malatya: apricots, ancient whispers, and a surprise drizzle
so i just got back from malatya and wow, that place is wild. i didn't expect much, but it kinda grabbed me by the collar and said 'stay a while.' the first thing i noticed? the smell of dried apricots everywhere. seriously, it's like the whole city is marinating in them. i heard that malatya produces something like 80% of turkey's apricots, and now i believe it. the bazaar was packed with vendors shouting and handing out samples like they were trying to start a fruit fight. i grabbed a handful, and yeah, they're next-level sweet.
i just checked and it's 8.16°c there right now, feels like 5.62°c, so yeah, bring a jacket. the humidity's at 80%, so it's not exactly a dry heat. the weather kinda matched my mood-slightly damp, a bit unpredictable, but oddly comforting. i walked around the old city walls for hours, just listening to the wind whistle through the cracks. someone told me that the walls are over 2,000 years old, and i almost believed them. there's something about ancient stones that makes you want to whisper secrets to them.
"don't trust the taxi drivers near the otogar," a local warned me. "they'll take you on a tour of every back alley before dropping you off."
i took that advice to heart. instead, i walked everywhere. malatya's small enough that you can get lost in the best way possible. i stumbled into a tiny tea house where the owner insisted i try their black tea with a side of gossip. apparently, the best kebab in town is at kebabci mehmet usta, but he also said it's a bit of a gamble-sometimes it's life-changing, sometimes it's just meat on a stick. i went, and yeah, it was pretty damn good.
if you get bored, elazığ and diyarbakır are just a short drive away. i didn't make it to either, but i heard elazığ has a killer cheese scene and diyarbakır's walls are even older than malatya's. maybe next time.
i also checked out the local museum, which was surprisingly cool. they've got artifacts from the hittite period, and i spent way too long staring at a 3,000-year-old clay tablet. i kept wondering what the guy who wrote it was thinking. taxes? love notes? grocery list? the world may never know.
one thing that stuck with me was how quiet the city gets at night. no blaring music, no neon signs screaming for attention. just the occasional clink of a tea glass and the sound of someone sweeping the street. it's the kind of place that makes you slow down, even if you're the type who's always rushing. i sat by the yeşilırmak river for an hour, just watching the water and trying to remember what it felt like to not have a plan.
i heard that the best time to visit is in spring when the apricot blossoms are out, but honestly, i kind of liked the moody vibe of a drizzly autumn day. it felt like the city was telling me its secrets, one quiet corner at a time. if you're into history, food, or just want to feel like you've stepped into a different rhythm of life, malatya's worth the trip. just don't forget your jacket.
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