There’s probably not a mountain in the world that doesn’t exist in a swirling mist of myth and legend, and those in Turkey are no exception. Mt Ararat is the most famous example, what with all the stories that claim it as the last resting place of Noah’s Ark. Closer to İstanbul, however, Mt Ida/Kazdağı (1774m), the mountain that lurks just inland from Altınoluk on the North Aegean coast, has provoked a similarly rich cache of stories, some of them better known to the Turks than to foreigners.
Let’s start with the stories attached to the mountain as Mt Ida.
Myth…
It’s always easy to slip into the habit of assuming that stories from Greek mythology always relate to Greece, when in fact a surprising number of them have to do with what is now modern Turkey. So it is that the tale of Paris, the man whose judgment ultimately led to the Trojan War, forms an intimate part of Mt Ida’s identity. According to legend, King Priam of Troy was warned by an oracle that his son would be responsible for his downfall, so when Paris was born his father had him abandoned on the slopes of Mt Ida. There, in the typical way of legends, he was suckled by a friendly she-bear who kept him alive until his father could come to his senses.
The handsome Paris went on to become as much a part of Ancient Greek celebrity culture as Paris Hilton is of today’s. Eventually he was called upon to be the judge in what was perhaps the world’s first beauty contest, which took place on the slopes of Mt Ida. Paris was forced to choose between three goddesses: Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty; Artemis, the goddess of the hunt; and Hera, the goddess of marriage, and wife of the king of the gods, Zeus.
Inevitably, Paris plumped for Aphrodite, receiving in return the promise of Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, as his bride. In making this promise, Aphrodite chose to overlook the inconvenient fact that Helen was already married to Menelaus, the King of Sparta. Paris went on to snatch his prize, causing Menelaus to set sail for Troy immediately. The result was the Trojan War and the death of King Priam, thus proving the oracle right.
As if that weren’t enough sexual high jinks, it was also on Mt Ida that the lecherous Zeus glimpsed the Trojan prince Ganymede and went on to rape him, disguising himself as an eagle to catch him unawares. Repenting of his misbehaviour later, he tried to make up for it by making Ganymede the cup-bearer to the gods.
So much for the Greek mythology. To the Turks, Mt Ida is known as Kazdağı (Goose Mountain), and predictably they have their own set of stories about what went on up there. These centre on a beautiful young woman called Sarıkız (‘Blondie’) who lived on the mountain with her elderly father. To save her from boredom he bought her a dozen geese to keep her company. While her father was away on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Sarıkız was besieged by suitors, all of whom she rejected. Unfortunately, her father had no sooner returned from Mecca than he died, whereupon his daughter retreated to a pen with her geese to mourn him. At once a cloud descended on the mountain and neither she nor the geese was ever seen again.
…and reality
Today Mt Ida is a popular destination for walkers, especially in spring and early summer. The hardiest of them stay up on the mountain where the İliada Hotel, set in gardens as lush and beautiful as those of an English country house, is accustomed to the needs of outdoor enthusiasts, including members of the hunting and fishing brigade. Those of a less sturdy disposition who are more inclined to admire the mountain from afar would be better off heading for the villages of Yeşilyurt or Adatepe, both of them a peaceful world away from the rampant over-development that afflicts the nearby coastline.
Adatepe doorway
Yeşilyurt is perhaps the prettier of the two villages, with a charming cobbled main square ringed with inviting stone houses, several of them turned into small boutique hotels. Finest of all is probably Manici Kasrı, on the outskirts of the village near a stream, although the Çetmi Han and Erguvanlı Ev also offer superlative views.
Mostly these are hotels to stay in if you love exploring the countryside. However, there are one or two specific sights that you could visit over a long weekend. In Küçükkuyu, down on the main highway that links Assos to Edremit, an old olive-oil factory has been converted into a museum where olive lovers can pay homage to the fruit that used to provide locals with their income before the coming of tourism.
If machinery’s not your thing, you might want to strike out towards Edremit, looking for a sign on the left to the Etnografya Galerisi at Tahtakuşlar
This is a fascinating place, drawing attention to the fact that many villagers are descendants of Türkmen wood carvers who were supposedly lured from their homes in the Taurus Mountains to help Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror build the ships required for his successful assault on Constantinople in 1453. The museum is a private enterprise and holds something of a mixed bag of exhibits, but most people will enjoy seeing the Türkmen tent with all its trappings and the photographs of a Türkmen bride going to her wedding completely concealed behind her veil.
Another possible diversion would take you a km or so inland from the concrete mess at Altınoluk to discover much of the old village surviving miraculously around a gnarled old olive tree. Here the Çeşmeli Konak comes as a wholly unexpected find: a glorious restored Ottoman-house hotel where, when you are lying in bed on the top floor, you feel as if you are floating in the clouds.
Sleeping
İliada Hotel, Yeşilyurt. Tel: 0286-484 7778
Manici Kasrı, Yeşilyurt. Tel: 0286-752 1731
Çetmi Han, Yeşilyurt. Tel: 0286-752 6169
Erguvanlı Ev, Yeşilyurt. Tel: 0286-752 5676
Çeşmeli Konak, Altınoluk. Tel: 0266-396 6848
İdaköy Çiftlik Evi Tel: 0266-387 3402
Öngen Country Hotel, Yeşilyurt. Tel: 0286-752 2434
Transport info
In summer there are flights from İstanbul to Edremit airport. Otherwise the best way to reach the area from İstanbul is by taking the İDO fast ferry (https://www.ido.com.tr/) from Yenikapı to Bandırma and then driving south through Balıkesir.
Gulf of Edremit from Kazdağı
