THE ECLIPSE PARTY
The Eclipse at Yildizeli.
The Eclipse
On the morning of August 11 a large party of team members and visitors drove eastwards
towards Yildizeli and then northwards on the Tokat road to the high Çamlik pass. From an
excellent series of vantage points in the immediate vicinity of the relay station we had
an excellent view of the total eclipse of the sun. At 99% totality it was still impossible
to view the sun with the naked eye, although gathering gloom, eerie purplish light and a
cold breeze signalled that an extraordinary event was imminent and added to the rising
anticipation. At the moment of totality there a spontaneous burst of applause broke out.
The suddenness of the totality underlined the dramatic and awe inspiring effect that a
total eclipse of the sun would have had in ancient times, underscoring the phrase used by
Herodotus that "the day suddenly turned into night". Neither our modern
knowledge of the cause of total eclipses nor research into what we might expect to see had
prepared us for the drama and beauty of see this rare event from such wonderful
surroundings.
The Eclipse Party at Kerkenes.
The Party
At Kerkenes itself infrastructure for the 'Eclipse Party' was put in place by various
local authorities and many stalls selling refreshments and local crafts were set up. The
local council laid on a bus shuttle from Sorgun and raised banners publicising the event
in Sorgun itself. We were overwhelmed by the local interest and amazed at the huge number
of people who came for the event. Visitors numbered thousands, the largest gathering of
people within the ancient city walls since its destruction by Croesus around 547 BC. A 3
km traffic jam built up on the greatly improved road between the village and the site.
Souvenir T-shirts and mugs were distributed by the Ministry of Culture. Live music and
folk dancing were much appreciated, as was the provision of food and beverage.
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