KIYIKISLACIK
On that first morning in a family run guest house
in the village of Kiyikislacik, the olives which took pride of place
on the breakfast table tasted twice as good as usual. They were
large, oval in shape, and dark greenish brown in colour. They had
been scored with a knife, and dressed with plenty of olive oil.
Finding fine olives here was no surprise, since the last part of
our journey to Kiyikislacik had been through olive groves, which
covered the hillsides right down to the sea.
Kiyikislacik lies at the innermost point of the Gulf of Güllük
north of the Bodrum peninsula in southwest Turkey, and is 18 kilometres
east of Milas. Across the water on the opposite shore Güllük
can be seen. In the further distance other villages along the coast
of the Bodrum peninsula are visible. While the peninsula is Turkey's
most popular holiday area thronged with visitors in summer, Kiyikislacik
is astonishingly peaceful and tranquil. The present village only
dates from 1929. Before that, according to Hidir Yigitkaya who was
muhtar - elder - of the village for 25 years, there was a Greek
farm here.
Today the population of Kiyikislacik is around two
thousand, and olive cultivation is the principal occupation.
On that first morning in a family run guest house
in the village of Kiyikislacik, the olives which took pride of place
on the breakfast table tasted twice as good as usual. They were
large, oval in shape, and dark greenish brown in colour. They had
been scored with a knife, and dressed with plenty of olive oil.
Finding fine olives here was no surprise, since the last part of
our journey to Kiyikislacik had been through olive groves, which
covered the hillsides right down to the sea. Kiyikislacik lies at
the innermost point of the Gulf of Güllük north of the
Bodrum peninsula in southwest Turkey, and is 18 kilometres east
of Milas.
On that first morning in a family run guest house
in the village of Kiyikislacik, the olives which took pride of place
on the breakfast table tasted twice as good as usual.
They were large, oval in shape, and dark greenish
brown in colour. They had been scored with a knife, and dressed
with plenty of olive oil. Finding fine olives here was no surprise,
since the last part of our journey to Kiyikislacik had been through
olive groves, which covered the hillsides right down to the sea.Kiyikislacik
lies at the innermost point of the Gulf of Güllük north
of the Bodrum peninsula in southwest Turkey, and is 18 kilometres
east of Milas.
Across the water on the opposite shore Güllük can be seen.
In the further distance other villages along the coast of the Bodrum
peninsula are visible. While the peninsula is Turkey's most popular
holiday area thronged with visitors in summer, Kiyikislacik is astonishingly
peaceful and tranquil. The present village only dates from 1929.
Before that, according to Hidir Yigitkaya who was muhtar - elder
- of the village for 25 years, there was a Greek farm here. Today
the population of Kiyikislacik is around two thousand, and olive
cultivation is the principal occupation. Most of the olives are
grown for oil, which is processed locally.
The virgin extra oil from the first pressing is
known as sizma, and is the finest quality of all. It was this that
was poured on our olives for breakfast, lending them that exquisite
flavour. The village stands on one of the best sheltered coves in
the area, enclosed on one side by olive clad slopes, and on the
other by the small peninsula - formerly an island - where the ancient
site of Iassos stands. The founders of the ancient city probably
chose this site on account of its protected natural harbour. Excavations
by a team of Italian archaeologists of the Carian city of Iassos
have been continuing since May 1960. Finds have revealed that the
earliest settlement here dates back to the Early Bronze Age. Artefacts
and sculpture from Iassos can now be seen in Izmir, Milas and Bodrum
museums, and there are some objects and inscriptions made of the
local purple marble in a Roman mausoleum referred to locally as
the Balik Pazari - Fish Market - in Kiyikislacik. In the mediaeval
period, during the time of the Turkish Mentese principality and
early Ottoman Empire, this imposing structure was used as a han,
a commercial building for merchants and their goods. Other buildings
in the ancient city date from various periods. The walls, which
are the first structure to strike the eye, are thought to date from
the Hellenistic period. As well as three temples of Zeus Megistos,
Apollo and Artemis, there are numerous Roman buildings, including
an agora, theatre, aqueducts, cisterns, gymnasium, baths and a bouleuterion.In
the sea is an ancient harbour wall and watch towers. One of the
two watch towers or lighthouses has been restored and can be reached
by walking along the stones of the harbour wall that rises above
the seasv surface. When the city was still inhabited, a chain used
to be stretched across the entrance to the harbour between the two
towers to prevent attack by sea. Olive trees surrounding the ancient
walls are said to be three to four hundred years old, and their
thick, twisted trunks indeed look of great age. The Aegean shores
of Anatolia are the original home of the olive tree, which
can live for one or even two thousand years, so these are youngsters
by comparison. As the sun sinks towards the horizon the shadows
of the olive trees fall on the ancient walls, merging trees and
city in an inextricable embrace. Kiyikislacik does not have its
own weekly market. Instead local people go to the market on Tuesdays
and Fridays at Milas, the ancient Mylasa. People from all over the
area, from as far as Söke and Bodrum visit this colourful and
busy market, which also attracts many tourists during the summer
months. As well as fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs, a wide
range of fabrics and table cloths and curtains trimmed with hand
made lace and crochet are to be found here.On the return journey
to Kiyikislacik via Ovakislacik you pass by the Temple of Zeus on
the right hand side of the Söke road. This temple lay in the
ancient city of Euromos, a name meaning 'powerful', which in ancient
times was second in importance only to Mylasa. This splendid temple
was built in the 2nd century AD.
Fishing is the second most important source of income
for the village, and probably predates even olive cultivation. The
fact that the Roman mausoleum is referred to as the Fish Market
bears witness to the importance of fishing in later times, as does
the fact that the bell tower was used to announce that fish had
arrived in the market. In recent years fish farming has become widespread
in the area, the principal species bred here being gilt-head bream
and sea bass. The abundance of fresh and cheap fish in Kiyikislacik
is one of its main attractions. Every day people come here by boat
from the opposite shore just to buy fish, and a meal at one of the
fish restaurants on the seashore here is delightful. The view across
the harbour of olive groves and Iassos's ruins as the setting sun
paints the ancient stones with golden light is the perfect accompaniment
to the delicious freshly caught fish.
* Yusuf Dariyerli is a photographer
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