During the first five days of the trip, we stayed in Göynük, a small Turkish town located between two mountain passes. With its unique architecture and mountainous landscape, the town left an unforgettable impression on the Estonian students, who came from flat terrain.

Since our trip coincided with Ramadan, we experienced Islamic culture more deeply through morning prayer chants and shared meals. A particularly memorable experience was the daily cannon shots signaling the start and end of Ramadan. On a couple of early mornings, we also heard the traditional but fading drumbeats that called people to breakfast before sunrise.

During the first fieldwork days in the Kabalari area, we hiked in the mountains, studied local geology, and examined sedimentary rock layers and structures. Unlike Estonia’s parallel and almost horizontal sedimentary rock layers, Turkey’s were tilted in multiple directions, folded, and fractured due to tectonic processes. 

During the first days, we hiked nearly 30 km in total, climbed 1.4 km in elevation, and the highest peak we reached was 1245 m. On the way to the summit, the lecturer shared stories about oil shale research from a few years ago in the area, explained the region’s geological features and origin. During the hiking days, we managed to break hand samples from outcrops both in 24-degree heat and 7-degree cold, braving rain and hail. It became clear that to enjoy the magnificent views, hard work is needed, and with every meter climbed, the hammer in the bag felt heavier.

The area had several quarries where brown coal and oil shale were mined. We visited the 130 m deep Himmeltoqu quarry, where the local mining supervisor Osgur gave a thorough tour. Osgur told an interesting story about how, before the quarry was opened, a new riverbed was built for the previously flowing river, and basically no water enters the quarry, so only 60 m³ of water is drained daily. We also learned that the lignite layer in this quarry is 6–8 meters thick – for every 60 thousand tons of useful material, more than 90 thousand tons of overburden is produced. The reserves in this quarry will last for about 15 more years. Even the experienced lecturer said at the end of the visit: "This exceeded all my expectations!" 

At the local research base, we had the opportunity to examine drill cores, the detailed description of which took the entire morning. The locals were extremely hospitable and treated us repeatedly to local food consisting of several courses. On several occasions, a special cumin-covered Ramadan bread called ramazan pidesi was also brought to the table.

After several days in Göynük, our journey continued towards Zonguldak – a city whose history is closely tied to coal mining. On the way, we visited several geologically interesting sites, such as travertine, columnar basalt, fossil-rich tuff layers, from which many delicate fossils were collected. By evening, we visited Madencioglu Sales waterfall and canyon.

The first early morning in Zonguldak began with a walk through the Varage tunnels, which were built into the rock more than 75 years ago to facilitate transportation related to mining between the mainland and the Black Sea.

One of the undeniable favorites of the mining students was Turkey’s only mining museum, where they spent several hours exploring. There was much joy in recognition and it was exciting to make connections with what they had previously learned in underground mining and extraction courses.

Next, we visited the 3.3 km long Gökgöl karst cave, protected by UNESCO, which formed in carbonate rocks and contains an underground river. Afterwards, a short hike took us to the lesser-known Sofular Cave, also under UNESCO protection, which was deep with steep slippery rocks, and entering the dark cave was only possible with a headlamp. Near the cave entrance, we encountered bats who were peacefully sleeping and not disturbed by the activity of the young scientists. 

On the way to Bursa, we stopped at the Cehennemağzı Caves (Hell Mouth Caves), which formed in volcanic tuff rocks. These are natural formations that have been later expanded and adapted for use by people. According to legend, Heracles entered there to capture Hades' guard dog of the underworld.

In the middle of a sunny Sunday, we also visited the Meyra Madencilik quarry, which has caused mixed feelings locally and where galena and chalcopyrite are mined, and collected some chalcopyrite hand samples. We enjoyed our lunch break by the scenic Iznik Gölü lake, which is the fifth largest lake in Turkey and 60 meters deep. 

We spent two nights in Bursa, and on the last hiking day, we visited the highest mountain in the area, Uludağ (2543 m). This region has formed from a batholith, a granitic intrusion that has metamorphosed the surrounding limestone into marble. It was interesting to observe the cardinal change in nature as we moved towards the summit—the deciduous trees at the foot of the mountain were gradually replaced by lower conifers.

On the way back, we stopped in Istanbul to collectively hug the over 600-year-old Inkaya plane tree. In Istanbul, before the flight home, we still managed to buy some souvenirs and enjoy local sweets. 

The field internship offered us invaluable experience in geology and provided an opportunity to get acquainted with Turkey’s natural and cultural characteristics. The field diary is full of new specialized terms, our legs are pleasantly tired, and our hearts are at peace—feelings understood only by those who have experienced these enchanting views themselves. We dare say that this was definitely one of the most exciting trips of our lives.  

The field expedition was supported by the TalTech Curriculum Development Fund and was part of the development of problem-based and project-based learning in the geosciences curriculum courses. 

The article was published in the Tallinn University of Technology magazine Mente et Manu.