Gölyazı

Gölyazı is a neighbourhood of Nilüfer at the eastern tip of Lake Uluabat, built on a small peninsula that reaches into the lake and on an island joined to it by a bridge. It lies about 42 kilometres by road from the centre of Bursa; after turning south off the Bursa-İzmir highway, the road winds through olive groves and reaches the village entrance within a few kilometres. The settlement was a town municipality until the late 2000s, today it belongs to Nilüfer, and 1,271 people lived here according to 2022 figures. The village's history goes back to the 6th century BCE; today's houses stand on top of the ancient city of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. Because many cities in Anatolia bore the name Apollonia, this one was called "Apollonia on the Rhyndakos", after the river that feeds Lake Uluabat, today's Orhaneli (Kocasu) stream. There are two views on the origin of the name; either the founders dedicated the city to Apollo, god of light, or King Attalos II of Pergamon named it after his mother Apollonis. The city is thought to have been founded as a colony of Miletos; its coins dated to 450 BCE carry the anchor symbol of Apollo. It prospered under the Pergamene kingdom in the Hellenistic period and is remembered in Roman times for a visit by Emperor Hadrian; the colonnade of the temple on Kız Adası is believed to have been built in the 120s with his support. In the Byzantine period the city was also known as Theotokia. It passed to the Ottomans at the beginning of the 14th century; Osman Gazi is said to have taken refuge in the castle here after the Battle of Bapheus. In Ottoman times the majority of the population was Greek; in 1922-1924 the Greek families left and migrants from Thessaloniki and its surroundings settled in their houses. Most of today's residents are descendants of those families. Most of the ancient city lies beneath the present settlement, so you discover its remains between the streets. At the narrowest point of the peninsula stands the ancient fortress gate known as Taş Kapı; the walls are up to 5 metres thick in places, and the island is said to have once been enclosed by a wall about 4.5 kilometres long. Deliktaş, near the entrance, is presumed to be the remains of an aqueduct. The city's necropolis, its cemetery, lies on Zambak Tepe close to the mainland; the monumental tomb with a sarcophagus cut from the natural rock is here. Excavation of the ancient theatre inside the settlement was completed in 2025; the theatre, said to have held more than five thousand people in its day, is planned to become an open-air events venue. On Kız Adası, about 1 kilometre offshore, you can see the sacred enclosure wall of the Temple of Apollo and its scattered architectural pieces; the temple's appearance is known from Roman coins showing a four-column Ionic facade. Reliefs thought to belong to the temple were later reused in the square tower behind the central mosque. In 2015 the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Nilüfer Municipality signed a five-year protocol for excavation and site development. The whole neighbourhood is a protected site and holds about 80 registered buildings. Stone houses left by the Greeks, narrow streets, an old bath, a windmill and a church built in the 19th century make up the fabric of the village; the church has been restored and is used for the municipality's cultural events. The slender, long stone bridge linking the island to the peninsula is the most photographed corner of the village; when the lake rises, the island is completely surrounded by water. At the head of the bridge stands a monumental plane tree known as the "weeping tree", said to be 750 years old. Fishing boats on the shore, reed beds and reflections on the water are the everyday scenery of this village. Gölyazı lives on fishing and tourism. Women make up about a third of the active fishers on the lake; they row out in small boats, and the catch is sold at auction every day. Boat tours run by the local cooperative take you out onto the lake to see the islands and the birds. The village is part of the "Stork Friendly Villages" project and holds a Stork Festival every year. According to the municipality, Gölyazı is the only place in Turkey on a Japanese travel agents' association list of 30 places to visit in the world. The best time to visit is a weekday morning; at weekends the village receives thousands of day visitors and the narrow streets get crowded. The most pleasant way to explore is to leave the car at the village entrance and walk to the bridge, to Taş Kapı and along the shore. Kız Adası can only be reached by boat; since the temple area is a protected site, walk among the remains without touching them. Check the Bursa public transport operator's current information for bus lines and timetables. For the birds and water lily beds of Lake Uluabat see the lake's own entry; the village of Eskikaraağaç on the same shore can also be visited as a fishing village. Gölyazı is one of those rare places that can be visited from Bursa in half a day and that brings together an ancient city, a lake and village life in one spot.