Midas
şehri (the city of Midas) in the south of
Eskişehir, is an old Phrygian
city located in a volcanic rock scenery near
the village of Yazılıkaya. The site
has a lower part and a fortified acropolis.
The
Midas Monument is a 20m/ 65 feet
high rock, which the facade is covered
with Phrygian inscriptions. It is dedicated
to the cult of Mother Goddess Cybele.
Two rock-cut Temples for open-air
cult.
Rock-cut Tombs.
Cave dwellings.
The Tunel that linked the city
to the valley.
Further
south in the region, at Aslantaş
and Aslankaya, there are Phrygian
rock-cut monuments where lions have
been sculpted.
ESKİŞEHİR
This
newly developed city has a name which
means "old city" which comes
from its Phrygian origins. It is reputed
to be the center of meerschaum
which is a silicate of magnesia extracted
in the neighbourhood. Craftmen sculpt
the white stone which is easy to cut when
it is wet, in order to make different
types of objects. Their most famous creation
is the meerschaum pipe. A craftman can
make 3 to 4 pipes a day. Also, beautiful
pieces are exhibited in the Meerschaum
Museum.
The Eskişehir International Meerschaum
(white gold) Festival takes place every
year in September.
TUZ
GÖLÜ - SALT LAKE
It
is located 120 km/75 miles to the south
of Ankara on the way to Cappadocia.
It is the second largest lake in Turkey
but its surface and water level vary
according to the seasons. It reaches
its higher level, 1-2 m/3-6 inches at
the end of winter, and in summer after
evaporation the lake dries out and a
wide marsh covered with a 30cm/12 inches
salt layer forms. Due to its high salinity
(33%), 300 thousand tons of salt are
obtained per year.
