Population: 109,500
The best base for visiting the Phrygian sites at Gordion is Polatlı,a leafy, well-ordered town and a good example of modern Anatolia at its best.
There’s little in the town that’s of much historic interest although as you come in from the bus station you will spot on the left-hand side of the road a mound which has been excavated to show that the site has been inhabited since the Early Bronze Age (c. 3000 BC).
Focal point of the town centre is a square decorated with the predictable statue of Atatürk but behind it some of the old railway buildings have been tarted up and given new life as cafes overlooking a water feature which may or may not be featuring water when you visit. Nearby stands a memorial to Necip Fazıl Kısakürek (1905-83), an Islamist idealogue and the man behind a popular poem called Sakarya Türküsü, as well as a lively monument commemorating the Turkish War of Independence (1919-22). The 21-day Battle of Sakarya in August-September 1921 is widely regarded as the turning point in that war when the Turks started to push the invading Greeks back. It took place on the banks of the Sakarya river close to Polatlı.
In the evening you might want to stroll down to the Urfa Sofrası where a pleasant restaurant serves dinner in the grounds of a building designed to imitate an old Ottoman mansion.
Sleeping
A group of hotels cluster around the main square.
Hotel Gordion Tel: 0312-623 1399
Otel Frigya Tel: 0312-622 9900
Otel İkbalhan Nicest of the lot offering breakfast in the adjacent bistro and even managing that unusual amenity, a decent single room. Tel: 0312-622 2601
Transport info
Polatlı is served by half-hourly buses from the main AŞTİ bus station in Ankara.
High-speed trains (YHT) from Ankara service Polatlı and may be more convenient than the bus.
Buses from Polatı to Yassıhöyük (for Gordion) are very infrequent but Polatlı taxi drivers know the ropes and will run you there and back. Agree a price to include waiting time before setting out to avoid arguments later.
