The Call of Kailash...

Rock cairns (called "doubeng" in Tibetan) set against the landscape
At altitudes of 15000 feet any spot of color, however plain and humble, is a cheerful sight
Western Tibet - 2001

The individual who defined adventure as "gross discomfort seen in retrospect" sure knew what he/she was talking about.

Our 2001 trip to western Tibet, following the time honored pilgrimage route to Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash, was full of discomfort. We were a bit of a rag tag group - three physicians, two architects, one retired school teacher, one scientist, one Vedanta priest, two teenagers, an eleven year old and a six year old (who would turn seven on our trip). Most of us had never hiked above 10,000 feet and admittedly, not all of us had been disciplined about getting in our hiking training, as our everyday lives were just too busy. Though some were in better physical condition than others, none of us were thrill-seekers or experienced adventurers. We weren't sure we would actually complete the 3 day, 32 mile clockwise circumambulation of Mount Kailash (called a "kora" in Tibetan and "parikrama" in Sanskrit") successfully, but we were determined to give it our best effort. And just to be on the safe side, we had all stocked up on diamox and were traveling with a hyberbaric bag and oxygen...

It was a truly amazing "adventure." And it gets more and more amazing with each passing year...so much so that I am seriously thinking of doing it again.

Yes! But why?

Well, mainly because I KNOW that this time, it will be even better. Because this time, despite the fact that my physical body is older and weaker, I know that mentally, I am more capable. I meet life with more intention. I live more fully. And I have to admit - now I also have a really cool DSLR....

Oh, what a difference a decade makes!

The lush view from the Friendship Highway between Nepal and Tibet
Southern Tibet - 2001

Mount Kailash (21,778 feet, also called Gang Rinpoche in Tibetan) lies near the source of four of Asia's most important rivers: the Indus, the Sutlej, the Brahmaputra and the Karnali. The mountain is revered by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and followers of Bon. For Hindus it is the symbolic home of Shiva, god of destruction and regeneration. Shiva is sometimes personified as an all powerful, all knowing yogi - an acetic - who can be roused from his deep meditations by humans who have endured sacrifice and performed prolonged meditation (years and years of meditation) in his name. It is believed that making the pilgrimage and completing a single kora will essentially neutralize the karma acquired in this lifetime, and completing 108 will lead to nirvana - the release from the cycle of birth and re-birth).

The pilgrims who come to Mount Kailash from regions closer to sea level usually complete the 32 mile kora in three days. However, just getting to the base of the holy mountain is an arduous journey and many are unable to recover sufficiently to even attempt the kora. For those native to high altitudes, it can be completed, astoundingly, in a single day - starting before sunrise and ending after sunset. A select few, like the nuns we met on our first day, will happily complete the kora by performing full body-length prostrations the entire way.

For modern day travelers whose beliefs are not as deeply rooted in the traditions of the area, the trip to Mount Kailash can be a pilgrimage of a different kind - a challenge to mind and body - a promise of walking in the footsteps of a select few on a path that has endured through the centuries.

After making it down from Dolma-la, the highest pass on the kora, I was completely drained, happy to have survived, and convinced it was not something I'd ever do again. But distance makes the heart grow fonder. And time....it dims the aches and pains and somehow amplifies the joy...just as it should.

View into the valley from Milarepa's Cave
Near Nyalam (12,300 ft), Tibet - 2001

Meandering stone paths and rustic village homes against a brillant blue sky
Near Nyalam, Tibet - 2001

The mighty Brahmaputra (also known as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan)
We crossed the river on a raft, along our three Land Cruisers and the truck carrying our crew, cargo, tent  and supplies
Tibet - 2001

"Tashi Delek!" - Nomadic Tibetans greet us at every stop
They often drop everything and run over to meet us as soon as they spot our Land Cruisers  approaching
Western Tibet - 2001

Seralung Monastery on the banks of Lake Manasarovar (elevation 14,950 feet)
Western Tibet - 2001

Hiking the desolate landscape of Lake Manasarovar
Western Tibet - 2001

Tarboche, where you begin the kora by passing through the quaint rock temple surrounded by mani stones
Mount Kailash, Western Tibet - 2001

Prayer Flags and Mani Stones at Tarboche
Mount Kailash, Western Tibet - 2001

Buddhist Nuns, Kora Day 1
 A cheerful duo, these nuns planned to complete the kora by prostrating themselves over its entire 32 miles
Mount Kailash, Tibet - 2001

Red Tara
Beautifully barren with a delightful waterfall
Base of Mount Kailash, Tibet - 2001

Walking in silence and beauty - except for the sound of running water
Mount Kailash, Tibet - 2001

The South Face
Mount Kailash, Tibet - 2001

Drolma-La (18,465 ft)
Mount Kailash, Tibet - 2001
(Photo by RPMalla)

Day 2 is the most strenuous; the altitude takes its toll and all thoughts of taking photographs is replaced by the singular need to just put one foot in front of the next and breathe. We reached the highest point on the kora - Dolma-La at mid-day and stayed there for half an hour and had lunch. From there it was downhill, then across a glacier before  finally getting getting to camp around sunset.

The Fashion (or Politics?) of Turkish Trench Coats and Headscarves

One of our young hosts for our village homestay
 near Beysehir, Turkey - 2012

I never thought that I would ever say this...but...I do enjoy photographing people! Particularly rewarding are the candid shots that are quickly captured, without much planning and without much fuss. I also find that upon returning from a trip, it's the people shots that I organize first. More so than the photographs of places and objects, it's the photographs of people that bring back memories of the moment in deeper detail, perhaps because of the indelible way in which they are grounded in time. A building or landscape at sunrise might look very much the same from one day to the next, whereas the expression on a person's face, taken at the same time every day, most likely will not.

Shopping Day
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012

The streets of Istanbul are full of history and teeming with people. It's impossible to resist the urge to photograph the women, often walking arm in arm, one in a headscarf and long skirt, the other bare-headed and wearing form fitting jeans. On one walk along the Bosphorus, where fishermen like to stake out their ground for the afternoon, we came across a bride and groom, and their photographer. A fisherman very politely gave up his spot so the wedding photographer could position the bride and groom against the backdrop of sea and sky before digitally memorializing their special day.

Wedding Photos on the Banks of the Bosphorus
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012

One of the interesting things about the scene was the contrast in dress between the wedding photographer and the bride. The young bride was in a traditional white wedding gown (traditional to people of European heritage...), while the young professional photographer was in traditional headscarf (traditional to Turkey...).

When we left Istanbul and headed towards central Turkey - to Cappadocia and Konya - we began to see more and more women in headscarves...and...trenchcoats! In my own light cotton traveling garb, the 90+ degree heat was oppressive, so I could only wonder how it was that they were managing so well.

Headscarves and Trenchcoats at the Mevlana Museum (Shrine of Rumi)
Konya, Turkey - 2012

Smartly dressed women paying their respects at the Mevlana Museum (Shrine of Rumi)
Konya, Turkey - 2012

It was obvious to me that the women took pride in their appearance. Scarves were chosen to compliment their trench coats. I could see that there was an art to the way in which their scarves were wrapped, with a specific number of pins, their patterns displayed just so.

The very hospitable family we stayed with in a village near Beysehir included the patriarch and matriarch, their two sons and their wives, and the two couples' children - one had a daughter and the other a son. I remember thinking that the young wives were modestly, but also quite confidently and stylishly, dressed in colorful headscarves and long skirts.

Young women hosts of our village homestay, with five year old Suleyman
 near Beysehir, Turkey - 2012

It was only much later  in our trip that I discovered what a political lightning rod this single item of clothing - a simple headscarf - actually was.  These are just three of the dramatically headlined articles that I found from BBC News: Turkey: Battle of the headscarf (22 July 2002), Headscarf issue challenges Turkey (7 November 2006), and Is Turkey's secular system in danger? (24 October 2012), that highlight the symbolic role that headscarves play in Turkey's political debate.

To put things in context, Turkey has been a secular state since the early 1920's, the legacy of the much loved leader, Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk). Headscarves are banned for women who hold public positions or those who are engaged in working or studying on public premises. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, more women started wearing headscarves to school and universities. Those interviewed in the BBC articles saw it as a personal choice - a reflection of who they were - and being expelled from universities or banned from appearing in court because they refused to remove their headscarves was a form of discrimination.

The whole controversy would probably not have as much steam if the Turkish government was not currently led (for the past decade) by the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Prime Minister Erdogan has already been accused of having an Islamist agenda, and because Turkey is so overwhelmingly Muslim, the fear is that  relaxing the ban on headscarves will just open the door to Islam in public life.

One of our other young hosts for our village homestay
 near Beysehir, Turkey - 2012

As a outsider, I don't feel it is my place to agree or disagree with either side in this debate. However, I can't help hoping that headscarves and trenchcoats may one day lose their political symbolism and gain more of a cultural one. That's the way I believe it is in the Indian subcontinent where saris are worn - by choice - throughout Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh, by Moslems, Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians alike.  And I can only hope that at some point, something as superficial as what a Turkish woman chooses to wear will be seen only as a personal choice....a choice that is made freely, with confidence and pride, and in the spirit of personal expression, rather than religious restriction.

On the Bosphorus
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012
photo by Roger Winter

Many of the images included in my posts are also available for purchase as 8x10 and 5x7 fine art prints and A2 size greeting cards (all printed on archival water color paper) at http://DigitalYak.etsy.com/. Be sure to send me a message if there is something you'd like that you don't see listed, or if you'd like a custom size or item, as I truly enjoy creating one of a kind items that hold special meaning. Thanks!!

The Allure of Layered Space

Temple of Hadrian
Ephesus, Turkey - 2012

The architectural concept of "layered space" was pervasively evident everywhere in Turkey. At the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace, the Suleymaniye Mosque, the ruins of Hieropolis and Ephesus, the streets of Istanbul, and even in the humble rock churches of Cappadocia, space is revealed, screened, punctuated and illuminated to create a sense of "layers," directly influencing the way in which we experience our three dimensional world. It was a constant source of delight. I loved it.

Suleymaniye Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012

An architect's vocabulary includes many terms that don't often make it into our everyday conversations, which is a real shame, as they can capture the rich and complex characteristics of space in a single word or two. Layered space embraces nuance. It provokes a sense of discovery. It provides a frame of reference while foreshadowing what is to come. It is the antithesis of a one-liner.

Bayezid II Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012

The design tools employed to layer space center on the many ways (and degrees) in which perceived space can be defined and connected - or conversely separated. This may typically involve the use of level changes, deep niches, colonnades (row of columns), decorative screens, as well as openings to above or openings to below. Spatial volumes become interconnected and also divided into slits and slots which are often accentuated or reinforced with a change in materials, color, texture, and light. Because your perception of spatial quality changes as you pass from one layer and into another, the element of time is also added to the mix.

Hierapolis, Turkey - 2012

Hagia Sophia
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012

And because space is three dimensional, it can be layered vertically, as well as horizontally. I was especially intrigued with how this was accomplished in the mosques of Istanbul where beautiful bold chandeliers act as horizontal screens, or an implied ceiling. Within the grand interior volumes of these domed mosques, horizontal slots of intimately scaled space are created for people who would most likely be sitting on the floor.

Hagia Sophia
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012

Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012

The ultimate goal of layered space is to provide a rich and relevant sensory experience that also enhances the ways in which that space is used. For example, a colonnade or arcade can define a walkway just as well as a solid wall. However in contrast to the wall, it also provides a rhythm of solid and void, a view beyond to establish context which aids in way finding, and the illusion of a less constricted, more expansive space - all things that enhance the simple act of moving from point A to point B.

Celsus Library
Ephesus, Turkey - 2012

The concept of layering space is not limited to the inside of buildings. It works beautifully in landscape gardens - where garden walls, hedges and trees are employed to similar effect - and also in urban environments where degrees of spatial definition can indirectly guide us to recognize public areas as opposed to private ones.

Spice Bazaar
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012

So the next time you are sitting in your living room or going for a walk in your neighborhood, your city or maybe even in Istanbul, try consciously considering your sensory response to your surroundings. You will perceive the delightful "space within a space," notice the framed views, the literal and phenomenal transparency.  You will experience rhythm and progression, solid and void, figure and ground. You will respond to the promise of a destination. Your perception of the physical world will become more acute. That is the wonderful allure - and reward - of layered space...

On the Bosphorus
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012
photo by Roger Winter

All of the images posted here are also available for purchase as 8x10 and 5x7 fine art prints and A2 size greeting cards (all printed on archival water color paper) at http://DigitalYak.etsy.com/. Be sure to send me a message if there is something you'd like that you don't see listed, or if you'd like a custom size or item, as I truly enjoy creating one of a kind items that hold special meaning. Thanks!!

Cappadocia's Hoodoos: More Than Just a Pretty Landscape...

Fairy Chimneys in Pasabag (also known as Monks Valley)
2012

"Hoodoos"? Yes, you read that correctly. It's the plural of hoodoo. And yes, it's hard to believe, but that is a term used by geologists (who are indeed scientists...but seriously, "hoodoos"??).

Hoodoos are rocks that have been spectacularly sculpted over time by differential erosion. The name hoodoo comes from the rock's silhouette, which looked to some like a hooded figure. In France, they also call them "demoiselles coiffées" or "ladies with hairdos." In the United States, the northern part of Bryce Canyon is resplendent with hoodoos that have been formed of alternating hard and soft layers of sedimentary rock. Other famous hoodoos include the Badlands of South Dakota and the Demoiselles Coiffées de Pontis of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

Pasabag
2012

In Cappadocia, Turkey, the hoodoos have formed from consolidated volcanic ash called tuff, and go by the romantic moniker "Fairy Chimneys." This is quite fitting, as the beautiful valleys of Cappadocia do appear to have been touched by a generous helping of that magic pixie dust....

Pasabag
2012

Located in central Turkey, Cappadocia is about a five hour drive southeast from the capital city of Ankara. The Hittites were the early inhabitants of Cappadocia (circa 1800 BCE), but others - Persians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Armenians and finally Turks - all found their way there at different times, each contributing to the region's distinct cultural heritage.

Several valleys (Ihlara, Pigeon, Zelve, Devrent and Rose, to name just a few) with a history of volcanic activity make up the geographic area of Cappadocia. Tuff covered the region, and in many areas its soft layers were capped by more resistant material. Over time, wind and water eroded the softer material faster than the harder one, leaving behind a stunning monumental rock landscape - a virtual riot of pyramids, domes, cones and spires - rising above the valley floors.

Panoramic view - from Cavusin towards Zelve
2012

Unlike dense igneous rocks such as basalt and obsidian that formed from fast cooling lava flowing on the ground from erupting volcanoes, tuff originates from airborne volcanic ash that has slowly cooled before settling on the ground and consolidating, over time, into a less dense and softer rock.

Like those who came before them, the early Christians, who took refuge in the Cappadocian valleys to escape Roman persecution, recognized the unique properties of tuff and undertook the laborious task of carving into the rock formations to create hidden churches, monasteries, convents, dwellings and astounding underground cities.

Organic growth - natural and man-made, old and new - surrounds Uchisar Castle
2012

This resourceful human partnership with nature and the result - a testimony to ingenuity, perseverance, devotion and faith - distinguishes a visit to the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia from one to the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. While the physical beauty of Bryce Canyon, with its sculptural magnificence and layered colors, is perhaps more stunning, it is the human interaction with nature in Cappadocia that utterly captivates and gives you something more substantial. In this regard, it reminds me of Mesa Verde, in Colorado. Being able to experience the spaces created centuries ago by hands wielding very simple tools, engages all your senses as well as your emotions....and history comes alive...

 Taking advantage of a natural fortification - view from Cavusin
2012

Frescos decorate the interior of this room adjacent to the rock Church of John the Baptist in Cavusin
2012

Looks like...a lovely single family home complete with a front yard...
view from Uchisar Castle
2012

Mysterious high window in Pasabag
2012

Finding a place in the sun, in Pasabag
2012

There are, of course many other attractions to seek out in Cappadocia besides its hoodoos. It has a long history and well deserved reputation for exquisite carpets and pottery. But the hoodoos have a special magical quality which begs thoughtful, quiet exploration - a bit of a challenge since it is such a popular tourist destination. However, when you do find that quiet time and space to sit and marvel at it all - the beautiful sky, the spectacular rocks, the age old will to survive - you will be well rewarded, for it is then that the the warm tuff rock gives up some of its secrets and the stories begin to emerge...

On the Bosphorus
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012
photo by Roger Winter

All of the images posted here are also available for purchase as 8x10 and 5x7 fine art prints and A2 size greeting cards (all printed on archival water color paper) at http://DigitalYak.etsy.com/. Be sure to send me a message if there is something you'd like that you don't see listed, or if you'd like a custom size or item, as I truly enjoy creating one of a kind items that hold special meaning. Thanks!!

Distressed Beauty

Beysehir, Turkey
2012

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
- Confucius

We have all been touched by that which we consider to be beautiful. Many great thinkers have pondered the definition of beauty. We talk about "traditional" notions of beauty. And we acknowledge that there are distinct cultural notions of beauty. We can even accept that beauty is a concept that need not be bound by the experience of our five senses:

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched

- they must be felt with the heart.

- Helen Keller

I recently returned from a three week tour of Turkey, a country of startlingly diverse physical terrain, made even more fascinating when considered through the lens of its complex geo-political history and singular position as the meeting ground of east and west. The result? A visually rich landscape and cultural heritage which translates into a photographer's dream destination.

So it's a bit ironic that the first photographs I have chosen to showcase this dream destination have to do with buildings in various states of decay....

Ayvalik, Turkey
2012

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I don't consider myself an expert on aesthetics by any means. But as an architect, I do spend a great deal of time analyzing my work. When it comes to photography, I think hard about what I am trying communicate with the images I've captured through my lens and carefully consider what might distinguish my images from the countless others that flood our physical and virtual worlds.

Over the years I've realized that beauty, defined as something visually pure and perfectly balanced, is overrated. It just doesn't have enough nuance to be emotionally satisfying. It is shallow and insipid, rather than rich and meaningful. And it almost never tells a story...

Ayvalik, Turkey
2012

Beauty? To me it is a word without sense because I do not know where its meaning comes from

nor where it leads to.

- Pablo Picasso

While I can appreciate perfection (and even admit to being a perfectionist...), my view of beauty - which now permeates my work and outlook on life - is most closely aligned with the Japanese concept of "wabi-sabi". Wabi-sabi is uniquely Japanese, and stems from an interpretation of Zen Buddhism that has evolved over centuries. It encompasses an experiential component too, so it is as much about process as it is product.

In his book "Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers," Leonard Koren writes: “Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.  It is a beauty of things modest and humble. It is a beauty of things unconventional.”

Ayvalik, Turkey
2012

And in the essay "What is Wabi-Sabi?" architect Todao Ando, writes:

"Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. It's simple, slow, and uncluttered - and it reveres authenticity above all.... It celebrates cracks and crevices and all the other marks that time, weather, and loving use leave behind. It reminds us that we are all but transient beings on this planet - that our bodies as well as the material world around us are in the process of returning to the dust from which we came. Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace liver spots, rust, and frayed edges, and the march of time they represent."

Beysehir, Turkey
2012

We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.

- Kahlil Gibran

I admit that there was no grand discourse about wabi-sabi in my mind when I was photographing these structures. I was subconsciously drawn to the texture and weathering of the materials (revealed in layered relief) that spoke lyrically of the passage of time...and abandonment. I was intrigued. As I learned more about the history of Ayvalik and Beysehir, the two towns where these photographs were taken, their stories came into clearer focus.

Ayvalik, located on the northwestern Aegean coast of Turkey, has a rich architectural heritage and is known for its olive oil. The city enjoyed some autonomy within the Ottoman Empire (even though the city residents were predominately of Greek origin) and became an important cultural center in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1919, the city was controlled by the Greek Army, as Turkey was on the losing side of WWI. But in 1922, the forces of Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) retook the city. The Greco-Turkish war had already led many of the city's residents to flee, and after the Turkish War of Independence an agreement called the "Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" resulted in the mandatory expulsions of Moslems living in Greece and Christian Greeks living in Turkey...

Ayvalik, Turkey
2012

In contrast, the city of Beysehir is located on the southeastern shore of Lake Beysehir, the largest freshwater lake in Turkey. The area is fertile and farming predominates in the villages surrounding the lake. The lovely Turkish family we stayed with in a village outside Beysehir told us that sadly, the lake today has very little fish. Where once there were hundreds of fishermen and thousands employed at fish processing plants around the village, now there are none. Overfishing has destroyed the thriving industry, forcing families to leave and seek work elsewhere. On the positive side, an important lesson has been learned and in a few years, the fish will slowly come back.

In every image there is a story just waiting to be uncovered...or written...

On the Bosphorus
Istanbul, Turkey - 2012
photo by Roger Winter

All of the images posted here are also available for purchase as 8x10 and 5x7 fine art prints and A2 size greeting cards (all printed on archival water color paper) at http://DigitalYak.etsy.com/. Be sure to send me a message if there is something you'd like that you don't see listed, or if you'd like a custom size or item, as I truly enjoy creating one of a kind items that hold special meaning. Thanks!!