The Waning Art of Meerschaum Carving

For those who missed the first two installments of this series, Kaleici is a district in the original walled city of Antalya.

Its narrow, stone-paved streets, often no more than lanes, meander with no apparent design. With twists and turns they lead you unexpectedly past deserted gardens or through walled courtyards where you might find a street dog dozing in the sun or a family cat peering watchfully from the window. Kaleici streets are lined with old Ottoman houses, some abandoned and decaying with time, some under restoration, while others stand proudly restored to their original Ottoman design. Their doors are freshly painted, and the windows are clean and shiny. Sometimes, the enticing aroma of frying onions or a newly baked cake waft from hidden kitchens, making you stop and linger. These streets of Kaleici with their sights and smells beckon for a leisurely stroll back into another, more serene era.

Serenity will surround you while exploring this old city, but behind those stone fronts and stuccoed garden walls there exists a thriving community of multicultural, multi-national people who live or work in Kaleici. The old city is known for its unique tourist attractions, shopping and dining opportunities and many other things, but the most important assets of Kaleici are the people and the stories found behind the scenes.

Historic surroundings

Kaleici has several entrances, but the most favored is that of Hadrian's Gate, an imposing tri-arched edifice built in the second century to honor the visit of the Roman Emperor Hadrianus and his wife Sabina. To pass through the gate, you must first descend a short flight of steps and cross a short causeway of glass. Pause here and look around. At this point, you are standing exactly at the ground level of the second century. Two meters below the current ground level represents over 2,000 years of accumulation. Continue through the gate and ascend the next flight of steps where you will enter a small plaza. Veering slightly to the left is Hesapci Sokak. Throughout history and into Ottoman times, this street was one of the main thoroughfares of the ancient city, running from the gate to the sea.

Following along Hesapci Sokak you will come across a wide variety of interesting shops. Rug merchants mark their storefronts with vibrant displays of handcrafted carpets and textiles, while spice sellers show their exotic wares of intricate and aromatic pyramids of herbs and seasonings. Ubiquitous souvenir vendors stake out their presence with street tables filled to the breaking point with “genuine” Turkish items ranging from textiles, handbags and handmade goods to pottery and glass-inlaid lanterns (very nice for a patio or deck). Sprinkled along the street are small boutique hotels and restaurants with secluded shaded gardens that seem to beg you to come in for lunch or tea. Weather permitting, local artists exhibit their latest oil paintings, hoping one will find a new home. Visitors, businesspeople, shopkeepers, students, lovers and locals move about and mingle together along the street, and at certain times the scene takes on the feeling of a colorful street fair.