zeynep karagoz – Page 2 – Zeynep Karagöz

Down the village…

Our village – Eski Doğanbey – overlooks one of the most spectacular deltas of both the past and the present: the Büyük Menderes Delta. The gigantic gulf where the fertile waters of the Büyük Menderes River now meet the Aegean in divided channels. It is bounded on the north by the Dilek Peninsula, the Mykele (Dilek or Samsun Mountains) and the Dilek Peninsula National Park, in which the village is located. On the south side, there is Akköy village and then the summer resorts that reach Didim after the tip of the peninsula.

The ancient wisdom of Ionia, one of the most magnificent of ancient civilizations, echoes in these lands. In fact, the present Bafa Lake was a part of it until the deep gulf waters extending all the way inland were filled with alluvium brought by the river. There are even traces of early humans in the caves of the Latmos mountains above the ancient city of Heraklia by the lake. Miletus, the crown of the bay and the science center of the period; Priene, one of the first grid-planned cities and the temple of Apollo in Didim, the oracle center, where all of them were connected by a sacred way… These are all long stories in themselves. Of course, there is the connection with the other Menderes delta in the north and the legendary cities of Carian civilization in the south. Surrounded by old harbors and sacred areas connected to ancient cities, this region now houses one of the most fertile lands of the country, Söke Plain.

In the valley, agriculture is still the most important income for the people. In other words, it is an area where reeds and fields flooded by rains intersect, the soil is half loam, half sand, and some places are swamps. So there’s no chance of running to cool waters from sandy beaches here! On the contrary, with the sandy barriers in front of the delta, this is a natural fishing oasis. In other words, the water of the region is as fertile as the soil. Therefore, it is not possible to swim in the delta; you have to travel a bit further.

The road is beautiful…

If your intention is to swim in the Aegean; then you go downhill from Eski Doğanbey with the blue in front of you. You have two options at the end of the road… You either turn to the left, that is, to the village, and proceed towards the interior of the plain from where you cross the plain from the middle and ride towards the promised beaches in the south. Or you can turn right and pass through the brand new village of Doğanbey, which does not have “New” in front of its name and go further This road takes you to the west, towards the tip of the delta, on the southern slopes of the Dilek Peninsula.

After a while, leaving the village behind, you can find Abdül’ün Yeri on your left, one of the oldest fish restaurants in the region. Now Abdul’s son Deniz and his beautiful family run it. I still have not forgotten the flavor of the fish soup that my mother ordered from Deniz’s mother when I came to the village in my teenage years. But the only disadvantage of the restaurant is that it is not on the seafront.

As soon as you pass Abdül’s, a dirt road enters the fishermen’s bay right next to it. As soon as you enter, you will see many boats moored in this small harbor operated by the fishermen’s cooperative. Some are released in the shallows at sea, some are pulled to the shore and repaired, and some seem to be left to their fate. In the fishing season, you can find and buy fresh fish here every morning. Just do not expect services such as sorting and salting; There is a “do your own thing” attitude. But if you say that you want the full service, then the route is to the other side; you have to go to the Fisherman Serdar of Güllübahçe. Or if you want it all on your plate, then you continue on your way to destination Karina.

But wait; The road is not over yet! In fact, it only gets better… As you taste the thyme scents on the right and see the reeds on the left on the edge of the delta, you may start to smell the sea salt. There is a dirt road that turns left from one of these bends that is a bit difficult to detect for those who do not know it. This road leads to a hot spring that emerges from a semi-cave-like area in the secluded bay. (I don’t think everyone should know about it anyway) In summer the temperature is not that hot, but you can enter the water with a tranquility that calms trembling teeth in cold seasons.

Comeon…

You may say that it took too long to get to the water and you could be right. But I learned about these places through many years; a few detours is nothing. However, I have endless respect for those who want to cool off with the healing waters of the Aegean in the heat of summer. That’s why the final destination is Karina. From there on, there is no vehicle access & no pedestrian entrance either; because the last Turkish border western outpost is in Karina. It is actually about 10 km from our village.

And it really is where the road ends… Don’t be surprised when you take the last corner and see the dead-end sign; A little further on, there are parking places next to the rows of restaurants. But if you visit at the most crowded time, like the holidays and the popular hours of the weekend, then you have to leave the car a bit further. You can finally leave your towel in a corner throw yourself into the water.

But be careful not to jump right in! Because the sea is shallow here because it is located at the very end of the delta, near the dunes. You will have to walk on the silvery fine sands, through the scattered seashells, or the tiny hermits that appear and disappear from time to time. To swim here means as soon as you think you are in deeper waters you feel it rising to knee level again and again. But fear not, those cool waters will embrace you eventually.

In The Old Days…

When we first came to the village, there was nothing in Karina except the one gendarmerie station. And there were the stone ruins of fishermen’s shelters and boats moored to the shore. One summer night when I was in high school, we decided to sail with a few friends, my mother and our host, Sebo with dreams of jumping into the deep sea. And we couldn’t light the barbecue so we threw the small eggplants into the sea to make a wish despite my mother’s objections.

Now, Karina is a popular stopover, where rows of fish restaurants offer local and fresh flavors of Aegean cuisine. They all have simple wooden table chairs by the sea; you can settle in any one. You can taste calamari, shrimp, appetizers with fresh herbs, local fish varieties and soft drinks now where we could only have a picnic. In fact, until a few years ago, only fresh village cheese was available; now there are many kinds.

Recently, the local fishermen hosted a pelican whose wing was broken and stayed here during the migration season. I think it is a miracle that the head of one of the tourists who found it interesting was not pierced by the giant beak of this giant bird during its stay here. But this place is a miracle in itself… Depending on the season you come, it is possible to see colorful flamingos, various herons and different kinds of birds on the edge of the delta. In fact, there are wooden observation towers at the entrance of Carina and at the intersection of the village road.

My favorite routine is either to come early in the morning and wash my face in the sea when there is no one around; or to come in the evening and set up at one of the tables and play in the waters while the sun is cooling. It is not possible to see the sun set on the horizon here, but those colors will take you farther. Especially if the moon rises from the waters of the delta; you will be mesmerized. Because here, a starry night with a yellow moon is magical.

The Hometown Issue…

My acquired hometown: this is the personal meaning of Old Doğanbey Village for me. Because, like many other people living in this part of the world, I am a nomad. I was not born here, my parents are not from here. In fact, I did not grow up here… Or rather, my childhood was not here; but this land has been home to my heart. I did not go to school here, but here I read the great novels that left traces on my heart. I did not fall in love here, but I cried out many of my love aches to this wind, I left my pain to this sky. I didn’t get married here, but I wore out my loves here. I didn’t work here, but I found inspiration here; I wrote and drew here. I even worked for this place; with the Old Doğanbey Friends, I tried so that our village would not be spoiled and not fall victim to contempt, indifference, or profiteering. I mean, I didn’t grow up here in the sense you know, but I grew up with this sense of belonging. Here, I inherited both the healing energy that penetrated the soul of the village from generations ago and the home my mother created. Now I am trying to live worthy of this legacy and share it with other souls who can see, hear and feel it.

To summarize briefly…

Eski Doğanbey is a unique place where people connect with themselves and nature. Here you can feel the energy of people who lived in harmony with the land, grew olives on the hills or fished in the bay. The first traces of the settlement dates back to 7th century B.C. but the more well-known part of its history is the stone houses and terraced olive groves built by the Greek inhabitants. The old name of the village “Domatia” means rooms in old Greek. Eski Doğanbey is an ancient Greek village whose original texture has been preserved. In other words, it is an extraordinary place with its old genuine stone houses, some of which have regained their former glory, while others are still in ruins.

When we look at recent history, with the migration that started in 1924, the original Greek inhabitants were replaced by Turkish families from Thrace and the Balkans. The new villagers, who made their living mostly by fishing from the sea and agriculture from the plains instead of olives and olive oil, left the breezy foothills of the mountain and established a new settlement 2 km downstream with the support of the state: Doğanbey. Some of the structures were battered to search for gold, some for materials for new houses, and some succumbed to the cruelty of the time. Except for a few families staying in the village, life fell into a long silence. It sprouted again in the late 80s early 90s with the rediscovery of those who fled the city.

Eski Doğanbey Village is a quiet corner close to the center of both the old world and the new Aegean. Here you can retreat to solitude or socialize easily in nearby places such as Kusadasi, Didim, İzmir or Bodrum. Located within the borders of Dilek (Büyük Menderes Delta) National Park in Söke district of Aydın, the old village is located at the foot of Mykale (also called Dilek / Samsun) mountains, 2 km up from Yeni Doğanbey Village; overlooking the magnificent view of one of the largest deltas of the Aegean Sea..

My Old Doğanbey Story…

My past with the village begins in my middle school years… Since my classmate’s family were interested in traveling, cultural heritage and such hidden gems, they discovered the Old Doğanbey Village in 1989. We are on holiday in Didim with my yet unbroken family at that time. Being aware of this discovery, my mother, who is fond of “shabby” in her own words, and my father a “bohemian at heart”, included the village in the excursion to the Miletus city. Since there was no public transportation or even asphalt roads to teh village at that time; we climbed the slope on the back of a tractor. But Eski Doğanbey was love at first sight for all of us individually. Guided by one of the families who did not move to the new settlement, my parents bought one of the ruins with a loan.

We could afford to have our house renovated a few years later, when my parents get divorced and my mother can save money with a second job after retirement. Then I’m in high school; I can hold a hammer, trowel, sandpaper; therefore, in the summers, I work in the construction. Our nest is in a narrow street just behind the village square in the old center of the village, which I call the “European Side”. We make our home with our own labor over a long period of time. We transform the barn downstairs into a living room, adding a bathroom and a room upstairs, and renovating the kitchen, which we still use from the courtyard.

Meanwhile, I blow the excitements, disappointments and cries of revenge of my first loves to these mountains. When I go swimming in the sea near the hot water spring on the Karina road and get sick, I swallow vitamins and antibiotics in the fountain of the village in secret. I learn the results of the summer university exams in that house; My dream is architecture and my construction site experience is already in place. I discharge the pains of being eighteen two hours away in Bodrum with my friends and then read “The Name of the Rose” on the ridges of the Samsun mountains. I come every summer while I am studying at the university and I also attempt to write my master’s thesis about here. Lots of sketches, detailed images of the village in old films; whatever you want is in my archives.

As the years pass, I get caught up in the beat of business life; I set my heart in other places during the holidays. But I accompany my mother’s arrivals in the spring and returns to the city in the fall. My mother becomes a part of the group with the neighbors, founding an association for the revival of the village. The association is established in order to protect the village, to make life easier and coordinate the services that did not reach the village at that time. My retired banker mother works as a treasurer for years there; they do a lot of work, from the construction of old-fashioned roads to bringing water from the mountain. We have senior architects, urban and regional planners, academics, art historians, artists, and various intellectual neighbors among the village residents, so I am assigned to run errands.

Over time, my mother’s health deteriorates; the comfort of the house, which we cannot reach by car, and the village slopes challenge it. When a house that can be reached by car and where my mother can live without climbing the stairs is available on the opposite side of the village which we call the “Anatolian Side”; she rolls up her sleeves. We sell our old house and build a new home in this one. Again we collaborate; our neighbor Architect Sibel Gürsel and her husband Oğuz Söğüt help out. I’m also an architect now; so I support remotely as much as I can. This way, my mother does not leave the village, although she is able to stay less each year. The last summer she visits, she calls my father to visit… And twenty years later, the three of us breathe the familiar breeze together for the first and last time.

The next year, I bid farewell to both my parents to other lands and come back here to mourn. Then, I realize that I have always burried my heartaches here; when my heart was hurt, I always fled here. Whatever the wounds, my heart always healed here and new seeds of joy sprouted here, I bloomed here.

That’s why Eski Doğanbey later became my hometown. Like those before me, I may migrate one day; but I wish it will always stay this beautiful.

Tips for those who want to come to the village:

Eski Doğanbey is half an hour away from Söke center, 1.5 hours away from İzmir by car, and 2 hours away from Bodrum. It is recommended to use a private vehicle for transportation. However, it is also possible to use public transport from Söke bus station. You only have to tell the driver that you will go up to Old Doğanbey when you get on the minibuses that say Doğanbey.

It is advantageous to use private transport to get around, as the village is located in an unpopulated natural reserve area. The village is located on hiking trails where there are bird watching opportunities as well as other natural beauties. Büyük Menderes Delta is not suitable for swimming, it is a wetland where mostly fishing is done. However, it is a 10-minute drive to Karina, located at the far end of the delta, where you can swim and enjoy fresh fish caught by local fishermen.

You can also go to one of the many exceptional beaches with clear waters and beautiful natural views of Dilek Peninsula National Park with a journey of approximately 45 minutes – 1 hour. The beach side of Dilek Peninsula National Park, of which Eski Doğanbey is also located within the boundaries of, is on the northern side of the peninsula. There is a walking trail of about 20 km from our village to the beaches, but there is no vehicle road. The entrance is closer to Kuşadası and you pay for access to the beaches during the day (vehicle or pedestrian) and accommodation is prohibited.

There are very important traces of ancient civilizations in and around the Büyük Menderes Delta… Ancient cities such as Priene, Miletos, Apollon Temple & Didima, Magnesia, Ephesus and the House of Virgin Mary are among the many attractions nearby. I will also mention some of them in my articles…

When I can’t go to the village, our house is rented in two entries: the big house as the “White Mansion” and the small house as the “Tiny Stone House” in Airbnb. Thus, I can afford for the upkeep and the maintenance of the houses. Moreover, I usually make friends with the guests when I find the opportunity; these friendships open new doors to other worlds for me. Here are the details:

White Mansion: https://www.airbnb.com.tr/rooms/2680883?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=14e5eebc-0115-4e47-b520-100ddc108011

Tiny Stone House:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/50408309?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=162dfc7f-41c3-4484-8aa8-259960816837