Before talking about Places to Visit in ElazigI would like to talk about the starting point of our trip… the exchange agreement between the Balkan countries and Turkey in the 1930s that 500,000 Turks were torn from their lands in the Balkans, were immigrated to Turkey. Two of these Turks, my grandmother and grandfather, were settled in Elazig together with the 300 households they came from when they were only 9 years old, and these 300 households >In the Palu district of Elazig, they founded the village of Kovancılar, which has the same name as their village, which is now within the borders of Bulgaria. When my grandmother and grandfather got married, after their daughter Ayşe, they gave birth to my father, who would cause me to be born in the following years.. Afterwards, they had three more children, gradually the children grew up, most of them flew away from the land they were born in… Another forty years passed, my grandmother passed away, my grandfather became 90 years old, my father survived to 70 years old, I am approaching 40, my lambs are 6 years old, they are flying with their grandparents to meet my grandfather to Elazig… My uncle from Elazig, born and bred, greets us at the airport. Thanks to the double roads in the east, we reach Kovancılar, 60 km away, in half an hour.. The first evening is spent with aunt’s dinners and how are you more?. My wife looks at me in confusion as if to say, “What am I doing here?” The lambs are running this way and that in the house, which has already merged with their uncle and grandchildren.. We go out for fresh air, and we come across the summer cinema in the Kovancılar Bazaar where the match is played inside:) The next morning, after breakfast, we hit the road with our driver uncle.. Our first stop is grandfather’s house A house in the garden, which continues to exist as a village house among apartments in Kovancılar, which has now become a district, and preserves the mud brick state it was built 80 years ago. house… We are longing for the large wooden balcony they call Yazlağ. The lambs, together with their grandchildren, squeeze the end of the garden hose and fight for water.. (see: being a child in the 80’s) I had come to introduce them to their great-grandfathers, they don’t care too much 🙂 We’re on our way to . The distance from Kovancılar to Tunceli is about 70 km. The snow is slowly getting hungry, you can take a break at the Göktepe Trout Facilities on the way and have a trout feast with vegetables and cheddar in a casserole against the Munzur view. > we shoot. The profile changes as soon as we enter the borders of Tunceli.. In Kovancilar, I’m beyond being bareheaded, it’s hard to come across a woman walking on the street, but at the restaurant where we take the trout, people are eating their meals in a civilized way.. We sigh deeply about the existence of women in life in Alevi societies, unfortunately not Sunnis. After dinner, we continue towards the center of Tunceli.. We are very surprised to see Tunceli. The part of the city that appeared first, which is obviously newly established, is also quite modern in terms of construction. When we move to the old city side, we are faced with a more standard Anatolian city view. Munzur calls us, we go down to the edge of the creek and sip our tea in a nice cafe.. We come across my uncle’s friends, and they tell us that in recent years, local and foreign tourists have flocked to the beaches established by the creek in the Munzur and Pülümür Valleys during the summer season, we are surprised.. It’s time to return. On our way to Kovancılar along the Munzur Stream, we take a break at Asır Balık Evi, a small restaurant run by a husband and wife couple, whom my uncle knows, before leaving the borders of Tunceli. A very warm welcome, both the meadow grass and the magnificent view from the hill, our eyes are shining. The lambs are playing with a puppy on the grass, our table is filled with fruit, the glasses are filled… What a happy moment… We are getting hungry, we get grilled trout advice. When we say that trout is a lean fish, it would not be, we are faced with a Turkish delight.. In such a fish, such a way of cooking and such a taste, we give up…. 2. Today… Picnic day at İnik Stream where my grandfather’s field is located. Before the picnic, we visit the castle in Palu District, to which Kovancılar used to be affiliated. Surrounded by the
Murat River, the castle is from the Urartian period and contains many rock tombs, stairs, inscriptions and rock tunnels… Of course, with the 5 mischievous brats next to us, we can only see a limited part of them 🙂
And here we are in Inik Creek, in the vast fields. My wife climbs up to my uncle’s gazebo as she arrives, leaves herself in the arms of mother nature, and after a while she falls asleep with the light wind rustling the tree leaves.. In the meantime, the covers are laid, the tomatoes are chopped, the roasted peppers are peeled, the 5 kilos of skull baked in a bread oven takes its place in the center of the big tray.. We are immersed in fish like Turkish delight. I can’t stop myself, I don’t remember the number of pieces I ate, we sweep the tray. There are wings at the barbecue for those who can’t get enough, but can I get off the horse and ride a donkey, I use my right to enjoy the fresh tea brewed on the barbecue part 🙂 We take my uncle’s car and set off alone to Elazig. Our first stop in Elazig places to visit at the top of the list is Harput… 6 km from the center away from the ancient city of Harput is almost a open-air museum. With its museum, castle, mosque, church and even cave, it faces a very touristic ambiance. we stay We start our tour with the castle, where we can watch the whole of Elazig from a bird’s eye view. After visiting other stalactites and stalagmites with a panoramic view, we sip our 5 teas at an authentic cafe in the center and go down to Elazig centre. After doing our shopping at the Grand Bazaar pestil, mulberry, etc. we find ourselves on a very long, modern street with cafes and cute shops.. It is not difficult to guess that it is the center of it 🙂 After wandering the street, we are looking for a family restaurant that will satisfy our fish-filled bodies’ longing for meat, while we are left alone, but in vain.. The governor has completely banned the drinking restaurant event.. Harput was a tourist attraction, in fact, we go to Harput again, saying that it is definitely there, but unfortunately… It was banned there a while ago… We accepted our fate and entered Harput between Ansar Mangal Valley and Halit Usta Choosing Halit Usta, we serve Elazig-style raw meatballs, Adana-style kebabs, Antep-style lamb skewers accompanied by turnip juice in her beautiful garden, and return after dinner… Last day… My aunt’s for breakfast. After drinking the scrambled eggs and goat cheese he prepared, we pack our suitcases and say goodbye to the people of the village, and set off for the Keban Dam, again accompanied by my uncle. After walking around the Keban Dam, 40 km away from Elazig in the direction of Malatya, and posing in its magnificent view, we reach the famous Çırçır Waterfall right next to it. Heheyt is a trout facility again! There is no meat derivative other than trout on the menu, but whatever trout can be, it has everything:) Casserole, pita, meatballs, grill, pan, even sage:) I’m trying casserole, my uncle’s pita, my daughter meatballs, others grill… Pita, casserole and meatballs get a passing grade, but grilled trout fails the class. Where is the trout grill we ate in Tunceli the first night :(. Our flight is at 19:00. Can we go to Caspian Lake, we will go. Come on then, we say, we turn to the center of Elazig, this time we turn our route towards Diyarbakir.. Diyarbakir road 25. At km, we come across a lake and a lot of sites consisting of many summer villa-style houses around it.. We learn that around the lake, which is a Natural Site, there are also many recreational facilities belonging to public institutions.. We also take a break at Tur-Pol facilities, sit by the lake and talk about how peaceful the water is… The beach is like ladybug field. We can’t understand where and why so many ladybugs came from:) It’s time to say goodbye… Istanbul passengers should not be left behind… It was the first meeting of my lambs with my 90-year-old grandfather.. We bid farewell to the land where my father was born…
Fiji Time: Enjoying the Hammock
