Ramadan in Turkey

Ramadan in Turkey
Fascinating & unspoilt
Alibey Island
Seeking a quieter place during your
Ramadan break? Hit up Edremit Bay
on Turkey’s West Coast, an idyllic
location with beautiful beaches,
picturesque villages, cosy hotels and
an impressive cultural heritage
BY ARNO MAIERBRUGGER
Growing ever popular
among Middle Eastern
tourists, Turkey offers
something for everyone,
ranging from
beach holidays, yachting and diving
to city and shopping trips, jungle
trekking, eco-lodging and even
skiing. Visitors are indeed spoilt for
choice in Turkey.
However, for the quieter sea-
son of Ramadan we recommend a
place slightly off the beaten track,
or at least away from the crowds
that usually flock to Aegean towns
such as Bodrum and Marmara
with busy seaside avenues. Edremit
Bay, a lesser known tourism
spot, but nonetheless equipped
with first-class touristic infrastructure,
is a good place to kick
back during the holy month.
Edremit Bay is a quieter gem on
the tip of the northern Aegean Sea
on the west coast of Turkey, 90
minutes from Gallipoli, says Somer
Sivrioglu, Turkish-Australian chef
and well-known travel blogger.
He sums up what makes the
place worth a visit: It’s the picturesque
villages, delicious local food,
some of the best boutique hotels
in Turkey, shops and the markets
where one can find original handicraft
items and a large variety of
local produce such as cheeses, olives,
fresh vegetables, andwild
weed from the mountains.
THE OLIVE RIVIERA
The area around the bay is one
Edremit Bay is a good
place to kick back during
the holy month
of Turkey’s central olive oil producing
regions. The Olive Oil Museum
in the city of Adatepe up north offers
fascinating insight.
This is also the reason the bay
is called the Olive Riviera, as its
shores are almost entirely covered
with olive trees. In addition, the area
is filled with natural and historical
assets, and there are many old
houses boasting traditional architecture.
For example, Assos is
a small and serene seaside town
west of Edremit city, famous for
its ancient Temple of Athena. On a
clear day, the Greek island of Lesbos
can be seen to the south.
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
In the north of the bay lies a
mountainous region that is great
for trekking, which can be combined
with visits to historical sites
such as the ancient Greek city of
Antandros and the Bath of Aphrodite,
a natural pool from Roman
times. Excavations of the bath are
still in progress. Another attraction,
Kazdagi, or Mount Ida is a national
park north of Edremit Bay
that boasts thermal springs and
extremely diverse flora and fauna.
“[Edremit Bay] is the prime holiday
country for Turks living in Istanbul
and Izmir,” says Pat Yale,
UK-born travel writer, who moved
to Turkey in the 1990s.
“It is, after all, backed by the
foothills of the Kazdagi mountain,
where Yesilyurt and Adatepe
are two of the prettiest villages
in all of Turkey. Kucukkuyu and
Tahtakuslar have interesting small
museums. The old part of Altinoluk
is full of fine old Ottoman houses.
There are amazing Roman ruins
tucked away amid the olive trees,
and the beach at Oren is spectacularly
beautiful.”
Adding to the scenery, is the
Ayvalik archipelago in the south, a
group of 22 large and small islands
and a popular summer destination
mostly for locals and increasingly
for foreign tourists looking for a relaxing
holiday in pleasant and laidback
surroundings. In the main
seaside town of Ayvalik, there are
lots of restaurants serving excellent
local food and, of course, many
Turkish coffee houses.
In addition, Camlik and Alibey
Islands are famous for their seafood
specialities. There are also
various monasteries and churches
from the Byzantine period on the
surrounding islands.
THE GLORY AND
THE GRANDEUR
BY GARETH REES
Today Edirne is the capital
of the Edirne province
in East Thrace,
close to Turkey’s borders
with two neighbouring
Eastern European countries,
Greece and Bulgaria. But for
90 years, until 1453, having been
conquered by Sultan Murad I in
1363 and renamed (it was previously
known as Adrianople), it was
the third capital of the growing Ottoman
Empire, which would be a
major world power until 1923.
As a result of its illustrious history,
the city has a rich heritage
and many historical sites, including
a number of celebrated mosques.
But its biggest attraction is the
magnificent Selimiye Mosque, one
of the most acclaimed examples of
Islamic architecture.
The mosque was commissioned
by one of the Ottoman
Empire’s greatest monarchs,
Sultan Selim II, son of Suleiman
the Magnificent. Legend has it
that Selim saw the Prophet Mohammad
(PBUH) in a dream and
decided to build a mosque in
celebration. Mimar Sinan, the Ottoman
Empire’s most celebrated
and influential architect constructed
the spectacular building
between 1569 and 1575.
Sinan (1490 to 1588), who
made a name building military
bridges and fortifications, became
the chief architect of the Ottoman
Empire during the rule of Suleiman
the Magnificent (1520 to 1566). His
output was prodigious; he erected
palaces, public baths, schools, hospitals
and numerous other buildings,
including 79 mosques, among
them masterworks such as Sehzade
Mosque and Suleymaniye
Mosque, both in Istanbul. But
Sinan himself considered Selimiye
Mosque, constructed in the later
period of his life, after the reign
of Suleiman the Magnificent, his
The magnificent
Selimiye Mosque
embellishes Edirne’s
reputation as a city
with rich heritage
and history
greatest work. It would be hard to
argue with Sinan’s appraisal. Unesco,
which included Selimiye
Mosque on its World Heritage List
in 2011, describes it as “the ultimate
architectural expression by
the architect Sinan of the Ottoman
kulliye”. The word kulliye refers
to the complex of buildings surrounding
the mosque.
Selimiye Mosque consists of a
huge and handsome central dome,
31.25 in diameter and rising to
43.25m, sitting atop eight pillars
connected by arches. The dome
is surrounded by four slim minarets,
more than 70m high, which
shoot gracefully towards the sky
like giant needles. Sinan’s innovative
design ensured that the dome
was the main focal point of the exterior
and allowed for a vast, open
45mx36m prayer space with none
of the segmentation found inside
many other mosques. The space
The mosque was
commissioned by
one of the Ottoman
Empire’s greatest
monarchs, Sultan
Selim II, son of
Suleiman the
Magnificent
is filled with light, which streams
through the small windows in the
three sides of the interior facing
the mihrab (the niche indicating
the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah).
The outer walls are of finely
crafted ashlar masonry, while other
notable design features include
the marble carvings covering the
mihrab and minbar (pulpit) and the
parts of the interior decorated with
beautiful Iznik tiles.
Visitors to Selimiye Mosque will
also be able to explore the complex’s
large courtyard, two madrasas
(religious schools), a children’s
library and Arasta, a bazaar with
120 shops.
WHAT ELSE TO SEE
Bayezid II Health Museum
This 15th century hospital and
medical school built in 1488 by
Sultan Bayezid II and operational
until the late 19th century is now a
museum dedicated to the history
of Islamic medicine. Part of the
Bayezid II Mosque complex, it is
managed by Trakya University.
Ali Pasha Bazaar
Mimar Sinan, the architect
responsible for building Selimiye
Mosque, constructed this historic
bazaar in 1569.
WHERE TO EAT
Melek Anne
Housed in a 120-year-old building,
this charming little restaurant
specialises in traditional
homemade Turkish food.
Kofteci Osman
One of Edirne’s most popular
restaurants, Kofteci Osman
serves two of the city’s most
beloved dishes -- meatballs and
deep-fried calves’ liver.
16 GLOBAL CONNECTION JUNE 2015