Last week I was flipping through “The Happenings” (the on-base magazine for what’s going on), and saw that Outdoor Rec was offering a trip to Karatepe – in THE RED ZONE! I had no idea what Karatepe was, but we jumped at the chance just to get into the red zone (the portion of Turkey we’re not allowed into as residents of Incirlik). We loaded into the Outdoor Rec bus in the early morning cool; the sky couldn’t decide if it would rain or not the whole day. On the way to Karatepe- an ancient Hittite castle ruin – we stopped at a Kilim co-op where we were able to watch the ladies tie a few knots, then loaded back onto the bus headed for the castle. It’s amazing the hands-on access we have to artifacts here in Turkey – we walked all over the ruins through an outdoor museum and marveled at the history. The day-trip was well worth our time and I think we might go again if the opportunity arises!
