WHITE FLAVOUR OF LIFE

The Aegean city of Izmir is associated more with blue seas than snow, yet not far away the mountain of Bozdag generously shares the beauty of its snowy peaks with winter sports enthusiasts. The ski resort was built two years ago on the mountain, known for its fertile alpine pastures, flocks of partridges, and attractive stone houses. Now, as well as hikers and nature lovers, the 2159 metre high summit welcomes skiers with their bright coloured outfits and cheerful smiles as they speed down the ski slopes through the white winter scenery.
This hospitable mountain lends its name to the Bozdag range which stretches for 120 km between the Gediz and Küçük Menderes rivers in the Aegean region. It is the highest peak in the range, lying just to the east of the road which crosses the range from Ödemis in the south to Salihli in the north. This is a range of great geological interest, composed largely of metamorphic rock such as marble and crystal schist.

Bozdag enjoys equal mythological fame, which it owes to King Tmolos of Lydia. Tmolos, son of Ares, was out hunting one day when he saw the water nymph Arriepe and fell in love with her. Artemis, goddess of fertility and the soil, was angered that any mortal, whether king or commoner, should have the temerity to fall in love with an immortal, and sent a fierce bull to trample him to death. Tmolos's son buried his father on the summit of Bozdag, which thereafter became known as Tmolos.
Moving on from myth to history, we find that from the time of the Turkish Aydinoglu Principality, which became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1426, the inhabitants of the nearby cities of Manisa and Birgi spent the hot summer months on the cool pastures of Bozdag and in the mountain village of Elma Bagi (formerly Tekke), which was also a halting place for caravans and travellers crossing the mountains.

Sultan Mehmed II (1451-1481), conqueror of Istanbul, who as crown prince governed Manisa, is said to have spent his summers on Bozdag, where he continued to take lessons from his teacher Molla Gürani as well as less serious pursuits. Birgi, once capital of the Aydinogullari Principality, lies south of Bozdag, and is a fascinating town with many early Turkish monuments and traditional houses. If you have time after visiting Birgi, you can explore the picturesque villages of the area along the winding mountain roads on your way to Bozdag, 17 km away. ylenir.
As you drive along you may see a shepherd following his flocks, and pass hikers with backpacks out to enjoy the scenery and fresh mountain air. Around almost every bend you catch sight of Bozdag's summit with its glistening white cap of snow and scarf of fluffy clouds. The large village of Bozdag, whose population is 3200, is the hub of this agricultural area where the principal crops are potatoes, apples, cherries and sour cherries, and flocks of sheep and goats produce milk used to make delicious local cheese.

Walnuts and chestnuts are the gift of the mountain, as are the wild flowers that lend fragrance to the superb honey. In the shops here you can also find thyme, senna and many other herbs gathered in the meadows.
If you stop here for a meal, try the wonderful pide - thin bread spread with various fillings such as cheese, and baked in an oven, and the speciality known as katmer, a kind of layered pastry. There is a small partridge and pheasant breeding farm in the village, and the young birds are released into the wild every spring. Ancient planes, chestnuts, ashes, willows and poplars surround the village. One of the prettiest spots in the vicinity is Mermeroluk, a favourite picnic place and a base for university mountaineering club expeditions.
The ski resort at Büyük Çavdar is just 7 km east of here, and colourfully dressed skiers can be discerned in the distance. Two hotels and bungalows provide accommodation at the resort, which lies on the northeast flank of the mountain at a height of 1600 m.

There are two ski lifts and one chair lift, the latter carrying passengers up the ridge to a height of 2000 metres, where there are two ski slopes, one 2300 and the other 2500 metres long. For less experienced skiers there are also two shorter slopes, 800 and 1000 metres in length respectively. In November, as soon as the temperature drops below -3 degree Centigrade, the pistes are made ready with artificial snow.

When you want a break from skiing there is a cafeteria selling a wide range of drinks and snacks.
Even if you are not intending to ski, it is fun to take the chair lift to just below the summit, and after a glass of hot tea in the summit café almost buried in the snow, take a short walk along the ridge.
Listening to the crunching of the snow beneath your feet and breathing the cold bracing air of the summit, you will experience the white flavour of life. The sights of Bozdag do not end here. Before you leave you should visit the mountain pasture known as Subatan Yayla and the lake of Gölcük.

Subatan is a plateau with a wavy surface created by the broad shallow valleys eroded by time which cross it. It takes its name from a sink hole into which the numerous tiny streams plunge underground. Potato fields and apple orchards cover this fertile plateau.

Lake Gölcük is situated at 1049 metres and has an area of 1.5 square kilometres. In summer people come here to picnic under the shade of the pine trees and enjoy the idyllic view in the cool breeze. In winter you will find the lake deserted but the silent white landscape is equally beautiful and unforgettable.
As well as skiing, mountaineering, and trekking, cycling is another sport which attracts many people to Bozdag throughout the year. This hospitable mountain towering over an ancient and lovely region has much to tell if you lend it your ear.

* Faruk Üründül is a photographer

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