Let me give you a small detail… As I speak Turkish, I was able to notice in Sisik a habit of language which means a lot to me : when he speaks to his cook (Bayram!) for example or to Turkish friends and talks about people who stay in his pension, he doesn’t use “customers” but “my guests” or “our guests”. It’s no use commenting on my feeling, is it? Furthermore, Sisik will be pleased to be your guide for walks in all the valleys around Uçhisar : he knows like the back of his hand the Pigeons’Valley, the Green Valley, the Red Valley, the White Valley followed by the Valley of Love… And why not have a barbecue right amid in the limestone peaks called “fairies’ chimneys” ? If you wish, he’ll drive you for a bath in the natural hot springs of Bayram Hacili thermal site not far away from Uçhisar. Sisik can also make you share local and varying events, like the grape-gatherings and the preparation of the pekmez by women, outside, in front of their houses, at the end of september (pekmez is grapes juice mixed with a special sand and reduced over a big fire for hours till it becomes a kind of caramel, delicious for breakfast…) or the apricots’ gathering in june-july…
All these things considered, without forgetting the magic unexpected events in which Sisik will take you away, you won’t feel as if you were doing tourism in Cappadocia but rather as if you had come to see an old friend who accomodates you with a rare hospitality, shows you Turkey from the inside and offers you, without realizing, a lesson of generosity and simplicity in human relationship… On top of that, Kilim Pension provides you with loads of services : hot air balloonings, booking your tickets, organizing horse-ridings, excursions in the underground cities or in Ihlara Valley with Ahmet, Sisik’s father, and his minibus..
Sisik was born in Uçhisar on 8th june 1971, in the old part of the village, in his parents’house which he’s restoring today. Sisik is a nickname (pronounced shishik), our man’s name is Mehmet. Those who have already been to Turkey know that half of men’s population is called Mehmet or Mustafa (I’m exagerating a little about the proportion but you understand me, don’t you ?) ; most Mehmets of Uçhisar (and elsewhere !) have nicknames. Our Mehmet being the most chubby of all (in Turkish sisko means… well, let’s not say “fat” but… “big” !), his friends gave him that nickname.Sisik (who’s not fat !) is crazy about his small town. He had thousands of opportunities to go and live in Europe (which is the dream of lots of Turks) but he preferred to build his life here, take care of his roots, make his village more attractive and share his passion for Uçhisar with his family, his friends and people who come from all over the world. To be able to share and sharing, notice that Sisik, without ever opening a book, learnt French and Italian just with his heart’s will.
“Those who come to Cappadocia cry, and those who leave it cry more.” Sisik