Westport, CT -- International photographer and adventure traveler Sam Mehta will make an audio-visual presentation entitled “Turkey: People and Places" to the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 in Westport.
The presentation will be at The Saugatuck Congregational Church, 245 Post Road East, Westport, CT 06880 (www.saugatuckchurch.org). Doors open, wine, appetizers, pasta dinner, salad and desserts from 6.30 pm, and presentation from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. AMC members and non-members are welcome to attend. The cost is $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Participants are asked to bring along a dessert to share if they can. No reservations. Pay at door only. For more information and directions go to www.ct-amc.org or email Eleanor Sasso at easasso7@icloud.com
Sam will share images of Turkey. He will transport you to this beautiful country through his images and intellectually stimulating narration about its people and places. He will also share his perspective on Turkey’s long and rich history and will attempt to explain recent developments in the historic context.
Turkey is a difficult country to describe without highlighting its duality; the recurring theme is “Turkey is this but also that.” For instance, Turkey is in Asia but also in Europe; the Turkish language is of Central Asian Turkic origin but it uses the Latin alphabet; the Turkish people are Muslim, but culturally they are southern European. Turkey was a Christian nation for a thousand years before it became a predominantly Islamic nation. The Greeks colonized Turkey’s coastal areas for centuries before the Romans invaded and ruled; present-day Istanbul was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire for centuries. Also, there are many other historic figures we know but generally do not associate with modern Turkey, such as the Greek historian Herodotus, known as the father of history; and St. Nicholas or Santa Claus. The story of Turkey parallels the story of the West over the last two thousand, five hundred years. The two rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris that form the Fertile Crescent, also known as the birthplace of civilization, originate in the southeastern mountains of Turkey. Archaeological city sites in Turkey date back to 9000 BC, yet modernization is more than ever the hallmark of the Turkish nation. Turkey has its share of geological wonders, ranging from the blue water of the Aegean Sea, the magnificent Taurus mountain range that separates the Mediterranean region from the central Anatolian plateau, amazing tufa rock formations, underground cities, and spectacular beaches. Turkey also has its share of UNESCO sites with architecture perfected during the Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman eras. Yet Turkey has a dark side too; democracy has proven much more difficult to achieve than was envisioned, and its military intervenes in politics. The Islamic party has scored recent victories; its populist tendencies counter democratic reforms. Furthermore, Kurds in the east have been waging a separatist war. To add to chaos, Turkey has been forced to house millions of refugees from Syria. Despite the challenges, Turkey is a fascinating place in Eurasia to visit; its unique duality and contrasts, and the hospitality of its people can overwhelm a visitor. Geography separates Europe and Asia, but credit to the Turkish people who unite them. No wonder Turkey has been one of the most visited countries in the world, notwithstanding the current unrest.
Sam Mehta is a retired corporate executive with a life-long passion for photography, mountains, outdoors and adventure travels. He has travelled the world to many exotic destinations. Today’s topic “Turkey: People and Places” is covered in his second coffee-table book “The Silk Road: People and Places”. The first coffee-table book “Himalayas: People and Places” was released at the beginning of 2014. Sam donates 100% of the proceeds from the sale to the American Himalayan Foundation’s STOP Girl Trafficking program.
Sam has been a photo enthusiast all his adult life. He shoots in digital format using Canon 5D cameras with various Canon lenses. He is an active member of the famed The Explorers Club and the Appalachian Mountain Club. He is a graduate of New York Institute of Photography. His formal education includes an MBA from Columbia University, New York, and a BS in Engineering from BITS, India.
Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is America’s oldest conservation and recreation organization. With more than 100,000 members, advocates, and supporters in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and stewardship of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of the Appalachian region. The AMC supports natural resource conservation while encouraging responsible recreation, based on the philosophy that successful, long-term conservation depends upon first-hand enjoyment of the natural environment.
