I first went to Turkey when I was 13 years old. It was an educational trip visiting archeological sites along the coast but the whole place was fascinating for a kid from Newfoundland. I’ve had the opportunity to visit a couple of times since then as a journalist and still found it’s complex, unique politics, society and culture an endless study.
Many great writers and journalists have written about Turkey’s long and storied history from the rule of the Byzantine, Seljuks, Mongols, Ottomans and the modern era under Mustafa Kemal. Geologically and culturally at the crossroads between Europe and Asia it has seen many waves of cultures, ethnicity and change.
These photos were taken on a road trip from Ankara to Konya and Cumra on the high central plateau after working with Turkish immigrants in Berlin. Germany has been the prime destination for immigration for the Turks. My first experience on this trip was to have my Fiat rental car run over by a bus filled with German tourists just outside of Ankara. Irony is never far behind.
