Eskisehir (Old City) is the capital city of the Eskisehir province in the northwestern part of Central Anatolia Turkey,on the banks of the Porsuk River. Eskisehir’s metropolitan area has a population of more than 800 thousand and is home to Turkey’s two biggest universities – Eskisehir Osmangazi University & Anadolu University, making this city a “students’ city.”
Its location in Central Anatolia makes it very cold in the winter and less hot and humid in the summer, unlike other regions in the country that are extremely cold in the winter (especially the provinces near the Balkan and the Black Sea) and temperatures rise up to 50 degrees C in the places to the east of the Euphrates River, as well as most of the provinces in the Aegean.
What makes Eskisehir one of the best cities to live in Turkey is its rather more relaxed traffic and reasonably lower cost of living. It’s got trams that run through the city and minibuses for routes outside of the metropolitan area. Thermal hotels are also popular in this area at an affordable rate of $25 a day. Cig borek (pronounced as chi-bo-rek) is most popular among the locals. It’s a kind of pastry that originated from Russia and Central Asia, a deep fried single round piece of dough folded over a minced meat filling (either lamb or beef) and onions.
Eskisehir has got a lot of attractions worth visiting for both recreational and educational purposes, such as the Museum of Modern Glass Art and the Museum of Sepiolite Sculptures, as well as theme parks.
Below are the top 7 attractions that you must have in your bucket list when you are visiting Eskisehir.
- Adalar
Simply referred to as “Adalar” by the locals, Adalar is in fact the name of the street where this area is located. Adalar Street (Adalar Sokak) is 5 minutes on foot from Hamam Yolu, Odunpazari. Hamam Yolu, which means “Turkish Bath Road”, is a small area in Odunpazari that is a center for small commerce, thermal hotels and various kinds of restaurants and cafes.
Adalar/Adalar Street is a small area on the bank of Porsuk River – a 448 km. long river from Murat Mountain. For such a small street, it has surely transformed the area into a lifestyle hub.
Both sides of the river are populated with places for dining and entertainment. Sit on the river’s edge and enjoy a cup of their famous Turkish coffee or tea(chai). If you would like to grab something you are more accustomed to, there are also some big chains such as a Starbucks and Burger King, just next to a rather large supermarket that you can find in the area. Hookah bars with live music are also everywhere in this area.
If you visit Adalar in the summer, you can explore the long stretch of the river on a gondola. The street can also serve as your compass if you are a first-time visitor. It’s the main transit point of the trams. For first-time visitors, you can choose to not buy an Eskart, especially if you are visiting for a few days only. You can purchase tickets (Esbilet) for one-time use at small grocers they call “Bakkal” or “Tekel Shop” for $0.60 each.
6. Gurleyik Waterfalls (Gurleyik Caglayani)
Come here for a swim, fresh air, barbecue, picnic, retreat and recollection with your family and friends. Gurleyik Waterfalls of the town Mihalicik has its own magical way of speaking to your soul, as pure nature in general. Locals flock to this area in the summer for a complete change in environment, take a break from the hustle and bustle of weekdays. For newcomers, ask a trusted local and guide for a safe and fun day-trip or hike. Make sure to remember to bring your own snacks, in case you want to stay there till sundown. Embrace nature…and it will surely embrace you back.
5. Mountainous Phrygian Valley (Daglik Frigya Yazilikaya Vadisi
Being an avid fan of the TV Series Spartacus, places in Turkey touched by the Phrygian civilization piqued my curiosity and wanderlust. In a show of the series, it was mentioned that Spartacus came from a place called Thrace. Thracians were believed to be men that lived their lives with honor and dignity despite their diminishing population due to constant migration of the tribes that desperately ran away from oppression. Phrygians were among the tribes that migrated from Thrace to Anatolia. Remnants of the Phrygian time are apparent in many places in the Aegean region of Turkey also such as Afyon, Mugla and Kutahya, in the Turkish Mediterranean region of Antalya and mostly in the Central Anatolia such as Cappadocia and Eskisehir. Eskisehir was among the homes of the Phrygians for 400 years.
Mountainous Phrygian Valley has deep valleys, high steep contours and a plateau which is believed to be home to sacred rituals/cults with the belief that the Goddess Kybele/Matar would reveal herself in places such as valleys, cliffs, as well as mountains near freshwater bodies (rivers and lakes for instance). Being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mountainous Phrygian Valley is protected and preserved – the ruins of carved out temples, stone tombs, castles and ancient inscriptions.
If you come to visit in the summer, you can take advantage of affordable tours as they always include this attraction in their itinerary. However, if you would like to explore it at your own pace, renting a car would be a better option.
4. Midas Monument / Midas City (Midas Aniti / Midas Kenti)
Formerly known as “The Tomb of Midas”, Midas Monument or Midas City is a rather large site to explore in the town of Yazilikaya, more or less 90 kilometers from the city of Eskisehir. There is no transport going straight to the site. To get there you can either arrive by taxi, rent a car or drive your own if you have. For the latter option, take the D665 route from Eskisehir to Seyitgazi (46 km) and then hit a secondary road to Yazilikaya for another 26 kilometers to the site. Entrance to the site costs 3 Turkish Lira which is around $0.70. Since the entire site is almost completely barren, I suggest that you bring your own water, though there is a small cafeteria on the premises, as well as sunscreen wouldn’t hurt though, and a hat for further protection.
Sightseers normally spend 2 hours here walking around the entire site. The path downhill leads to an underground water reservoir carved out onto the rock, whilst when you climb uphill path to the Acropolis you’ll find rock-cut tombs, the so-called “Midas Throne” and reliefs of deities of the Phrygian period.
Midas Monument is among the many important masterpieces of Phrygian archaeological remains and ancient inscriptions that are being preserved and protected by the Turkish tourism industry. If you still have time to spare, you can travel 14 kilometers to the west of it to see a Seljuk mausoleum in the village of Kumbet. Taking mental notes while exploring places like these won’t be enough. Hence, you might as well take down physical notes to record especially important information that you’ll learn during your explorations.
3.Yılmaz Büyükerşen Wax Museum
Otherwise known as Eskisehir Wax Museum, this museum was established in 2013 by Yılmaz Büyükerşen and the mayor of Eskisehir. This collection of waxy figures spans five halls and has just shy of two hundred on display at any one time.
Down Hall A you can find a selection of hand sculpted Ataturk and his family. Hall B houses celebrities, sports figures, science, aviation, railways, etc etc. Hall C is filled with historical characters while Hall D is filled with Democracy and photography here is strictly forbidden. Finally, Hall E is the curator’s personal exhibition.
- The Historical Houses of Odunpazari (Tarihi Odunpazari Evleri)
These old row homes are in the oldest part of the city, Odunpazari, and are dated back to Ottoman times. Most, if not all of these homes, are dressed with traditional wood trim to reflect the heritage and culture making the streets more like an open-air museum than a roadway. Down these streets you can also find open-air markets to buy fresh picked fruits and vegetables, as well as seeds, nuts and a few other various things people may be selling.
There are also several museums in Odunpazari district if you feel like spending a few hours visiting some, or you could visit the two mosques for a great photo in front of the Alaeddin Mosque or Kursunlu Mosque and complex.
(An example of an open-air market on the street next to where the historical houses of Odunpazari are. Photo taken in January 2017)
- Sazova Park + Science, Art & Culture Park
There is a special vibe about this place that makes you feel right at home in a fairy tale. Dead center in the park is a massive lake with a nice fountain and swans and ducks swimming around comfortably everywhere.
The lake is surrounded with plenty of activities to choose from for families and singles alike, there are plenty of playground sets disguised as fish or dinosaurs, park benches,trees, monuments, a cafe, bathrooms and there’s even a pirate ship resting near the water’s edge. While all that might sound well and great, this park’s crowning jewel is a huge replica of Cinderella’s castle, complete inside and out to explore, it even has a moat surrounding it, full of gators too.
On the opposite end of the lake the park is separated into two by a fence line, the second part of the park being aimed at being a more educational experience. There are around thirty miniature models of sculptures here of the amazing Ottoman architecture’s influence in other parts of the world. It’s great being able to circle these mini buildings and check out all the detail that is put into each and every area to exactly mimic the full grown counterparts. Even if you don’t have much of an appreciation for buildings or architecture, it’s easy to pass an hour gazing at these marvelous masterpieces. There’s also a path that leads you to a giant artistic building that houses a gallery of artwork and science for you to spend hours as you allow your mind to go missing inside of a painting or two for just a little while.
Below is a miniature of the well-known Mostar Bridge in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a 16th century Ottoman bridge later destroyed by war and rebuilt in 2001 to exactly replicate the original. Adding to the fame of the bridge is an annual traditional diving competition held off of here. The bridge is most beautiful to photograph at night from most photographers’ perspective with the changing color spotlights on both ends, it makes for some magnificent night shots.
miniature of the 33-arches Bridge in Iran (si-o-se-pol)
And the gorgeous Taj Mahal of India
This “Crown of the Palace” symbolizes India’s rich history and goes on to be one of the top wonders of the world (even its exterior is dressed in precious jewels).
According to stories, the emperor loved his wife so much that after he lost her he had this palace built in her honor and memory. It was so extravagantly built that it began to attract negative desires from people who had their eyes on the precious jewels engraved onto the walls. The emperor then ordered his men to find the culprits right away and deliver the necessary punishment – whichever hand the thieves used to loot the jewels would be cut off. Upon hearing the bad news, the thieves spared no time to run away far, far from India. And that began their story of migration…all the way to Romania and Turkey in fear for their lives. These people later earned the name “gypsies” while migrating from the emperor’s reign and outstretched fist.
The best thing about this great park, admission to it is free, though entrance to the castle will set you back a few meager turkish lira. If you still have time and energy to spare, you can go see the zoo a few hundreds of meters from it.
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