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Information about
Afyon, Turkey
Afyon, or Afyonkarahisar (Karahisar means Black
Fortress) is a city lying between the Aegean Sea and
the inner regions of Anatolia and is located southeast
of Istanbul within a distance of approximately 500 km.
Afyon is rarely visited by tourists, but there are
good thermal spa facilities, ancient ruins and the
city is famous for its Turkish Delight and Afyon
clotted cream or "Kaymak". There are connections by
bus and train from Istanbul.
Afyon means 'poppy' and the opium poppy is to be found
in this area, was used as a pain killer during the
time that the caravans passed through on the Royal
Road, and is now under strict control for medical
purposes.
As noted before Afyon is a spa-center with thermal
baths in Gazi Kaplicasi (25 km northwest), Gecek and
Omerli Kaplicalari (18 km and 15 km northwest
respectively), and Hudai Kaplicasi 73 km southwest of
the town, Sandikli, which is also famous for its mud
baths, too. The best of the thermal hotels is world
class Ikbal Thermal hotel, which was designed by a
Finnish architect. Another great alternative is
Orucoglu Thermal hotel. If you
are in Afyon on business there is the 4 star Grand
Ozer hotel, which is located right in the center of
town and has a Turkish bath and a pool.
The Citadel of Afyon is located in the center of the
old village and it is the core remaining from a
volcanic cone. It has been eroded through time to form
a natural location for a fortress. The present
citadel, which was built during the Byzantine period,
was previously used as a fortress by the Hittite King
Mursilius II. Because the basalt stone is black, the
name 'Black Fortress' was used
for the citadel.
To the north of Afyon there are Phrygian remains such
as Aslantas (Lion Rock) and Aslankaya (Lion Stone).
The lion reliefs may be seen on the sides of the rock
and cult temples. If you visit the village of Ayazin,
you will find a smaller and more authentic
version of a Cappadocia village. And you are
highly unlikely to encounter other tourists.
You may visit the ancient quarries nearby Afyon at
Docimium. This small village was founded by Antigonus
Dokimos, a Macedonian Greek, to cut marble for the
various building projects carried out in western
Turkey.
The town of Dazkiri on the Denizli highway is famous
for its carpets and kilims.
Contact
us for more information on Tours to Afyon
or Hotels in Afyon.
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