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Information about Beypazari,
Turkey
The town of Beypazari is located about 1.5 hours west of Ankara in the Inozu Valley where the town is divided into two settlement areas, the old and the new. The older sections of the town are situated in the northern part of the old Istanbul highway, along the deep slopes of the mountains and in valleys while the new section is situated on the plains to the south of the old highway. If you have your own transportation you may reach Beypazari from Istanbul in about 7 hours, or you may go by bus to Ankara and then to Beypazari. There are no direct bus connections from Istanbul. There is accommodation in Beypazari in the form of restored Ottoman houses and modest hotels.
Beypazari is situated on the historical Silk Road, and there are about 3000 existing wooden houses in the town. There has been great effort on the part of the municipality to restore more and more of these beautiful old houses, many of which are quite large. The houses, which are usually 3-stories high, were built with the same materials as other traditional Turkish houses. The ground floor is faced with flat stones. Stables, sheds, storerooms, and pantries are usually on the ground floor. Just above the ground floor there are cupboards and a kitchen used in the winter. The upper floors are the most frequently used areas. In the outer, inner or middle areas, there is the Turkish "sofa" (hall anteroom). The bedrooms, toilets and kitchens are situated around the sofa. You also find the "haremlik" (quarters for women) and "selamlik" (quarters for men) on the second floor. According to the Beypazari custom, an architectural element on the upper floors of these houses is left incomplete during the owner's lifetime. These elements are called "Canti" or "Candi" in the local dialect. These features are finished when needed. Beypazari houses have a sofa on the middle floor, which sometimes opens out to a balcony. The middle floors have large, arched windows that allow light to enter. The old streets of Beypazari are narrow, usually 3 to 6 meters wide and are lined with houses and garden walls on both sides.
The old streets, marketplace and the neighborhoods of Beypazari are traditional. The shops, which are generally one story, are used as workshops where coppersmiths, silversmiths and bronze smiths work metals into beautiful artifacts. There are also carpenters, saddle-makers and shoemakers here and you can see artisans hand-sewing bed coverlets, weaving rag-rugs and silk tablecloths.
Beypazari is also famous for its cuisine such as the delicious buttery dry bread crusts, carrot Turkish delight, and thin stuffed grape leaves as well as meat dishes.
Our
cultural insight tour 'Anatolian Houses and Temples'
takes in
Beypazari
and other exciting sites of inner Anatolia. |
