We found out an interesting piece of history about the Muğla region (Muğla is the area of Turkey stretching from the Bodrum peninsula in the far Southwest to just east of Fethiye) today. We can't speak for other towns and villages of Muğla but if you know Fethiye, you'll have probably seen these stone, domed water cisterns, dotted around the hillsides.
Ottoman cistern by the roadside on the way to Kayaköy
The cistern in this photo is on the side of the old forest road on the route of the trek from Fethiye to Kayaköy. Apparently, the cisterns of this design are particular to Muğla and were built in the 1500s during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent by none other than Mimar Sinan (architect of Süleymaniye mosque in Istanbul, amongst others). They were built to provide the Ottoman army with access to water while on duty.Professor Namık Açıkgöz from Muğla University is carrying out research on the cisterns to highlight their historical importance. You can find out more about this story in Today's Zaman.
2 comments:
visiting turkey end of novmbr...ur blog's gona be my first hand guide =)
Ooh, the pressure's on. Thanks. Hope it works! :)
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