Most travellers exploring the interior of Turkey are bypassing the city of Afyon. It´s located on the crossroads where the routes Istanbul to Antalya and Ankara to Izmir intersect. So, when reaching Afyon, most people make a stop at one of the many roadside restaurants, and then carry on their journey. But the town has more to offer than just a quick lunch of it´s famed sucuk (a spicy beef sausage). There is a picturesque old town and the ruins of an ancient fortress on top of a prominent hill overlooking the whole city. The town and it´s region is also known for it´s vast poppy fields. Until the 1960s the region was the worlds second biggest raw opium producer (right behind Afghanistan). Nowadays there is license controlled poppy cultivation for medical purposes, notably for Morphine and other opiates.

The narrow streets of old town Afyon which is being restructured successively.

The castle hill in background.

Climbing roughly 800 stairs will be rewarded by spectacular views.

View of old town...

...and new town. Officially the town is called Afyonkarahisar.

The name Afyon is a term literally meaning opium.

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