However different
we may be, we share our humanity and a common destiny on earth
as we continue to shape and be shaped by our environment. As human
beings, we appreciate that essentially all our experiences take
place in the landscape which at once enables and reflects all
of life, both memorable and quotidian. Landscape, like music,
is a universal language. The sensitive traveller will no doubt
grasp the beauty of the whole; but what does it all mean to the
unaccustomed or the untrained eye? To the native person, the landscape
is life itself. It is familiar and taken for granted until endangered
or lost. Knowledge of it is intimate and intertwined with strong
feelings. Others may have to begin by an analytic tour de force
before developing a taste for the intricacies. Ultimately, the
traveler can catch glimpses in the slices of life represented
by places that make up the landscape, and then feel the richness
of the meanings associated with them. Our aim here is to whet
your appetite by giving you a head start on your journey in reading
the Turkish landscape. First, let us be analytical. What is the
landscape made up of anyway?
That depends on
your perspective. Landscape is nature encompassing all those resources
and landforms that a geographer or a naturalist would see. It
is also history and culture reflected in the settlement pattern
of cities and villages, the architecture and cultural artifacts
marking the passage of time and important events. Then there is
the idea of the working landscape which is the life support and
habitat of some sixty million people. Finally, it is also a mirror
of ideology, fashion and impending change, foreshadowing the future
and the problems it may pose. These different layers make up an
elementary shell of the Turkish landscape. In Turkey you will
experience an incredible diversity in nature, culture, history,
beliefs and ideas. This in itself may not be a challenge for the
seasoned traveller. After all, diversity is the most prized feature
of favorite destinations. In Turkey this diversity is high enough
to challenge even the most experienced eye because it is packed
in spaces with abrupt changes in scenery. This is why people sometimes
describe the Turkish landscape as a "symphony of sounds,
smells and people in the most unlikely combinations of appearance
and action". The traveller may need some assistance to
make some sense of our otherwise entirely logical and beautiful
landscape, and to perceive its unity and harmony just like a familiar
face with all its different moods and expressions.
