Lake Apolyont Attractions
Southern Marmara region
Size: 134sq.km/52sq.mi
Length: 23km/14mi
Width: 12km/7.5mi
Depth: maximum 4m/13ft, average 2m/6.5ft
Lake Apolyont (or Uluabat Gölü as it is officially known, Uluabat being a village on the northwest shore) is located in one of the large depressions which run parallel to the Pontic Mountains westward as far as the Sea of Marmara. These basins, reaching deep inland, are occupied by shallow lakes separated only by low-lying sills. With the Kara Dag (833m/2,734ft) forming a barrier against the Sea of Marmara to the north, and bounded by the Orhaneli upland in the south, the well-watered plains of the Marmara region are excellent for fruit and vegetable growing - olives and figs and mulberries for silk-worm breeding. Apolyont Gölü, shallower than Kus/Manyas Gölü to the west, is rich in nutrients, the lake bottom being constantly churned up by wind and waves. Colonies of reeds, tamarisk swamps and carpets of waterlilies add to the picturesqueness of the scenery around the lake. A lock on the Koca Çay (the ancient Ryndakos) at Uluabat allows the water level to be regulated, a process which at one time was essential to the survival of the swamp crabs inhabiting the lake which were a valuable source of income for local fishermen. Today however disease has all but wiped out the crab population.
Though not a designated nature reserve Apolyont Gölü boasts a wide range of interesting flora and fauna. In addition to swamp crabs the latter include squacco and purple herons, little egrets and pelicans.
Size: 134sq.km/52sq.mi
Length: 23km/14mi
Width: 12km/7.5mi
Depth: maximum 4m/13ft, average 2m/6.5ft
Lake Apolyont (or Uluabat Gölü as it is officially known, Uluabat being a village on the northwest shore) is located in one of the large depressions which run parallel to the Pontic Mountains westward as far as the Sea of Marmara. These basins, reaching deep inland, are occupied by shallow lakes separated only by low-lying sills. With the Kara Dag (833m/2,734ft) forming a barrier against the Sea of Marmara to the north, and bounded by the Orhaneli upland in the south, the well-watered plains of the Marmara region are excellent for fruit and vegetable growing - olives and figs and mulberries for silk-worm breeding. Apolyont Gölü, shallower than Kus/Manyas Gölü to the west, is rich in nutrients, the lake bottom being constantly churned up by wind and waves. Colonies of reeds, tamarisk swamps and carpets of waterlilies add to the picturesqueness of the scenery around the lake. A lock on the Koca Çay (the ancient Ryndakos) at Uluabat allows the water level to be regulated, a process which at one time was essential to the survival of the swamp crabs inhabiting the lake which were a valuable source of income for local fishermen. Today however disease has all but wiped out the crab population.
Though not a designated nature reserve Apolyont Gölü boasts a wide range of interesting flora and fauna. In addition to swamp crabs the latter include squacco and purple herons, little egrets and pelicans.
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Dorak
Two important tombs dating from the mid third millennium B.C. (roughly corresponding to Troy I/II), one of a royal couple, the other of a prince, were discovered at Dorak on the south side of the lake. The grave goods, now in a private collection in Izmir, included superbly ornamented swords and Daggers, marble and amber scepters with gold and silver shafts, the remains of a throne, and a blade engraved with a ship's prow - the earliest evidence yet found of a seagoing vessel apart from those of ancient Egypt.
Issiz Han
A few kilometers east of Uluabat, between the lake and the main Bursa road, stands an Ottoman caravanserai, Issiz Han. It is now used as an onion store.
Karacabey, Turkey
Earlier known as Mihaliç, Karacabey, the district's principal town, occupies a site near that of ancient Miletopolis in the fertile plain of the Simav Çayi (ancient Makestos). It was from Miletopolis, founded by colonists from Miletus, that Manyas Gölü took its name.
Uluabat, Turkey
The village of Uluabat was the birthplace of Uluabatli Hasan (Hasan of Uluabat) who, in 1453, raised the Ottoman flag for the first time on the walls of Istanbul. The name Uluabat means "big town", almost certainly a reflection of its closeness to ancient Miletopolis.
