Part 2 of our stay
Still on holiday at Pozanti we explore the valley northwards to see the often restored Roman / Ottoman bridge at Akköprü. Since ancient times this bridge has been in use on the caravan route through the Taurus between the Mediterranean and the inner Anatolian regions, such as ancient Cilicia.
Photo by https://branding.goturkiye.com/adana
Right by this bridge is the excellent Sekerpinar Restoran. At a table under the trees, with the River Chakit running swiftly by, it’s an ideal spot for a leisurely meal. Attentive waiters load the table with huge dishes of grilled lamb and chicken, baked garlic, artistically arranged salads and freshly baked flatbreads. Of course, yoghurt is an essential item, as well as beer or raki. The word sekerpinari means ‘sweet spring’, and the drinking water comes from the spring in the centre of the restaurant.
Photo by Samba Turizm
On another day we explore southwards from Pozanti to Belemedik, a well hidden holiday village. The entrance to the valley is difficult to find, but well worth the effort. The only way into the valley is a narrow road by the fast flowing Chakit River. There is also a single track railway line but with many tunnels, due to the narrow valley.
Belemedik Nature Village has a hotel, plus chalets, a park with picnic areas , cafes and a childern’s playground. There are the ruins of the buildings put up by the German engineers and their workforce, while they constructed the railway line in this area. There is an ancient plane tree, over 500 years old.
You can enjoy lazing in the park, exploring the wild countryside in the valley by the river, or a walk along the single track line to the picturesque old railway station.
A little further south is the Varda viaduct, built by German engineers at the beginning of the 20th century. That’s where they shot the train fight scene from the James Bond film: Skyfall.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
The Taurus Mountains are a formidable barrier across the south-eastern part of Turkey. With peaks rising to over three thousand metres, the main pass through them since ancient times has been the Cilician Gates. This was a mule track not even wide enough for wheeled vehicles. To cross between north and south, it was the only route; taken by Hittites, Greeks, Alexander the Great, Saint Paul of Tarsus, Hadrian, Byzantines, Crusaders, Mongols, and Ottomans under Sultan Selim the Grim.
To improve communications, German engineers dug, blasted tunnels and built viaducts to create a railway line at the beginning of the 20th century. [The Berlin-Baghdad Railway]
In order to improve transport for the modern era a huge programme of road building was carried out. Now a motorway runs along this route, the E90 Tarsus-Adana Highway. The area of the Cilician Gates is called the Gullek Pass. An engineering feat as impressive as the mighty peaks all round.
The old road, having been improved before the First World War
Tales of Regency times 