Kösedere Village, Gulpinar. At this point you have moved out of the district of Ezine and into the district of Ayvacık, still in Çanakkale of course. From this point you are about 80km from Canakkale, 33km from Ezine and only 27 km from Ayvacik.
Although Kösedere is a little inland from the sea it is close to Tavakli Iskelesi and a long sandy beach. Also, if you drive out of the village towards Gulpinar there is a track after the health clinic and before the market garden which will take you to the sea and a deserted beach where there is just the beautiful countryside and the seaside.
Kösedere is one of the district’s largest villages. With a population of about 1200 it has its own children’s nursery, primary and middle school and health clinic. There is an olive oil factory in the village and an impressive new mosque which is about 20 years old now.
Walking around the village you get to experience the blend of old and new. This is particularly noticeable when you find the old mosque, a building that was completed in 1876 and now falling into ruin. We managed to capture some of the inside in this film and a walk round the building shows that it would take quite a lot of work to restore this building. The good news is that plans are already in place to do exactly that. Details can be found on the website at:
http://www.sehirrestorasyon.com/project/ayvacik-kosedere-camii
Opposite the mosque if you look carefully you will see that there is another building with an open doorway. Look closely at the domes on the roof. This is the old village hamam or bath house. It would probably have been made around the same time as the mosque but there is no date or evidence on the building to verify this.
Kösedere is very fortunate in that it has quite a lot of flat plains with a plentiful water supply. Agriculture is the main source of income here. With an abundance of good land the crops found in the local fields will include wheat, beans, lentils, peas, peppers, obergine and tomatoes which are notably good from this region and one of the main crops.
There are also quite a few farms producing milk and the local farmers tend to their livestock of cattle, sheep and goats as well as looking after their olive groves. Just like most villages and towns in this part of Turkey the olive production is of particular importance. Within easy reach of the sea there is also an element of fishing too.
Walking through the centre of Kosedere you can see that it has a fairly lively centre focusing on the main street and the bridge over the Kosedere creek, incidentally, the river from which it gets its name. The village has its own bakery, a barber, a grocery store, small restaurant and an auto repair shop.
The hill in the background is referred to as Zincirlitepe or chained hill. Just as with many of the surrounding villages there is a Hıdırellez in early May where locals make a wish and say prayers.
You kind find out more about life in Kösedere by visiting their website at: