Seyitgazi to Midas Han – 20th September
Distance: 25.5 km – Elevation +530 m -240 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 22 degrees
I had slept well and left the sanctuary of the snug cabin at 8.00 am and it was a lovely morning as I stepped out into the cold morning air. The mornings now are becoming increasingly cooler, requiring two layers of clothing for the first couple of hours. Today’s walk of close to 25 kilometres would take me through the Phrygian valley climbing to a height of 4500 feet to reach my intended destination, the village of Çukurca and Midas Han.
About 2 kilometres into the walk I turned onto a side road where there was a large sign which stated – “ Welcome to the Phrygian valley with its 3000 year history. Are you ready to drink with culture, history and nature?”. From there it was a perfectly straight road with fields of golds and yellows on each side, similar to the plains of yesterday, to reach the small village of Örencik. Here I met one of the village elders who greeted me with a warming smile, I returned his smile and said “Günaydın” which he acknowledged with a wave. I was not to see another human being for the next 20 kilometres.
As the road continued to climb I passed by distant farmsteads with a backdrop of tree-covered hills. Close to the summit of the first peak of the day, at an elevation of 1250 metres I came to a quarry where on land opposite the quarry, pipes had been laid out ready for I guess a construction project. I took a rest stop here to take a snack of bread and cheese, sitting astride one of the large pipes. I looked out at the vast and beautiful expanse that lay before me with the road ahead snaking into the distance, I thought of King Midas and the Phrygian empire that once ruled this part of Anatolia.
Soon after passing by the village of Sarıcailyas, I found myself walking through terrain with many more trees, and later after the village of Şükranlı, I met a shepherd who beckoned me to sit with him on the bank with his Lassie type dog. After we had talked for a while he asked if I would like to eat pointing to his home close by but I explained I was not far from my destination of Midas Han. I passed by cultivated fields with distant views of Doğanlı Kale (Doganli Castle) a Phrygian rock structure, which when viewed from a distance resembles a falcon’s head. It consists of seven floors carved into the rock with stairs cut into the rocks between the floors.
I arrived in Çukurca at 4.00 pm and found my way to Midas Han, a delightful country hotel, where I found the co-owner Ben Claasz Coockson carrying out repairs to the stone walls that surround the property. Again as last night, I was the only guest and I was given a delightful room for the night. The hotel has its own restaurant where I enjoyed a delicious supper and met the co-owner Nihal Temuçin-Czichon. Both Ben and Nihal are archaeologists. On returning to my room after supper I found that the temperatures had dropped dramatically and Ben came over and lit the wood-burning stove in the room, so together with a heavy quilt I was warm and snug for my night’s sleep.
