The Afyon Side of the Phrygian Valley, from the Black Rock to the Döğer Caravanserai

Begin the route at the foot of the black rock rising in the middle of the city; the Afyonkarahisar Municipality notes that the castle is reached from the centre by a short walk, following direction signs and marked paths. This morning you are climbing the castle not for a city view but to set the context for the Phrygian monuments you will see during the day. The rock, as described by the municipality and the Culture Portal, is a volcanic mass rising 226 metres above the ground. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam writes that the city was founded at the foot of this rock, at an altitude of 1010 metres above sea level. Because the stairs have been restored the climb is possible today, but the slope is steep and you should have comfortable shoes and water with you. On the way up, the first layer to keep in mind is the Hittite period. According to the sources, around 1350 BC the rock was used as a fortified position during the Arzawa campaign of the Hittite king Mursili II and was given the name Hapanuva, meaning High Hill. The English Wikipedia states that the first structure on the summit was also built in the time of Mursili II; so this rock was a lookout point even before the Phrygians. When you reach the summit, what you are really looking for are the traces of the Phrygian period. The Culture Portal records that cultural traces of the Phrygians, who lived in Anatolia between 1200 and 700 BC, have been found on the summit and that there are four large cisterns here. Be careful when approaching the mouths of the cisterns and do not step outside the protected area. These arrangements cut into the rock are the first example in the city of the rock-cutting you will see in the Göynüş Valley a few hours later. The walls belong to later periods; in the Roman and Byzantine age the rock was surrounded by walls and took on the appearance of a castle. The Turkish Wikipedia writes that in this period the castle was known as Akroenos, and the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam notes that the Akroinon Castle of the Byzantine sources is thought to have stood here. Look for the Seljuk layer in the walls, because according to the Culture Portal the walls were repaired in 1235, in the reign of Alaeddin Keykubad I, by the castle warden, the architect Bedrettin Gevhertaş. The same source reports that in 1573, on the order of Selim II, the towers, cisterns and keep were repaired once again. Drawing on Evliya Çelebi, the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam writes that in the Ottoman period the castle had around two hundred guards and a prison. The Turkish Wikipedia notes that the historic fabric of the castle has largely not been preserved while the remains still stand in place; know that on the summit you will be reading overlapping layers rather than a complete building. On the summit look north first, because the rest of the day lies in that direction and the next stops are on the Phrygian upland more than thirty kilometres north of the city. Then turn to the old neighbourhoods below; according to the TDV the city began to spread outside the castle and towards the south-western slopes of the rock in the 13th century. The same encyclopedia writes that the name Karahisar comes from the dark colour of the rock and the fortress on top of it; you will photograph this colour best in the soft morning light. The descent can be more tiring than the climb, so do not hurry on the steps. After coming down from the castle, get into the car and set off north on the highway between Afyonkarahisar and Eskişehir, towards the turn-off for the Göynüş Valley.

Source: Kültür Portalı, Afyonkarahisar Kalesi; Afyonkarahisar Belediyesi, Afyonkarahisar Kalesi; TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, Afyonkarahisar.

According to the Afyonkarahisar Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the Göynüş Valley is reached by turning left at the 32nd kilometre of the Afyon-Eskişehir highway and going on for 1.5 kilometres. The English Wikipedia places the site 11 kilometres east of İhsaniye and about 30 kilometres north of the city, beside the D-665 highway. The valley lies within the Kayıhan neighbourhood of İhsaniye district, and the Culture Portal describes it as part of the Mountainous Phrygia Region. After leaving the car, walk to Aslantaş first, because the two monuments stand on the same outcrop and very close to each other. Look at the facade of Aslantaş first from a little distance, from a point where you can fit the whole of it in the frame. According to the English Wikipedia, the monument is a single block of rock 11 metres high, with both sides and the front face flattened. On either side of the doorway you see two lion reliefs rearing on their hind legs and facing each other. The Culture Portal writes that there is a lion cub beneath the feet of each lion; these details are worn and can be made out better when the light falls from the side. Look at the mass resembling a tree of life above the doorway and at the winged sun disc motif spreading to both sides above it. Wikipedia also notes that there are steps on the upper part of the rock; climbing them damages the monument, so watch them from the ground. The burial chamber can be seen through a small doorway, and the Culture Portal describes the slightly vaulted ceiling of the chamber and a small cell with a kline on the left. The sources do not fully agree on the date of the monument: the Culture Portal links it to the 7th century BC as the tomb of an important Phrygian king, while the English Wikipedia gives a range between the early 8th and the late 7th century. Then move on to Yılantaş; the Culture Portal places it about eighty metres west of Aslantaş, while Wikipedia gives around seventy metres. Here you will find not a standing facade but a huge block of rock that has toppled over and broken apart. The Culture Portal writes that the collapse was probably due to natural causes, and the English Wikipedia also mentions an earthquake or another natural disaster as a possible cause. On the outer face of the fragments, look for the head and claw sections of the lion reliefs. Wikipedia reports that the rock was called Yılantaş because local people mistook the worn claws for snake heads; the Culture Portal, on the other hand, speaks of a relief of two intertwined snakes above the doorway and states that it lies beneath the overturned rock. The rear and left side walls of the ruined burial chamber can still be seen on the bedrock. The sources mention stone benches called klinai inside the chamber and roof rafters carved in relief into the rock. The Culture Portal writes that, based on the palm-leaf column capital on the kline, the monument is thought to have been made around 700 BC. After seeing the two monuments, if you have time, you can walk to the Maltaş Monument in the south-western corner of the valley; the Culture Portal gives the distance between them as about five hundred metres. Over the centuries the front of Maltaş was filled with alluvium from the stream, and according to the same source it was uncovered in its present state by a rescue excavation in 2021. There is little shade in the valley, so carry a hat and water in the summer months. For photographs, shooting the facade of Aslantaş in slanting light, when the reliefs cast shadows, brings out the details. On the way back, return to the highway, continue north towards Döğer and turn north-west at the 36th kilometre.

Source: Kültür Portalı, Aslantaş, Yılantaş ve Maltaş Anıtı; Afyonkarahisar İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü, Mezarlar ve Tapınaklar; Wikipedia, Aslantaş-Yılantaş.

As the Culture Portal describes it, Aslankaya is reached by turning north-west at the 36th kilometre of the Afyonkarahisar-Eskişehir highway and following a road of about 2 kilometres. The monument lies within the boundaries of the town of Döğer in İhsaniye, on the shore of Lake Emre; the Turkish Wikipedia gives its distance from Döğer as 4 kilometres. The Frig Vadileri website notes that the monument can be seen right beside the road as you pass from Üçlerkayası to Lake Emre, so no long walk is needed. Leave the car in a safe place and look at the monument first from a little distance, together with the open ground around it. Frig Vadileri stresses that, unlike many Phrygian monuments, Aslankaya stands not inside a rock outcrop or at the foot of a hill but in open ground. The same source also notes that the monument occupies the position of a ceremonial area in the midst of the surrounding settlements. According to the Culture Portal, the monument is a facade with a triangular roof carved into the face of a high, steep rock and is thought to date from the 7th century BC. As you approach, look first at the roof, because on either side of the triangular pediment there are two winged sphinx reliefs facing each other. Then move round to the side face; on one side of the rock there is a large relief of a roaring lion rearing on its hind legs. The sources describe the side of the lion differently: the Culture Portal says the north side, while Frig Vadileri places it on the right as seen from the facade, so walk around the monument and find it yourself. Frig Vadileri reports that on the other side there is a much smaller four-legged animal figure whose species cannot be made out clearly because of the damage. According to the same source, the geometric patterned reliefs on the main facade are related to the decoration on the Maltaş and Midas monuments. On either side of the niche, carvings modelled like the leaves of a wooden door catch the eye. The Culture Portal writes that Cybele, the mother goddess of the Phrygians, was depicted in the niche between two lions; the Afyonkarahisar Municipality, however, states that this relief has not survived to the present day. Frig Vadileri writes that most of the heavy damage on the lower part was done with dynamite, which is why you see the lower section of the niche missing today. According to the same source, the monument was discovered by W. M. Ramsay in 1884, and at that time Old Phrygian inscriptions could be seen on the main beam. Frig Vadileri also reports that the inscriptions, unreadable because of erosion, could be made out again thanks to photographs taken with a special technique just after sunrise. This information is also a photography tip, because low morning light brings out the reliefs. The Turkish Wikipedia states that the tuff outcrop into which the monument is carved is about one kilometre long. The same article writes that the middle layer is badly eroded and that large pieces break away; so do not touch the monument and do not go too close to its base. After walking around the monument, you can spend a few minutes heading to the shore of Lake Emre and looking at the view between the outcrop and the plain. The sources do not say whether there is any entrance control or visitor arrangement at the site; check the current conditions with the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism. Then return to the car and drive to the centre of the town of Döğer, as the caravanserai is only a few kilometres away.

Source: Kültür Portalı, Aslankaya; Frig Vadileri, Aslankaya Anıtı; Wikipedia, Aslankaya tapınağı.

According to the Culture Portal, the Döğer Caravanserai stands within the town of Döğer, on the border of the provinces of Afyon, Kütahya and Eskişehir, on the old Hejaz road. You reach the town quickly by the road back from Aslankaya, because the turn-off from the highway is the same for both stops. First stand outside the building and follow the long facade from end to end. The Turkish Wikipedia writes that the rectangular building, running in an east-west direction, is about 56 metres long and 13 metres wide. On the facade you will see two monumental doorways; one opens into the two-storey inn section and the other into the single-storey camel stable. Kültür Envanteri describes these doorways as crown gates in the form of an iwan. Because there is no inscription above the doorways, it is not known for certain who the architect was. The building was commissioned by Murad II in 1434, and the Turkish Wikipedia reports that the sultan stayed in Döğer during his campaign against the Karamanids. The Culture Portal describes the building as a unique work of the early Ottoman period. Look closely at the walls, because the outer faces, the roof and the conical caps of the domes are faced with cut blocks of tuff, the stone typical of the area. According to the Turkish Wikipedia, the rock into which Aslankaya, which you saw at the previous stop, was carved is also tuff. Roughly two thousand years apart, the stone of the same region served first as material for a monument and then for a roadside inn. In the inn section the lower floor was arranged for rest and shared use, while the upper floor was for travellers to stay in. Kültür Envanteri writes that two of the rooms on the upper floor are domed and the other has an arched vault, and that the central iwan was used as a small mosque. The Culture Portal adds that the upper rooms have windows and fireplaces. The camel stable is a wide, high, single open space set aside for sheltering, feeding and caring for the animals. The Turkish Wikipedia states that in this section the fireplaces are found only on the entrance facade and that light and air come through slit windows. If you are able to go inside, look at the narrow beams of light filtering through the slit windows; check the visiting conditions for the interior with the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism before you go. The General Directorate of Foundations restored the building in 1991-1993, and in 2007 landscaping was carried out around it and the inner and outer walls were reinforced. Kültür Envanteri also notes that the German researcher Robin Wimmel visited and examined the building in 2008 and recorded it. The Turkish Wikipedia writes that, with its plan scheme and its hidden ventilation system, the building is regarded as one of the advanced examples of Anatolian caravanserai architecture. For photographs, shoot the facade from a slightly diagonal angle so that both crown gates fit into the same frame. The route ends here, and you will have completed the day by following a timeline that stretches from Phrygian rocks to an Ottoman roadside inn. On the way back, head south on the same highway towards Afyonkarahisar, or continue north towards Eskişehir.

Source: Kültür Portalı, Döğer Kervansarayı; Kültür Envanteri, Döğer Kervansarayı; Wikipedia, Döğer Kervansarayı.