Day 11: Eastern Anatolia

In the far eastern region of Turkey is the Old Testament world of Noah. Currently, "it is a poorer region where the people are more religiously conservative than in western Turkey. For the past few decades, it was dangerous to travel here because of the ongoing war against Kurdish terrorism."

A refresher on the Kurds: "The Kurds are an intriguing people who share the geographic, linguistic, and possibly the ethnic heritage of the ancient Medes. They are a tribal people...with 15 million or so living in Turkey. Many of the Kurds continue to live a nomadic lifestyle in the mountains of Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq.

"Muslims often dismiss the Kurds for their hesitant embrace of orthodox Islam...[as they] draw from a mixture of shamanism, Zoroastrianism, and elements of Christianity to quench their spiritual thirst...The Kurds generally live peacefully in Turkey. But unfortunately a deep animosity exists between the Turks and the Kurds." In 1978, Abdulah Ocalan formed the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) that "took up arms against the Turkish Republic and advocated the establishment of an independent Kurdish state is southeastern Turkey." This led to a civil war that lasted fifteen years.

Though the war is over, many areas in eastern Turkey are still recovering. Unemployment, poverty, and limited educational opportunities plague many of these remote provinces. Also, due to the safety issues presented in this area as it healed from the civil war, many believers have not ventured to this part of Turkey. As a result, it is likely the most un-reached portion of Turkey.