The Wooden Pillared Mosque of Sivrihisar and the Ruins of Pessinus

On the road between Ankara and Eskişehir sits a town most people drive straight past. Sivrihisar takes its name from the pointed rocks around it, and at its centre stands one of the most impressive wooden pillared mosques in Anatolia. In the nearby village of Ballıhisar lie the ruins of ancient Pessinus, one of the sacred centres of the Phrygian world.

Getting there: two hours from Ankara towards Eskişehir. Buses stop in Sivrihisar, but Pessinus is fifteen kilometres further and needs a car, so driving is the easiest way to plan the day.

The day: start with the Ulu Mosque. Inside this thirteenth century building nearly sixty wooden pillars carry the roof, and their capitals are reused from antiquity; that mixture alone can justify the trip. Then walk the town, past stone houses and a former Armenian church now used as a cultural centre. The village where Nasreddin Hoca was born belongs to this district, and the small museum on the square is modest but warm. In the afternoon go on to Ballıhisar, where the temple platform, colonnaded street and theatre of Pessinus stand in open country with excavation still under way.

Eating: home style restaurants in Sivrihisar serve slow roasted lamb and flatbread with meat, and the local helva makes a good gift.

Tips: there is no shade at Pessinus, so bring a hat and water in midsummer.