KadifeKale Memories

It was Summer 2015, when I was travelling around Turkey. I had arrived to Izmir, and decided to say there for some few days. I wanted to discover this beautiful city as much as I could see, so opened the trip adviser application on my phone started to save places I wanted to visit. I came across the one called “Kadifekale” and wanted to see it so much, as after some time, it was the only thing that was left, I hadn’t visited.
I asked my friends around me, and everyone kept telling me that “oh, no need to go there, it is not safe” or “it is not even interesting”.So noone showed me how to go there.

It was one day before my departure from Izmir, and I wanted to walk around more and see some parts that I hadn’t seen. I went out and opened my google maps and put the word “Cadifecale” there and decided to walk toward it. Looked quite far, but I took the most straight and direct route to there. I walked around 1.5 hours and arrived to the place which had some fences over but didn’t know where to cross it from as google maps was showing me to cross it from there, so decided to ask an uncle working there. He was surprised, and asked me “Why are you going there? Are you alone?” After explaining him that I’m trying to discover city and stuff, he told me that I could’ve actually taken the bus from the other side of the city, but now since I arrived here, I will need to climb up the hill I see in the front over the river. It didn’t seem so close, but anyways, I had decided once, so had to climb up!

Road towards the castle

I walked around 30-40 minutes (i was not walking fast just wanted to see around as well) I arrived the bridge where I could cross the road. And the moment I was on it I saw the father of Turkey: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s monument on the other side of the hill. So appearently his carved monument was facing to the hill where the Kadifekale was situated.

Monument of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

I was happy and motivated and kept going ahead. And arrived the hill which I should climb to the the castle.

Apparently, it was a kurdish village there which I had to go through and that was the reason everyone was trying to stop me… Never mind though, we all are human beings and I never believe in prejudices unless I see something happening to me- Which did not happen and it was a perfectly fine small sweet village. And once you arrived the top of the hill after the village you could see all the city down below you.

View of Izmir from the hill

Getting closer to Kadifekale...

I was almost there on the castle and not many people seemed like walking there with the route I took. I have been walking for around 4 hours, and I I was out of my water at the first 2 hours, and the sun was hitting me quite hard.

When I arrived the top I saw a lot of people around, and finally a SHOP WHERE I COULD GET A WATER! I was so tired and sweaty (sorry for that to the people who get disgusted but it is a natural thing -_- ) and asking for a water at the shop. The seller was not speaking turkish but he saw me, in that way, and I wanted to pay for the water but he looked at me, and did not accept my money showing in a very kind way… I was not feeling super happy for that, but It was a very kind move of a local doing this kind of a gesture… I went out and the castle was just in front of me! And started to wondering around inside the castle and see…

Ruins of the castle

Later on I met this cute little guy during the time I was taking the pictures of the castle he was looking at me interested, and walking back and force around me. I approached him and asked to take some pictures for me and he went to the edge of the wall, and took some beautiful pictures for me.

my little hero

Despite the fact that he was using the digital device first time he knew exactly which place and how I wanted o capture: 

Picture taken by my little hero ;)

And then later on He suggested me the places that I could see nice view from the castle. I went around and all the kurdish people in that castle were helping me around and showing me from which side I could catch good views.

I was climbing here and there, on different walls of the castle to see the city, and get nice points of it and understand the strategic importance of the castle. 
During this time I met this small family there on the castle as the wanted to talk to me. They thought I’m a journalist, so somehow wanted to be in contact with. Neither one could speak Turkish, but the man was speaking a little English but he knew French and was a French language teacher in Syria. SInce I could not speach French neither Arabic, we were trying to communicate in English. He is the father and these two are his children. They had lost their mother during he war in Syria, and migrated to Turkey. They were happy that Turkey had accepted them, to the country, and now the older son is working at a restaurant as a waiter, but father could not find any job yet. They three together are living nearby, but did not have a house to live in. The man wanted me to take their picture at the all this conversation… and I did…It was the only thing that I could do for them.

It isn't as easy as it seems...

I said bye to them and went to another side of the castle. Walked around the castle and decided to leave it before the sunset. This time I took a bus to come home. My legs weren’t listening to me anymore… 

It was a great experience for me. I had learnt why you should’t listen to what people say if you truly want to do something. And I had learnt how war fight and differences can make people have stereotypes against each other. We never know the people we have not met, but what we do is, we assume according to what we have heard from the media. Or from what we have seen in our dreams when we were sleeping the other day. But we have to talk to each other, dare to do something, and travel to see the world, and understand everything ourselves…

I was surprised by what I had lived on that day. I was so tired, but I had learned a lot. And I had seen a lot. And this is why I can show all of these to you now…