Mudurnu:  A town of character

by Asst. Prof. Dr. Fatih Müderrisoğlu

As Spring approaches, why not take a trip into the countryside, take in some history, architecture and folklore, and then travel on to one of Turkey’s best-known beauty spots? It can all be done within a weekend - and with a minimum of stress and fatigue. Why not make an excursion to Mudurnu and Abant?

To most residents of Turkey, Mudurnu is best known for its chicken farms, which have made it a best-known brand name. However, this little town 200 km west of Ankara is also home to fine examples of religious and civil architecture made even more spectacular by recent restoration work. The surrounding highlands are equally picturesque, and Lake Abant is just a short drive away.

Mudurnu occupies the banks of the Mudurnu stream at a point where it flows between two hills. It is easily reached from the capital via Beypazarı and Nallıhan. Roads from Adapazarı and the provincial centre of Bolu also converge on the town. The famous traveller Evliya Çelebi speaks of the valley-settlement of today as the ‘Lower Market’, and reports that there was also an upper neighbourhood on the high ground to the southwest of the town. This was known as Hisar Tepe – or Castle Mount, consistent with the legend that there was a small fortified settlement here in Byzantine times named ‘Moderna’ after the daughter of the local seigneur. Unfortunately the castle and whatever other buildings surrounded it have not made it to our time.

Rapid development

The town was captured by the Ottomans in 1307. During the reign of Murad I (1362 – 89), the Sultan’s sons Bayezid was posted there as governor. Bayezid was later to become the fourth Ottoman sultan and to earn the nickname Yıldırım, or “Lightning”. He had the famous builder of the time, Ömer bin İbrahim, build a large complex of structures bearing his name. Many of these, including the ‘medrese’ (school) and ‘imaret’ (soup-kitchen) have gone, but the ‘hamam’ (bath-house) and mosque remain. In terms of their architecture and embellishments, both are noteworthy samples of Ottoman art.

At the time it was built, the dome of the mosque had the greatest diameter of any Ottoman dome. It is still open for worship. Over the entrance to the men’s section of the double bath-house are a series of inscriptions, one below the other. This deed in stone bears the date of construction, the name of Ömer bin İbrahim and other important details including how the income from the baths was to be used.

Hens and needles

Ottoman documents depict Mudurnu as a populous and well-developed stopping point on the historic Silk Road, its houses and other buildings arranged on terraces and surrounded by orchards. Early fourteenth-century Arab traveller Ibni-i Batuta wrote of the lodge where he stayed and the power of the tradesmen’s guilds. By the mid-seventeenth century, Çelebi was able to record 3,000 houses, and several schools, inns, baths, lodges and needle workshops. The people made their living making needles, ten of which were sold for one ‘akçe’ coin, while the fame of the local jugs and cups had spread beyond the boundaries of Anatolia.

The town began to make a living through chicken farming in the eighteenth century. One record shows that 7,700 hens and 2,500 chicks were sent to the Ottoman palace in lieu of tax. Together with handicrafts and market gardening, the rearing of poultry was to prove a highly beneficial occupation for a small town huddled in a highland valley, and has continued up to the present.

Welcoming guests

The recent repeated problems of the chicken business have increased the importance of tourism. The town was declared a conservation area in 1991. Streets have been improved and several old buildings have been restored with the support of the district governor, the municipality and NGOs. A festival is staged every Autumn with a view to commemorating the tradition of tradesmen’s guilds (‘Ahilik’) and promoting eco-tourism.

Apart from the Yıldırım Mosque and Baths, the clock tower, the old shops known as ‘arastas’, the New Mosque, the Halveti Tomb, the ‘yunak’ (where clothes used to be washed) and the lodges and houses with their gardens are all worth seeing. The most impressive residence in town, the ‘Armutçular Konutu’, was constructed by a wealthy family in the mid-nineteenth century using special materials and workmanship.

Overnight accommodation is provided at the old family mansion houses of Yarışkaşı, Hacı Abdullahlar and Keyvanlar. Local and traditional culinary treats on offer include ‘kaşıksapı’ macaroni and sticky ‘depme helva’ dessert, as well as chicken dishes.

Around Abant

If you have an extra day to spend in the area, the nearby highlands beckon with their lakes, springs and forests. The alpen cottages of Değirmenyeri, the Sünnet and Sülüklü lakes and the spa of Babas offer rare experiences. But Abant is special. Drive for half an hour up the steep mountain road out of Mudurnu, and suddenly its fresh waters are laid out at your feet.  Surrounded by forests of pine, beech and fir, the lake changes with the seasons, but is always beautiful.

Water lilies and mountain streams are among the joys of an essential stroll around the seven-kilometre shoreline, 1,328 metres above sea level. The tour can also be done by bicycle, on horseback or by horse-drawn carriage. There are hotels and picnic areas, and a market where you can chat with the villagers and buy dairy products, jam, honey, chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, ‘tarhana’ for soup, bread, fruit and vegetables depending on the season. After this feast of culture and nature, the forest road to Bolu makes a gentle start to the reluctant journey home.

( DIPLOMAT  -  February 2006  -  Ankara )