Said Nursi’s rural bolthole
If you’re staying in Eğirdir you could hire a bike and cycle to Barla, a pretty little village of crumbling wooden houses on the western shore of Lake Eğirdir. Most of them stand empty for much of the year, only springing to life for the three months of summer when villagers who have made new lives elsewhere return to visit their families.
There’s little specific to see here, although you can visit a few rooms attached to a gnarled old tree where the theologian and author of the Risale-i Nur, Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1878-1960), spent many years thinking and writing. In a sad example of how followers rarely really understand their leaders, his latterday disciples have built a tower-like concrete mescit (chapel) in the village in supposed memory of their nature-loving master. It’s an absolute eye-sore, especially in such a pretty setting. To find out more about Nursi, read Anatolia Junction: A Journey into Hidden Turkey by Fred Reed (1999).
Transport info
If you don’t want to cycle and don’t have a car getting to Barla is a little tricky as it involves going to Isparta to catch one of the infrequent Barla dolmuşes. Check return times carefully before starting out.
