274... 43... 656,716... 11,889... 29 E 59 - 39 N 25...

Kütahya... Kütahya is a small province in the midst of hill country, clustering about the walls of an impressive hilltop fortress. It is the hometown of the world famous Yagolbedir Carpets, and Kütahya tiles which you can see everywhere in the country. But the best and the cheapest are in Kütahya, where you may visit the workshops and see these tiles produced with designs from the 16th and 17th centuries. They are especially famous for their cobalt blue on a milky white background. The old wood and stucco houses of Kütahya are picturesque. The Hungarian House (Kossouth Museum) and those on the Germian Street are the most interesting ones. Kütahya is a thermal springs center with Harlek-lilca, Muratdagi-Gediz and Eynal-Simav, among the most famous. To the southwest of Kütahya an ancient city awaits you for an eccentric archaeological excursion, Cavdarhisar (Aizanoi) has one of the best preserved Roman temples in Anatolia; the Temple of Jupiter. Dating back to the time of Hadrian, it was built for the worship of Zeus and also the Anatolian fertility goddess Kybele. A Byzantine fortress, the Seljuk Hidirlik Mosque and Balikli Bath and the Ottoman Bedesten, Saadettin Mosque, Sengul Bath are just some of the important historical remains in Kütahya. At Murat Mountain there are camping facilities including hot springs in the midst of delightful scenery. If you are in the mood for an off - beat archaeological exploration, take a "dolmus" from the Cinigar to the village of Cavdarhisar, 57 km up in the mountains west of Kütahya, for visit to Aezani (Aizanoi), which has one of the best - preserved Roman temples in all of Anatolia. The Temple of Jupiter dates from the time of Hadrian (117 - 138 AD), and was dedicated to the worship of Zeus and also the Anatolian fertility goddess Cybele. Kütahya is a charming little town high in a mountainous area. Its climate is rather cool but pleasant. Above the town is an old castle ruin which originally had 72 towers. It dates from Byzantine times. There's also a lovely old mosque (Ulu Cami) which has also a lot of Kutahya tiles and for interested people there's the house of the Hungarian nationalist Kossuth, who had to fled his country (Austria-Hungary) and lived here. It's nice strolling through the streets round the bazaar and visit the small shops. A small conversation easily develops and a glass of tea is drunken. The main streets of the town are lovely and spacious. At the beginning of the main street there's a fountain which consists of a vase which points to the ceramics for which the town is well known.

We found an excellent hotel, which surprised me, for we where (as for I could see) the only foreigners in town. The hotel owner told me that he sometimes received groups who came to visit the porcelain and ceramic industry. The ceramics are worth buying and it cost us a lot of self discipline not to take more than we could carry. Kutahya is in fact a competitor of Iznik, another famous Turkish ceramic centre. The prices for ceramics in Kutahya are unbelievable low, compared to Istanbul, other tourist areas, or abroad (if it's for sale outside Türkiye). From Kutahya minibuses go to the Roman temple complex of Aizanoi, about one hour drive and not very much visited, which is a pity.