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HISTORY
& MYTHOLOGY
The history of the
Karaburun
Peninsula
started in prehistoric times. Searches in a number of natural caves have
unearthed stone axes, primitive tools and potsherds. These artifacts
have been dated to around 4,000 B.C. (Chalcolithicum).
More
important settlements appeared between the 12th and 11th
centuries BC after the fall of the Hittites in Anatolia and following
the invasions of the Akkads and the arrival of the Aeoli and Ionians who
erected cities on the Aegean coast and on the Islands of Lesbos, Samos
and
Chios
. Erythrai was located on the
Karaburun
Peninsula
(known as “Mimas” at this
time). The city of
Erythrai
was one of the most important and richest member states of the Ionian
Confederation. The city became famous as the residence of one of the
Sibyls, the legendary fortunetellers and proclaimers of the divine will.
Throughout history the region owed its wealth to the trade of wine and
olive oil coming from the vineyards and olive groves on the slopes of
the peninsula. Later the region came under the Byzantine, Seldjoukide
and Ottoman reigns. The famous Greek poet Homer speaks in his Odyssey
about “windy Mimas” the old Greek name of what today is the
Karaburun
Peninsula
.
One of the major historical events on the
Karaburun
Peninsula
is, without any doubt, the Sheikh Bedrettin insurrection that took place
some 600 years ago following the battle of
Ankara
, after which the
Ottoman Empire
had become unmanageable because of the fratricides between the sultans.
This was a period of great unrest and the population suffered enormously
from exaggeratedly high taxes and exploitation. The Ottoman theologian
and philosopher Sheikh Bedrettin, who had a great feeling for social
justice and freedom and who was an adherent of a democratically elected
governing model, defended the oppressed Turkish, Greek and Jewish poor
people and organised the biggest insurrection
Anatolia
has ever seen. His advice was: “Share all you have apart from the
cheek of your beloved one”. One of his most loyal followers was Börklüce
Mustafa, who after a series of initial victories over the troops of the
sultan, had to withdraw onto the
Karaburun
Peninsula
with 10,000 of his men. Ultimately, a battle took place in the Valley of
the Torment on the
Karaburun
Peninsula
, where all his men were slaughtered. Börklüce Mustafa was crucified
while Sheikh Bedrettin was taken to the city of
Serez
where he was hung. This was indeed the end of a remarkable uprising. The
well-known Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet dedicated a poem to this historical
event.
In Greek mythology the
Karaburun
Peninsula
is referred to as ‘MIMAS’. The story tells us that during the
Gigantomachy the giant Mimas was defeated by Hephaestus and buried under
what today is the
Bozdag
Mountain
range. The peninsula was also stage to a number of other mythological
figures such as the goddess Iris sitting and spying on Zeus from Mount
Mimas, handsome Narcissus (who gave his name to the narcissi flowers)
and the Amazones.
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