A time in Turkey

Published in 1973, the travel described happened over two or three trips the author made to Tukey in the years prior. Only a young man, he had a connection with Turkey through his father who, as a doctor, had taken to visiting a fairly remote village each year to assist the people who had no other access to medical care. Through his father connections he had contact with a family near Istanbul, and another in the village of Ortahisar, near Goreme.

Initially arriving in Istanbul, Mair is taken in by the first family, living with them, learning to speak Turkish, an adjusting to the Turkish culture. On attaining some proficiency in the language, and understanding the do's and don't do's of Turkish culture (well most of them), he headed off for Cappadocia.

Now of course, Cappadocia and Goreme are staples of Turkish tourism. In the 1970's this amazing landscape and hidden churches were known by the locals, but not well known to others. Mair sets about to help the village (which is near Goreme) to develop along with the other areas of Cappadocia to benefit from some tourism income. This is of course a fine balance, not upsetting traditional village customs, but aiding them to develop.

However it is not all about tourism, initially Mair helps with basic medical assistance, teaches English, works as a musician, improves the accommodation offer, and generally helps out where he can. Once tourism increases in the area, he starts guiding himself, then training other younger boys who he has taught English to guide, and sets about finding new placed to take tourists.

Back in Istanbul over winter he works in the bazaar as a carpet seller, and eventually becomes engages to one of the girls in the family he lives with.

This is a tidy look at Turkey in the 1970's, of Turkish culture at a family level, and a good example of how with some determination to learn, a young man can fit into a culture different from his own. There is a mixture of history provided (pretty light, and limited to explaining the tourism sites that are visited, and some background to the cultural aspects of life), a lot of black and white photographs and a map of Cappadocia.

I have visited Cappadocia twice, in 1995 and in 2005, and while I enjoyed it each time, was astounded how it differed the second time. By 2005 the Goreme sites were highly controlled and access strictly regulated - which I guess is necessary to control the volume of people, but for me it had lost a lot of the charm and peacefulness of my earlier visit. I enjoyed reading about the area over 20 years before i visited, and being partial witness to how westernised tourism originated - the area had of course been visited by people in some shape or form for hundreds of years.

3.5 stars rounded down.