6 Middle East

Alone Together @ Cappadocia, Turkey, January 18-20, 2020

Alone Together When you are alone, you can be with yourself more closely than ever. The near-complete silence in remote sites is fitting for those reunions. This is one of such memories captured in the vast Cappadocia area. @ Cappadocia, Turkey, January 18-20, 2020

Mercimek koftesi @ Lüleburgaz, Turkey, February 15, 2020

Mercimek koftesi Turkish cuisine is rich and diverse. The Ottoman Empire had allowed the introduction of multiple cultures, and different cuisines co-evolved over time. And I am glad that I had tried at least some of the most iconic dishes during my stay. In Lüleburgaz, a city in western Turkey, I had the pleasure to …

with Sibel and Ozlem @ Istanbul, Turkey, February 8th, 2020

with Sibel and Ozlem Last time it was summer and they were travelers, and now it is winter and they are locals. By coincidence, we reunited on a very cold day in Istanbul, and for some time we had to cover our faces as we walked because pieces of snow were getting into our eyes. …

with Özgür and friends @ Çıtır Balık, Antalya, Turkey, January 26, 2020

Some Turkish friends strongly recommended a fish sandwich place in town. I was happy to learn that the place was only two minutes from where I stay, but from the outside, the popularity seemed overwhelming – the queue for placing orders was long, and there was another queue for the people who wanted to get …

Arrival @ Antalya, Turkey, January 22, 2020

Arrived in Antalya. From the North East of Turkey, I’ve visited places along a diagonal route to get to Antalya, a city known for its mild climate and beaches. During the past months, I’ve come up with some creative ways to stay relaxed and comfortable in a cold climate, just so that I am still …

Bike riders @ Hopa and Trabzon, Turkey, January 14 and 15, 2020

Bike riders On the first two days in Turkey, I met bike travelers each day. Some of it must have been by coincidence and other could have been due to my desperate energy to meet other people, after a long break in Georgia. The two groups of riders had things in common. They both started …

Listening to Tina @ American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, January 2019

Although I stayed in Lebanon for a relatively long period of time, I cannot claim that I achieved a good level of understanding of the country. It is a lot to learn about. Lebanon has been shaped by several major civilizations of the world spanning thousands of years, and it is known for being the …

Intellectual Sanctuary @ Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt, February 19, 2019

Intellectual Sanctuary   Many visit Egypt with the anticipation of seeing the relics from Ancient Egypt such as mummies of Pharaohs and the Pyramids. But Egypt has been as much Ancient Egypt as it has been Greco-Roman Egypt and Arab Egypt, to name a few. That was why Alexandria came to my attention, and as …