Gölyazı is a delightful fishing village, steeped in classical history, and set on a tiny peninsula jutting into the stunning Uluabat Lake just outside Bursa. Gölyazı used to be a major Greco-Roman city named Apollonia and is dotted with the crumbling remains of nameless, long-forgotten temples, palaces and fortresses hiding between the homes of current residents.
The Japan Association of Travel Agents even included Gölyazı in its list of the 30 Most Beautiful Towns in Europe. Although it is usually overlooked by tourists charging between Istanbul and the Aegean coast, it is popular among locals and can get busy on weekends. Easily reached from Bursa or even Istanbul, Gölyazı makes an excellent off-the-beaten-path day trip.
History of Gölyazı
Gölyazı was founded in the 6th century BC as a colony of Miletus, one of the largest and wealthiest city states in the Greek Ionian League. The town was originally named Apollonia, after the God Apollo. Miletus was wiped off the map by Persia under Xerxes in 479 BC. Apollonia recovered just in time to be conquered by Alexander the Great before being incorporated into the Seleucid Empire in 323 BC, which was in turn conquered by the Romans in 190 BC. In 284 AD, the eastern half of the Roman Empire became the Byzantine Empire, under which Apollonia took on a new significance as a center of Greek Orthodox Christianity.
The town was incorporated into the nascent Ottoman state in 1303 following the Battle of Bapheus, when none other than Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire, briefly sheltered in the city. Life in the town was thereafter characterized by peaceful co-existence between Turks and Greeks, until their two countries exchanged their minority populations in 1923. Many towns were renamed in the process; Apollonia became Gölyazı, which means ‘fisherwoman’ in Turkish. Like many of the region’s inhabitants, Gölyazı’s population are descendents of Turkish exciles from Thessaloniki.
Sights of Gölyazı
Gölyazı is home to 80 officially registered historical structures, although little is known about most of them. The best way to tackle the town is to walk/bicycle/boat around the peninsula’s 1.5 km circumference, followed by a walk around the modern end of town on the other side of the bridge.
Lake Uluabat is teeming with crayfish, pike, perch, dozens of bird species, and its protected water lilies after which the Nilüfer District is named. The best way to appreciate the lake and the town’s setting is to hire a boat and take either the 20-minute tour around the peninsula, or the 40-minute tour that will continue through a maze of reeds to reach the nearby Manastir Island, to see the ruins of the Byzantine Monastery of St Constantine.
The most significant still-standing historical building in town is the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. Built in the 13th Century, it was recently restored and now serves as the Gölyazı Cultural Center.
Also on the mainland, the Crying Plane Tree is over 700 years old and has featured in local legends and love stories since Byzantine times.
Transportation
Even if you are approaching from Istanbul or Tirilye to the north, you will have to travel through Mudanya and Bursa to reach Gölyazı by public transport. Ferries run from Istanbul to Mudanya every 2 hours from the Yenikapı terminal. The easiest way to reach Gölyazı is to get to Küçük Sanayi metro station on Bursa’s University metro line, and then take the 5G bus for the 45-minute bus ride to Gölyazı, which is the last stop. Buses run from the main square between the mosque and the bridge, and arrive/leave every hour until about 7 pm.
Around Gölyazı
Gölyazı lies within striking distance of several other historical cities and towns in the region.
Bursa is Turkey’s 4th city and former capital of the Ottoman Empire, and is 80 km from Gölyazı, which can easily be covered with public transport.
If you are visiting from Istanbul, you will be coming via Mudanya’s ferry terminal anyway, and the town’s historical center is good for a couple of hours before continuing to Gölyazı or Bursa.
Unassuming but epic Tirilye lies 12 km east of Mudanya on the Marmara coast and makes a good day or half-day trip of exploring more Greek ruins and inexpensive seafood..
Eating and Accommodation
There is a decent number of small restaurants that often double up as pensions if you want to stay overnight. Many of these serve up freshly caught fish and crayfish, though most specialize in unremarkable Turkish staples like gözleme and mantı. For a quick bite with some old-world charm, we can recommend Incirli Bahçe.
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