Tuesday, September 9, 2008

One more photo

This is the ceremonial marker for Ataturk's sarcophagus (not sure if there's a better word for this). Soldiers and guards keep people about 10 feet away from it. Ataturk's actual burial site is in a room directly below this that is not accessible to the public but is viewable on live closed circuit TV (just the room and marker, not his body). A guard stands in front of the flat screen with the CCTV feed, visibly watching the screen for any sign of trouble. And did I mention that the bus was searched (including the undercarriage but not the luggage compartment) when we entered the mausoleum complex a quarter of a mile from the actual mausoleum?

It's a curious thing in a country that leaves priceless antiquities out where people can touch and sit on them.

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