Gölyazı
Gölyazı
The old name of Golyazi Village, which was established on a peninsula by the Uluabat Lake, is 'Apollonia'. It dates back to the 6th century BC and was called 'Apollonia ad Ryndacum' in ancient times.
In 1303, 10-15 years after the war of Dimboz between the region's Byzantine Landlords and the Ottoman Principality, it was conquered together with Kite by the Ottomans.
During the Ottoman period, local Greek Christians and later settled Muslim Turks lived together in peace for centuries. The town is shown among the waqf villages of Sultan Yıldırım Bayezid Han in the records after the 16th century.
It is known that 400 Greek families were settled in the region before the Republican period. After the War of Independence, with the population exchange agreement made in 1924, immigrant Turkish families from Crete and Thessaloniki were settled in place of the Greeks who migrated.
It is possible to come across many monumental buildings and structures, especially historical castle ruins in the region. The islands in the lake are a separate source of richness.
The name 'Apollonia' was changed to 'Golyazi' during the republican period. Town status was granted to Golyazi after the establishment of municipality in 1994, and in 2009 it turned into a neighborhood within the boundaries of Nilüfer district.
The Temple of Apollo was depicted many times on the old coins found in the region. Also, 'crayfish', which can be seen as a figure on coins, has always been among the main sources of income of the town since its establishment. During the Ottoman period, it also served as an inner port where the commercial products of the region were transported from Uluabad Lake to Marmara by waterway. Black fig production also has a special status for the town. Fish auctions are held in the mornings in Golyazi, where both women and men are extremely skilled at fishing.
In his travel book, Evliya Çelebi (1659) praises the crayfish, carp and pike caught from the lake, the vineyards, its famous unfermented grape-juice, tiled houses, big churches, bazaars, markets, khans and inns in the region.
