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 Afyon (Afyonkarahisar), Turkey

 

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Afyon, the Black Fortress of Opium—what a name for a nice town! It comes from the sheer rock promontory topped by an age-old fortress at the town's center.

Usually called just Afyon, it's famous for its Turkish delight (lokum), some of it made with the rich local clotted cream (kaymak) that also appears in baklava and other desserts. Because Afyon is halfway between Izmir and Ankara, travelers often take a break here to eat some.

Legend has it that the clotted cream is produced by cattle fed on the leftover opium poppy plants grown in abundance here.

Graceful old Ottoman houses line some of Afyon's back streets, and Seljuk and early Ottoman mosques such as the Great Mosque (Ulu Cami, 1273), Dervish Hall Mosque (Mevlevihane Camii, 1300s) and Soup Kitchen Mosque (Imaret Camii, 1472) are worth a visit.

The Battle of Dumlupinar near Afyon was the decisive victory (August 30, 1922) which swept the invaders out at the end of Turkey's War of Independence.

Although opium poppies are still grown around Afyon, there's hardly any black market for the drug anymore. Most of the opium ends up as mophine for use in hospitals.

There's plenty of bus service to Afyon, and trains between Izmir and Ankara, and Istanbul and Konya, stop here as well.


Distances & Travel Times

Ankara: 260 km (162 miles) NE, 4 hours

Antalya: 300 km (186 miles) S, 5 hours

Beysehir: 148 km (92 miles) SE, 3 hours

Egirdir: 211 km (131 miles) S, 3-1/2 hours

Eskisehir: 190 km (118 miles) N, 3 hours

Istanbul: 455 km (283 miles) N, 6-1/2 hours

Izmir: 340 km (211 miles) W, 5-1/2 hours

Konya: 235 km (146 miles) SE, 4 hours

Kütahya: 100 km (62 miles) N, 1-1/2 hours

Pamukkale: 260 km (162 miles) SW, 4 hours

Usak: 115 km (72 miles) W, 2 hours

Aegean Turkey

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Statue & Fortress, Afyon, Turkey

Above, a dramatic statue of Turks tromping invaders in front of the Black Fortress of Opium.

Below, a few of Afyon's old Ottoman houses.

Old Houses, Afyon, Turkey