Travels throughout Turkey
Are you planning your trip to Turkey, or at least dreaming of one?
Here are some suggestions on places to go, and what to see and do.
Just click on any of the text or images to be taken to detailed pages.
This page is under construction,
we will be adding more suggestions here!
It was known as Byzantium,
then Constantinople,
and now it is İstanbul.
This fantastic city has lots of history.
You will want to see the Hagia Sophia (or Ayasofya),
the Blue Mosque (or Sultanahmet Camii), the Grand Bazaar,
Topkapi Palace, the Golden Horn and Bosphorus, and more.
Cappadocia is one of the most amazing places in the world.
A volcano laid down a thick layer of volcanic ash thousands
of years ago — it hardened into a soft rock called
tufa, and for the past few millennia people have
been carving their homes and churches from this rock.
Stay in one of the pensions in Göreme, and you will
likely stay in a room carved from the rock!
A great place to chill out for a few days.
Several days.
A few weeks.
Whatever...
Live in a tree house.
Trek to the mystical eternal flames on the nearby
mountainside, where natural gases seep to the surface
and spontaneously ignite.
And relax!
Pamukkale is a large travertine formation — bright
white calcium carbonate flowstone covering a large hillside.
Hieropolis was a city built just above Pamukkale,
a Roman spa taking advantage of the
warm and heavily mineralized springs.
Laodicea was another significant city just a few kilometers
away.
It is largely unrestored, so visits there and to Ephesus
are very different experiences.
The classical Greek religious center of Aphrodisias
is in a beautiful setting near Denizli.
It can be visited on a day trip out of there or Pamukkale.
The ANZ Guesthouse organizes treks in
Beşparmak Dağları,
the Five Fingers Mountains.
Bodrum is the side of ancient
Halicarnassus,
site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
It's the Tomb of King Mausolus,
the origin of the word "mausoleum".
Konya is not on the usual tourist
itenerary, but maybe it should be!
See some beautiful and distinctive Seljuk architecture,
and visit the shrine of Mevlana Rumi,
famed Sufi mystic poet and founder of the
Whirling Dervishes.
The finest example of a classical Greek city,
one of the top three cities in the Roman Empire,
and center of Christian church history.
The Virgin Mary's home, on a mountaintop above Ephesus.
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The Hittites moved into Anatolia around 2000 BCE
and established their capital at a place called
Hatuşaş, a large fortified city
on the side of a mountain, overlooking a large valley.
They eventually ruled a vast empire, conqueroring
Babylon and challenging the Egyptian pharoahs.
Their empire declined after about 1250 BCE.
You can stay in the nearby village of Boğazkale
and explore the vast ruins, which you likely will have
nearly to yourself!
Some of the Silk Road routes passed through Central Anatolia.
The caravanserais, or hans, were the "truck stops" of
their day, 1000-1500 AD.
Nemrut Dağı, or Mount Nemrut. is further east,
near Malatya.
Nemrut Dağı is topped by a strange collection
of huge statues put there around 200 BC by a megalomanic king.
They are supposed to represent the king and his relatives,
the dieties of all the surrounding civilizations.
The kingdom fell soon after, and the site was completely
forgetten.
It was only rediscovered in the late 1800's.
So what is Turkish food like?
It's great!
Buses are the easiest and fastest way to get to
most places in Turkey.
Unlike what you might be used to at home, Turkish buses
are luxurious, comfortable, and a great way to get around!
Trains are not used as often in Turkey, they do not go
nearly as many places or travel as often (or even as fast!)
as buses.
However, for some trips they can be a great way to travel
overnight in luxury for about the same cost as a bus ticket
plus a night in a pension!
Maps
supertravel.com
has maps of Turkey on line.
Novels set in Turkey
Looking for something to read to get you in the mood to visit Turkey?
Or to recall your trip?
Try these:
- "A Coffin for Demetrios" by Eric Ambler
- "Journey Into Fear" by Eric Ambler
- "The World at Night" by Alan Furst
- "My Name Is Red" by Orhan Pamuk
- "From Russia With Love" by Ian Fleming
- "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
- "Orient Express" (a.k.a. "Stamboul Train") by Graham Greene
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