April 17 – A Caravanseria and a Mausoleum

We have almost a full day of driving today and there was a lot to see along the way.  

We are headed over the Taurus Mountains to the coastline and to Antalya. Our mid-morning stop was at the Sultanhani Caravanserai.  Caravanserai were stop-over inns for travelers on the Silk Road.  This one dates from the early 1200’s and is the largest caravanserai in Turkey.  It is very well preserved.

The large outer courtyard is used in summer and holds both the travelers and their animals. 

The building in the middle of the outer courtyard is a kiosk-mosque.  The oldest one in Turkey. 

The inner courtyard is fully enclosed and roofed and is almost as large.   When the weather was very cold everyone, including the camels, adjourned to the very large internal chamber. 

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More Sultanhani Caravanserai
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After the photo stop, we crossed the road to a small restaurant shop for some hot chocolate.  The Turks do a pretty good hot chocolate.  And unusual, but very tasty, desserts.  This one is pumpkin and a great sauce.

After driving a couple hours, we stopped in Karatay for another rest stop and to visit the Mausoleum of Mevlânâ.  This is the mausoleum of Jalâ ad-Dīn Muhammad Rûmî, a Persian Sufi mystic who founded the Mevlevi order…the Whirling Dervishes.

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More Mausoleum of Mevlânâ
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The route today took us past some pretty mountain villages...

and over the mountain passes where we stopped to take photos of the mountains...

and the Cedars of Lebanon that grow in this area. 

We hit an altitude of almost 6,000 feet at the high pass.

On the lower elevations and plains of the west side of the mountains is a huge farming area.  There are a huge number of greenhouses in the area.

Our home for just tonight is in the seaside city of Konya.