TARAKLI
Tarakli is a town in northwestern Turkey which was
once a halting place on the Silk Road. Its venerable history goes
back to antiquity, when it was known variously as Dablies, Doris,
Dablis and Dablia. During Byzantine times, it was a small fortress
town in the region governed by the lord of Bursa. Tarakli was conquered
by the Ottomans in 1331-1332 during the reign of Orhan Gazi, and
came to be known as Tarakli Yenicesi or Tarakçi Yenicesi.
It was razed by Timur’s armies in the late 14th century, but
rebuilt during the reign of Sultan Çelebi Mehmed (1413-1421).
In the 17th century the Ottoman writer Evliya Çelebi recorded,
‘Tarakli’s castle is still in ruins, but the town has
500 fine houses of timber with tiled roofs set amidst vineyards,
orchards and streams... Because the local people all make spoons
and combs [tarak] it is known as Tarakli. The mountains are covered
entirely with box trees, whose timber is carved and sent to Arabia
and Persia. The water and air here are excellent. All the mountains
are forested and provide fine hunting.’
Until the early 1800s the population of Tarakli
consisted of around five thousand Muslims, four thousand Armenians
and a few hundred Greeks, but today the total has dropped to five
thousand. With its coffee houses and tea gardens shaded by arbours
and filled with roses, its narrow streets, tiny squares with fountains,
and delightful old houses, Tarakli is one of the few Turkish provincial
towns to retain its traditional character.
As well as the highest peak of Uludag Tepe, the mountain has several
other peaks, including Zirvetepe, Kusaklikaya and Sahinkaya. At
around 2000 metres there are moraines of loose rock and boulders
deposited by glaciers, and the lakes of Kilimligöl, Karagöl
and Aynaligöl. The variation in climatic conditions from the
lower slopes up to the peaks of Uludag is the main factor in its
considerable biological diversity. With over a hundred endemic species
of flora, nearly thirty of them unique to Uludag, the mountain is
botanically one of the most interesting areas in the country.
As the snow gradually recedes in spring, the mountain
breaks out in colour. Crocus biflorus, a pale lilac-blue crocus
with two flowers to a stem, and Crocus chrysanthus, a golden yellow
species, do not even wait for the snow to melt. Their flower heads
on delicate stalks push their way through the snow cover.
The wooden two storey houses have bay windows and
bracket struts, stained glass windows and recesses known as eyvans
decorated with naïve landscapes in the corners.Tarakli is 60
kilometres from Adapazari and 135 kilometres from Istanbul. Just
before Tarakli we turned off at Haci Yakuplar to see the Kil Hamams
(Turkish baths). We first visited two ruined hamams, named Gelin
Yutan and Gicik, that were still in use until the end of the 19th
century according to local people. With their arches and pools,
the hamams are thought to have been built at the halting place for
the caravans carrying goods from Baghdad to Bursa. The Kil Hamam
itself a kilometre further on is still in use, fed by natural hot
springs.
This water is good for rheumatism, arthritis, gynaecological
complaints, skin complaints and some internal diseases, so people
come here in large numbers for cures, particularly in the summer
months. The water has a temperature of 49-50 degrees Centigrade.In
Tarakli the most striking of the traditional houses are Haci Atif’in
Hani, Çakirlar Konagi, Dumanli Hafizlarin Hanesi, and Haci
Hasimlerin Konagi. The houses have stone foundations and walls of
either timber and adobe or weatherboard, and their façades
are mainly painted white, indigo blue, ochre and bright yellow.
Tarakli is a grade one conservation area whose historic houses up
to three centuries old are under conservation and awaiting funds
for their restoration.The cultural life of the town retains many
of its old customs, the cuisine featuring many traditional dishes
like keskek (wheat and mutton purée), ugut (a dish made of
coarsely ground flour), pekmez (grape molasses), and köpük
helva. ‘English’ apples grow only here, as do Göynük
plums, which are not found in Göynük.
In the past these foods were served at social gatherings
known as ocakbasi sohbeti and helva sohbeti.
Although the craft of comb making which lent Tarakli
its name has almost died out, spoon making is still thriving. The
famous Tarakli spoons are made to hold exactly a mouthful, and continue
to be preferred over metal spoons for eating by many local people.
Playing these spoons like castanets is the traditional
accompaniment to dancing at weddings. The production of pack saddles,
on the other hand, has nearly died out.Another local custom is village
feasts known as hayir cemiyeti, at which huge pans of bulgur pilaf
are cooked for the villagers and guests from neighbouring villages.
The tradition of spending the summer on the high pastures is still
alive in many villages, and in May the people take their herds and
flocks up into the mountains to graze on the rich lush grass.
During this season Karagöl, the largest of
the high meadows, become festive scenes. The coming of summer also
brings the wedding season in Tarakli. All relatives, friends and
acquaintances are invited to the wedding celebrations, which last
two or three days and nights. The men dance local dances to the
rhythmic tapping and clicking of spoons.Life in Tarakli’s
villages goes its peaceful way, untouched by time in many respects.
But in the town itself you feel a sense of melancholy as you walk
past the old houses, which resemble lonely but dignified old people
with lined faces. In these deep wrinkles lie mingled memories of
the past; of the Silk Road caravans, the Byzantines, the Ottomans,
and the Turkish Republic. Their expression is tired, perhaps, but
still proud.
By Yücel TUNCA
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