TIRILYE/ZETENBAGI

 Hosgeldiniz (hosh gel dee neez) is "Welcome" in Turkish, and you hear it everywhere you go.

It took two trips to this quaint township of Tirilye on the Marmara Sea to experience all there was and to get photographs.  One day was freezing cold and windy, the next was cooler, but sunny.  The perseverance was worth it though.  Tirilye has been host to many civilization through the years.  While the name has been changed to Zetinbagi (ze teen bah uh), meaning "olive orchard", it is still called Tirilye (or often seen as Trilye).  There are several speculations of how the town got it's name, from 3 fish, to 3 priests, to 3 villages, but no one knows for sure.  Before the Ottomans, Anatolian Greeks were its residents.  They continued to reside there after the Ottomans were in power and the Christian population continued to be the majority. After the War of Independence, there was a population exchange between Turkey and Greece (1923), when the Greeks migrated to Greece and the Muslims who were in Greece returned to Turkey.  However, many Greeks left before the exchange, with the help of a shipping magnate, and formed a refugee camp called "New Tirilye" near Rafina, Greece.  This camp was later absorbed into Rafina.

 

  An important structure in Tirilye is the Hagia Stephanos, a Byzantine Church belonging to the Kenolakkos Monastery, built in the 1300's.  

 

 

 

 

 

 The church was opened as a Mosque in the 1500's when the Turks conqured Tirilye, adding an Ablutions Fountain and a Minaret.  It is protected as an historical site.

We saw the domes of this old hamam beside the church.  It is not in use as a hamam, but it is still quite in tact.

 

 

The Stone School , which had been left as destroyed, was built as a Monastery School in the early 1900's.  After the Greeks left, it was used as an orphanage and finally, again used for educational purposes.  It is now owned by Uludag University and is currently being renovated.

Because of the historical significance of the town, no one can destroy the old monuments or houses; they can only be rebuilt in their original styles.

 When we were photographing the city from up on the hill, we spotted what appears to be another church building.  We will have to explore this next trip

 This "leaning tower of Tirilye" was intriguing, at the "Y" in the main road.  Not too much holding it together.

 Typical street with the appropriate modes of transportation, scooter or tractor.  Appropriate for an agricultural town.

 The white house with dark shutters in the forefront is a restaurant, serving breakfast and dinner.  The owner was sitting outside and invited us inside to have a look.  Just to look inside of one of these historic houses was phenomenal.  We did not take photos, but it was narrow and the rooms tiny, with cooking on the first level, restaurant with approximately 4-5 tables on the 2nd, and their living quarters on the 3rd.  It was quaintly decorated and had tons of "evil eyes".

 

  The view of this old house, again at the "Y" in the road, gives the idea of how narrow these houses are.

Now, Tirilye is famous for it's eating olives and olive oils.  The countryside/hills surrounding the town is dotted with thousands of orchards or "baches" (bah chay).  Some of them are very old and very gnarly.

As well, the main street to the waterfront is lined with many stores, of all sizes, selling olives, olive oil, and products made with olive oil.  

 This family had their own "bache", packed their own olives, made their own olive oil, the mom made other homemade Turkish foods, as well as some jewelry.  They were so nice to visit with (and very Greek looking), and yes, we bought olives, olive oil and a tomato/pepper spread that is wonderful.

Because Tirilye is on the sea, much of the life of the town revolves around the harbor front area.  It is teeming with people, boating, walking, dancing, playing games, and of course, eating.  In the summer is a popular vacation spot.

 

 The two halves of the marina

 At any given time you will find fishing, walking, dancing and game playing - chess, cards, backgammon and a game called Okey.

 A new Boutique Hotel, complete with the "evil eye", pretty pebble beach, and sea views

There is no shortage of restaurants, mostly fish.  We tried out the Trilye Balik (fish) Restaurant: calamari, salad, potatoes, olives, bread and sea bass. MMMM, good.

 

 And of course, being spring, wild flowers, figs, and new pine cones were abundant.

 

All in all, Tirilye is a nice little town, close enough to home (30 minutes +/-) to go for a seaside walk and a good meal.  Time to sail out of here and head out for more adventures. Goodbye!