TURKIY Cities: Afi-Karahaisar
Lying on an impressive cliff Powerful ancient citadel Afion (AFYON) is considered a visiting card of Central Anatolia and the capital of the lake edge of Turkey.
The first fortress of Hapanow on this two-hundredth rock was built, as it is believed to be the king of Hittites Mursil II (mid-II millennium BC. NS.), then the Frigians were expanded, and the Romans and the Byzantines, who called the city of Acrironium ("High hill"), erected most of the modern fortress, which was subsequently used as an imperial treasury and fuzzles, and Osmans. In the course of the War for Independence, Afyon-Karahaisar was an ataturk headquarters, one of the decisive battles of that war took place nearby. Now the city is called simply af’on ("opium" In Turkish, the city is considered the largest manufacturer of poppy in Turkey), and his famous fortress – Karahaisar ("Black fortress"), as if dividing the ancient history of these places and modernity, in which these places are famous more as manufacturers of excellent sausages and the very opium than "sovereign treasure".
- Fortress Karahisar
- Glazing Mountains
- Mosque Ulu-Kamya
- View of the modern part of the city
sights
The best way will get acquainted with the city – climb the stairs in 700 steps leading in the southern wall of the black cliff in the fortress Karahisar. Interestingly, practically on the entire route of the lift will meet trees, literally hung with multicolored rags – bright illustration of an ancient local rite of desires. Also here you can observe an interesting echo effect when the voices of Muzziov with minarets (and around about 80!) repeatedly reflected from the rocks, as if creating a multi-voiced choir. From the fortress preserved not so much – literally with a dozen dilapidated towers and several fragments of the walls, the ruins of the Kibel temple and the lying mosque and the palace. However, the view from here opens very picturesque – the foot of the cliffs surround the old quarters with narrow streets, characteristic by half-sized houses with hanging upper floors and wooden lattices on the windows.
Above this chaos of red and gray roofs towers a whole forest of mosques and minarets, including the most ancient city mosque – Ulu-Kamya (1272-1277.), twokupolna Mevlevi Kamya and adjacent to it "Shemhahan" (ceremonial hall, now a museum is located here Mevlev – Afion became the second largest center of this Order Derviche after Konya) and others.
Archaeological Museum (open from Thursday to Sunday from 8.30 to 17.30, entrance – 2 TRY) Lies in a kilometer east of the city center. His collection contains an extensive collection of historical items found not only on the territory of the city itself, but also in Roman settlements near the modern towns of Dzhardal and Kovalyk-Hyuk (III-IV BB. N. NS.). And in the museum garden, an impressive collection of marble sculptures of the Roman, Frigian, Byzantine and Ottoman periods is exhibited.
Nearby tower mosque Y Mareret-Kamya, Madrasa, Hammam and Park Gedic Ahmet Pasha, as well as a small museum Shuffle (Open daily from 9.00 to 17.00, free entrance), dedicated to staying in Kemal Ataturk.
Around the city
Around the city you can find a huge number of historical monuments. In the rocks of the north of Afion, near Ishing (Ihsaniye), monumental bas-reliefs are carved Aslakaya and Kipykaya Frigian period (VII centuries. N. NS.).
Nearby are ancient residential caves, rockless necropolis Sarychayr (Selimia), numerous ruins of Byzantine churches and monasteries, as well as the ruins of an ancient city Metropolis, on which excavations are conducted.
Also within a radius literally 10-12 km can be visited the fortresses Kyrkinler and Seydiler (32 km from Afion – Ankara highway), ruins of ancient cities Synnada (The first capital of the Friegian kingdom), Apameha (once was the second largest city after Ephesus), Premayum (built by warriors Alexander Macedonsky in IV in. to N. NS.) And Hettsky Amorife (Aura, XII-IX BB. to N. NS.).
Nearby are also hot mineral springs of the resort Thermal Oudzhoglu, Whose water has a high fluorine, bromine and calcium salts and sold across the country.
