Dining in a cave
After a day of so many emotions, we had dinner at Uranos Sarikaya restaurant (that restaurant was rated #1 on Tripadvisor). If you’ve watched the populations of cave from above and wandered around them all day, this is when you can leisurely enjoy the feeling of actually being in a cave because this restaurant is in a cave, created by carving the rocks.
We entered the vaulted cave entrance, tracing the dim mysterious light leading into the grotto, which was also the restaurant with high ceiling, romantic atmosphere, melodious music, and the furniture was placed around, leaving a fairly large space in the middle for the artists to perform traditional dances for the diners. Very wild but magnificent. The tables were also made of stone. I was overwhelmed by the scene there, almost feeling like I was in a dream.
Because that is a special place, the diners should book in advance if they don’t want to miss the unique repertoire and unforgettable experience there. There they only served set menus (fixed menus with a limited number of dishes) so on the table there were appetizers and drinks, including wine. There were few options for main dishes: fish, chicken, or lamb. When the reserved guests gathered at the table and began eating, the lights in the middle of the restaurant area went off. That was the time the show started.
The dancers in traditional outfits came out. To start off, there was the Sufi whirling – a form of physically active meditation, usually performed in Sama worship (an activity of Islam), seeking perfection, removing personal ego and desires by listening to music and focusing on God. A man was standing in the middle. Other men were rotating their bodies and moving in a circle like the planets revolving around the sun. Initially, their arms crossed over their shoulders, symbolizing the unity of God. While rotating, the right hands of the artists pointed towards the sky, and the left hands pointed towards the ground. This action implied the men were receiving the commandments of God and transmitting them to the Earth, acting as the bridge between God and human-being. We had been explained by the tour guide and told not to clap our hands after watching the Sufi whirling because it was a sacred dance, though it was spread and performed by heathenish people.
Following the program were the other traditional dances such as belly dancing – the type widely known in the Middle East, hora – the dance often appearing in wedding ceremonies, zeybek – the dance of male dancers dressing colorfully symbolizing bravery… The rhythms from fast to slow, the sounds from solemn to joyful alternately appeared in sequence, and the dancers were like colorful cotton spindles… All were like a magic turning me into a curious girl, constantly urging myself stepping upon each level of emotions, higher and higher.
What else do I not know about this colorful country? While we clinked our glasses of wine to celebrate the good performance, I thought about the journey of the next days…
TIP BOX
- There is a domestic flight of Turkish Airlines from Istanbul to Cappadocia with only 3 hours of flight. Besides, you can travel by train or bus.
- The fee for balloon experience in the Cappadocia plateau was $200/ person. Almost all the hotels are affiliated with the companies specializing in organizing balloon tours.
- Cappadocia is famous for Avanos ancient village which preserves the traditional jobs of Turkey such as ceramics, hand-woven carpets, and blue stones.
- In Cappadocia, there are 2 wide underground cities: Kaymakli and Ozkonak with a long, narrow and tricky underground roadway, including bedrooms, kitchens, wells, and tombs … multistage deep underground, with the capacity of up to 60,000 people.
- Linga forest – the area with stone statues shaping of enormous and strange penises, formed from volcanic activity millions of years ago.
