Eğirdir
Eğirdir Lake
North of Antalya and south of Afyon is Turkey's Lake
District with three significantly large lakes: Lake Burdur, Lake Eğirdir,
and Lake Beyşehir, along with many smaller ones. The main town in the area
is Isparta famous for its rose oil, but definitely the most interesting is
Egirdir at the southern shore of the astonishingly beautiful Eğirdir
Gölü, the second largest freshwater lake in Turkey.
Eğirdir was originally founded by the Hittites and became a
regular stop on the King's Way, an important trade route between Ephesus and
Babylon, famous for its recreational and accomodation facilities. In
Byzantine times the place was known as Akrotiri meaning "steep mountain" in
Greek. Under Ottoman rule, this was transformed to Eğridir meaning "bent"or
"crooked" in Turkish. In the mid-1980's the name was changed again to
Eğirdir which means "she is spinning".
Eğirdir stretches for several kilometres along the lake.
Opposite the town center, are two tiny islands connected with each other
and the mainland by a causeway. Canada (meaning Life Island, nothing to do
with the America's) is the name of the first and smallest of the two
islands. The second one is named Yeşilada or Green Island and was until 1923
home of a Greek community living in beautiful stone and timber houses.
The lakeside town, especially Yeşilada, is a relaxing
place to stay and a convenient base to explore the region's natural and
historic sites.
I visited Eğirdir on several occasions and enjoyed it
each time. Especially in July, when crayfish is on the menu, a stay in Egirdir
becomes a gastronomic feast.
