Travel Destination: Turkey
About Turkey
Turkey is a Eurasian country that attracts both history buffs and leisure travellers. It has enough opportunities to offer to both types of visitors which mean you’ll never run out of activities once you decided to step in. Colourful, haunting, interesting and beautiful, Turkey offers no tricks, just plain and simple ancient heritage and contemporary thrills.
Just how lucky Turkey is, an Asian-European mix, a true fusion of Eastern and Western cultures bordered by eight countries, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Its largest cities are Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Adana, Konya, Antalya, Mersin, Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa.
With a diverse culture, there are many to include in your itinerary as you go along traversing this transcontinental country. There are Ottoman, Middle Eastern and European influences not only in architecture and traditions but also in its cuisine. That is why Turkish flavours are considered one of the tastiest in the world. Mostly based on Ottoman food fare, it also fuses Balkan, Middle Eastern and Central Asian culinary traditions. The Black Sea region can be identified easily with corn and anchovies-based dishes. Mezes and kebabs are best in Adana, Gaziantep and Urfa. These places also specialize in baklava, künefe and kadayıf. The western part of Turkey uses olive oil generously on their dishes. Mediterranean cuisines are easily found in the regions of Marmara, Mediterranean and Aegean where fish, herbs and vegetables are abundant. Gözleme, keşkek and manti are the specialities of Central Anatolia. Pilaf (rice dishes), vegetables, egg and meat dishes are common around the country. Ayran, Kefir, Salgam, Boza, Sahlep and Sherbet are popular non-alcoholic beverages. Turkish coffee (kahve) is served either bitter or sweet.
First time visitors can always start with Ankara, the country’s capital but only the second largest city located in the Anatolia region. Although the city is very modern, several archaeological sites can still be found here. The Ankara Citadel, Roman Theatre, Temple of Augustus and Rome also known the Monumentum Ancyranum (built between 25 BC and 20 BC) in Ulus quarter, Roman Bath, Column of Julian (also called Queen of Sheba Column) and the Alaadin, Ahi Elvan, Haci Bayram, Yeni and Kocatepe mosques are noteworthy.
Istanbul is another popular destination because it is the largest city in the country and teems with the most modern bars, dining places and buildings. This is an easy place to navigate for there is an extensive network of public transport. Buses, funiculars, light rail, metro, metrobus, nostalgic trams, trams, suburban trains, ferryboats, sea bus and gondola lift are available. There are places within the city where you can swim, the likes of Bosphorus, Sariyer, Küçükçekmece and Bakırköy are recommended. White sand beaches are found in Sile while Kilyos is a booming seaside resort that has all the dining and recreation facilities.
Maximize your visit by including the Ottoman townscape of Sanfranbolu, the old Anatolian Kingdom in Pergamum (Asclepion and Acropolis are good places to try), the battlefields of Gallipoli, reminisce Roman times in Ephesus in their 25,000 seater theatre, another Roman city is in Hierapolis just above the Pamukkale (a spa town also dubbed as “Cotton Castle”), the scenic countryside of Lycian Way, the underground cities of Cappadocia, historic Ottoman sites in Amasya, the ruins of Ani and Doyubayzit, monastery in Sumela and the Golbasi area and shops of Urfa in Sanliurfa.
So many sites, so little time, Turkey is such a wonderland.