Things to Do in Sandıklı: 11 Places to Visit

Places to Visit in Sandıklı

• 1 Historic
• 5 Religious
• 3 Nature
• 2 Attraction

🕌 Religious Buildings 5

2 🕌 Religious

Sandıklı Grand Mosque

Built in the 14th century under the Germiyanids, this mosque is Sandıklı's oldest religious building. Its stonework and mihrab decorations are a fine example of Beylik-period architecture.

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i Photo: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · Source

3 🕌 Religious

Yunus Emre Tomb

This tomb in Yunus Emre village, attached to Sandıklı, is one of the tombs attributed to the great Turkish mystic Yunus Emre. The area around the tomb has been arranged for visitors and is important for spiritual tourism.

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4 🕌 Religious

Sandıklı Grand Mosque

The historic mosque built in 1379 by Bahattin Ömer.

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5 🕌 Religious

Yunus Emre Tomb (Sandıklı)

The Yunus Emre Tomb in Sandıklı.

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6 🕌 Religious

Tapduk Emre and Barak Baba Tombs

The tombs in Sandıklı of Tapduk Emre, the teacher of Yunus Emre, and of Barak Baba, Tapduk's teacher.

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While you are in Sandıklı, you can also see the highlights of Afyonkarahisar province. These places are in other districts.

• Afyonkarahisar Castle — The castle stands on a 226-metre rock that was once a volcano.
• Afyonkarahisar Grand Mosque — Built between 1272 and 1277 and popularly known as the Kırk Direkli ("Forty Columns") Mosque, this timber-columned mosque is one of the important examples of Seljuk and Beylik-period timber-columned mosque architecture.
• Gedik Ahmed Paşa Complex (İmaret Mosque) — A complex built around 1470–1472 for Gedik Ahmed Paşa, vizier in the time of Mehmed the Conqueror, and attributed to the architect Ayaz Ağa.
• Sultan Dîvânî Mevlevihane Museum — The Mevlevi lodge founded by Ulu Ârif Çelebi in 1316 was rebuilt in 1908 after a fire in 1902 and opened as a museum in 2008. The tradition of "40 Hatimli Şifalı Aşure" (healing aşure of forty Qur'an recitations) is believed to have begun here.
• Victory Museum — Built as the town hall in 1913–1914, the building became the headquarters of Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Paşa and his commanders after the city's liberation on 27 August 1922, and the final plans for the Battle of the Commander-in-Chief of 30 August were drawn up here.
• Afyonkarahisar Museum — Founded in 1933, this archaeology and ethnography museum moved in 2023 to its new building on the Afyonkarahisar–Izmir road.

Practical Information for Visiting Sandıklı

Suggested time

2 days

Best time to visit

All year round (thermal tourism)

Places to visit

11 places

• 🍽️

  Sandıklı Alacaşı

  Sandıklı Alacaşı was registered as a protected geographical indication on 30 January 2023 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1329). Product group: dishes and soups. Registered by: Sandıklı Municipality.

• 🍽️

  Sandıklı Haşhaşlı Tahinli Pidesi

  Sandıklı Haşhaşlı Tahinli Pidesi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 19 January 2024 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1523). Product group: bakery and pastry products, dough products and desserts. Registered by: Sandıklı Municipality.

• 🍽️

  Sandıklı Kapama Yemeği

  Sandıklı Kapama Yemeği was registered as a protected geographical indication on 17 December 2021 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 972). Product group: dishes and soups. Registered by: Sandıklı Municipality.

• 🍽️

  Sandıklı Kürek Helvası

  Sandıklı Kürek Helvası was registered as a protected geographical indication on 20 January 2022 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1000). Product group: chocolate, confectionery and derived products. Registered by: Sandıklı Municipality.

Culture, Local Products and Economy of Sandıklı

• ♨️

  Thermal Healing Tradition

  Sandıklı's Hüdai Hot Springs have welcomed people seeking healing for centuries. The tradition of treatment with thermal waters is an inseparable part of local culture.

• 🏛️

  Legacy of the Germiyanids

  Sandıklı was one of the important settlement centres of the Germiyanid principality in the 14th century. The mosque, bath and madrasa remains from this period enrich the district's historical fabric.

• 📜

  Hüdavendigar Tradition

  Sandıklı was attached to Hüdavendigar province in the Ottoman period. This administrative link, lasting from 1867 to 1922, left deep marks on the district's cultural identity.

Local Products

• Sandıklı Haşhaş Ezmesi — Sandıklı Haşhaş Ezmesi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 20 January 2022 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1001). Product group: other products. Registered by: Sandıklı Municipality.
• Sandıklı Leblebisi — Sandıklı Leblebisi was registered as a protected geographical indication on 20 October 2022 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 1242). Product group: processed and unprocessed fruits and vegetables and mushrooms. Registered by: Sandıklı Municipality.
• Sandıklı Saç Eti — Sandıklı Saç Eti was registered as a protected geographical indication on 20 January 2022 (TÜRKPATENT registration no. 996). Product group: dishes and soups. Registered by: Sandıklı Municipality.

Economy

Sandıklı's economy is based on thermal tourism, agriculture and marble mining. Hüdai Hot Springs attract tens of thousands of visitors a year and form the district's most important source of income. Wheat, barley and sugar beet are grown in agriculture. Marble quarries and processing facilities form the basis of the industrial sector. Livestock farming, especially buffalo breeding and kaymak production, also contributes to the economy.

How to Get to Sandıklı

Sandıklı is 80 km from Afyonkarahisar city centre and is reached by road. The district lies on the Afyonkarahisar–Denizli road and has regular bus and minibus services. The nearest airport is Afyon–Çobanlar Airport. Access from the direction of Denizli is also possible.

Get directions on Google Maps Getting to Afyonkarahisar

Sandıklı: Frequently Asked Questions

Continue Your Trip

• 🍽️ What to Eat in Sandıklı Famous dishes and local products →
• 🗺️ Things to Do in Afyonkarahisar The province's 17 best places and all its districts →

Other Districts of Afyonkarahisar

• Afyonkarahisar Central District 10 places Mevlevihane Museum, Zafer Museum and Karahisar Castle
• Başmakçı 3 places Abdurrahman Sultan Tomb, Başmakçı Plain and Yaka town
• Bayat 4 places Natural-Dyed Kilim Workshops, İnpazarcık Rock Settlement and Elicek Rock Tombs and Rock Chambers
• Bolvadin 10 places Bolvadin Castle, Lake Eber and Bolvadin Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami)
• Çay 7 places Çay Taş Madrasa (Yusuf bin Yakub Madrasa), Eber Lake and Karamık Lake
• Çobanlar 3 places Anabura Ancient City, Anabura Ancient City (Kocaöz) and Akarçay Valley
• Dazkırı 3 places Beşparmak Mountains, Acıgöl (salt lake) and Dazkırı Plain
• Dinar 10 places Tatarlı Tumulus, Celaenae-Apamea Ancient City and Büyük Menderes River Source
• Emirdağ 5 places Emirdağ Mountains, Amorium Ancient City (Hisarköy) and Çarşı Mosque
• Evciler 4 places Işıklı Dam, Kocahöyük and Küçükhöyük Mounds and Evciler Plain
• Hocalar 2 places Akdağ Mountain and Foothills of Ahır Mountain
• İhsaniye 13 places Döğer Caravanserai, Emre Lake and Phrygian Valley (Phrygian Cultural Route)
• İscehisar 10 places Seydiler Castle, Seydiler Lake and Docimium Ancient Marble Quarries
• Kızılören 1 place Kızılören Countryside
• Sinanpaşa 10 places Küçükhöyük, Sinan Paşa Mosque and Complex and Hersekzade Ahmed Paşa Tomb (Ahmetpaşa)
• Sultandağı 7 places Sultan Mountains, İshaklı Castle and Akşehir Lake Shore
• Şuhut 9 places Şuhut Martyrs' Cemetery, Asmakaya Castle and Bininler Rock Tombs