Mudurnu

Mudurnu lies in a valley south-west of Bolu and kept its Ottoman fabric largely because the main roads went elsewhere: several hundred timber-framed houses survive, the grander ones three storeys with jettied upper floors, carved eaves and shuttered windows, and the Armutçular mansion is open as a museum showing how such a household lived. The Yıldırım Bayezid mosque and its hamam date from the 1380s. What sets the town apart is a living practice rather than a building: the Ahi tradition, the medieval Anatolian guild movement that regulated craftsmen's ethics and training, survives here in the Friday duası - a blessing recited every Friday morning in the covered market by the guild elder, calling on tradesmen to deal honestly, in a form that has been repeated for centuries. It has been documented as intangible heritage. Mudurnu is also, less romantically, the centre of Turkey's poultry industry.

Highlights

• The timber mansions - jettied Ottoman houses through the town.
• The Friday blessing - the Ahi guild duası in the market.
• The Armutçular museum - the restored mansion interior.
• The 1380s mosque and hamam - the Yıldırım Bayezid complex.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Friday morning if you want to hear the guild blessing, which is the reason to time a visit at all.

What to expect

The town is workaday, not a restored showpiece - many houses are shabby. The Friday blessing is a local ritual, not a performance; observe quietly. A car is easier than the minibus.

Nearby

Göynük is a short drive west; Lake Abant and Bolu are north-east.

Key facts