Some of the rooms still have the original silk wallpaper. Attendants follow you closely and no wonder, with so many artworks and items on display.
Upstairs the rooms would have been the family quarters but it is now set out with ethnographic displays. The bedroom set up for Ataturk’s visit has been recreated as it was for him and there is a room set up for the 5th president of Turkey, Cevet Sunay. While there had been information in English generally, the Cevet Sunay room remained a mystery to us. Other rooms had displays of clothing and jewellery, weapons and manuscripts. There is a large section for the family prayers – in fact it is a complete and beautifully decorated mosque.There was no sign of a kitchen or servants’ rooms, but they would have been in the basement, which was mostly below ground level. A narrow dry moat around the house enabled light to enter through windows. This basement now serves as the archaeological museum. A beautiful human sized bronze statue of Hermes, made in 200 BC, was recovered in pieces during excavations in 1997. It is slightly crushed and it makes you realise how old it is and how much has happened since its creation.
The chronological displays were interesting, but our favourite sections were those of the seals (to make marks identifying owners or makers) and the icon section. Seals have been used since Neolithic times and there was a delicate cylinder seal which could be worn on a thong around the neck as well as ring seals. We learnt at last why the icons sometimes have a metal cover with only the faces showing. It is because people touch and kiss icons and, through their devotion, damage them. The silver and metal parts over the pictures preserve the paintings and were introduced in the 17th century.
We strolled around Trabzon, through some parts of the bazaar and the fruit and vegetable market. We had seen people with fair skin and some with fair hair and blue eyes. Trabzon is a cosmopolitan city with residents with Russian, Georgian and other backgrounds and trading connections with ports all over the Black sea. It was interesting to look at the different facial features and appearances, and to wonder what we would make of places and populations in Australia if we were examining them like this.The city has old walls that have been breached by time and modern building expansion. Old and new are in transition as the municipality works on beautification in the oldest suburbs.
We met Hüseyin outside the hotel where he works and took the dolmush home. Hüseyin and Hasan cooked a beautiful meal. Hasan is retired and has recovered from recent open heart surgery. We looked at our photos and spent a very pleasant evening chatting.
This house close to the centre of Trabzon has all of its small yard devoted to growing eggplants and other vegetables.
Helva is a specialty of Trabzon but we didn't indulge very much. The shops display these very slabs if helva in the windows.
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