Diyabakir, the streets

This was our last day in Diyabakir. I had budgetted too much time that we were done by this day. So what were we going to do the rest of the three days we had left. We tried to change our travel plans and the travel agent told us to go to the airport where the offices of Turkish arilines was. The wonderful people at Turkish airlines changed our flight without any added penalty. So the next day saw us winging our way to Istanbul.

Diyabakir, the Tigris

 The ten arch bridge over the Tigris river.

Last weekend

I was in Santa Cruz (near San Francisco) over the weekend for my neice's graduation. It was a lovely day.

Di\yabakir, the old streets

 In little shops in the alley ways, people are fashioning household items out of metal or other materials. It's fascinating to see, we don't have this here in the USA. Maybe we should, rather than buy everything from Asia.

 I don't know what this guy is selling but there are a number of them on the streets, carrying a similar getup.

 The Eastern part of Turkey is much more traditional. Istanbul is so cosmopolitan that one cannot identify it as Islamic. Maybe it explains the rioting, they really don't want to give up their Western styl freedom. It just takes losing a little of them at a time and before you know it, all women are put in burqas and have to stay at home.

It's a fascinating mix of people and activity.

Ulu camii

 Ulu camii or the old mosque is being restored and a lot of areas was closed off. From the pictures it looked really sumptuous.

 The really striking feature that we can see is this facade. It looked like the columns and lintels have been culled from a different source, possibly a Roman or Byzantine ruin. It is absolutely gorgeous.

Pity we couldn't see more but it is worth a trip back one day when it's finished.

Diyabakir, old town

 The black and white basalt makes for a lovely architectural piece, a converted caravansaray now houses restaurants and cay shops. The restaurants here serve only a special breakfast, a very elaborate meal called a kavalti. The guidebook recommends skipping your hotel breakfast and head over here for the kavalti. But we didn't have time.

Minarets dot the skyline but an old church can still be found sprinkled among the chaos.