North of Afyon and east of the small town of Doğer, Emre Gölü is a lovely peaceful lake at its prettiest in late May. If you’re exploring the Phrygian Valley it’s easy to visit the lake in transit between the Aslankaya (Lion Rock) near Doğer and the second Aslankaya in the Göynüş Vadisi.
There are several very striking rock formations on the shores of the lake and actually in the water. The most impressive is called the Kırkmerdivenler Kayalığı (40 Steps Rock) although you’ll be struggling to make out the steps – it’s a good viewpoint though.
On the slope just behind Kırkmerdivanler Kayalığı a featureless stone building becomes more interesting once you get inside it where you’ll find the floor carved with old graves. What look like stones from a Byzantine church are scattered on the floor while the walls were once plastered and carved with a pretty tulip design. Now graffiti rule the roost. Was this once a chapel that was turned into a Muslim shrine? There’s no mihrab so it’s unlikely it was ever a mescid.
This is a good spot for birdwatchers except perhaps over summer weekends when picknickers will disturb the rural tranquillity.
Transport info
The roads to the lake are unasphalted and no buses come here but you can easily include a stop at the lake in a taxi tour of the Phrygian Valley from İhsaniye.
