On Kazdağ (Mountain Ida)

Bayramiç
Bayramiç is a town on Kazdağ (Mount Ida) blessed with one thousand fountains, with abundant green and water. For this reason the history of settlement here goes back many years.
Around Bayramiç, known to be within the boundaries of the Kingdom of Troy, there are many masterpieces dating back to ancient times. The remains of the ancient city of Kebren are located in the village of Akpınar and the ancient Aiol settlement of Skepsis is located near Kurşuntepe. When citizens of surrounding cities were forced to migrate to Troy, citizens of this city were also forced to relocate. This city was again evacuated while the residents of surrounding cities were made to move to Alexandreia Troas.
In the centre of the city of Bayramiç there are traces of the Byzantine and Ottoman eras. The first ones to come to mind are the Taşköprü (Stone Bridge), constructed in 1210 according to the inscription on it, the Taşköprü Mosque built by Hadımzade Osman Bey and the Tepe Mosque converted from a church. However the Hadımoglu Konağı (Mansion) is the most outstanding structure remaining from the Ottoman period.
Hadımoğlu Konağı
This restored mansion is a 17th century masterpiece. It was built by two brothers who came to Bayramiç from the town of Hadim in the central Turkish province of Konya. The two brothers settled in Bayramiç and had a thriving leather business, becoming rich, and later building this mansion.
In the mansion some architectural pieces from the ancient city of Skepsis in Kurşuntepe were used as decorative pieces.
This mansion is currently being used as a Turkish House-Ethnography Museum.

Ayazma 
Located in eastern direction five kilometres before the village of Evciler on the Kazdağları (Mount Ida), Ayazma is one of the most beautiful recreation reserves one could imagine. This area, with its abundant amounts of water, is the setting for an annual beauty pageant just like the one in the ancient legend of Troy, except that the ancient pageant used to select the best mythological goddess.

Kalkım
Kalkım is one of the most beautiful settlements on the foothills of Mount Ida. In recent years tourism has also taken off here. Ecotourism, horse riding and trekking enthusiasts have discovered this region. Off course tourism sector investors have discovered Kalkım as well. To reach Kalkım you can drive either from Edremit for via Çan and Yenice. It is easier via Edremit. When entering the Kalkım-Yenice road north of Edremit this different journey begins.
At the start the road goes through olive groves. Just about all one see are olive trees. As the landscape gets higher the olive trees give way to pine trees. The vegetation changes as well. After 25 kilometres we are 900 metres high. Ten kilometres after the settlement of Hanlar the National Parks Recreation Facilities appear in sight. There is a quite large deer farm within this facility. Deer of the region are all under protection and are breed and live here. If people wait a little they can see the deer.  
This region is a popular spot for hunting enthusiasts and nature walking sports people. There is a sports facility here to provide for equestrian, hunting, cycling and fishing activities. The Iliada boutique hotel is the only one of its kind in the area and has all the above recreation facilities.

A village dinner table at the top of a hill
A little ahead after the Iliada hotel the village of Bağlı is an ideal Kazdağı village worth a stopover. Muharrem Uzuner the operator of the cafe opposite the village mosque could be considered as the only tourism venue operator in the area. In the garden of his house next to the cafe he grows numerous varieties of flowers and vegetables. He prepares pickles from the vegetables grown. Muharrem makes a variety of cheeses using the herbs collected from the Kazdağları region and his wife Adile Hanım makes gözleme (a kind of savoury pancake) with these cheeses. In the cafe Muharrem makes herbal teas with the herbs collected from the region. Locally made baskets are sold at the cafe. There are hammocks in the garden for use of children while their parents have lunch. Tobacco is among the produce grown in the village of Bağlı. This tobacco is soft and light for the enjoyment of smokers.
At the entrance to Kalkım, considered to be the centre of the region, the road opposite the Gendarmerie Barracks reaches a lake after a ten minute drive. The lake is surrounded by farming fields and oak groves popular in summer with picnickers. 
At the centre of the settlement there is a large park, a hotel operated by the municipality and restaurants. There is also a hand made carpet and kilim store. In fact the once thriving weaving industry is no longer thriving here. They bring carpets from all around Turkey. This store is open till late.
The municipality of Kalkım places importance on tourism. They do a lot to promote their region and help the people that visit their region. (Belediye, Municipality Telephone: 0 286 487 55 04)
People here aim to develop eco-tourism as the region is aptly suited for this kind of tourism.
Kalkım is on a flat plateau. Vegetables like beans, peppers. Tomatoes and tobacco are grown

Journey to the face of Ida
Mount Ida is a mountain that brings mythology and never ending legends to mind. A journey around Kalkım is certain to bring about new ideas for a journey and new discoveries. 
The nearby village of Akçakoyun is always a lively place. This village has a 700-year old monumental plane tree and up until recently it also had a barber shop. The municipal council is most obliging to help tourists journeying the area. (Belediye, Municipality Telephone: 0 286 487 55 04)

Hıdırlar Spa
When continuing along after the village of Akçakoyun the road leads to Hıdırlar Spa. This spa located among surprisingly green surroundings is also referred to as Agonya, the name coming from the ancient era. It is known that this spa was used ancient times as well. Warning! The water of the spa is 85 degrees centigrade, close to boiling point. It is good for kidney, bladder, digestive system and gynaecological diseases. It is also used for drinking.
Currently there is work under way to construct a modern spa facility here.

The village of Aşağı Çavuş Köyü
There is a very interesting cafe in the village with the shadow of an old plane tree. It has a terrace overlooking onto a creek with ducks and geese swarming around.
Near the village there are trout farms, at the Çağlayan Trout Farm fresh fish is available.

Deep in the forest
To enter the inner forest, far from human settlements and to be in the bosom of nature one has to go along the makeshift roads within the forest and not care too much about one's car or ideally have an off-road vehicle for the purpose as the roads are not in the best of conditions. It is advisable to get a guide from one of the villages nearby. Village folk around here know the forest like the palm of their hands, especially the hunters.
Şeytan Deresi and the waterfall are the surprises to run into in the forest.
A water source and picnic area called Dalak Suyu is the spot where villagers come for picnics in the summer months. Here at the water source when looking from the side of the pool one can see signs of boiling water right at the bottom of the water.
Hunters use this area for overnight camping.
There is one specific feature of this water resource, which we could not find out the reason for. When one clicks his/her fingers the boiling water in the deep stops for a moment.  
This area, at an elevation of 1400 metres, is surrounded by beech trees. Since this area is close to the town of Bayramiç people of this town and nearby villages come here for picnics.
When the pool fed by the water source is not surrounded by people it returns to its regular purpose. It serves the water needs of the wild animals of the area.
Once in the region it is advisable to climb up to the highest point and view the magical panorama of the Kazdağları. The Fire Tower point known as Tavşan Oymağı has panoramic views of the whole area. This heavily forested environment is always at the peril of forest fires, therefore the personnel at the tower are always vigilant. They observe the region with binoculars and other means 24-hours a day. Whenever there is danger they inform their support teams by radio. 
In this area rich in wild animals, the hunting of wild animals such as roe deer and spotted deer is forbidden. There are large numbers of wild boars. There is also lots of bears, jackals and foxes. Even though we could not see these animals it is possible to spot a falcon flying in and taking off every now and then. Cows belonging to nearby villages roam freely in the forest. As the villagers tell us, apart from the risk of being attacked by a bear, these cows do not face any other danger.
Those visiting the region at end of September could collect chestnuts for free. There are chestnut trees at none too high locations and which are not owned by anyone at all. The villagers collect chestnuts and sell them in the marketplaces.

Yenice

There are regular bus services between Kalkım and Yenice. Both the old and the new roads are in use, though the new road is a little shorter. The surrounding landscape is all pine forest with intermittent flat surfaces, gardens and farming fields. The road has some sharp bends but the surface is good.
While descending towards Yenice on the left on a bend there is a fountain named after Gazi Mustafa Kemal the founder of the Turkish republic. This fountain, restored and updated in 1981, was the place where Atatürk had a stopover and a chat with the villagers nearby when he was heading towards Çanakkale with the visiting Shah of Iran.
Yenice, located a little in from the main road, is a town that was destroyed by an earthquake and then rebuilt according to a master plan and is the setting for a good settlement.
Nearby villages have many ruins of historic castles and Roman and Byzantine remains. However, there have not been any excavations in the area so far.
One and a half kilometres to the north east of the town, between the villages of Çakıroba and Seyvan, there is an mosque thought to be 600 odd year old and an Ottoman cemetery surrounding it. In Yenice the Old Yenice Mosque and the historic plane tree are worth seeing.  
Yenice has an ethnography museum: the Belediye Türkevi Müzesi. In this beautiful building there are displays of regional clothing and costumes, and pieces such as typical household wares.
Yenice is located resting against the mountains. When the houses end the fully green mountain starts. Kazdağı and the forest around Yenice is the place where the "Abies Equitrojani" an endemic pine tree, is widespread.