Pehlivanköy is a little town in the European part of Turkey on the border with its Balkan friends, Bulgaria and Greece. Historically this part was the “hotspot” of Europe, its “Powder Barrel” as referred to in the old days. Now it feels quite peaceful !
I guess these lands took what was best from the imperial times, and mainly this cultural openness and relations with Balkan culture. Local old people speak Pomak here (which is a Bulgarian dialect). A megaphone located on the main railway station, can be heard throughout the whole town, and it announces not only the arrivals and departures of trains but also the arrival of tomatoes and peppers from other neighbourhoods, their price per kilogram and where to buy them.
The surroundings of Pehlivanköy also create this very peaceful and quiet mood, with vast plains, little villages and towns, farms, railways and rivers.
Rivers and railways are both an interesting means of transport. Both represent a fixed way of going somewhere, and both are kind of flowing. This creates a very contemplative feel and a spirit of a distant trip.
Our guide Yalçın took us to visit Alpullu, which is located at a big railway junction. Wikipedia says that the ancient name of the town was probably Alpiya meaning "Shining Water country" – I think it goes very well with the vibe of this little town. It was renamed to Şekerköy ("Sugar village" referring to its sugar factory), but hopefully these industrial times are over and the town regained its name, which probably has greek origins (the greek population calls it “Alepli” (Αλεπλή).
Now Alpullu feels almost abandoned. Railway looks desert, and the sugar factory closed, but it does not look neglected, on the contrary, it’s very nice and quiet, just a bit lost in time.
Music:
Barış Manço. “Dere Boyu Kavaklar”.
Anadol. “Ay Çürüdü”.
