Afra Saraçoğlu ~ The Eternal Rose Of Turkey ~Volume Three ~
Ece in Fazilet Hanım ve Kızları
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We continue now with the next chapter of Afra's adventure as Ece in Fazilet Hanım ve Kızları. Ece is now a guest of the Egemen mansion with her sister Hazan and her mother. In episode 13 Afra plays the role of a young girl who discovers that she is going to have a baby. The base emotions of shock, fear and sadness are portrayed with naturalism and heartfulness. There is such a tenderness to her emotions and the ways in which her thoughts appear with resolve upon her face bring gravity to the performance . Her navigation of the world has been filled with such love. Her features are indeed love softened and rich with conscience and morality. Her face is like a rose blooming eternally. As Ece especially, she seems so fragile yet so powerful with such raw emotion. Her screen presence in each frame evidently is evergreen because there is something diaphanously endearing about her. There is a moment when her face and her tears are a exemplification of unsurpassed agony. Afra shows Ece's foreberance and her stoic yet soft eyes convey this utterly and her voicelessness commands more direction over scenes than the dialogue of others. From the scene when she speaks to Yasin she reigns over the emotional impact of the segment of this episode with such mastery and weight of breathtaking emotion and stands at the precipice of something grand and imposing . Again she inspires her audience to spill tears at such a proud display of courage. This is a great lady who is the most powerful actress of her generation.
Ece in Fazilet Hanım ve Kızları
Afra depicts the senstive heart of Ece and deeper perceptions of a girl going through such a dramatic moment of her life. This lady must someday shine in broadway and she is born for the theatre. Her absence from the stage is felt because she will deafen the auditorium with her dialogue and her bravery. It is exceedingly clear that her vivid, ardent and uninhibited potential has surpassed the screen in the first scene when she confronts Fazilet in Episode 14. The scene is dramatic, yet completely grounded and therefore the raw power of her speech is felt. The determination that can be seen from the very first role she had gives a momentus gravity to these moments when she has dramatic scenes as Ece. To summarise therefore her silences to her melodramatic moments showcase her ultimate beauty as an actress.
Ece starts to looks like a sterner young woman, she confronts her mother and now she leaves in a taxi. Even though she is lost, she has resolve and knows at least where to go:. Ece must defeat this unfairness and her despondent tearfulness both filled with anger and exasperation reflects the grim cruelty she faces at every door along her journey. As a tender hearted mother she tirelessly seeks to find a way to speak through the injustice of her predicament. Afra plays this role exquisitely and masterfully with sepharical empathy.
My feet that walk into that mansion hurt
My Pride crushed by my mother's ambitions hurt
my heart hurts, Mother.
Afra speaks these lines with such a queenly forbearance and sternness that captures the stoic unrelenting resolve as well as the sensitive heart of Ece. Each dialogue is grand and imposing. She rebukes others with vanquishing strength when she needs to and rises up to the challenge in conflict driven and melodramatic scenes with both moving passion and unbridled composure. Her dialogues therefore yield a prevailing majestic atmosphere and this delivers the charged impact or build up of the segment, episode or scene.
The ethereal beauty of Afra Saraçoğlu can be likened to the dawn of the pink, watermelon sun ripening across the Italian valley. She wakes from a dream, the dream of the log cabin. An eternal dream it seems. In this episode every one of Ece's emotions are grasped and sewn brightly in the silken milky ways by Saraçoğlu, and this twinkling starlit tapestry of Ece's adventure can be seen in every one of the frames that compose her scenes. The compelling sparkle and intensely dynamic facial expressions of Afra paint a picture of a girl's journey and her innermost song. The girl's emotions reach as deep as the ocean and are as pure as the snow white Alpen glaciers. She is a dove reaching the clouds and flying with powerful bravery. The magical placidity and the mixture of the fierce heart that rebels within her can be seen in her silent gazes and her voiceless plea's. She speaks with her heart, from the moments where she is downtrodden by Yasin's mother, to the time when she has to choose whether or not keep her child, to the time when she sees Selin kissing the sleeping Yasin, to the moments where she constantly confronts her mother and also her sister, Afra unhesitatingly brings to fruition the sweet and dear soul of Ece; she enriches each moment with true life.
We reach the moment of the shows history when The little girl Ece becomes the Queen of the mansion and rightfully claims her position above those who deem her unworthy. She is heartbroken because Yasin refuses her and does not care to even find out about her child. Afra's deep and stoic silences, dramatic charisma and magical, timid aura glistens and provides the ample commentary underlying the astonishing storyline. She has become the Lady of the Mansion, ice white and shy and yet she still remains the little Ece even now when she has faced such a hostile company at the mansion. No one can touch her and now Ece Egemen reigns over the family with an empress like grandeur. Her mint tourmaline eyes look proudly onwards despite the suffering within them and paint a picture of s virtue, a regalness devoid of conceit. Truly masterpiece of a performance. The conduct of Afra is of a Queen of Ice, reflecting the incandescent golden flickers from the flames around, showing that she indeed is still the same Ece of before. The fluttering emotions within her eyes are also visible like fire reflecting upon the rippling sea in the wind, lamenting more than words can convey. Like the swan princess Odette she spreads her wings with grace and solemnity, tears twinkling beneath the surface, but never threatening to spill after being trampled upon by the Egemens of the mansion and also the selfish desires of others. The deeply complex portrayal of the human consciousness, heart and journey of a girl, to be mastered with so much bravery and filled with so much heart by an actress so early on in her career shows that Afra Saraçoğlu is the greatest actress of this era. She was only eighteen years old at the time.
Ece the lady
Episode 16, sees the newly married Mrs Egemen begin to navigate life as the wife of Hazim Efandi. Just like we saw in the early episodes when Ece explores the mansion for the first time, we now see a quiet princess become ever more dictatorial and authoritative as she makes succinct her position as the Queen of the Mansion. She reprimands the servants for speaking badly of her and with her mothers help she begins to find a place for herself. In other words the crown upon her head sparkles prismatically.
Of course Afra shows that the roses of compassion within Ece still remain eternal and white with kindness and fragility. She still feels for her mother and even though she may harshly scold her mother and judge her sister, there is such a care and concern for the morality of her actions and her true heart speaks through her eyes. In other words she does not turn into a newly forged ice hearted empress but instead her demeanour twinkles with snow. The sun still sparkles within her and this contradiction of both sun and snow is what makes the episodes masterful. Afra Saraçoğlu's presence in episode 16 is unyielding and she commands the scene with conviction, royalty and imperial beauty of tone. Her dialogue and soliloquies are filled with emotive ardency that express her tragical struggle but also convey the impeccable graciousness of a princess.
She levitates the dialogue with majestic strength.
Ece is a woman who is being accused of marrying the rich socialight for money and his wealth. She has finally been able to touch the wealth that her mother wished her and instilled in her to want. Her mother wanted her to marry for this reason and now pressures her to grasp more power. She has been brought up to worship wealth and desire it and yet she is not fickle in anyway and instead treats her husband with kindness and fairness despite being just a little girl. She married him for the sake of her child and she cannot tell those dearest to her of her plight. She faces the constant belittlingly and bullying of the Egemen family members and the misunderstanding from her sister and the Egemen sons only results in her being left friendless despite the scheming presence of her mother.
Yasin rejects her without loving her. Selin Egemen who bullied her has become freinds with the Yasin's mother and in effect she has been thrown out of Yasin's life will carrying his baby.
Her husband, who is rejected and shamed by his own family for marrying her, is the only one who protects her and helps her in ways that are not greedy or motivated by a mothers hunger for her daughter to gain power. Despite this she must place herself at the realm of her husbands home as the Lady of the mansion. How can one put all these factors into dialogue alone? Afra manages to convey this story with passion, and to see her speak as Ece is indeed to understand the whole predicament of her situation in the moment. This is what makes a truly mesmerising actress. As mentioned earlier even with her silence she can achieve this , it is clear, and thus her scenes become the sea gale that drives the tide, often taking on devastatingly raw and beautiful effect, in these episodes of Fazilet Hanım ve Kızları.
Her tears spill during the time where she hears school children make fun of her being married to Hazim Efandi. She still chooses to go to her school despite her new position. There is a deep transcendence and empyrean quality to her display of sadness. She cries from the depths of a little girls heart. Afra gives her all when she performs, she gives her all and the audience is transported with her profound and astounding emotions.
Ece finds herself in a position where all the family are trying to cause problems for her. She is so naive and yet she is also the opposite of what the rest think of her. She does not wish for money, and does not even want to spend money like they think she does. Her only hope is for Mr Hazim to believe in the youth and purity of her heart over his family. Her mother also seems to cause more problems for her and tries to encourage her to spend more money by prompting her to ask Mr Hazim for a wedding. And yet with elegance, Ece apologises to he husband despite the wrong against her.
The dear beauty of Afra Saraçoğlu is the heart of the series. She is the Eternal Rose Of Turkey, debuting across the nation with her rosy sweetness and mesmerising the screen, with operatic performance and stoic silence depicting the shy yet gallant young Mrs Egemen.
Attending the school, causes her to become the centre of attention as she is richest girl and also accused as a gold digger by all the students.
As strong as a Rose Afra's operatic range and serious queenly portrayal become evermore timeless in essence and dramaturgic opulence. They are golden scenes filled with enchanting effervescence. Ece's sweet nature seeks to sooth the pain of her husband Hazim and to correct her wrong doings. She tries to find and summon every ounce of courage as she owns up to each of her mistakes which are often caused by others and blamed upon her through manipulation of her naivety.
The Lady Ece's White Rose
As if she has become almost otherworldly and as deep as the ocean, Ece cries for the death of Mr Hazim. Her stillness and her woeful, angelic depiction of sorrow bring life to this moment in the story. Her eyes twinkle with elysian wisdom and towering maidenly heroism as she comforts Selin Egemen and then bids her to leave the room . She dominates the performance and those who surround her are overtaken with her august yet remarkably elevated divinity. She may be the most timid and yet the shy lady Ece is now the heart of the Egemen family. She then proceeds to withdraw herself from the will and wishes only for her baby to grow up in the mansion. Fazilet swiftly reveals that Ece is going to have a baby and the belief that Hazim is the father is made matter of fact. The virtuous Ece once again adamantly yet with bitterness, towards the family of Egemens, tells them she does not want their money during the reading of the will in episode 19. With a bold and roaring strength she once again silences the room of Egemen's. Only the great Afra Saraçoğlu could summon such a reception with her unyielding moral grace.
The Egemen family waste no time in trying to prove that they do not have a sibling. They carrying out a secret paternity test. Once it is revealed in this scene that hazim is not the biological father the injustice prevails and even though he wished to become the father of child and take care of the baby, his family yet again make certain his efforts do not reach their object.
Afra who can be so silent suddenly, like the stouthearted uncaged bird she swoops and flies, untamed, screaming to the family that Mr Hazim indeed is the father of her baby, despite the paternity test. Her performance speaks of all the frustrations and torments that has been kept within her and the inner pain that the swan like silence cannot show. Like the lightning she scolds the family and her rageful vehemence is the cry of a striking spirit, a little girl who has been unheard and trampled upon. Ece is indeed a woman who has had her heart and honor trampled upon by the Egemens and even her close family who do not believe in her. Like a warrior she prevails and unbraids, reigning with a mother-like dictate , defeating the upperty and conceited hearts of the Egemen's even though they dare not admit this during their plain callous judgment of her. It is ironic because she is their step-mother and even though this is absurd in reality, she bereates them with a purity that would only be fitting of her title. With raw beauty and strong pride, Afra shows the enduring and battling courage of Ece in this scene from episode 20.
Her beautiful dove-like presence flutters with more power now thar Mr Hazim returns home and finds out that his family began a witch hunt upon young Ece and chased her from the mansion. She is finally the one who will be in a position of ultimate power over Selin Egemen and the rest of the sons and family who are being punished by Hazim. There is wonderful scene prior to Hazim returning when Yasin is called to the mansion and told about the legitimacy of the baby. The dramatic moment occurs when the anticipant Yasin confronts Ece and asks her "is it true?" about him being the father of the Baby.
Afra is able to show within her profound demeanor and reaction that there is an innate motherly instinct in the moment and that he is the father of the child. Her yearning and compulsion as a mother is displayed with verisimilitude and her performance is stellar as she carries the puissant pride and vulnerability of a mother like a desert flower. She will not tolerate the disrespectful unworthy Yasin and it is evident she understands her own and her babies worth. She is unable to reveal this bond that should have been realised long ago. Ece wishes for Hazim to be the father of the baby as he is the one who acted more responsibly and took genuine care of her. Love for Ece Egemen is a different thing at this moment in the show's climate.
Ece Egemen has become dreamless and her life is lived only for her baby. In episode 22 the family portrait that Hazim's late wife painted is stolen and torn up by Yasemin. She manipulates events so that Fazilet is blamed which results in Fazilet being sent from the mansion by Mr Hazim. Little Ece gets caught up in all of this. Yet again she has done nothing wrong and ends up as the one who gets all the impact of the angry people around her. In the scene where Selin Egemen takes away another painting from her bedroom and claims "it will go a place of love" to her and Yasin, Ece is utterly hurt. Afra eyes become like lime gems, filled with resentment and zestful wrath. Her smile sparkles with conviction and the attitude within her is so sprightly and sweet as she defends herself against Selins fury. Notably Afra's soliloquies at this point are very majestic, mystical and imperious. Again another indicator her theatrical nature is evident and taking flight, becoming more willful and fascinating in display. Ece rejects the maudlin approach from her mother and sends her from the mansion with an icy queen persona, yet also displaying the deeper innocence of a child. Afra paints a picture of a bird trying to take flight and find its own strength away from the mother . She seems to respect Hazim the most and cares for him with tenderness. We see the painting of a fair and struggling young woman trying to find a home in Ece Egemen.
Her expressive demeanor is unmatchable and presents a woman who is strikingly mysterious and complex. Both wisdom and innocence are displayed simultaneously. She is bold and gentle at the same time. Her audience cannot know what expect in any of her roles. The otherworldly evergreen essence of her beatific eyes and glittering tears represent a sparkling delft mosaic of stunning and magmoneous stage performances. She is captivating and in the episodes 23-24 there are scenes where Afra imbues her work with so much heart and impelling premeinimet atmosphere. Her sensitive and nonpareil depiction of Ece show a girl who is a true angel of the mansion, being undermined by the opinions of others and constantly becoming lost within a forest of manipulative situations that lead her to become the target of all the blame. She did nothing wrong, There is a Pierian Spring within her eyes, her tears are wise. A wreath of fame upon her head and a authentic air of feebleness and kindness. What makes the greatest actress of the era? All these descriptions fail to depict her in presence vividly, and can therefore only remain brief and lacking. The effable qualities that comprise her rich beauty cannot be inscribed in prose alone. This biography aims to note down in history the facts about the greatest actress of the era. Generations to come, may learn of her and understand how significant she is .
Ece cries in the old little house where her mother was sent. Fazilet was framed by Yasemin and she was therefore sent to her old home in the slums. During this time Yasmein lures and beguiles the doleful Ece constantly and tricks her into thinking that Hazim is unwell and therefore needs medicine. The medicine was actually poison administered by Yasemine prior and is the cause of his mental and emotional confusion and increase of strange behaviour and memory problems. Ece thinks this is for his health and does not know that she has been manipulated to add the heavy and evil potion to his dinner. Fazilet, who has been abandoned in the old house, falls asleep with the gas and is then taken to hospital. Fazilet then runs away to her home town and Hazan goes after her. Ece refuses to Fazilet as her as a mother, and cries for the old days in their stark and banishing home.
Finding out Selin is pregnant with Yasin's baby, and being coldy treated in her own home by her own husband due the constant slanders against her mother, Ece is alone apart from her sister. She cries in an inhibited passion and deeply emotional performance in her old bedroom in the burnt house. She still resents her mother for taking her dreams away and not allowing her to be with Yasin and instead taking her to the mansion. She is empty and alone and is in a very sorrowful state. She would wilfully give up her current life to be the old Ece and remain in the little house with her mother and sister. She states in a dramatic and ardent tearfulness that she cannot be her mothers daughter anymore.
Ece is a girl who is torn between loving her mother and seeking to tear herself from the bond between her mother and herself. She is bitter and lost like the scattering grey clouds hanging over the slums. Her mother bargined her with Hazim before she herself willingly got married to him. She is heartbroken and does not know where to turn to . Ece is married to a man old enough to be her father and instead of being loved and cared for she finds herself being lectured and having to behave in ways not to make him ashamed of her or the results of her actions. There are moments when the unfairness of her situation highlights the reality of being married to such a powerful older man . He is unfair towards her, but could this be due to the medicine that Yasamin has given him? It seems that he treats her more like his daughter than his wife . Although he never fails to be a gentleman towards her and acts with respect and something akin to kindness even in his most austere moments. To be a young woman, pregnant and also having to bear the pressure of remaining in the good graces of the great Hazim Egemen whilst being thrown into the swirls of schemes, tricks and manipulation, is the current predicament of Ece Egemen. In these episodes she still shows the timid, kind and unwavering purity and she cares for Hazim as a wife with the same sympathetic tenderness as when he first met her. Yasin proves to be just as stupid and does not treat he with the respect she deserves and instead shouts at her like a wild animal.
She remains the same in her heart, and her dilemma over whether to enrich the bond with her mother and find those ribbons in her heart again is the constant reason for her harsh exterior and brutal statements about her Fazilet.. Ece Egemen the Lady, is a fine and great lady indeed. Afra is enlivening and playing a girl who is so pure and will believe others, Her heart is of a little girl and yet she is wise beyond her years and the only one who can support Hazim the best. She will always be her mothers little girl. The bond between them is very sweet.
Like warm honey bella she portrays love, and such treasured tears when she cries for Hazim's sorry state, in the care home. This scene is in episode 27. There is evergreen and twinkling heart, glittering like the sun upon the turquoise green sea within her eyes. She is lambent with the stars of the pardiscal sky and then she rushes like the wind of a arctic storm, seizing the attention of all and scolds with harsh passion those who have done wrong. Her suavity glistens boldly through her queenly anger. Her silence is bracing and shy like a buttercup,
Her scene with Hazim in the care home is ineffable and heart wrenching as she tells him to remember the past and his family. Afra expresses the sweet repentance and magnificence of care . Her tears are likened to pearls, cygnet-soft and amidst the darkling atmosphere around her, of Selin's wrath, her sisters anger and her mothers resentment, she becomes the moon aloft the melting twilight. She tells Hazim of his children and his wife and that he must remember them. The dew upon the winter flowers could not glisten as pure as the tears from sweet Ece. The one girl that they could not accept who married their father, who they blamed for seeking his money, is the one girl who's care sparkles with love like summers ocean.
She is like Thumbelina, her dear naivety and purity are things others will take advantage of and manipulate her like a puppet. The beautiful Ece has vanity and even though this may be only a quiet chirp within her, together with her childishness she can become bitter about her sisters fame. She is not fickle however and this means that she can use her sensible and wise grace to navigate the material world. She rejects the wealth of the mansion and shares in the company despite it being in such close reach.
With moonlike transcendence and rosie warmth Afra graces these scenes with powerful emotion. heartful like the milken moon, glittering like sun she pervades the silver screen with her beauty. Ece remembers the beauty contest when she arrives at Egemen cosmetic debut. She feels jealous and envious that her sister has lived her own dream of becoming s beauty Queen. Ece wished for her life to go the same way. But now she has a baby and is married and things have become unexpected for her. She has given up on the dream that her mother instilled her and she genuinely wished for herself . Because of all the suffering and misunderstanding she feels lonely when she sees her sister live the life she wished for. It is not Ece's fault however for feeling jealous. She is still only young and her life seems to be mapped out already and therefore she is forced to become more mature than her sister. Clearly she is still childish, as feral and fresh as sweet water droplets and those around her do not seem to be able to allow her this. Her mother and sister are the only ones who can understand her. Hazim on the other hand has less understanding of how her youth effects her behavior although his cold and aloofness is due to the medicine at this point.
Afra's portrayal of faithfulness can be likened to the deep and golden rays that embrace the cotton wool white clouds that sweep the skies of the rainy dawn. The myriad of mellow custard, cherry red and blueberry wine swurve in the skies akin to her rapturous and divine smile, filled with the flower dew tears where the sunlight reposes and sparkles . The whitening foam of the ocean within each melancholic glance and the snowy breeze with each depiction of loneliness, fill the scenes. Afra is no rigid actress and instead her nature upon the screen is as gentle and powerful as the ocean's whale like quilted dance. In times of sadness she becomes the misty grey and then in times of happiness she sparkles iridescently as if the kingly sun has kissed the glittering rippling blue. Like an islands wind, she becomes changeful and commanding over the tone and weather of her scenes. eternally and with the sweetness of the hills and shore, her sweet thoughts reach her husband's heart. Dreams and bravery of friendship are visible in each sparkling pearl that foams from her iris. We discover the story of Ece Egemen, the princess who transcends the world of the Egemens with her beauty.
Ece's Journey
Determination, the bleakest friend. Ece finds herself thrown into jail and blamed and charged with the crime of adding the medicine to Hazims food. Yasemin framed her and covers up the truth. Determination is a indomitable force of the wind. The chocolate brown farmland and rolling plains that tumble into the far distance, the chimneys from the hay cottages that are laden with snow. The puddles that ripple in the northern wind, a picture and a image of determination is presented within her nature . In her green eyes, two lakes of love, Ece is the determined girl and cannot be defeated even when she is locked out of sight and forced by lawyers to sign her heart and the name Ece Egemen away. Her heart will shine betwixt the bars of the prison cell in which she has been confined. Golden and pure the light is. omnipotent and severe as if from the guiding dove, flying veils asunder , fragrant like the heart of the earth, the angel from above, a wish so pure and exalted filled with an enchanting silent tune of divine embrace and wisdom . The puddles in the wind will ripple more wildly by her silence, The wild remoteness of the scene is another effect of her determined gaze. She is desert flower with everlasting courage.
This section will be continued in Volume Four
Flavours of Akcay and Scents of The Aegean
Ata Furun Cafe
The section from volume Two , describing and detailing the exploration of Akcay, will now be continued in this section.
This is one of the small boutique patisseries. They have a variety of desserts, and the boutique is known for its fresh fruit and fresh, light desserts. The profiter roles are very good and filled with fresh cream. Music plays in the background and the atmosphere is beautiful and sublime just like the dessert's they cook. The best and highest quality place around. It stands out with its product quality and very freshness. You can enjoy delicious desserts, pastries and cookies while sipping your filter coffee and homemade natural lemonade accompanied by jazz and soft rock music at any time of the day. If you're craving something sweet, don't look anywhere else, this place will make you very happy.
Another review read From the bread to the cake. It is a really nice bakery and also a cafe. There are books you can read, it is a very nice bakery and cafe concept that is successfully run, if you come to Akça, I definitely recommend you to stop by.
In the winter you can sit and have breakfast and chat with freinds. The decoration has been described as elaborate and tasteful and the little dog comes to keep guests company. The shop's mince meat pastries are especially good and forest fruit cake is a special favourite. The shop also sells eclairs, cheesecake and magnolia. The eclair cream is sweet and lovely. The fruits in the dessert were fresh , because the staff are friendly the atmosphere is colourful and warm, making any day feel pleasing. The shop is one of the rare bakeries with a library. One can read a book while drinking tea or coffee.
Naz Kebab sHOP
They also cook the lahmacun and pita that you take with you. It is a small place but despite this Here you can enjoy the best Lahmacun. A customer review said The dough was perfectly crispy and the toppings were wonderfully spiced. Every bite was a pleasure and took me back to the authentic flavors of Turkish cuisine. The friendly staff and fast service also made the experience even more enjoyable. I highly recommend this fast food restaurant!
and another said There is no place in Akçay that I haven't eaten chicken wrap, and this is my favorite place in Türkiye. They have grilled chicken and thick lavash. One person can easily be fed with one piece and the price is affordable. You can recommend it with closed eyes
In the neighborhood, quiet environment, smiling faces, great kebab
Nanna patisserie
This patisserie sells creamy bitter coffee and freshly prepared and luxuriously presented Turkish pudding. The desserts include profiterole cake, filter coffee (which the locals say is fresh and light). Lemon cheesecake is the most fragrant and beautiful dish they serve . The customers say The very intense, beautiful lemon flavor stays on the palate for a long time.
san sebastian with a little bit of Belgian chocolate, baklava, eclairs and chocolate with brownies in a cup are sold.
The manti served at fazilet hanim
Nanna pudding
Hz. Ömer Camii
This recently built mosque is situated in the Altinkum region in a well kept garden and consists of a single minaret and a Kubelli Building. Notably upon entering the woodwork of the pulpit is very beautiful and of a fine craftsmanship. Residents go to pray in the evenings too. After the Eid al-Adha, when the Akçay Altınkum Mosque was demolished to be rebuilt, one of the closest Mosques for Friday prayers was the Hz. Ömer Mosque, a very beautiful Mosque located in the neighborhood and with a garden. This Mosque's location is very important for those who do not live near the main town centre and therefore the Hz. Ömer Mosque serves a very important purpose for the locals who live near.
A local said, Interior decorations, carpets and chandeliers provide unity and provide interior spaciousness. There is a Quran course and facilities on the ground floor. Quran courses are opened during the summer periods, although not every semester. Using the empty areas around it as parking lots eliminates the parking problem for those coming to the mosque from outside.
HZ. ÖMER CAMII
The architectr is TRULY a marvel and spectacular and adds to the beauty of the town
Pictures of The town and north Aegean Coast
View of town
The shore are long and sparkling in the north aegean breeze.
VEGETABLES sold in an Akcay Market
Street in Akcay
AKÇAY PAZARYERI CAMI
The mosque, which was built in 2006, consists of a single minaret and a domed structure. It is located in the market area of Akçay. A local market is opposite, From the market one can buy figs and other such food from the harvests of the Akçay locals. Generally, field and garden products are sold. When you enter the section of the market where vegetables and fruits are sold, people are impressed when they hear those scents of the vegetables and harvest .
Sakalli Zeytincilik
Akçay is always living her golden aga, the town is deemed as a elegant treasure and this little shop selling fine and rich Olive Oil which the customers and local gretaly favour, is one the sweet treasures of the market. The shop Sakalli Zeytincilik is located in the same building as the Mosque. The centre of Akcay is vibrant and warm as well as cosy. https://www.sakallizeytincilik.com/ Please see their website for more details from the shop . They sell such a deep and beautiful variety of Olives and stuffed olives from the best harvest/
Olive Oil From the Freshness of Akcay and Edremit
They sell Black Olives, Black Olive Paste, Cold Pressed Olive Oil i n such elegant and even elaborate glass bottles. The sell Stone pressed Olive Oil. They collect all there olives from. the harvest and make the freshest olive oil. To really taste the texture of the North Aegean, then one must have the Olive Oil from this hidden beauty of a shop in the Akçay centre.
The sell Carrot Stuffed Green Olives, Orange Stuffed Green Olives , Lemon Stuffed Green Olives and they also sell pure Olive soap.
As quoted from the shops website
As it is known, Akçay is a place known as the paradise of olives and olive oil in the heart of the Northern Aegean. The mountains from Edremit Gulf are full of olive trees. Thus, some of the local people also earn their living from olive cultivation. With its magnificent taste and deliciousness, the dishes are mostly made with olive oil. Herb dishes belonging to the Northern Aegean and dishes with olive oil are the most preferred foods.
To the mountain
Akçay is situated near the beautiful Kaz Dagi National Park. It was this place that the world's first beauty contest was held and villages and ponds of the area holds many legends
Pinarbasi Picnic Area
A few minutes from Akçay . there is a picnic area that is home to the coolest of waters and the old ancient trees. This is the heart of the Kaz mountains and the secrets here only grows more magical and astounding. The locals from Akçay and Edremit may come here to eat breakfast and have tea. The restaurant food is very good, especially serving trout and cheese.
There is a tale about this spring associated with two tragic lovers. The following extract isa translation of the writing of sabahattin Ali about the mountain and the area. Translated into English by Aysel K. Basci ...
By Sabahattin Ali
I was going to Kazdağı (Mount Ida) to visit a Yörük (1) tribe on the sea side of the mountain facing the Sea of Islands, and intended to stay there four or five days. Previously, I had befriended a tall, white-bearded Yörük at a bazaar in Edremit, where he came regularly to sell firewood and honey. On a few occasions, I had helped him resolve minor matters involving the government. He invited me saying:
“If you can handle sleeping in a tent, you are welcome to visit. You will eat lots of fresh honey and drink lots of bitter black water!”
I suggested that the next time he was in town we could go together, but one hot and totally windless morning I decided to go alone and took off. I knew the approximate location of the tribe at Yüksekoba, and hoped to get directions on the way from villagers. I intended arriving there by noon.
I was walking slowly on an old, sunken road that passed through groves of olive trees that must have been hundreds—if not thousands—of years old. The sides of the road were blanketed with blackberries and chaste berries. As the sun headed higher behind me, it was stretching my shadow further and further on the curved cart tracks left on the road. A cool but mild spring breeze blew into my face off the sea, reminding me I was getting further away from the town. The smell of frosted soil and fresh grass was everywhere. Several skylarks and sparrows sang and hopped from tree to tree, and wavy vapors rose slowly from the areas receiving direct sunlight.
After a while I stopped at Zeytinli, a village on the outskirts of Kazdağı, and had some tea at a coffeehouse, which was shaded by weeping willows and had a pool. While there, I asked about the road to Yüksekoba. The owner of the coffeehouse said:
“I have never been there, but as far as I know, you will pass Beyobası, then walk along the Kızılkeçili Stream. After you arrive at the springs, you will start climbing the mountain from the left slope. When you finally reach an upland pasture, you will walk just a bullet-throw distance more.”
I knew nothing about Beyobası or the springs, and I must have looked confused, because he smiled and added:
“It is not a place a stranger can go alone, you will get lost in the forests or on the mountains!”
I said:
“No, no, I will surely find it by asking around.”
He insisted:
“Who are you going to ask? After you pass Beyobası, you will not see anyone.”
I did not respond. He collected the teacup and went inside. As I began asking myself whether I should go back to Edremit and wait for Koca İsmail Baba to return, the coffeehouse owner came out again and said:
“You are lucky Mister. There is someone going to Yüksekoba; why don’t you go together?”
I immediately got up. Standing in front of the coffeehouse was a Yörük woman, her face burned from the sun, her thin braids falling on her back. She was wearing a canary-yellow üçetek (2). The owner of the coffeehouse asked:
“Hacer, the Mister wants to visit Koca İsmail Baba in your tribe. Will you take him?”
She casually looked at me and said:
“Let’s go!”
As she turned her face, I was surprised to see how young she was – not older than 18 or 20. As we walked, she was always a few steps ahead of me, and I struggled to keep up with her. The owner of the coffeehouse watching from behind saw my efforts to keep up and smiled.
As soon as we got out of the village and arrived at an olive grove, Hacer tucked the skirts of her yellow dress into the waistband of her shalwar, then removed her low-heeled leather shoes and put them in her saddlebag. She then began walking barefoot, her feet leaving imprints on the soil. With each step, the fez on her head which looked like a small honey box, decorated with gold and covered with a thin scarf embroidered around the edges, shook slightly. Because of the weight of her saddlebag, her tall body was bent slightly forward as she walked.
Oil painting by Turgut Zaim (1906-1974) - A Yörük Camp
We walked for an hour without talking. We passed by Beyobası, which consisted of five-ten houses spread among fruit trees, and a little later we came upon an abandoned and derelict water mill under the shade of a huge chinar. The olive trees ended there and the pine forests took over. We ascended into a dim, shadowy strait which did not get much sunlight. A huge, steep mountain reared up before us, and we began to hear the roar of a fervently flowing stream from the direction of the mountain’s flanks.
A little later, Hacer turned her head and warned me:
“We are going to walk by the stream. It carries a lot of water, so be careful where you step!”
We descended from a steep narrow trail between large rocks and arrived at Kızılkeçili Stream, where two shoulders of the mountain merged. The noise of water bubbling and gushing from rock to rock filled our ears. We were walking at the edge of the water, often skipping on the rocks. At times, we descended to the edge of the stream; at other times, we climbed high on the shoulder of the mountain from where we could look down and see white foam generated by many waterfalls below. The path was narrowing further and pine trees grew sideways from the cracks of steep rocks on both sides, reaching out into emptiness. I was having difficulty keeping up with Hacer, who was skipping barefoot on rocks polished smooth by the constant washing of the waters. All along the stream, boulders—some as large as houses—had rolled down from the peaks and the water had gouged out hollows in the rocks to create many large, deep pools of water.
These pools (büvet, in Turkish), whose mirror-like surfaces reflected the nearby pines and chinars, were full of foamy water falling from large rocks often a few men high. When we reached these pools, Hacer, without turning, announced:
“This is called Deli Büvet!”
Or,
“This is called Kunduzlu Büvet!”
Eventually, we arrived at a wider part of the strait and I heard a thundering noise. Hacer shouted:
“We are at Sutüven Falls!”
I looked around in awe. The stream flowed exuberantly as if gushing out of a pipe two-and-a-half meters in diameter, and when it reached a white rock, it became airborne. For a second, it almost stopped and hesitated. Then, in the form of pure foam, it poured into a deep hole below with greater speed and vigor than when it had arrived. Once there, the waters percolated for a while, eventually proceeding to the right. Then, sloshing and skipping over some rocks, the stream continued on its way.
If one walked near the edge of the falls and looked down, one’s face would be completely covered by a cool mist. The constant roar of the water created a howling echo on the mountains on both sides. While there, the first few lines of a poem about this waterfall was on my lips:
From a rock it jumps
17 meters, as fume,
Water, carrying
Mountain’s perfume.
Where it drops
Like fine hair,
It floats three strokes
Blue water, white foamy water!
Hacer was squatting in a corner, her eyes darting from me to Sutüven and then back again. Then she got up and swung her saddlebag over her shoulder. We began climbing again along the stream between the two shoulders of the mountain, which were getting closer and closer. As we approached the stream’s source, it was no longer flowing, but instead leapt from rock to rock as a series of waterfalls. We reached a point where the rocks on both sides of the stream were only two feet apart. Water already running at high speed accelerated as it entered this narrow five to six meter-long channel, its color turning almost black. At the end of the channel, the water, suddenly liberated, cascaded down to a stream bed covered with sand and pebbles, where it formed white bubbles and percolated as if laughing loudly.
Soon afterwards, walking became so difficult we had to hold on to nearby rocks, shrubs, or pine saplings. Then we saw the stream cascade over some rocks into a huge pool of water about 15 feet long and about three men deep. A chinar, the trunk of which could barely be encircled by four men holding hands, was leaning over the pool, its thin and thick branches stretching out to touch the water’s surface. The sun was now at the same level as the bottom of the strait. The milk-white pebbles and sand at the bottom of the pool sparkled in the sunlight, which filtered through large leaves. Some of the water flowing down from the rock above was running counter to the current and spilling onto the edges of the pool, but when it reached the bottom, it too found its way and continued to flow after leaping over a large rock.
Th e Legends of the Mountain
Kaz Mountains Hasanboğuldu Pond
In the little Ottoman Zeytinli town on the Akçay Altınoluk road the Sütüven Waterfall rushes softly. As years went by the mount Kaz was known as Mount Ida in ancient times. The forests are filled with such air and such pine trees of kindness. The Kaz Mountains Hasanboğuldu Pond holds a story. The pond was formed the waterfall. The water fall is called Hasan Boğuldu Göleti.
2 km from Edremit Akçay highway, This pond is within the boundaries of the Zeytinli district. This mythical picnic area at the foot of kazdağı can be discovered through Beyoba village. You will notice that the famous belde and its environs with olive and olive oil create suitable places for nature lovers. Altitude (sea level elevation) 798 m.’dir. Cite Source https://ecearkali.wordpress.com/2018/12/24/hasanboguldu-sutuven-waterfall/
Kaz Mountains Hasanboğuldu Pond
Lisbon
We travel far within the world, to find freedom. What could freedom be? how does one define this wonder? To truly live wander the cobbled streets in Lisbon are one the moments of freedom that can be lived. The city is historical and also very beautiful. ribbons of sparkling dark azure rippling together with glittering sashes of the Portuguese sun, crimson, lavender and honey, the salted sea wind and happy smiles flavour the cherished memories of lisbon. The fairy-tale city, woven with the undulating cobble-stones , milken white, following the fallen gradient towards the sea, the buildings are of Manueline, Baroque, Romanesque architecture.
‘Apartment lights come on in clusters,
And the taverns, the cafés, the tabacs, and stalls
Spread a sheet of white reflections against the walls
The moon reminds me of circus jugglers. ~ Cesário Verde’s ‘O sentimento dum ocidental’