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before trying to sell a carpet . These traders aren ’ t discouraged when you explain that you have no place on your bike , they invite the traveller to buy a smaller one , or better yet , they can deliver right to your home . “ But we are homeless !”, I explained . “ Ok , then I ’ ll deliver to a friend ’ s house ,” often the reply .
From Cappadocia onwards we had a deal for everything , eating , sleeping , buying coffee and tobacco .
The real trip began after the ferry on Euphrates River . The barren plain we were crossing , headed to the East , belonged to the region of Kurdistan , whose name is forbidden in Turkey . In this area , laying among Van Lake , Syria , and Iraq , was one of the Silk Road main junctions , the Eurasian steppe in the north , the Persian route in the south .
The Silk Road knew of prosperous times interrupted by war and conflict , the main route was the advance of the first Caliphate in the seventh century , not long after Muhammad ’ s death . One thousand three hundred years later this part of the world is afflicted by a new , selfdeclared caliphate whose appearance again stopped every kind of traffic and trade , relighting the old conflict between Kurdish separatists and the Turkish government .
We had a coffee in a tea house in Siirt , where we spent the night as many people told us it was dangerous to go on in the dark , gesturing a rifle being shot using their arms . This guerrilla action they spoke of was seemingly contradictory of the kindness and hospitality of the people that surrounded us . Handsomely moustached men whose faces were framed by the kefiah they wore on their heads , often dressed in kaftans or wide traditional pants . The women similarly beautifully dressed , a hijab over a colourful cloche .
Everybody wanted to talk with us
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