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July 08, 2007
More pics!
Here are some more pictures from Antakya and Samandagh (Seleucia Pieria).
Antioch is officially called "Hatay" in Turkish, although Antakya is much more commonly used. One of my Turkish friends had told me that this has something to do with the Kamalists (followers of Ataturk) and their assertion that Turks have lived in the Antioch area since time immemorial. He said that this was to forge an identity for Antakya in the Turkish republic, as it was actually part of Syria until 1939. Apparently, the name "Hatay" was chosen to suggest that the Turkish people from "Khatay" (Cathay) have lived there from the ancient times.
I knew that in modern Turkish, the distinct sounds of "h" (as in hello), kh (as in German ch in doch) and gluttal H3 (exists in Semitic languages and often confused by the Europeans with the kh sound) have been simplified to "h", so, a "khan" like Chengiz Khan is Jengiz Han in Turkish, and Khane (Persian for "house") is han and H3ussain is hüsayin. But I still could not get it why the Khatay Turks (from the Chinese Turkishtan, the area of Kashghar) should have ended up in Antakya, even in an obvious political ploy.
Then I think I figured it out. The Antakya-Aleppo area was invaded by Hattusili II of the Hittites a long time ago. It was, as with the Hittite homeland itself, populated by the Hatti (written with the H3 in Assyrian and Hittite cuneiform). Remnants of the Hatti and Hittite presence can still be seen (a picture is included in the collection I put up). So, it seems that in haste to make a political claim, the leaders of the young Turkish republic connected two unrelated words (Khatay and H3atti) and since it sounded the same to them (Hatay and Hatti), decided that they indeed are the same. You see how misleading half-baked knowledge can be?
Well, in the end, it seems to have worked alright. Most Antiochians today know Arabic, but they all speak Turkish and the younger generation is obviously much more comfortable with it, as it is the only language used in schools. Signs are all in Turkish, as is all official business. Antioch is now more Turkish than Syrian, and no one is complaining!
Posted by Khodadad at July 8, 2007 03:24 PM
Comments
It took me a while, but I finally found a map to show me where Antakya is. Looks like they have a very nice shallow bay next to the city. It must have been an excellent place to found a city dependent on Mediterranean shipping.
Hey, your first pic of Antakya looks a lot like Tucson, AZ to me! Except that Tucson is next to either bigger hills or mountains. :)
The view from the Grotto of St. Peter reminds me of a picture of Tehran that I saw.
Was the Tunnel of Titus originally an aquaduct?
Hey, what's up with that lady in the very skimpy lime green apparel next to the rock-cut tombs? Is there a swimming area nearby?
I suppose that Asiatic lions were still rather common back in Roman times. The lion is an important symbol on a lot of ancient carvings from West Asia (at least in my limited experience). A few years ago, I read that there is still a small population of Asiatic lions in India, if I remember correctly.
Interesting that the swastika is a part of ancient Turkish (or whatever empire controlled the area at the time) culture. I saw swastika symbols at a very old Buddhist temple in South Korea. I wonder where the symbol originated?
Pertinax looks like some sort of wild man! I wonder if he refused to cut his finger and toe nails too, like the famous crazy recluse Howard Hughes? ;)
Would your divine mosaic friend be Poseidon? I see what appear to be a variety of fish in the picture. He's got horns, so I presume he is either wise or a cuckold! ;)
That amphorae at the bottom right has an opening big enough for the purpose of potentially fertilizing one of your ancient orchards. ;) I have often wondered why so many amphorae have pointy bottoms? They obviously are not designed to stand up by themselves. Do you know why they are shaped this way?
I have seen pictures of giant pots in Italy. My guess is they were used to store water. Do you have any ideas? Those handles look more decorative than functional though. I'm not sure they would be strong enough to lift this pot even if it was empty!
Corn is a popular food in Iran? So, did you try the ice cream? :)
Posted by: David at July 9, 2007 02:10 PM