272... 03... 812,416... 14,230... 30 E 33 - 38 N 45...

Afyon... The province is located as a gateway between the sea and inner regions of Anatolia. The history of Afyon goes back to 4000 BC. The city is famous for its specific "Turkish Delight" and "Kaymak", a kind of hard cream put on desserts, which one should certainly taste at least once. Afyon is a spa-center with thermal baths in Gazi Kaplicasi (25 km northwest), Gecek and Omerli Kaplicalari (18 km and 15 km northwest respectively), and Hudai Kaplicasi 73 km southwest of the town, Sandikli which is also famous for its mud baths, too. All these resorts have board and lodging facilities. The Archaeological Museum and the War of Independence Memorial are places to visit in the city and to the north of Afyon there are Phrygian remains in the form of monumental cult rocks. Aslantas and Aslankaya are the largest of these. The lion reliefs, which gave the name to these rocks are seen on sides of the rock and cult temples. Afyon Citadel which was built during the Byzantine period previously was used as a fortress by the Hittite King Mursil II, is another monument to see in the city. The town of Dazkin on the Denizli highway is famous for its carpets and kilims. Formerly called Afyonkarahisar (The Black Fortress of Opium), this workaday agricultural and carpet - weaving town (at an altitude of 1,015 m) and capital of the province of the same name, hardly lives up to its sinister moniker. There is indeed a steep hill, crowned with a fortress, in the historic centre of town. This is still an important region for producing legal opium for legitimate pharmaceutical use. But Afyon's claim to fame among Turks is its "Afyon Kaymagi" or clotted cream. An old Turkish saying advises one to "eat sweetly and speak sweetly". Sweets and desserts have always been an important and distinctive element of Turkish cuisine. That was true in Ottoman times and is just as true today. Interestingly enough however, they also fulfill an important social and ritual function. Halvah, a confection made from semolina, is offered on the occasion of major changes in people's lives: a birth, a death, induction into the army, return from pilgrimage, upon settling in a new home, enrolling and graduating school; and also on special occasions such as praying for rain. One of the most important holidays in the traditional calendar is the one that marks the end of the 30-day period of daytime fasting during the month of Ramazan. A popular Turkish name for the Ramazan festival is "Seker Bayrami" (literally "Sugar Holiday'), which is a sort of caps-tone to the lavish desserts prepared for the sundown meals

during the holy month. These desserts are elaborate not only in their ingredients but also in their visual impact and presentation. The desserts and confections of Türkiye bear witness to the rich history of its people's cuisine and geography. The dessert known as "Tavukgogsu", made with the milk-white meat of chicken breast was introduced into ancient Rome from the Mediterranean and reintroduced into Anatolia by the Romans. The blanc mange made in Türkiye and known as "Kazan dibi" must certainly be one of the loveliest parts of the mosaic that Turks have inherited from the ancient civilizations of Anatolia. Then there's "asure", a festive pudding of cereal grains, sugar, and raisins. According to a legend, it was originally concocted in the galley of Noah's ark from whatever was left in the pantry. (Perhaps the recipe is what NASA was searching for on Agri Dagi; they needn't have bothered, the Turks discovered what they needed to make good "Asure" ages ago.) The pudding is served traditionally on the tenth day of the month of Muharrem, when preparing a batch of "Asure" and distributing it to neighbors and acquaintances is still a common custom in many areas. The Ottoman palace kitchens produced a refined version of "Asure" that was blended and strained; more common folk had to chew through the grains. They still do, to great enjoyment. Many different parts of the Ottoman Empire contributed their own local specialties to the palace kitchens where they were refined and transformed into a distinctively Ottoman - Turkish cuisine.