Çamlıdere (District)

Çamlıdere is a settlement known for its historical heritage, natural beauty, unique museums, and local culture, subordinate to Ankara Province. Although its founding date is not precisely known, traces from the Seljuk and Byzantine periods are present within its boundaries. It is traditionally believed that the settlement’s former name, “Kuzveren,” changed to “Şeyhler” following the arrival of Şeyh Ali Semerkandi. Originally a village under Beypazarı, it gained independent district status in 1953.^【1】 Thanks to its extensive forested areas, highland meadows, thermal water potential, fossil forests, and rich museum infrastructure, Çamlıdere is a significant destination for nature, faith, and cultural tourism.

History

Although written records regarding the district’s past are limited, archaeological remains from the Seljuk and Byzantine periods exist in the region. Villages such as Peçenek, Ozmuş, Yahşihan, and Dağkuzören derive their names from Seljuk tribes. Additionally, a mosque dating from the Seljuk era is located in the village of Peçenek. Under the Ottoman administrative structure, Çamlıdere was a village subordinate to Beypazarı. In 1314 AH it became a subdistrict and in 1916 was attached to Kızılcahamam. It attained district status through Law No. 6191 issued on 2 December 1953.^【2】

Geography and Nature Tourism

Çamlıdere possesses an infrastructure conducive to outdoor sports, thanks to its rich vegetation and water resources. Within its boundaries lie Aluçdağı and Çamkoru National Parks, as well as numerous highland meadows including Kirazlı, Kapaklı, Tepebaş, Yağlıcaaluç, Alakoç, Benli, Bakırlı, Buğralar, and Yediören. There are seventeen distinct hiking trails suitable for all seasons. Additionally, freshwater fishing is practiced at Bayındır Dam, where species such as the European chub, pearl mullet, carp, and common carp are found.^【3】

Population

According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the population of Çamlıdere district in Ankara Province has varied over the years. Based on the Address-Based Population Registration System (ADNKS) results published by TÜİK, the district’s total population as of 2024 was recorded as 10,475, of whom 5,626 were male and 4,849 were female.^【4】

Wildlife and Fossil Forest

In the district’s extensive forested areas, wildlife such as bear, wild boar, fox, badger, squirrel, and deer coexist with approximately 200 bird species, including the golden eagle and the red kite.^【5】 In addition, the region contains fossil forests dating from 17 to 55 million years ago, which serve as the basis for geopark tourism, as well as deposits of Çamlıdere agate.^【6】

Culture and Faith Tourism

Çamlıdere is a cultural tourism route that preserves faith-based traditions and local memory. In the district center lies the tomb of Şeyh Ali Semerkandi, a descendant of Ömerül Faruk, the spiritual son of Prophet Muhammad. Each July, the “Çamlıdere Aluç Dağı Festival” features oil wrestling, Sinsin performances, and various celebrations.^【7】 The district also has thermal hot spring sources that support thermal tourism investments.^【8】

Şeyh Ali Semerkandi Külliyesi and Sacred Relics

The social life and artisan culture of 15th-century Çamlıdere are depicted for visitors through beeswax sculptures in museum exhibits.^【9】 Within the Külliye, the Museum of Sacred Relics displays an ewer attributed to Şeyh Ali Semerkandi, swords belonging to the Semerkandi Foundation, and, according to tradition, a broken iron plate he threw to determine the location of the district.^【10】

Şeyh Ali Semerkandi Hazretleri Külliyesi - Yazarın Çekimi

City of Thematic Museums

Çamlıdere hosts a number of thematic museums, each holding the distinction of being the first of its kind in Türkiye and the world:

• Semerkandi House Museum: Built using adobe, mud, and straw in accordance with 15th-century architecture, the museum offers hands-on demonstrations of domestic life and agricultural processes such as grain threshing using a traditional flail.^【11】
• Culture House and Ethnography Museum: Housed in a historically restored building, the life culture of the district’s residents—from cradle to grave—is presented with traditional stone-recorded music.^【12】
• Scale Museum: The world’s first museum of scales, inspired by Şeyh Ali Semerkandi’s saying, “Justice is the foundation of all virtues,” focuses on the concepts of guilds, justice, and fairness.^【13】
• Stove Museum: The world’s first building constructed in the shape of a stove, this museum recreates the nostalgic atmosphere of Anatolian winter evenings and the “stove-side” tradition.^【14】
• Games and Toys Museum: Designed under the “Çuf Çuf Treni” concept, the museum presents the historical evolution of toys through figures that bring back the streets of old Çamlıdere.^【15】
• Nature and Animals Museum: A first in Türkiye, this museum aims to raise awareness of wildlife conservation through immersive soundscapes of animal calls and water effects.^【16】
• Agriculture Museum: It documents the region’s historical rural production methods through traditional tools such as the iron plow, ox-cart, hand mill, and flail.^【17】

Soba Müzesi - Çamlıdere Belediyesi

Local Cuisine

Çamlıdere’s cuisine, rooted in Ottoman culinary traditions, features a wide variety of pastries, soups, meat dishes, and natural products. Basic local pastries include bazlama, gözleme, tava çöreği, kül kömmesi, mantı, erişte, kedibatmaz, höşmerim, and ekşili cimcik. Common soups are tarhana, toyga, ayranlıaş, and göce çorbası. Famous meat dishes include kuzu kapama, Ankara tava, oğlak kebabı, and Semerkant Çamlıdere köfte, made from the meat of animals that graze on thyme in the mountains.

Due to its organic beekeeping and honey-producing region status, Çamlıdere is among the leading centers in Anatolia for the production of flower, basket, black hive, and pine honey. Additionally, naturally occurring plants such as aluç, mountain cherry, thyme, stinging nettle, dog rose, salep, and daisy form a rich local flora.^【18】