Beypazarı

The town gained importance in Christian times when it was also an episcopal see, suffragan of the Metropolis of Ancyra (modern Ankara), mentioned by the Notitiae Episcopatuum when it took the name Anastasiopolis (Ἀναστασιοῡπολις)during the reign of Emperor Anastasius I (r. 491–518) after he visited the city which he liked very much.

The cobbled streets of white Ottoman period buildings are particularly attractive; many of the old houses have been restored as hotels and restaurants (and are also popular with Turkish film directors looking for authentic locations.

The visitors of course are bringing valuable income to the town, shopping for silverware and providing good custom for the food markets and restaurants.

For many visitors a major attraction is the cuisine, which includes typical Turkish dishes such as the yoghurt drink ayran, cracked wheat (or flour), yoghurt, and vegetables fermented then dried and mixed with water to make a thick soup tarhana, stuffed vine leaves, home-made sausage mumbar, and a stew cooked in a stone-oven called güveç.

A popular gift to take back home is the sticky sausage-shaped sweet made from dried molasses-like grape syrup stuffed with walnut cevizli sucuk.

The town is unusual in Turkey, for celebrating a religious festival (Regaip Kandili, the conception of the prophet Muhammad) with lights and fireworks.

Beypazarı has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk),[8] with hot, dry summers, and chilly, damp, occasionally snowy winters.

Taşmektep in Beypazarı, Ankara
Beypazarı Valley
Traditional Turkish handicrafts continue to be used in Beypazarı.
80-layer baklava (which is usually 40- layer), a speciality of Beypazarı.
Beypazarı as viewed from the top of Hıdırlık Hill.
Districts of Ankara
Districts of Ankara