Ağrı final step before Nakhchivan

We are in Ağrı tonight. The day started as it finished with the mechanics. 

Then we drove, first the plains and fields of yellow hay 

, and the mountains appeared around Bitlis 

then we arrived at Lake Van 

and finally the plain of Patnos / Ağrı.


We are tired, the excavation has not yet begun.

Tomorrow we cross the border and we installs the camp in Dize, a village where the team excavate an Chalcolithic settlement (4000 BCE).

From Kilis to Diyarbakır

What a mess today ! We start at 4h30 am for don't drive during the hot temperature (It's was 45°C in Diyarbakir today) and all our plans fall donw.

Sunrise next to Kilis

What append ? Of course a small surprice of our Lada.

Direction the garage after a on site review by Ömer, and the mechanic Abadula

 Result, a piece should be changed (this kind of plastic plate with holes). Of course, this requires disassembly of the carburetor and other engine components.

So we broke down after only 30 minute drive, at about 5 am, and we are back in Kilis to repair. To finally start again at 1 pm when it's hot ...

Somes pictures of this first part from Kilis to Diyarbakir

The end of the day was one long nightmare with three failures at 50, 20 and 10 km from the center of Diyarbakir. The last crash has forced us to carry our 4x4 on a flatbed truck to a hotel or our arrival caused a sensation (5 or 6 people to look after the car move down, push-her right at the entrance of the hotel).

In short, Ömer and I are dead. Tomorrow, alarm at 8 am and we start with our friends the Garage Keepers. 

Kilis south Turkey

Hi everybody, today after a short fly from Istanbul to Gaziantep, I am in Kilis where our car wait us every years.


Agrandir le plan

Toomorow at 4h30 AM I will take our car, this beautiful Lada Niva withe you can see in Back Image of this blog, and go to Igdir close to the border with Nakhchivan. It's mean around 950 km. With me, I have a Turkish friend call Ömer and we will stop for one night in Bitlis.

Istanbul is not Constantinople

Ok first night in Istanbul. And like you now "Istanbul Not Constantinople" like the song of They Might Be Giants

And from my windows, I saw this:

It's a residence where my brother in law live near the airport where I must go now for take a plane for Gaziantep my next stop.

On the road of Nakhchivan...

Hello everybody, I now on the road of Nakhchivan for one mouth of excavation. You say where are you going?

So Wikipedia write:

"The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (Azerbaijani: Naxçıvan Muxtar Respublikası) is a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan. The region covers 5,500[1] km² and borders Armenia (221 km) to the east and north, Iran (179 km) to the south and west, and Turkey (15 km) to the northwest."

It's a good but technical definition. For me it's small, quiet, aoutside of normal world like stop in past.

 So hope to explain you my trip, my work and a real archeology life...