Hello my friends. In this post I invite you from warm Antalya to a fairytale Turkey. I will tell you about one of the places you will want to pack your bag and visit right away. High in the Taurus mountains smelling of cedar trees lies a village named Ormana. This place is very close to Altinbesik cave which I mentioned in my previous post. If you visit the cave I strongly recommend that you also drop by this village. Ormana is an incredibly beautiful place amidst the silence of the mountains and it is not just a mountain village, it is officially recognized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization as one of the best preserved villages in the world. Life here continues to flow just as it did hundreds of years ago.
I think this village is a great alternative for those who are bored of the usual sea, sun and sand holidays. Walking here is a distinct pleasure. I cannot describe that cedar scent I caught as soon as I stepped onto the streets. Around there are amazing cedar forests, cool mountain air, carvings on wooden door frames and quite charming tea gardens. Here I saw a completely different Turkey with its deep and amazingly postcard worthy view. Looking from the outside at first the architecture here resembles a fairytale set and behind every log lies the engineering genius of past centuries. Architects and craftsmen created a skeleton from durable cedar and oak trees and filled the space between the beams with ordinary dry stones. The ends of the wooden planks project outward across the entire facade. Looking from the outside I likened these wooden blocks protruting from the stone walls to rows of small buttons on an old kaftan. The most interesting part is that this is not just decoration, since no rigid mortar was used, the structure is flexible and dynamic. During earthquake tremors the house flexes gently but does not collapse. Some of these houses have been standing for over 300 or even 500 years.
The houses here are traditionally two stories high. Animals were kept and provisions were stored on the ground floor, while people lived on the second floor. The breath and body heat of the animals naturally warmed the living spaces above during winter. I suppose this was the ancient version of modern under floor heating systems. The village is situated on a historical trade route. Silk road caravans used to carry silk and spices from Konya to the Mediterranean through these mountains during the Seljuk period. A traditional Grape Festival has been held here every year for over 50 years. The local Cavus grape grown on high altitude terraces is the symbol of the village. It is famous for its thin skin and amazingly sweet flavor. Local elders bake traditional molasses from these grapes over fires lit in the streets during the festival.
The village is located at an altitude of approximately 800 to 1000 meters above sea level. I was surprised when I heard that it was built directly upon the ruins of the ancient Roman and Byzantine city of Erymna. When you walk on the road, even a stone you stumble upon can turn out to be a thousand years old. Engraved pieces of ancient Roman columns and slabs can still be seen in the foundations and stone walls of many village houses.
The houses here leave an impresion as if they popped right out of the pages of an old Ottoman tale. Looking closely at the windows, you see that they are not just frames, but lattices crafted with the finest woodwork. In past these windows protected privacy, the entire street could be observed from inside, but it was impossible to see inside the house from the outside. Every piece of wood and every raw stone here breathes centuries of history.
Right across from us stood an elegant balcony extending out over the street. This structure is called a cumba. The cumba provided homeowners with more light and space in their living areas. On its side, the wooden buttons that have kept these heavy stone walls standing for half a millennium without using a single nail are clearly visible.
There is a charming magic in these structures. Each flat layer of stone was placed by hand between the age old cedar beams. Our walk in the village brought us to Altinbesik cafe, named after the unique cave nearby. This place is very close to Altinbesik Cave that I described in my previous post, about 10 kilometers away. That is probably why the cafe got such a name. We were a little tired from sight seeing and this break came just in time. Near the cafe, mountain honey, traditional molasses and amazingly large, sweet wild strawberries were being served. The aroma of those strawberries reaches your nose even before they arrive at the table, they are nothing like the ones we buy from the market. On the table were bottles of rose water, fresh menthol crystals, herbal soaps and of course jars of amber colored mountain honey. Of course I did not return without popping a few jars of honey and those healing soaps into my bag.
Abandoned houses turn into a moving sight. A dilapidated house with its partially collapsed roof and time darkened wooden balcony looks like a historical film set. It is not hard to imagine how amazing the view opening to the mountains from here was one or two hundred years ago. Even if it pinches your heart a little, that sense of lived history wraps around you in a way I cannot describe.
A local resident who saw us beside one of the houses explained the secrets of local architecure with great excitement, while the red markings on the cornerstones indicate that the house is protected as architectural tradition.
This village is a good place for those looking for an authentic Turkey. All around are emerald green slopes of the Taurus mountains, fresh mountain air and peace. There is no car noise, no guided tourist crowds, there was only us and a history where time stood still. After the exhausting chaos of the city, this place did me so much good that I cannot even explain. It can be reached with a two hour drive from Antalya.
The traditional wood carving on the facades of the cumbas has been presevered despite centuries of winds and rains. A sudden hailstorm showed us how weather in the Taurus mountains can change within minutes when we returned to the car. Mountain weather no joke at all. Suddenly the sky seemed to split open and we were caught completely off guard. But after the rain, the air became fresh, clean and filled with the scent of wet cedar. Plates on the renovated buildings mark cultural and ecological tourism centers as well as restored mansions.
The houses here almost resemble miniature castles. At the bottom are massive stone walls supported by a cedar frame, while at the top sits a light second floor made entirely of wood with arched windows. The village of buttoned houses has received official recognition as one of the most authentic places in the world.
Narrow and winding streets, corridors between stone walls were once the heart of life. Ormana is like a frozen trace of the Great Ottoman empire combining different cultures and this architectural style is a living tradition preserved deep in the mountains. Just a few steps away, modern vehicles, paved roads and well kept areas begin. The village is not stuck in the past, it continues to live confidently in the 21st century while carefully protecting its history.
On the wooden board the town motto was written, the place of those who do not forget where they were born. What a meaningful and beautiful phrase. The red sign indicated the famous Janissary Ahmet Aga Mansion. This place is not just a historical monument, it is a restored museum hotel where tourists can stay inside an authentic buttoned house. Carved wooden windows and the lace curtains on them show that the craft of wood carving meets home warmth. Next time spending a night here and waking up in that authentic atmosphere is at the top of my list.
Our journey in Ormana village with its unique buttoned houses has come to an end. But there were many more beautiful places to see nearby.
