Catalhuyuk

We woke up this morning to grey skies and light rain. The rain had stopped by the time we said goodbye to our lovely hotel but it was still dull.
We had a 4 hr drive to Konya stopping on the way at a large well preserved caravanseray dating from the Seljuk period about 1200 ad.
The final archaeological site of Catalhuyuk was supposed to be a highlight of the tour. It is the earliest known town settlement dating from 8000bc until 6200bc. It is thought to have between 5000 and 8000 inhabitants at its height who lived in mud brick houses with no streets between them. They accessed their homes through holes in the roof and ladders.
It was a great disappointment. Apparently the earliest, largest and most significant of the 2 mounds excavated has been closed to visitors for 2 years as its protective roof is considered unsafe. Meanwhile they have built a fancy big visitor centre and are constructing expensive raised walk ways. The mound we were able to visit was small as they have only uncovered 10% of it and was very unclear in the remains. Most of the wall paintings have been removed to Ankara museum (where we saw them) leaving only sandbags to protect the mud brick walls. It was such a sad end to a fascinating archaeological trip.Read more