Birgi

Birgi was the capital of the Aydınoğulları, one of the Turkish principalities that held western Anatolia between the Seljuks and the Ottomans, and its Ulu Cami of 1312 is what survives from that: a mosque with a carved walnut minbar considered among the finest woodwork of its period in Anatolia, tile panels, reused Roman columns holding up the roof, and a türbe alongside. The village around it climbs a hillside in stone and timber, with a stream running through, plane trees over the square and around a hundred registered historic houses. The grandest is the Çakırağa Konağı, an eighteenth-century mansion whose upper rooms are painted with landscapes of Istanbul and İzmir, harbour scenes and floral panels - unusual, secular wall painting of a kind that rarely survives. Birgi is on Turkey's UNESCO tentative list and has been slowly restored. It is quiet, especially midweek, and pairs with Tire's Tuesday market.

What's there

• The Ulu Cami - the 1312 mosque and its carved walnut minbar.
• The Çakırağa mansion - painted rooms of harbour and city scenes.
• The stone village - historic houses up the hillside.
• The plane-shaded square - the stream and tea houses at the centre.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Weekdays are near-empty; autumn colour along the stream is good.

Practical notes

The Çakırağa mansion has limited opening hours and closes for restoration periodically. Lanes are steep and cobbled. There is little in the way of restaurants beyond the square.

Nearby

Ödemiş and its museum are below; Tire's Tuesday market is west, and Bozdağ's ski slope is above.

Key facts