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Geyve and Alifuatpaşa, a Day on the Riverbank
Cultural

Geyve and Alifuatpaşa, a Day on the Riverbank

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For anyone following the Sakarya River eastward from Istanbul, Geyve is where the river slips out from between the mountains and opens onto a broad plain.

Geyve, Sakarya
Cultural
Radar Editör
October 19, 2026

About Trip

For anyone following the Sakarya River eastward from Istanbul, Geyve is where the river slips out from between the mountains and opens onto a broad plain. Between the Adapazarı plain to the north and the plain to the south, the Samanlı Mountains stand like a threshold, and the Sakarya has cut itself a gorge through it. At the southern mouth of the gorge lies Alifuatpaşa, a little further south is the town of Geyve, and quince orchards stretch out on both sides. This piece suggests spending a day on this stretch of the river, following a stone bridge, a small museum, a waterfall in a wooded valley and a fruit with a registered name.

A gateway cut by the river

The Geyve Gorge is a water gap formed by the Sakarya River breaking through the Samanlı Mountains, and it lies entirely within Geyve district. Turkish Wikipedia gives its length as about 15 kilometres and notes that the hills on its sides rise above a thousand metres. Because crossing the mountains is costly and difficult, both the D 650 highway and the railway wind through this narrow pass on either side of the river, linking the Geyve plain to the Sakarya plain by the shortest route. According to the same source, the historic Silk Road also passed through Geyve after Göynük and Taraklı and reached Sapanca by way of the gorge. One of the castles built to control the gorge, the late Roman Çoban Kale, is mentioned near the village of Şerefiye on the floor of the gorge.

The gorge also came to the fore as a pass during the War of Independence. According to the account on Wikipedia, in May 1920 the forces of Ahmet Anzavur attacked the Geyve Gorge, and the units of Ali Fuat Paşa, commander of the Western Front, repelled these attacks. The name Alifuatpaşa, which the town at the southern end of the gorge carries today, was given after these events.

Getting there

Geyve, in the south of Sakarya province, is the largest district of the province by area. The D 650 highway running south from Adapazarı takes you through the gorge to Alifuatpaşa and from there to the district centre. The district also sits on the road that continues to Ankara by way of Taraklı and Göynük. If you are coming by public transport, the railway line passes through the gorge; check current train and district bus schedules from official sources before setting out. If you also want to reach the waterfall during the day, planning for a car makes things much easier.

The stone bridge and the sound of the river

Make the Bayezid II Bridge in Alifuatpaşa the first stop of the day. The Sakarya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism reports that the inscription of the bridge, built of large cut stones, dates its construction to the Hijri year 901, that is 1495. Fakir Abdullah is named as its architect and engineer. According to the directorate the bridge rises on fourteen piers, four of which stand in the river. On the land side nine small round arches line up, while pointed arches span the river, and the large central pier resembles a sarcophagus.

The dimensions of the bridge differ between sources. The provincial directorate gives a length of 150 metres and a width of 5.60 metres, whereas Turkish Wikipedia gives a length of 196.5 metres, 15 spans and a width of 5.5 metres. What is certain is that two arches collapsed over time and were repaired with iron, and that in the Republican period a steel frame was placed under the main bridge during two restorations. Wikipedia mentions 1949 as the date of the last repair. The tourism brochure of the Metropolitan Municipality recalls that in its day the bridge stood at one of the important junctions of the Istanbul to Baghdad road.

Look closely at two details on the bridge. The main inscription is on the rear face of the small kiosk-like structure on the Geyve side, and the directorate describes a ten-centimetre frame band around the inscription decorated in the hatayi style with curling branches of rumi motifs and peonies. The second detail lies below, in the river. On the small islet north of the bridge stand the remains of a ruined Byzantine bridge. In other words, the same crossing point was in use long before the Ottoman bridge. The triangular cutwaters on the upstream face of the piers and the pentagonal ones behind show the precautions taken against the force of the water. Going down to the bank and seeing the bridge from the side, with its row of arches, gives the best photographic angle. The bridge is still open to traffic today, so watch out for vehicles as you walk across it.

The museum at the bridgehead

Right beside the bridge, in a two-storey masonry building overlooking the river, is the Ali Fuat Paşa National Forces Museum. According to the provincial directorate the museum opened to visitors on 30 October 1989. The ground floor is the National Forces section; three rooms open on each side of a central hall, and the walls display photographs of figures of the period, the texts of the Amasya, Erzurum and Sivas congresses, a chronology of the War of Independence and maps. The upper floor, reached by a staircase on the west front, is devoted to Ali Fuat Cebesoy; his clothes, his bed, his medals, documents and battle sketches are exhibited there. The directorate states that the museum holds 73 items, 26 ethnographic objects and 47 archival documents. As it is a small museum, half an hour is enough, but when the events in the gorge and this building beside the bridge are considered together, it becomes easier to understand why the place name changed. According to the sources the museum is closed on Mondays; check current visiting hours on the provincial directorate's page.

A waterfall in the valley

You can set aside half a day, before or after lunch, for the Doğançay Waterfall. The waterfall lies within the bounds of the village of Maksudiye in Geyve district. Turkish Wikipedia gives its distance from the provincial centre as 25 kilometres and from the Sakarya to Bilecik D 650 road as 10 kilometres, and writes that the area was declared a nature park on 13 May 2013. The elevation of the waterfall differs between sources. Wikipedia gives about 400 metres, the provincial directorate 450 metres and GoTürkiye, the ministry's promotion platform, 600 metres.

The provincial directorate notes that the road is fully asphalted but winding and narrow, that large vehicles may have difficulty, and that on snowy winter days the last kilometres can be closed. The waterfall lies in the stream bed, about 300 metres below the starting point. You walk down to it on an earth path through a hazelnut orchard, and according to the directorate the descent and climb back take about 40 minutes on average. The Metropolitan Municipality's brochure describes the water foaming down five side-by-side steps on the stream, and the valley slopes as very steep. Wear shoes that do not slip, take water with you and remember that the path can be muddy on the days after rain. The spot where the waterfall lies is cool even in midsummer.

The plain of quince orchards

Geyve's own product is the quince, and its name is protected. According to registration number 500 of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, Geyve Quince was registered as a designation of origin on 17 June 2020 on behalf of the Sakarya Commodity Exchange. The registration document defines the Geyve plain as a strip running from Alifuatpaşa to Bayat, east of the Sakarya River, for 20 kilometres as the crow flies. The whole plain is irrigated by the river, and its soil is alluvial, clayey and loamy.

According to the document, part of what gives the quince its identity is the gorge itself. The plain has a microclimate exposed to the winds of the area known as the Geyve Gorge, and wind direction is specifically taken into account when orchards are laid out, because air moving between the rows reduces the risk of frost. Three varieties called Eşme, Ekmek and Limon grow in the area, the most common being Eşme. The fruit is bright yellow, juicy and firm; the document stresses in particular that it does not have the choking taste found in other quinces. Flowering lasts from the end of March to mid April, and the harvest runs from late September to early November. You can see from the roadside the orchards covered in white and pinkish white blossoms in early April, and branches full of yellow fruit in autumn. Turkish Wikipedia also notes that the district square was renovated in 2021 and decorated with a quince sculpture.

Besides quince, apples, peaches and cherries are grown on the plain, and celery is among the most widely produced vegetables. The cherry orchards along the Taraklı road offer a view of their own in spring. During the harvest season you can find quinces from growers by the roadside; the easiest way to recognise the registered fruit is to look at its bright yellow colour and at the flower cavity sitting close to the surface.

Looking down on the gorge

If you want to see the gorge from above before the day ends, according to the Metropolitan Municipality's brochure the viewing terrace opened by Geyve Municipality in Hırka neighbourhood looks down on the Geyve Gorge from a bird's eye view. In the late afternoon light, the river, the highway and the railway can be seen winding side by side through the narrow valley. This view is like a summary of a day that began at the bridge in the morning.

Suggested walk

Start the morning in Alifuatpaşa. First spend an hour on and beside the bridge, then visit the museum next to it. Around midday move on to the district centre and head towards Maksudiye through the quince orchards, keeping the afternoon for the Doğançay Waterfall. If there is daylight left, stop at the viewing terrace on the way back. For those who want to extend the same day to Taraklı, Geyve is the starting point of the Taraklı road.

Season and time

Spring is the season when the waterfall flows at its fullest and the quince orchards are in blossom. October, being harvest time, suits those who want to see the plain at its liveliest. In summer the coolness of the valley makes the waterfall walk pleasant. In winter, however, the last stretch of the road can become difficult because of snow. Seeing the bridge in morning light, the waterfall around midday and the gorge in the late afternoon is the best order for photography.

Practical notes

  • Check current information on the museum visit, the waterfall path and the entry conditions of the nature park on official pages.
  • The waterfall path is steep and slippery in places, so wear suitable shoes.
  • The bridge is open to traffic, so watch for passing vehicles while taking photographs.
  • In quince and cherry season the orchards are private property, so buy the fruit from the growers.

Sources

Location - Geyve and Alifuatpaşa, a Day on the Riverbank

Trip Info
CityGeyve, Sakarya
TypeCultural
DateOctober 19, 2026
SourceRadar Editör
Radar TürkiyeAuthorRadar TürkiyeVisit SourceGet Directions