Gemlik, Iznik and Bursa - Part 2 Sunday

Sunday was devoted to Iznik, one of the great places to visit in Turkey.  Iznik was the older Nicea (of the Nicene creed fame) and has a storied history.  It is located at the eastern end of Iznik lake, less than an hour drive from Gemlik.  But before we could reach Gemlik, we had other activities.  Upon checking out of the Atamer Hotel we found one of our tires was flat.  This was the same tire that had been low a week or so before and gotten pumped up.  Yunus arrived as we were to have breakfast at his house and we limped on three tires to the nearest gas station.  They pumped the tire up and we went to his apartment for breakfast having called Hakan who promised to find a solution to the tire repair.

Morning views from our room at the Atamer Hotel in Gemlik

Gemlik Spor, the local football team, was also staying there

Yunus turned out to be an amazing breakfast cook (by the way, you single ladies out there, Yunus is single and is looking for that special woman).  He turned out a feast of eggs with sucuk, cheeses and olives, grilled cheese (peynerli tost as it is known here), breads with homemade strawberry jam (from his Mom - he is not that devoted to the kitchen), tomatoes and cucumbers, cereal, and this really special lamb stuff.  In Batman (his hometown) they preserve the lamb meat by cooking it with fat in small bits.  Yunus fried this up on the stove and it is spectacular if way too rich.

View from Yunus's large and modern apartment

The chef at work

The amazing lamb bits from Batman

Randy waits expectantly for his eggs and sucuk

Yunus sure knows how to make a breakfast!

Thus fortified we drove to the Gemlik town and met Hakan.  He had located a local tire repair shop and we went there.  The guy found a nail in the tire (of course!) and fixed it within 10 minutes for the sum of 10 lira (which Hakan insisted on paying).  Then, we were off!

The lastik (tire) repair shop in Gemlik

Hakan stopped at a nearby town with great views over Gemlik and the monument to the third Turkish Republic President, Celal Bayer.  This town, Umberbey, was his home.  We then took the road along the north side of Lake Iznik.  Our guide for the day was the erudite and meticulous John Ash.  We stopped first about five kilometers north of Iznik and followed the signs to Elbeyli.  Our quest was Bestas, or five stones.  This unusual and impressive monument was a Roman funerary monument and sits in the middle (literally) of an olive grove.  On the way from there to Iznik we also stopped at an underground tomb that is early Byzantine.  It supposed to have wonderful frescoes but alas was closed for renovation.

Hakan, Alice and Yunus at Umberbey

Same place but with Randy in the middle

The really ugly memorial to Celal Bayer in Umberbey

Bestas (Five Stones) in Elbeyli

This amazing monument is in the middle of olive fields

It is literally five stones on top of each other - apparently the sixth and top stone was lost long ago

Alice enjoys the sight and the beautiful day

Yunus felt at home here too

We reached Iznik and stopped at the Istanbul Gate, the northern most gate of the city walls.  This consists of three gates in succession and was interesting.  Next we went to the southwest part of town and parked at the Camlik Hotel along the gate.  This was the start of our walking tour as suggested by John Ash.  We followed his suggestions in order after stopping by the lakeside for the obligatory tea.  The Iznik Foundation was closed (this being Sunday) so we could not see them doing tile work but we found the Saray (Palace) Gate and then the stadium (also closed for renovation).  The walk was great because the town is flat and compact and the area away from the central street is pretty and has yards and even the odd chicken or rooster.

Recycling of ancient carvings into the Istanbul Gate of Iznik

Part of the Istanbul Gate

The middle of three gates - quite formal carvings

The inner gate features scary masks at either side

The other side - I guess this was to scare people away from entering Iznik from Istanbul?

The lakeside

Yunus relaxes with tea before the ordeal of the walking tour

Randy carried my burdensome purse - here by the closed for renovation Roman theater which sat 9000

Next on the tour was the mosque of Mahmut Celebi.  This dates from 1443 and it is nothing special (see how jaded we have become).  Afterwards we visited the Aya Sofia (this is the Iznik version).  Last time we were in Iznik (2008) the entire church was closed for renovation.  It is now complete and (thanks to the current religious government of Turkey) also a rather awkward mosque.  This site was the site of the Nicene creed but the church is newer, dating from around 1000.  It was a mosque also during the Turkish conquest.  It was fairly crowded with sightseers.

The Aya Sofia of Iznik - on this site the Nicene Creed was developed - did I say we were visiting on Easter Sunday?

Now a working mosque with a middle part devoted to the mosque function, quite awkwardly I think

A portion of the original mosaic floor remains

Frescoes are still visible

Frescoes of the Holy Family, etc.

The church/mosque with the raised mosque portion in the middle.  We could walk around the outer sides easily and didn't have to take off our shoes to do so

We were then in the central part of the town and walked east to see the Mosque of Haci Ozbek.  This dates from 1333 and according to John Ash is the oldest Ottoman mosque that can be dated with any certainty.  It is small but quite charming in its simplicity.  Next to it is an old Islamic complex with small park and tombs.  We went down a side street to the Medrese (school) of Suleyman Pasa.  This was interesting from an architecture perspective as it formed the ideal for future Ottoman medreses.  It has been turned into a set of small shops with artists selling their versions of Iznik ceramic wares (Iznik of course is renowned for its ceramics and tiles since the 1500's and was especially famous for its red color).  We bought some stuff which was surprisingly well priced and especially liked one shop where the owner and artist was a good looking and friendly lady.  She seemed to take an interest in Yunus and they have been texting since (how romantic!).

Interior of the simple and small but charming Mosque of Haci Ozbek

Exterior of this small gem

A nicely tiled nameplate, appropriate for the world famous home of tile, Iznik

The interesting chimney caps on the roof of the Suleyman Pasa Medrese

Now a nicely done artist shop area

The vivacious and lovely shop owner / artist who took a liking to Yunus

In the Medrese courtyard (Randy still carrying my big orange purse) after I was torn away from shopping

Next was the central sights of the Green Mosque and the town museum located in the Imaret (soup kitchen) of Nilufer Hatun.  We had seen the museum before and as the day was getting on, we skipped that.  We did visit the beautifully done Green Mosque and then headed for the eastern most gate, the Lefke Gate.  We walked around there (John Ash recommended a short walk to some nearby tombs but we have left that for another visit) and then followed the remarkably well preserved city walls along the south side of the town to reach our car at the Camlik Hotel.  In need of medicinal rehydration, we sat at the Camlik's outdoor restaurant by the lake and downed some restorative Efes beers while Hakan drank Coke.

The Green Mosque of Iznik

The minaret  is the best part though the tiles are not original

Nice stone carving detail in the front

Reused columns (of course) inside

The Lefke Gate on the eastern side

Gate detail

The series of entrances making the Lefke Gate

Recycled column and frieze bits

Yunus climbed the well preserved aqueduct at the Lefke Gate

A stretch of the well preserved Iznik city walls along the south side of the town (a sight John Ash calls "one of the grandest sights in Turkey."

Hakan stuck with Coke but Yunus, Randy and Alice each downed two big Efes's in the name of hydration

We earned our lakeside libation after the hours of walking to see all that Iznik has to offer

The lake just before sunset

A final drive out the Lefke Gate led up a hill to the tomb of Abdulvahap.  The tomb was not interesting but there were a lot of people there mainly to enjoy the spectacular view.  I asked Hakan to take the road along the south side of the lake back to Gemlik.  The road is not as good as the one on the north side but it is more picturesque and I like it better.  We were supposed to see the Konak olive groves (a quest I have wished for for nearly 20 years) but it was getting dark and that will have to wait for a future visit.

The gaudy tomb of Adbulvahap who kept fighting supposedly even though his head was cut off, and then buried himself

Yunus liked Iznik for multiple reasons

Hakan and Alice enjoy the view over Iznik town and Lake Iznik

Leyla Hanim was waiting for us at Casa Konak with manti (yum!).  We had a relaxed and delicious meal en familie and then said our goodbyes.  The Konaks sent us away with their own green and black olives, olive oil and handmade olive soap.  We were headed to Bursa, about a half hour drive, and that forms the last part of our weekend sojourn.

The delicious soup as a first course at Casa Konak

A family gathering including master cook Leyla Konak (in white scarf)

The manti was perfect - big like I like them!

Gemlik, Iznik and Bursa - Part 1 Saturday

We spent a long weekend near the Aegean coast, about a 4 1/2 drive from Ankara (Turkey is not that big of a country).  The trip was devoted visiting old friends, immersing ourselves in the regional history and working on behalf of the U.S. Embassy in Turkey.  A lot for three days!

Saturday we drove across the high plains of western Anatolia through Eskisehir to Gemlik.  We had our first encounter with the Turkish police as Randy uncharacteristically decided to speed on the good and uncrowded road we were driving along.  With a limit of 120 KM/Hour we were doing 143 and had to pay 125 TL for the mistake of doing so.  The police were very polite and knew a little English.  They took the cash and gave us a receipt and reminded us 120 is the limit!

At Gemlik we checked into our favorite hotel - the slightly worn but wonderfully situated Atamer.  It lies just above the sea (the Gulf of Gemlik) on a bluff just north of Gemlik.  Our room was spacious and had a balcony overlooking the sea.  The internet was good and they brought us a fan, so what more could we ask for?

Randy enjoys our balcony overlooking sea and olive trees

View from our room - the Sea of Gemlik (part of the Marmara Sea)

We met up with two old friends (who did not previously know each other).  The first is Hakan Konak, younger brother of my student Abdullah Konak (now a professor at Penn State).  We had visited Gemlik and the Konak family in 2008 and had a wonderful time.  As an added bonus, our good friend Yunus Alp (a former graduate student in civil engineering at Auburn University) had gotten a job at Gemlik this past year and moved there.  It is a small world indeed.  So the four of us took our car with Hakan driving to some destinations just west of Gemlik.  These were three seaside towns with ruined churches worth seeing according to my favorite Turkish guidebook (by John Ash).  In fact the entire weekend of sightseeing was courtesy of John Ash.  The drive was beautiful along the sea and we stopped at Mudanya (the big ferry port for Bursa with many fast ferries to Istanbul).  This town was quite busy on the beautiful spring Saturday afternoon and we viewed the town square (the museum and historic house where Ataturk signed the armistice with Greece in 1922 was closed for renovation) and had drinks on the sea at a cafe.  Then we headed to Kumkaya, a village on the sea just further west.  No tourists in this village and we located the ruined Greek church with ease.  Hakan found the guy with the key who let us in.  The church was partly modern (for Turkey) from the 1800's but the main part was from the 900's and really interesting.  John Ash calls it a place of "haunting melancholy."

An old Greek monastery along the road from Gemlik to Mudanya - right on the sea

Another view of this forgotten relic

Yunus, Alice and Hakan in Mudanya

Memorial (foreground) and museum (background) to the 1922 Armistice ending the Turkish/Greek wa

Alice enjoys an Efes while the men stick to tea at a seaside cafe in Mudanya

The ruined church of Kumkaya

As usual, the Byzantines reused (upscaled) parts from the classical ruins abundant in Turkey - this time a white piece of Roman or Greek marble

The key was located and the locked ruin opened for us

The Greek inscription over the doorway

Inside, the new part was without its roof

The old section (from the 900's) included columns probably recycled from the Romans

The dome in the older part - still intact and still impressive

The well preserved decorative molding in the old part of the interior

Hakan admires the dome

An angel still adorns the frescoes which John Ash puts at 18th century

Remnants of a Christian past

Our final historic destination for the day was Zeytinbag, the town further west on the same road.  This was somewhat touristic but wonderfully authentic and located right on the sea.  It was known (and is still known locally) as Trilye.  There are three churches there and an old school, all Greek, and all but one in various states of ruin.  We saw the exterior of the first church which is near the big ruined school.  It is partly used as a residence now.  We then went to the second church but could not find the key to it (John Ash had tried three times to get in this one without success).  However, we did find out from local people that the Greek Orthodoxy people in Istanbul were planning to renovate the church and reopen it and that it is still used occasionally.  The third church is now a mosque and it seems that it would be simple to go into.  Not true.  It was locked and efforts to find the key were difficult.  Hakan was relentless in his pursuit of the key as went to the local government (belediye) office.  This being Saturday only one person was working and he was done at the seaside area.  We drove there and found him amidst tourists.  He did not admit to having the key to either locked church (though Hakan suspected he had access to them but did not want to return to the office to get them).  He suggested we find the Imam.  Phone calls and brief drives around the city finally resulted in us finding out the Imam was in Bursa but the Imam from the new mosque in town had a key and would meet us.  This occurred and it turned out that all the effort was worth it.  It is a most unique church (John Ash calls it "perhaps the most perfect example of mid-period Byzantine architecture to have survived in Anatolia.")  We had the added bonus of the Imam taking us on a tour of the church/mosque and telling us the local history.  One item he told us was that the name of Trilye, as the local people believe, came from the original people building three churches in the town.

The ruined but still impressive Greek school of Zeytinbag/Trilye

The information on the school which includes a house for the headmaster across the street.  This house is in good condition and still in use

Yunus at the doorway of the first church

Our local guide (some guy from a shop that befriended us) with Hakan

The house that was a church and now a residence

Reused bits from Rome - a funeral dinner according to John Ash - on the first church which is near the school

The second church which will be restored by the Greek church authorities in Istanbul.  We could not get the key to go inside

A nice use of a recycled Roman/Greek column in the foundations of the second church

More classical columns are part of the foundation - this time used perpendicularly

The third church of Trilye

The side garden of the third church which is now a mosque and in full use

The entrance to the porch area which is supported by reused classical columns

Detail of one of the classical porch columns

The structure is now called the Fatih Mosque

Inside there are recycled ancient columns and architecture bits (see the two carved marble wall pieces to the sides of the columns)

Detail of a preserved tile floor in the church

Despite current use as a mosque the crosses remain carved over the windows

The church was founded in the 800's and turned into a mosque in the 1600's

Detail of exterior dome with brick work of sun and wheat leaves

The Imam said the local people believe that the sun and wheat leaves were to indicate good fortune and were, of course, part of the original church

The town center was also home to a wine shop selling the local winery's wine.  I could not resist this, of course, and bought five bottles.  These are yet untasted (the shop used to be able to provide tastes but the current religiously oriented government of Turkey put an end to that).  We headed back to Gemlik for dinner at Casa Konak.  Abdullah's mother, Leyla, is an excellent cook who makes everything from scratch.  She served us a multi-course feast and the entire Konak family was present.  It was a great way to cap off a super day and the final touch was when Randy and I had a glass of wine on our balcony at the Atamer Hotel overlooking the lights of the ships in the Bay of Gemlik.

The wine shop of Trilye

Bakus (cute!) butik winery of Trilye - they make a white and several reds

A building in the center of Trilye which has seen better days but is still in full use

Entrance to Casa Konak in Gemlik

They live on the top floor which is a good climb up

Hakan and his father Halit Konak

Hakan, Alice and Halit Bey

The newest Konak - toddler Eren from Abdullah's sister Sheyna

Leyla Hanim and part of her feast - she had completed the Haj in Mecca last year and was wearing the white scarf representing this (or so I understood)

The hot courses at Casa Konak