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Nasreddin Hoca’s tomb You know that sinking feeling -- there’s pressing business to transact that requires you to drive from İstanbul to Ankara (or vice versa). Of course you can get straight on the motorway, press your foot down and hope to put the whole thing behind you as speedily as possible.
But perhaps a better way to set about it is to take a few days off and make a short break out of necessity, in which case probably nine out of 10 people will think immediately of a side trip to Safranbolu, the World Heritage-listed town near Karabük that is best known for its beautiful Ottoman houses.
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Those new to Turkey may have no idea who Nasrettin Hoca is. Everyone else, though, will be well aware of this medieval comedian-cross-philosopher, a kind of Central Asian take on Aesop usually depicted as a bearded middle-aged man of jovial demeanor wearing an outsize turban and sitting back-to-front on his donkey. The story has it that Nasrettin Hoca was born in this village (then Hortu) some time around 1208, a fact that the locals have no intention of letting you forget. As you near it, you will spot a giant statue of the hoca in the forecourt of the nearest petrol station. Another stands sentinel at the junction with the road to the village.
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I love the stories about Nasreddin Hoca. A few you can read here: Nasreddin Hoca
Some pictures of statues of him plus his tomb you can see here:
Donkey Tree Cooking pot Tomb
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