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Odunpazarı is the historic neighborhood of Eskişehir, Turkey, where Turks traditionally lived. It’s a short walk south of the modern city center and is filled with several very nicely restored Ottoman homes and buildings.
The neighborhood is quite small and can easily be seen in an hour or two. If you decide to visit some of the many fine small museums in the area, you can make a full day out of it. Most of the museums are covered in separate posts, as are the Kurşunlu Complex and historic Odunpazarı Homes.
Hicri Sezen Park
The first part of the neighborhood most visitors will see is Hicri Sezen Park (Hicri Sezen Parkı). It sits just south of Atatürk Boulevard and includes a green area with a small square next to it. In the past, the entire park was an empty square where wood merchants would sell wood they brought from the mountains.
Like the rest of the neighborhood, the park and square are surrounded by Ottoman buildings. On the weekend we visited in November 2019, there was a women’s handicraft market, where local women were selling all sorts of handmade goods underneath tents.
Sahaflar Square
A short walk east is Sahaflar Square (Sahaflar Meydanı), which features a fountain in the center. When we last visited, it looked like the fountain had recently been installed and some of the homes around the square were in the process of being renovated.
Arasta Bazaar
Walking further south into the neighborhood is the Arasta Bazaar (Arasta Çarşısı). It was created in 2012 and hosts a touristic bazaar. Tenants include handicraft shops, restaurants, and a hotel. There’s also an attractive Ottoman fountain located there.
Roman Fountain
Hidden in a parking lot near the Arasta Bazaar is an original Roman fountain. There’s no information about it, other than it’s known to locals as the Roman Fountain (Roma Çeşmesi).
Atlı Han
Atlı Han sits southwest of Hicri Sezen Park. It was built by Takattin Bey in the 1850s to house travelers and peasants coming from surrounding villages. The structure was rebuilt in 2006 and now hosts the Atlıhan Handicraft Bazaar (Atlıhan El Sanatları Çarşısı).
Two floors of shops surround the courtyard, which contains a fountain in the center. The shops sell souvenirs as well as meerschaum products, jewelry, ceramics, glass, and more.
Malhatun Square
A block north of Hicri Sezen Park at Atatürk Boulevard is Malhatun Square (Malhatun Meydanı). It features a fountain with a statue of Malhun Hatun (d. 1323), the daughter of Sheikh Edebali (1206-1326) and the mother of Sultan Orhan, the second Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
Yılmaz Büyükerşen Wax Museum
A short walk west along Atatürk Boulevard is the Yılmaz Büyükerşen Wax Museum (Yılmaz Büyükerşen Balmumu Heykeler Müzesi). It contains about 200 wax sculptures of Turkish and international figures. Admission is 50₺ (as of December 2023) and it’s open daily except Mondays. We didn’t visit.
ETİ City and Immigration Museum
Across the street from the Woodwork Gallery is the ETİ City and Immigration Museum (ETİ Şehir ve Göç Müzesi). Apparently, it’s been slated to open for several years but there has been no progress to date (as of December 2023).
Eskişehir Hamam Museum
Finally, near the Contemporary Glass Art and City Memory Museums and Odunpazarı Modern Museum was a construction site where a hamam and hamam museum was being built. It has since opened to the public and admission is 30₺ (as of December 2023). It’s open daily except Mondays. I hope to see the results on my next visit to the city.