Isparta

North of Antalya, high in the Taurus Mountains, Turkey has its own Lake District with three main lakes: Lake Burdur, Lake Egirdir, and Lake Baysehir. The main town in this area is Isparta. Famous for its kilims or carpets and wide rose fields, located high in the Taurus Mountains on the shore of Lake Egirdir, 36km away from the city of Egirdir, Isparta is a city with lovely coastal areas and exuberance of wild flowers.

If you have some time to spend here, stop at the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) built in 1417 by the Seljuks. Firdevs Bey Cami built in 1561 by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, with its neighboring bedesten (covered market) are another sites you should not miss. Also, be sure to see the 14th-century Isparta’s Carpet Palace (Hali Saray). On four days each week, fine Isparta carpets are auctioned to dealers and anyone else with the money to buy them. Surrounding the city and spreading their scent all over it are the beautiful rose gardens that produce rose oil for the cosmetic industry. South of Isparta, Golcuk Lake, encircled by aromatic pine forests, rests at an impressive 1405 meters above sea level.