Sıvrıhisar, the classical Justiniapolis, lies at 910 meters at the foot of the Dağı mountain chain (1690 m). I had often seen it from a bus going from Ankara to Eskişehir or Kütahya or vice versa. In December 2007 I finally paid it a visit, mainly to see its Ulu Cami (built in 1274). It was Kurban Bayramı, the feast of Sacrifice (Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son Isaac), and cold. As a result the streets were empty for most of the time. The Ulu Cami was opened for a service, I took some pictures afterwards, but could not stay too long: the guardian was in a hurry to return to the feast.
Knowing how easy it is to get her from Eskişehir I think I will return someday when the weather is better. I will then also try and climb to the Byzantine fortress overlooking the town (I did not even see it this time around). A note of warning: there are new and modern buildings in this town too, but I just happen to be more interested in the oldies. So no complaints please about how I represent this town.