Renowned for its unspoilt landscape, flora and fauna, the Göller Bölgesi (Lake District) lies in a mountainous area, 150 km north of Antalya. The city of Burdur is known throughout Turkey for its beautiful lakes, as well as for its carpets and kilims. The Bakırcılar Çarsısı is a shopping area where you can find fine hand crafted copper.

This city also preserves excellent examples of Ottoman regional architecture, in particular the Tagoda (now serves as the Ethnography Museum), Kocaoda (also known as Çelikbas), and Mısırlılar Konaks or mansions, dating back to the 17th century. Both the interior and exterior decorations reveal much of the Ottoman aesthetic (Open everyday except Monday). The Burdur Archaeological Museum houses some very important artefacts from around the region (Open everyday except Monday).

The lake Burdur
Picture: Burdur Belediyesı

Burdur Lake, with nice beaches for swimming, is a superb location for water sports. A climb to the top of Susamlık Hill gives you a panoramic view over the city and lake.

The Insuyu Cave, 10 km south on the road to Antalya, is 597 meters long, with nine distinct pools, and chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Kremna (Çamlik) is 60 km from Burdur and 15 km from Bucak near Qamlik village in Bucak County. lt was an important Pisidian city and contains Roman and Byzantine era ruins. The Incirhan Caravanserai is located 7 km west of Bucak in Incirdere (Dereköy). lt was built in the 13th century by the Seljuk ruler Giyasettin Keykubat.

A hundred kilometers southwest of Burdur, in Gölhisar (Cibyra), are ruins, mostly from Roman times, of an important ancient north Lycian city with a stadium, lower and upper agora, theater, necropolis and large aqueducts. Also in the region, trapped in the mountains 1050 meters above sea level, is beautiful Lake Salda, an ideal location for relaxation and cooling off on the sandy beaches or in the lakeside cafes, hotels and restaurants.

Also in the region is Hacilar Höyük (Haalar Mound) containing ceramics dating from 5400 to 8500 BC. It was excavated in 1950.

The ancient site of Sagalassos is 33 km east of Burdur and 7 km south of the town of Aglasun. It was the Pisidian capital and has ruins from Roman times that included a memorial entrance gate, colonnaded street, lower and upper agoras, temple and magnificent theater.

High in the Taurus Mountains is Isparta, a city of lakes and lovely coastal areas overgrown in the spring and summer with an exuberance of wild flowers. In the city you should stop at the Ulu Mosque built in 1417 by the Seljuks. The Bedesten, or covered bazaar, dates from 1561 . Firdevs Paşa Mosque also called Mimar Sinan Mosque was also built in 1561 by the great Ottoman architect Sinan.

Be sure to see the 14th century Isparta Castle. Rose gardens that produce rose oil for the cosmetic industry surround the city and fill it with their sweet scent. Other souvenirs include a thickly piled Isparta carpet. In the nearby hills, the districts of Kirazlidere and Sidre are popular with visitors who want to relax and enjoy the view. South of Isparta, Gölcük Lake, encircled by aromatic pine forests, rests at an impressive 1405 meters above sea level.

Eğirdir, at the southern end of Lake Eğirdir, is set in idyllic natural surroundings. Among the man-made monuments, Egirdir Castle built by the Lydian King Croesus shows additions and renovations made by Romans, Byzantines and Seljuks. The Seljuk Kemerli Minare has felt the changes of the modern world - today it stands in the middle of a road. At lakeside restaurants you can sample white bass, the local speciality. A boardwalk connects the shore to Eğirdir Island where weavers erect their looms and work outside their houses.

Up in the hills, on the western side of the lake, guest-houses in Barla provide a wonderful opportune for relaxation. Kovada National Park, 30 km south of Lake Eğirdir, surrounds Kovada Lake, a pristine and cool mountain getaway.

Northeast of Isparta, Yalvaç stands near the ancient city of Pisidian Antioch. The actual time it was founded under the Seleucids is unknown, but it was probably a colony of King Antiochus (281 - 261 BC) of Magnesia on the Meander. Antioch then passed under the control of the Galatian Kingdom (39 - 36 BC) and then became "Colonia Caesarea" of the Roman Empire in 25 BC and remained so for about 200 years.

Church of Antioch

This is attested to by numerous Latin inscriptions still extant. Under Rome the city was made to resemble the capital on the seven hills. At the end of the third century the city was a metropolis of Pisidia and continued to be under the Byzantines, who increased the number of sacred sites. 

This area was visited by Paul and Barnabas around 46 AD. Among the ruins be sure to see St. Paul's Basilica, the aqueducts, the Temple to Augustus, the theater and public baths as you walk along the city's marble streets, all of which was destroyed by Arabs in 713 AD.

In the middle of the 13th century most of the inhabitants left the ancient site and founded nearby Yalvag. The Archaeological Museum in Yalvag itself displays several important regional artefacts. Tourists will find not only articles of leather clothing but many other interesting traditional souvenirs made of animal hide. East of Yalvaq, atop Karakuyu Hill, is the sanctuary to the Moon God, (called Men), and the view from it is breathtaking. Giant cedar trees grow in Kızıldağ National Park, south of Yalvaç, amid one of Turkey's most splendid landscapes.

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