Beypazarı

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Panaromic view of Beypazarı from the top of the Hıdırlık Hill located at the middle of the town.
Panaromic view of Beypazarı from the top of the Hıdırlık Hill located at the middle of the town.

Beypazarı is a district of Ankara Province of central Turkey, approx. 100 km west of the city of Ankara. Elevation 680m. Area 1.868 km². Population (2000) 51,841 of which 45.000 (approx.) live in the town of Beypazarı. The district contains three other small towns (Karaşar, Uruş, Kırbaşı) and 64 villages.

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[edit] Etymology

The name Beypazarı means The Bey's market in Turkish, as in the Ottoman period this was an important military base and the cavalry stationed here were an important element of the local economy.

[edit] History

The area has a long history of occupation by Hittites, Phrygians, Ancient Romans, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks and the Ottoman Empire.

Originally a stop on a trade route connecting Constantinople (now Istanbul) to Baghdad, Beypazarı was known as Lagania (Greek: Λαγάνια), meaning rocky peak during the Roman and Byzantine times, and the town was a regional administrative center. Lagania belonged to the province of Galatia, which was occupied early in the 3rd century BC by Celtic tribes. The Gallic region was later (189 B.C.) subjected by the Romans and it became two Roman provinces: Galatia Prima and Galatia Secunda. Lagania was in the province of Galatia Prima but later received the name of Anastasiopolis during the reign of Emperor Anastasius I (491-518) after he had visited the city and liked it so much. The town was also an episcopal see, suffragan of Ancyra (modern Ankara), mentioned by the "Notitiae Episcopatuum" up to the twelfth and thirteenth century.

The town was conquered by the Seljuk Turks in the 12th century, and settled by various Turkmen lords, eventually becoming part of the Ottoman Empire. The grandfather of the Ottoman founder Osman I is buried in the Beypazarı village of Hırkatepe.

[edit] Beypazarı today

Beypazarı today is a small town in a rural district famous for its carrots, (producing nearly 60% of Turkey's carrots), silverwork (Telkari), and a high quality natural mineral water. The crystal mineral trona, a kind of natural soda used in glass-making is extracted in Beypazarı.

With its rich history, architectural heritage and attractive rocky countryside Beypazarı is becoming increasingly attractive to visitors, especially day-trippers from Ankara. The cobbled streets of white Ottoman period buildings are particularly attractive; many of the old houses have been restored as hotels and restaurants (and are also popular with Turkish film directors looking for authentic locations. Every June the town holds its popular Traditional Historical Houses, Handicrafts, Carrot and stew Festival. The visitors of course are bringing valuable income to the town, shopping for silverware and providing good custom for the food markets and restaurants.

For many visitors a major attraction is the cuisine, which includes typical Turkish dishes such as the yoghurt drink ayran, tarhana, stuffed vine leaves, home-made sausage mumbar, and a stew cooked in a stone-oven güveç. Sweets include the sweet cream pudding called höşmerim and pastries including a dry buttery biscuit called Beypazarı kurusu, and a renowned 80-layer baklava. They are also very inventive with their carrots, drinking carrot juice and producing carrot-flavoured Turkish Delight and carrot ice-cream. Beypazarı is surrounded by good farmland and the fresh ingredients are a large part of why Beypazarı's cooling is so popular with visitors. One of the best-known eateries is the restored Ottoman house, the Taş Mektep restaurant. A popular gift to take back home is the sticky sausage-shaped fruit and walnut sweet sucuk.

The town is unusual in Turkey for celebrating an Islamic festival (Regaip Kandili the conception of the prophet Mohammed) with lights and fireworks.

80-layer baklava (which is usually 40- layer), a speciality of Beypazarı.
80-layer baklava (which is usually 40- layer), a speciality of Beypazarı.

[edit] Places of interest

  • Hıdırlık Tepesi -hilltop view of the town
  • Ottoman period buildings include the 17th century Suluhan Caravanserai, and the 13th century Sultan Alaedin Mosque.
  • The Kültür Evi museum displaying items from Hittite, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman times
  • Inözü valley - steep-walled canyon, a green and pleasant place for a stroll, or to explore the caves, tombs and churches carved into the rock. There are cafes and restauarants for refreshments.
  • There are many places for walks and picnics in the countryside surrounding Beypazarı including the banks of the Kirmir River, and Eğriova Yaylası and Tekke Yaylası areas of high meadow in the forest.


[edit] External links

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