Discover Beypazarı

Beypazarı brings together historic houses, city museums, crafts and regional specialties. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay there, these highlights can shape your plans: architecture, living cultural heritage, cuisine or views can take center stage.

Historic houses and local history

About 3,500 historic houses with around 200 years of Ottoman character define Beypazarı. The Sultan Alâaddin Mosque, also known as Cami-i Bebir or Paşa Camisi, is a historic mosque in the bazaar. On Alaaddin Sokak, several restored historic mansions are open to visitors. There are also stalls selling regional products; the individual offerings may change.

The Beypazarı Municipality History and Culture Museum is housed in a three-story building dating from 1850, with classic Ottoman architectural features. Suluhan Caravanserai is also part of the historic town: a typical Ottoman urban courtyard in the bazaar, it is located in the Zafer neighborhood, in the Suluhan area. Exhibitions are held there, and there are also souvenir stalls and a café. Individual commercial uses may change.

Museums and living culture

The City History Museum presents Beypazarı’s history from antiquity to the present through models, remains, objects from various periods and documents. The Turkish Bath Museum offers a closer look at bathing culture. Its exhibits include the henna bath, or bridal bath, as well as depictions of the figures Hamam Mother, Hamam Father and Külhanbeyi.

The Turkish Bath Museum is housed in the Rüstem Pasha Hammam. The hammam was built by Rüstem Pasha, son-in-law and vizier of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The Süreyya Özkan Gas Lamp Museum has a different collection focus: it displays more than 1,600 types of lamps across 600 square meters of indoor space.

At the Living Museum, costumed guides present the material instead of conventional labels and information panels. Visitors can not only learn about the culture being depicted but also put it into practice and keep it alive. The museum thus offers a different focus from exhibitions that mainly present models, historical objects or documents.

Cuisine, products and crafts

Traditional dishes from Beypazarı include tarhana soup, güveç, stuffed vine leaves, baklava and höşmelim. These dishes are served to visitors in historic mansions. Beypazarı Kurusu is also part of the local cuisine: this baked good is made in stone ovens and produced exclusively in Beypazarı.

Carrots are another part of the culinary offering. Beypazarı accounts for 60 percent of Turkey’s carrot production; this share may change over time. Carrot products include carrot Turkish delight and carrot juice. The annual traditional Carrot and Güveç Festival features competitions for regional dishes, with awards given to the dishes. It provides a distinct festival setting for local cuisine, without implying a specific date for any future event.

At the silver-craft market, artisans create filigree work using the Telkari technique and sell the finished pieces. The availability of individual artisans may vary. For visitors interested in craftwork as well as architecture, filigree is a distinctive local specialty.

Views and getting your bearings

Hıdırlık Hill offers panoramic views of Beypazarı and its cityscape of historic mansions. The viewpoint is about a 15-minute walk from the center. The municipality’s tourist information office provides visitors with information in Turkish and English about the historic urban layout, as well as maps and brochures.

The surrounding area also offers scenic views beyond the city center. Karagöl Nature Park lies 28 kilometers from the center of Beypazarı. Its lake, slopes, pines and mountain poplars shape a landscape used for nature sports. İnözü Valley lies north of Beypazarı. Numerous caves can be found in its slopes, carved into hard-to-reach rocks. They were probably used as dwellings in antiquity. Some visible indentations are believed to be tombs or rock-cut churches dating from the early Byzantine period.

Discover more destinations: Pursaklar, Ayaş, Polatlı, Yukarıbağdere, Akyurt/Ankara, Örencik, Serinyayla Village, Yıldırımbeyazıt Neighborhood

For the overview of the wider region: Ankara.