THE MEMORY LANE OF OLD MUĞLA: SABURHANE

Preserving many a life experience in its stone houses with gardens, shops that defy time, shopkeepers, and smiling faces, almost everything in Saburhane neighborhood, the heart of Old Muğla, keeps safe the innocence of our childhood.

Preserving many a life experience in its stone houses with gardens, shops that defy time, shopkeepers, and smiling faces, almost everything in Saburhane neighborhood, the heart of Old Muğla, keeps safe the innocence of our childhood.

When you say Muğla the first places that come to mind are the holiday havens like Bodrum, Marmaris, Dalyan, Datça, Köyceğiz, and Fethiye. These places with the natural appeal of the precincts that conjoin the mountains and the sea, history and local riches, magnetize hundreds of thousands of local and foreign tourists from all around the world. However, preserving values small, sympathetic and innocuous, the old Muğla is generally overlooked. Enthusiasts will drop by and take a stroll around its market and if they have some time they might order the meatballs of Muğla underneath the historical plane tree. Whereas, representing a nostalgic specimen of the Anatolian cities with its characteristics particular to the Aegean, Muğla holds a treasure at its heart: Saburhane neighborhood -or, in other words, the old Muğla. To the east of the city, reminding one of sugar cubes with the white houses sprinkled across the slope of Mount Asar, this town of outstanding beauty is just the right place to time travel to the core memory of Muğla. This area of living, which would fit into the palm of your hand and where we can trace back the days of innocence of our childhood, is veritably a museum of recollections. Hence it absolutely deserves to be seen and explored.

Multicultural past

The oldest traces of living in Muğla and its environs date back to 3000 BC. Forming an important part of the Carian civilization in the past, the region has been the backdrop of many migrations between the Greek mainland, the

Aegean islands, and Anatolia. In the Greece of antiquity, the immigrants that came to Anatolia in masses in time led to the appearance of the Carians, that is to say the locals of Muğla, by intermingling with the Anatolian peoples. This warrior community, which with the passage of time developed to learn art and appreciate

aesthetics, built legendary cities over the Caria geography that covers most of Aydın and Muğla along with the east end of Denizli. They raised mighty kings like Mausolus under the aegis of whom architectural masterpieces like the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus -one of the Seven Wonders of the Worldwere built; queens like the

Carian Princess whose treasures on display at the Bodrum Museum today still dazzle the eye; and scholars, philosophers, sculptors, and historians who have contributed greatly to the history of humanity. Deemed to be the father of history, Herodotus is only one of these figures. Such is the irony of history that in 546 BC the Persians wiped out the Lydians, who invented money, from the pages of history, and captured the splendid cities of Caria.

The region later come under the dominion of Alexander the Great, the Knights Templar, and the Byzantines, until the day the Turks arrived. Muğla, which became part of the Menteshe Beylik in the 13th century, still keeps the traces of the era alive today. The region that under the name “Caria” throughout history melted various peoples in the same pot managed to preserve its multicultural identity even in the Ottoman period. The neighborhoods of the Turks and Greeks of Turkish nationality coexisted throughout the centuries side by side, concentrically. Saburhane neighborhood, with its Muslim and Christian communities, became one of the places that was enriched by various cultures. Then, during the time of the

War of Independence, Italians set foot in the city. Due to the conflict between the Allies, the Italians pursued a restrained policy in the region. Among other things, the people of the region learned all about chocolate, and entertainment at fairs from the Italians. In 1923, forced to bid farewell to its non-Muslim community during the population exchange,

the neighborhood greeted the Turks coming from Greece with open arms. The new residents of Saburhane embraced the crafts handed down by the Greeks of Turkish nationality. Milling, saddle making, lime making, baking, dressmaking, quilting, and wood workmanship became valuable again in new hands. Even though, most of these professions have become lost or are about to go extinct today, there are those that have been kept alive. Some might say it is a miracle that Saburhane keeps that old Aegean town air of the olden days…

A fine Aegean...

The Kara Muğla River, which used to pass through the heart of Saburhane once upon a time and give life to the neighborhood, is vanished today. By following the bed of the river that totally disappears by drying up in the summer, I get to Saburhane Square. The most beautiful adornment of this endearing place is, of course, the houses sprinkled across the slopes of the mountain recalling to our minds one of the snapshots of the town taken in our childhood... I’m right at the heart of the Aegean panorama that withstands modernism with its hard-toresist appeal seeped in the past. With poplar trees here and there complementing the frame, Saburhane Square is still the lifeblood of this historical neighborhood with its cafés, barbershops, rag-and-bone men, grocers, and the experts of their profession who have taken refuge in the side streets. Spending a good time at the cafés that present the coolness of an oasis thanks to the plants that have shadows like vines and ivy will make you feel like a resident of Saburhane… The best way to explore the whiter-than-white houses -heaven knows how many times they have been paintedwith their wooden doors full of the traces of living seemingly defying centuries and the eave decorations that do not cease to instill in you a feeling of elegance, is to delve into the alleys. Just like I did... Looking at the singleor double-storied houses of the neighborhood, the first detail

that’ll draw your attention is not only the oldness of the interiors, plinths, stairs, courtyards, and the walls of the gardens but their dainty painting. The wooden parts of the houses seem to have turned into works of art of a unique and enchanting form by being tended to by the persnicketiness of the women of Saburhane... The most beautiful adornment of the white-bodied and red-tiled houses are the chimneys, which are unique to Muğla. The chimneys placed on top of the Saburhane houses with the finicalness of an artist, the likeness of which are not seen anywhere else in Anatolia, humbly nod to Gaudi’s architecture in Barcelona.

Conditions for shopping

Heading towards the streets of Saburhane, which are full of surprises, it really is not difficult to feel how the spring sun that warms up the face is the life force of the worldly-wise vines. Reminding one of ethnography museums, the houses and shops are like a heaven for photography enthusiasts. Sitting on their

chairs, the shopkeepers, whose movements have become sluggish with the slow flow of time, wait for customers. They have long placed the fast-lane of life onto the dusty shelves. They seem to be adamant about upholding the traders’ ethics, embracing customer satisfaction as their main purpose. Following a satisfying half-hour walk full of cinematic images, you can find the Historical Muğla Bazaar in the wink of an eye by going down the hill - the clean air and the beauties surrounding you will make you hungry. Strolling among tailors, clothing shops, halva, soda, ice-cream, and meatball sellers in the market you will certainly come by the local eateries. The restaurants, which are generally closed on Sundays, present the richest menus on Thursdays. It’s because that is the day when the market is set up in Muğla. This openair market has been set up for almost 30 years and is the focus of interest with not only a large variety of vegetables, fruits, and herbs but also with the colorful images it presents. Right at the heart of the city, those coming from the surrounding villages sell their produce. The tourists coming from the settlements around the town, predominantly from Marmaris, Bodrum, and Akyaka, do not miss this market. Here you can find Beylerce grapes, highland melons, and purple tomatoes, which are seasonally specific to Muğla. Fresh Aegean herbs, mountain mushrooms, bergamot, almonds, peppers, green olives, olive oil, goat milk, and bryndza cheese are some of the produce that get a lot of interest. Along with the images from the marketplace that is seemingly a repository of colors, sounds, and tastes,

I’m sure you will love this place with the children playing on its streets, cheerful old uncles and aunties returning home from the bazaar at a half-walking half-stopping pace with the filled in heavy mesh bags in their hands. Last but not least, know that being in Saburhane and trying to understand it is much like trying to resist a high river flow. In some sense, it’s turning your back to what’s new, popular, and consumable... It’s missing the past and lending an ear to it. And that is why Saburhane neighborhood is a pure heart and a blank page to be opened in your world of exploration. With its warm-hearted people deserving of your attention for carrying the past to the present, fighting to uphold the honor of tradition, lend an ear to Saburhane -you’ll be happy you did so…