Built in the 1700's, Kayakoy was home to almost 20,000 Greek Orthodox until the early 20th Century. After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Greco-Turkish War, and the redefinition of Turkish Boundries in 1922- the residents fled leaving two churches and about 350 homes abandoned. Those who did not escape were killed. A historian writes
"...the roadsides were strewn with the bodies of the dead. Most were elderly or children..."
Today, it is a World Friendship and Peace Site and the village preserved as a museum and popular tourist attraction.
(tour)
https://youtu.be/2gGnpNmgNBs
and lastly...the world that Mayes first discovered through her ViewMaster when she was a child that ignited her yearning to travel...somewhere...anywhere...someday to stand in Topkapi Palace.
Home to the Ottoman Sultans for over 400 years the opulent palace is now a museum and tourist attraction. At its peak it was home to over 4,000 people and had 4 courtyards, mosques, a bakery, a hospital and its own mint! It was built in 1459 on the orders of Sultan Mehmed II.
(tour of the palace)
https://youtu.be/0cUhyWBeZc8
and now we bid Turkey (goo-leh goo-leh) Bye Bye...it has been a magical journey!
"güle güle"
More anon...
