Discover Beypazarı: Historic Houses, Museums and Regional Cuisine

Historic houses, museums covering a wide variety of subjects, and a distinctive carrot-based cuisine give Beypazarı a character all its own. Around 3,500 historic houses, with an approximately 200-year-old Ottoman character, define the town. Other highlights include silver filigree, traditional dishes and nearby excursion destinations. When planning your trip, the question is therefore not just whether to focus on culture or nature, but also whether to explore Beypazarı itself or include the surrounding countryside.

Historic Townscape and Handicrafts

Alaaddin Sokak brings together several distinct impressions of the town: it has restored historic mansions that are open to visitors, as well as stalls selling regional products. Beypazarı also has a silver handicrafts market. Artisans make filigree work there and sell the finished pieces. Those interested in traditional crafts and historic architecture can discover different aspects of local everyday life and architectural history.

The historic bazaar is also home to important buildings. Suluhan Kervansarayı is a typical Ottoman urban courtyard in Beypazarı’s historic bazaar. It is located in the Zafer neighbourhood, in the Suluhan area. Exhibitions are held in the caravanserai, which also has souvenir stalls and a café. Sultan Alâaddin Mosque, also known as Cami-i Bebir or Paşa Camisi, is a historic mosque in the bazaar.

Carrots and Traditional Cuisine

Local cuisine ranges from savoury dishes to desserts. Traditional Beypazarı dishes include tarhana soup, güveç, stuffed vine leaves, baklava and höşmelim; visitors are served these dishes in historic mansions. A particularly local speciality is Beypazarı Kurusu: this baked good is made in stone ovens and produced exclusively in Beypazarı.

Carrots are not just an ingredient, but part of the town’s culinary identity. Beypazarı accounts for 60 percent of Turkey’s carrot production. The range of carrot products includes carrot lokum and carrot juice. At the traditional annual Carrot and Güveç Festival, the programme includes regional food competitions, with dishes receiving awards. Both everyday products and festival cuisine are therefore among the distinctive features of a stay.

Museums Offering Different Perspectives

The Kent Tarihi Müzesi presents Beypazarı’s history from antiquity to the present day. Models, remains, objects from different eras and documents offer different ways into the story. The Turkish Baths Museum focuses on a more specific subject: it interprets Turkish bathing culture through an exhibition on the henna or bridal bath and depictions of the figures Hamam Mother, Hamam Father and Külhanbeyi. It is housed in the Rüstem Paşa Hamam, built by Rüstem Paşa, the son-in-law and vizier of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

Other themes are explored at the Beypazarı Belediyesi Tarih ve Kulturmuseum and the Süreyya-Özkan-Gaslamp Museum. The former is located in a three-storey building dating from 1850, with classic Ottoman architectural features. The Gaslamp Museum displays more than 1,600 types of lamps in an indoor area of 600 square metres. At the Yaşayan Müze, culture is conveyed not only through conventional labels and information panels: costumed guides take on this role. Visitors can also put the culture on display into practice and help keep it alive.

Town Views and Excursions into the Surrounding Area

Hıdırlık Tepesi offers panoramic views of Beypazarı and its townscape, defined by historic mansions. The hill is about a 15-minute walk from the centre. A different landscape awaits nearby: Karagöl Nature Park is 28 kilometres from the town centre. The lake, slopes, pines and mountain poplars shape the landscape, which offers opportunities for outdoor sports.

İnözü Valley lies north of Beypazarı and has numerous caves carved into hard-to-reach rocks on the slopes. They were probably used as dwellings in antiquity. Some visible hollows are believed to be tombs or rock churches from the early Byzantine period. Beypazarı’s museums also offer other ways to explore the town’s history.

For guidance around the historic town layout, the Beypazarı Municipality Tourist Information Office provides information in Turkish and English, as well as maps and brochures. If you are looking for a holiday rental, you can decide on your trip based on whether you mainly want to explore the houses, bazaar and museums, or also include destinations in the surrounding area.

More destinations to choose from: Pursaklar, Örencik, Serinyayla Köyü, Şereflikoçhisar, Akyurt/Ankara, Ayaş, Yıldırımbeyazıt Mahallesi, Kızılcahamam.

For the broader travel overview: Ankara.