Bilecik Province
Bilecik Province () is a province in midwest Turkey, neighboring Bursa to the west, Kocaeli and Sakarya to the north, Bolu to the east, Eskişehir to the southeast and Kütahya to the south. Its area is 4,179 km2, and its population is ...
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. It is the seat of
Gölpazarı District
Gölpazarı District is a district of the Bilecik Province of Turkey. Its seat is the town Gölpazarı.İlçe Belediyesi Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023. Its population is 5,723 (2021). The mayor is Hayri Suer ( AKP).Hayri Suer, Başkan Gölpazarı Municipality. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
Features
Despite its proximity to the most important metropolises of Turkey, and its fertile lands, Gölpazarı never experienced overpopulation due to its isolated geography by the hills. As a result of archaeological excavations,
Phrygia
In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; , ''Phrygía'') was a kingdom in the west-central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River.
Stories of the heroic age of Greek mythology tell of several legendary Ph ...
ns are thought to be the first founders of the town. Roman milestones still exist in the north of the town, passing from the village of Keskin. The town was one of the first Ottoman captured settlements in the region. A
caravanserai
A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...
known as "Taşhan" dated as early as 1412-which is one of the oldest buildings remained from early Ottoman period. Main scripture of the building has also great value on early Ottoman history since it mentions about
Köse Mihal
Köse Mihal (; 13th century – 1340) accompanied Osman I in his ascent to power as a bey and founder of the Ottoman Empire. He is considered to be the first significant Byzantine renegade and convert to Islam to enter Ottoman service (see Nök ...