Roads in central Anatolia stretch across the rolling steppe, whose soil lies hibernating under a blanket of snow, and in summer turn to gold under the bristling ears of wheat. Villages glimpsed in the distance and towns each much like another watch silent and impassive as the cars speed past. When you drive westwards out of Ankara on the road that leads to Eskişehir, Bursa and Afyon, a couple of hours later you begin to notice spires of rock to your right, reminding you of the Cappadocian landscape. These are the harbingers of the town of Sivrihisar, where the road divides; the right fork heading northwest and the left southwest for the Aegean and the Mediterranean. Sivrihisar, or Pointed Fortress, is definitely not like any other provincial Turkish town. For one thing it is home to sights such as Sivrihisar Ulu Mosque, one of Turkey's rare and beautiful early mosques, Kızıl Kilise (the Red Church), and numerous traditional Turkish houses, mainly in the district of Yenice.

In and around the village of Ballıhisar to the south are the ruins of the ancient Pessinus for those interested in archaeology and mythology wishing to delve further back in the pages of history. Nasreddin Hoca, the witty country imam about whom innumerable humorous stories of his words and deeds are still related, was born in the village of Hortu near Sivrihisar in 1206, although he spent his adult life in the town of Akþehir near Konya. After chatting to the local shopkeepers and joining in the conversation in any coffee house in Sivrihisar, you will see a common bond between the ever friendly and cheerful people of the town and that legendary comedian who poked kindly fun at human failings and had such a keen sense of the ridiculous.
The history of Sivrihisar, which lies in the province of Eskiþehir, goes back to the Hittites, who after retiring from the stage of history were succeeded by the Phrygians Pessinus, 14 kilometres south of Sivrihisar, was one of the most renowned Phrygian cities.

The late 13th century Hoşkadem Mosque and the nearby Hazinedar Mescit, distinguished by the painted wall decoration and frescos on either side of the prayer niche, were both founded by Necibüddin Mustafa.The Alemşah Kümbet or tower tomb built in 1328 by Melikşah for his younger brother Sultan Şah, and Kurşunlu Mosque built in 1494 are other early monuments in the city. On the lower slopes of the hill behind the town is the Red Church, so named after the red ashlar stone from which it is built. Faded frescoes can still be discerned on the walls. The merchants of Pessinus traded in woollen cloth and salt, the latter probably transported here from the Salt Lake to the east. The ancient city's most important structure is the temple dedicated to the mother goddess Cybele close to the village mosque. In Phrygian times the city was ruled by the high priest of this temple and five priests who had emasculated themselves in fertility rites. Considerable archaeological knowledge is necessary to gain any clear picture of the city as it once was, with its hilltop acropolis,

Thenceforth every year rites were held in his name at which young men severed their manhood in a similar frenzy, and each spring new violets sprang from beneath that pine tree.'


* Can Kızıltan is a freelance writer.