Beypazarı, Ankara

Beypazarı is a town and district of Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, approximately 100 km west of the city of Ankara. According to the 2000 census, the population of the district is 46,493, of which 35,775 live in the town of Beypazarı.
The district covers an area of , and the average elevation in the center is . The district contains three other small towns (Karaşar, Uruş, Kırbaşı) and 64 villages. It used to be an important city in Asia Minor in ancient times.

Etymology

The name ''Beypazarı'' means ''The Bey's market'' in Turkish, as in the Ottoman period this was an important military base and the cavalry stationed here were an important element of the local economy.

History

The area has a long history of occupation by Hittites, Phrygians, Ancient Romans, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks and the Ottoman Empire. Beypazarı was known as ''Lagania'' (), meaning 'rocky peak' in the Luwian language during the Roman and Byzantine times, and the town was a regional administrative center.

Like most Luwian cities located in West Anatolia, Lagania supported the Trojans during the famous Trojan war. Lagania belonged to Tectosagae in the region of Galatia, which was occupied early in the 3rd century BC by Celtic tribes. The Gallic region was later (189 BC) subjected by the Romans. It became a Roman province in 25 BC, and was split into two provinces, Galatia Prima and Galatia Secunda, in the 390s. Lagania was in the province of Galatia Prima, and received the name ''Anastasiopolis'' () during the reign of Emperor Anastasius I () after he had visited the city and liked it so much.

The town was also an episcopal see, suffragan of the Metropolis of Ancyra (modern Ankara), mentioned by the up to the 12th and 13th centuries. No longer a residential bishopric, Lagania remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church.

The town was conquered by the Seljuk Turks in the 12th century and was settled by various lords of the Oghuz Turks, eventually becoming part of the Ottoman Empire. Gazi Gündüzalp, the grandfather of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, is buried in the village of Hırkatepe in the district.

Beypazarı today

Beypazarı today is a small town in a rural district famous for its carrots, (producing nearly 60% of Turkey's carrots), silverwork ( Telkari), and a high quality natural mineral water. The crystal mineral trona, a kind of natural soda used in glass-making is extracted in Beypazarı.
With its rich history, architectural heritage and attractive rocky countryside Beypazarı is becoming increasingly attractive to visitors, especially day-trippers from Ankara. The cobbled streets of white Ottoman period buildings are particularly attractive; many of the old houses have been restored as hotels and restaurants (and are also popular with Turkish film directors looking for ''authentic'' locations. Every June the town holds its popular ''Traditional Historical Houses, Handicrafts, Carrot and stew Festival''. The visitors of course are bringing valuable income to the town, shopping for silverware and providing good custom for the food markets and restaurants.

For many visitors a major attraction is the cuisine, which includes typical Turkish dishes such as the yoghurt drink ''ayran'', cracked wheat (or flour), yoghurt, and vegetables fermented then dried and mixed with water to make a thick soup '' tarhana'', stuffed vine leaves, home-made sausage ''mumbar'', and a stew cooked in a stone-oven called ''güveç''. Sweets include the sweet cream pudding called '' höşmerim'' and pastries including a dry buttery biscuit called '' Beypazarı kurusu'', and a renowned 80-layer '' baklava''. They are also very inventive with their carrots, drinking carrot juice and producing carrot-flavoured Turkish Delight and carrot ice-cream. Beypazarı is surrounded by good farmland and the fresh ingredients are a large part of why Beypazarı's cooking is so popular with visitors. One of the best-known eateries is the restored Ottoman house, the ''Taş Mektep'' restaurant. A popular gift to take back home is the sticky sausage-shaped sweet made from dried molasses-like grape syrup stuffed with walnut '' cevizli sucuk''.

The town is unusual in Turkey, for celebrating a religious festival (''Regaip Kandili'', the conception of the prophet Muhammad) with lights and fireworks.

Beypazarı is a member of the European Association of Historic Towns and Regions ( EAHTR).

Mayor of Ankara Mansur Yavaş was born in the district and he was the mayor of Beypazarı between 1999 and 2009.

Administrative structure

Towns

* Karaşar
* Kırbaşı
* Uruş

Villages

Places of interest

* Hıdırlık Tepesi, a hilltop view of the town
* Ottoman period buildings include the 17th-century Suluhan Caravanserai and the 13th-century Sultan Alaedin Mosque
* The ''Kültür Evi'' museum, displaying items from Hittite, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman times
* Inözü Valley, a steep-walled canyon, giving access to the caves, tombs, and churches carved into the rock

Notes

References

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External links

District municipality's official website


District governor's official website


The Unique Tourism Site of Beypazari


Beypazarı local news website


Travel guide to Beypazarı


Beypazarı Facebook Official Fan Page


Series of travel articles about Beypazari

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Populated places in Ankara Province
Districts of Ankara Province
Lagania
World Heritage Tentative List for Turkey