TRAVERSE Issue 37 - August 2023 | Page 127

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exclaimed . But really , we don ’ t know how to carry it with us on the bike .
You can breathe a relaxed atmosphere amongst the great chaos , more Arabian than Turkish . Time is pleasantly wasted , spending hours in the great courtyard of the caravanserai , watching men from all social classes playing cards , chess and dominoes while drinking litres of tea .
We found small tailor shops on the balcony over the courtyard , producing traditional dresses and I was next to bring home a pair of Kurdish pants .
At night we joined a dinner with traditional music in a Konagi , which is a sort of manor house used as a restaurant . You eat local dishes at a fixed price while a restless orchestra plays Kurd , Arabian and Turkish music engaging the audience in dance and song . We were the only westerners , who didn ’ t understand a word of the dedications they directed towards us , traditional dancing was also out of the question . But what matters is just taking part , often meaning improvisation . A memorable night .
Around Şanlıurfa there ’ s plenty of interesting historical sites . Before
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