TRILYE
For those living in the huge metropolis of Istanbul
a day out of the city is always a pleasure, and more so if it is
somewhere you have never been to before. One place which few think
of visiting is the small town of Trilye, unspoilt and picturesque
with its lovely old houses. Although it has been renamed Zeytinbag,
the former name Trilye still sticks. Trilye lies on the southern
shore of the Marmara Sea, 40 kilometres from Bursa and 10 kilometres
from Mudanya.It is surprising that so few people have discovered
this delightful small town surrounded by olive groves and many other
trees glowing in diverse shades of green in the sunshine. There
are two stories told about the origin of its Greek name.One is that
it was originally three different villages, which in order to put
up a better defence against pirates joined together (hence the tri
in the name), and the other that three priests (tri-ilya) who opposed
the archbishop got together here. What is certain is that Trilye
was a Byzantine town which became a part of the Ottoman Empire in
the 14th century.
In 1980 Trilye was declared a conservation area
to preserve the historic character of the town. To reach it, travel
westwards along the coast from Mudanya to Kumyaka, formerly a small
Greek village.
A few kilometres further on and Trilye comes into
sight. The view is so lovely that we pulled into the side of the
road to enjoy it at our leisure and take photographs. The town lies
on two sides of a valley and is surrounded by olive groves.When
we drove downhill into the town we were even more enchanted to find
ourselves amongst old houses lining narrow cobbled streets, as if
we had gone back in time to the 19th century.Architectural students
sometimes come here to study the old wooden houses, some of which
have been painted, but most with the original timber surface, interspersed
with a few modern concrete buildings. We were happy to see that
some of the houses had been restored, and hoped that the entire
town would eventually get the same treatment.
Trilye olives are well known, and are the main source
of income for the inhabitants of the town. Indeed some say that
the name Trilye derives from its olives.We walked down to the waterfront
where there are a number of fish restaurants. In one of these we
made the acquaintance of the mayor, who is keen to make Trilye better
known, to carry out improvements and to help those who visit the
town.
The waterfront area has been attractively laid out
with paths in recent years and is now a pleasant place for promenading.
We ate at Liman Lokantasi, where a delicious meal of freshly caught
fish and diverse seafood cost less than half the price it would
have been in Istanbul.
Çamlik Tepesi, a hilltop commanding a view
over the entire town, is a favourite spot for local people. In this
small square shaded by pine trees, children are to be found playing
while the adults converse over tea.
We had intended to set off for home at 4 o’clock,
but we lingered on until 7 o’clock in the evening, reluctant
to leave this delightful seaside town where the faint smell of seaweed
pervades the air. The houses with their bay windows and lattices
had won a place in our hearts, and we resolved to come back again
as soon as possible, bringing other friends to share our discovery.
* Izzet Keribar is a photographer.
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