Osmaneli to Vezirhan – 11th September
Distance: 20.9 km – Elevation +410 m -370 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 29 degrees
I stayed last night in the old town, in an old Ottoman mansion which is now the Osmaneli Municipality Culture, Art and Guesthouse. It is very well kept and my room overlooked the 500 year old Rüstem Pasha Mosque. After a good breakfast which was included in the very reasonable price of my room, I left the guest house at 7.30 am. Osmaneli is an old Ottoman town and there are fine examples of 16th century Ottoman mansions which I passed on my way out of town. The climb out of town started as I passed the Çobandere mosque.
It was a substantial climb to reach the tracks that took me through olive groves and onto forestry paths. After about 4 kilometres having reached the highest point of today’s walk I lost the trail and had to backtrack for 1.5 kilometres and find an alternative route. The new route continued to follow tractor roads descending through olive groves to reach the outskirts of Selimiye.
Continuing to descend through woodland I reached the main road that ran between Osmaneli and Vezirhan where there was a small industrial complex. I was beginning to feel the heat of the sun which was 5 degrees higher than the past ten days and found a spot to sit intending to take refreshments when I heard a shout, I looked back and it was the factory gate security guard. He invited me into his office and introduced me to his female working companion and after I explained, via Google translate, my reason for being they both welcomed me with great enthusiasm and the male guard gave me from a nearby fridge, fresh water, grapes, small packets of jam and several small bottles of fruit juice. He was fascinated by my journey so far and as I was leaving he asked if I had a souvenir of my journey to give to him. Not knowing what to give I dug into my rucksack and the first thing that came to hand was a small Christian triptych icon which he seemed delighted to receive. He was a very kind and generous man.
Now rested and refreshed, I took the main road for the remaining 7 kilometres to Vezirhan. About halfway I called into a filling station to top up my water supply and was invited to join a small group for a cup of Turkish coffee, there were six around the table including a traffic policeman! Google translate is becoming an essential tool as I was questioned about my journey.
Vezirhan is a town connected to the central district of Bilecik province. Most important historical buildings of Vezirhan are: Köprülü Mehmet Pasha Mosque and Caravanserai built during the reign of Mehmet Pasha. Vezirhan owes her name to the grand vizier Köprülü Mehmet Paşa who built the caravanserai. Vezirhan is an old settlement where till 1924 predominantly Ottoman Greek citizens were living. After the treaty of Lausanne emigrants from various villages of Thessaloniki, Karacaova, Bizova and Drama (Present Greece) were settled here.
I had arranged to stay in the historic caravanserai. Originally built in 1665 it fell into substantial ruin and has over the past few years been renovated and now operates as a hotel. When I arrived in Vezirhan I stopped in the main square for a refreshing glass of tea and asked for directions to the caravanserai and one of the men walked with me to show me the way. The owner of the caravanserai was waiting for me and after a short discussion and payment, I was shown to a delightful room, my accommodation for the night.
The inn had a small bar where I enjoyed a non-alcoholic drink and later found a small restaurant where I was welcomed with open arms by the lady of the house and ordered a plate of local kofta.
Returning to the inn and my bed I thought that despite the lost trail, new experiences opened and it had been another wonderful day.
