The Turks are the most hospitable, friendly, and helpful people I’ve ever encountered. They usually go well out of their way to make sure their guests feel welcome in their country or city. I’ve always met people curious of foreigners, many eager to ask questions about me and compliment my bad Turkish, and others who happily want to practice their English for a few minutes. When I rolled into Afyon, I was expecting the same, but Afyon is different. Afyon is a Turkish parallel universe.
Uşak is an Anatolian city located in an area untouched by tourism, and for good reason. There’s not much of interest in this city to detour travelers, but there’s enough to keep someone busy for a few hours. All in all, it’s skippable.
The tiny village of Çavdarhisar, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, holds one of the most unvisited and underappreciated ruins in Turkey – the ancient city of Aizanoi (Αίζανοί). It was originally settled by the Phrygians and later conquered by the Greeks and Romans. You may not have heard of it, but it contains some structures that were unique in the ancient world.
Kütahya has a small collection of nicely restored Ottoman mansions, and the best ones sit along cobblestoned Germiyan Street (Germiyan Sokağı).
Kütahya Castle (Kütahya Kalesi) occupies the highest point in Kütahya. The area has been occupied since ancient times. The castle was originally built by the Byzantines and restored by the Ottomans. I decided to hike up to the castle after exploring the city center and visiting some museums.
I visited three different museums on my trip to Kütahya. They’re all located near each other at the end of Republic Street.
At the end of Republic Street is the Kütahya Great Mosque (Kütahya Ulu Camii), also known as the Yıldırım Bayezid Han Mosque (Yıldırım Bayezid Han Camii).
At the end of Republic Street in Kütahya is the Dönenler Mosque (Dönenler Camii), a Sufi dervish tekke built in the 14th century.
A good place to start exploring Kütahya is along Republic Street (Cumhuriyet Caddesi), a pedestrianized street in the city center.
Kütahya is not on the tourist trail but it’s an interesting city nonetheless. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It’s a pleasant city, the people are friendly, and there are plenty of things to see. I had busy day visiting restored Ottoman homes, historic mosques, museums, and a ruined castle.