A Roadtrip Through Anatolia

Traveler: Kezban Arca Batıbeki – Artist

We travel a lot with my husband and each and every escape is endlessly enjoyable. Usually, each most recent trip is the highlight and our favorite, but since we’ve been stuck at home for over 3 months because of the pandemic, I’m sure that this first trip we’ve been able to take after quarantine will remain a favorite for a long time to come!

During this long, disheartening and difficult period we experienced a myriad of emotions. We were anxious and frightened.  I tried to prove to myself that I was alright by throwing myself into my work. We stayed still, we gained weight. And still, as an artist, as with many professions today, I remain in a phase where I’m not sure what I’m doing, or where I’m going. We were almost convinced that we certainly wouldn’t be able to travel at all this year, and then alas summer arrived.. And we were finally able to embark upon our latest roadtrip. We began with a short stay with friends at Olympos Lodge, for a sea holiday.. Nonetheless, we thought, as we are driving, we may as well take this opportunity to stop by important ancient sites we hadn’t yet had the chance to visit. We mapped a route through these ancient cities, and also revised and re-routed as we went along. The cities, hotels and ruins were also quite secluded and empty, we had no trouble finding places, and this made the trip all the more enjoyable.

For the entirety of the road trip, it was just me and my husband. We had a wonderful week meeting with four of our friends in Olympos. From there, we went to Alanya to visit two friends of ours who moved away from Istanbul a few years ago. The rest of the trip was discoveries and explorations Koray and I made together…

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Olympos Lodge was the only hotel we stayed in on this journey that we booked in advance, and stayed at for a longer time. We later stayed at the Hilton in Kütahya, where we wanted to visit the Aizonai Ancient City. From there we moved to the Eğirdir Lake Fulya Pension, which had a lovely and very knowledgeable owner as well as beautiful views. Next we stayed at the Sagalassos Hotel, 4 km from Burdur Sagalassos. A week later, we stayed at Sun Prime Alanya Beach Hotel, then Antalya Su Hotel, which was very relaxing. From there, we stayed in the Geyve village of Aydın, Anatolia Hotel, almost in Aphrodisias, and finally in the village of Birgi, in Yeni Gelin House, which caught my attention with its name. From there it was back to Istanbul.

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Among all the places we stayed, from 5 star hotel to hostel, we were on the whole very pleased with the service everywhere. Apart from the Kütahya Hilton, all the breakfasts were truly fantastic.

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I love to drive, and to be honest, I was really surprised by the quality of our roads. The top points of our journey were the traces of the past cultures of Western Anatolia in Aizonai, Sagalassos, Aphrodisias and Birgi Village (which is temporarily on the UNESCO World Heritage list) and of course the Antalya and Aphrodisias museums.

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The lovely long conversations we had with old friends that we haven’t seen for months, at Oympos Lodge, were also a highlight.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the whole of this journey will always have an important place in our lives.

Although we are familiar with the ancient cities from their photos, seeing the original ruins was truly shocking and mesmerizing. The 5000 year old Sagalassos Ancient City at 1750 altitude is still there and standing. At this height, the question of how buildings and sculptures were built with such magnificent stonework is still turning in my head. Again dating to 5000 B.C., Aphrodisias, which became a small village in the Menderes valley as it gradually grew into the City State, and Aizonai, which belongs to the 2nd century AD, spread over a large area as the Episcopal Center of the early Byzantine period. And they are all within driving distance…

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In a long car journey, especially with the danger of Covid-19, it is necessary to pay careful attention to where you stay. My radar is very strong, and I don’t usually falter on this matter. For this reason, we were satisfied with all the places we tried.

For example, while going south from Istanbul, you can have a feast of Turkish sausage in Öz Şelale, near Afyon, and then a wonderful inegöl meatball in Castle 79 in Inegol. The breakfast, olive oil and sheet roast of Anatolia Restaurant of our hotel on the road in Aphrodisias is delicious. The most suitable address for Sagalassos is Sagalassos Hotel. The New Bride House, where we stayed in Birgi, was named after an inside joke of the owners, who in actual fact married at a lage age. The decor of the rooms is very sweet, breakfast is delicious, everything is homemade. We ate at Birgi Sofrası Restaurant in Birgi, a delicious restaurant. Mor Fesli is also said to be a good restaurant, we did not get to try it, but its garden is very enjoyable. Of course, there is İskender Kebapçısı in the Oksygen accommodation facility near the highway of Bursa.

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While deciding on the routes to go by car, whether at home or abroad, we pay special attention to the places one can see and visit, like ancient cities, old streets or structures along the way. I guess trips without a destination are not for us. Everyone, of course, in line with their tastes has to choose. This is a question that will be very long to answer since we have visited many towns and cities.

I think Birgi Village is an oasis that is really worth seeing. There are dozens of ugly built villages along the way and it really stands out.

We intend to set off again soon. Anatolia is such a vast area and culture that as much as we travel we don’t get close to covering it all. As we go south again, this time we want to see different Ancient cities, the abandoned village called Lübbey and Kula houses. And many places that we do not know yet…

Koray found huge stones similar to the human face from here and there on beaches and mountains, and carried them home. It was like Asterix’s Obelisk. Maybe I can use these stones in some of my works.

Since we weren’t able to travel for a while, it seems we very quickly lost our know-how and practicality, and we ended up carrying far too much this time. There is frequently no elevator in old mansions and houses that have been converted into hotels. This created trouble on narrow stairs, and needs to be remembered!

And, it is important to say, please don’t let the wonderful weather and the spirit of summer distract from the importance of taking COVID-19 precautions. The OPET toilets on the highways are highly recommendable, everything works by sensor!

In August, we had a reservation for Hydra, one of the indispensable addresses of our long summer vacation, but as times go, we will see Western Anatolian roads again by car. Probably the first stop will be Kula, we will decide the rest later.

For me travelling means freedom, knowledge and experience. I can’t think of anything as beautiful as the experience of a journey and exploration. It is also the time when I am most able to think freely and cultivate new ideas!