A PENINSULA ON THE MARMARA SEA KAPIDAG
The ferry headed out to sea from the quay at the
southern mouth of the Bosphorus and picked up speed. Behind us Istanbul
became gradually smaller as it receded into the distance, disappearing
altogether an hour later. The ship seemed reduced to a tiny speck
in the middle of the Marmara Sea. For a long time the gulls swooped
alongside, seizing food thrown by the passengers and rising into
the air again. No one seemed in a hurry for this pleasant journey
to end. When the boat reached Bandirma most of the passengers would
be heading for the resort of Erdek to spend the weekend in guest
houses, hotels or holiday homes, but we planned to skirt the town
and explore the lesser known parts of the Kapidag peninsula, visiting
all its villages and coves.
Four hours later the peninsula appeared as a blurred
shape on the horizon, and half an hour later we were entering the
Gulf of Bandirma. The delightful voyage was over, and we were soon
standing on dry land again.
Apart from the small town of Erdek there are seventeen
villages on the Kapidag peninsula. Our first stop on the Erdek road
was the village of Asagi Yapici, situated on the isthmus. After
a short break we were off again to Hamamli, a village 9 kilometres
from Erdek. The village stands on the acropolis of the ancient city
of Kyzikos, and some ruins can still be seen. In the 3rd century
BC Kapidag was an island, separated from the mainland by a narrow
strait, along which the Argonauts sailed to Kyzikos on their way
to find the Golden Fleece.
From the village of Hamamli we drove to Yukari Yapici,
and from there to Kirazli Monastery, 17 kilometres from the main
road. The Monastery of Panaghia Theotokos Faneromeni, known as Kirazli
Manastiri (Monastery of Cherries) to the locals, was inhabited until
1923. The 90-room building has a church in the courtyard. After
wandering around the ruins, we returned to Yukari Yapici.
We intended to travel anticlockwise around the peninsula
via the village of Ballipinar (alias Kocaburgaz) on the north coast.
The east-bound road wound through woods of chestnut, hornbeam, beech
and oak, and as we drove we looked out for wild birds and animals.
The peninsula was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1978, and hunting
is forbidden here, so its forests and hills are home to eagles,
hawks, falcons, beavers, martens, wild boars, polecats, foxes, jackals,
roe deer, and rabbits. There are also fallow deer, thought to have
been introduced here from the Belgrat forests north of Istanbul,
and today forming a colony estimated at seventy to seventy-five
in number.
Passing the seaside villages of Tatlisu and Dalyan
on the east coast, with their numerous holiday homes, we arrived
at Karsiyaka (Paremo). This large village is home to a community
of Pomak Turks who migrated here from Kavala in northern Greece.
Here there was a wedding going on, to which we received
an invitation. The crowd of guests made a memorable sight, the girls
and women dressed in traditional costume consisting of red salvar
(baggy trousers), brightly patterned dresses, black coats known
as saya, and colourful headscarves. After drinking thirstily from
the village fountain, we watched the wedding celebrations for a
while and then took our leave.
Our next stop was the village of Çakil at
the northeast extremity of Kapidag. This village was once inhabited
by Greeks from Crete and used to be a busy port of call for shipping,
but today it has lost its importance and is a quiet backwater. In
the harbour there is a gigantic statue of Atatürk. From Çakil
the road turned westwards to Ballipinar, the former Kocaburgaz,
which like Karsiyaka is inhabited by Pomaks from Kavala. The village
is a picturesque place, with narrow paved streets, wooden houses
and a ruined church.
It is famous for its red onions, producing nearly
2500 tons a year. If you happen to come at the time of the onion
harvest, you will find all the villagers sitting in the shade of
makeshift arbours along the shore busy braiding the onion stems
to form the long bunches which hang to such decorative effect in
greengrocers shops.
On the way to the village of Ormanli we passed onion
fields squeezed into the fertile land between small coves. The views
were magnificent, with forest clad hills on the one hand and pretty
coves on the other, some with tiny villages on the shore. The village
of Turan was one such. This area attracts many Turkish holidaymakers,
and there are plenty of pensions in the villages of Turan, Doganlar
and Ilhanli. From Ilhanli the road turns south along the west side
of the peninsula to the village of Narli, beyond which is Ocaklar.
Both these villages have good asphalt roads and are served by minibuses
from Erdek for visitors without their own transport.
They offer a choice of accommodation for visitors
in reasonably priced and clean pensions.
Kapidag is ideal for weekend breaks throughout the
year, and its beautiful sand beaches and sea make it equally popular
for summer holidays. Exploring this unspoilt area is a delight.
Around the coast each bend in the road reveals another lovely cove,
and visitors can walk in the footsteps of the Argonauts when they
discover the ancient ruins of Kyzikos.
* Erdal Yazici is a photographer
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