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. The 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 traveller can catch glimpses of the slices of
life represented by places that make up the landscape and 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 artefacts 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 favourite 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, 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.
