Maden Suyu is the name for mineral water. Elma cayi (pronounced alma CHA-hy) is the ubiquitous apple tea. Bira means “beer” (Efes was our favorite brand). Turkey also produces good wine, the best being yakut, a full-bodied dry red. The local spirit is the aniseed-flavored raki (similar to Greece’s ouzo), which is usually mixed with water.
Author: tur
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Turkish Food
Turkish food is well seasoned and delicious reminiscent of what many people think of as Greek food (but don’t ever make that comparison out loud!). Menus in smaller restaurants or lokantas (taverns that serve food) are often written in Turkish only, so look around at what others are eating and point at what looks good. Rice, mutton, fish (along the coast), pinenuts, eggplant, onions and other vegetables are common ingredients. Fried, grilled and smoked foods are also common.
Be sure to try hunkar begendi (eggplant with beef or lamb), izgaralar (grilled lamb or beef), pide (kind of a Turkish pizza—lahmacun was our favorite variety), the many different kinds of kebabs (especially Iskender), kofte (meatballs), ic pilav (fried rice and raisins) and kuzu dolmasi (lamb and rice).
You can often make a meal from the numerous appetizers offered, such as yaprak dolmasi (stuffed grape leaves), spicy midye (mussels), peynirli borek (cheese rolled up in flaky pastry) and stuffed vegetables. Many desserts are excellent: some are milk based, while others are baklava-type pastries.
Even if you think you don’t like Turkish Delight, try some very sweet and crammed with nuts, it’s a real treat. (Some of the names of dishes have colorful translations: Lady’s thigh is a meat croquette, and nightingale’s nest is a sherbet-filled pastry.) The produce is great; sample fresh giant cherries and figs, in particular. Excellent yogurt, used in desserts or salads, is also available.
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Ancient City of Laertes, Alanya
Settled down on skirt of Cebel-i Reis mountain elevating at the entrance of Dim valley on Taurus Mountains, about 25 km away from Alanya. The nearest village is Gozukucuk.In the border of the region known as Mountainous Kilikya Region in the ancient times. Strabon mentions the town as having a harbour and being established on a hill in chest shape. The important ruins of the town remaining at present are observatory towers, Caracalla exedra, an Odeon or theatre, Zeus Megistos temple, Apollo temple, Caesar temple, an agora, a bath and a necropolis.
Non-existence of ruins from the Hellenistic times is due to the fact that the town was under control of pirates during then and therefore improvement was not made sufficiently. Inscription dating the town from the 6th century BC in Phoenician language and found in the town is exhibited in the Alanya museum. Other important art discovered in the town is a “diploma of a Roman soldier” being exhibited in the Alanya Museum, which gives information about military aspect of the town. The ruins are dated from the Roman period.
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Mevlana Turbe, Mausoleum and Dervish Convent in Konya
It is within the Mevlevi Convent at Konya. The first convent was built by Bedreddin from Tabriz in 1274. It has been expanded and restored to gain the form we have at present. The Turbe (mausoleum) rests of four pillars and is 25 m. high. The body of the Turbe is observed to be in the form of a 16 foil cylindir and 16 foil conical cap. The body and cap are covered with turquoise tiles. For this reason the dome is referred to as the “Green Dome”. The Turbe contains 65 groves of various relatives and flowers of Mevlana together with himself. The pencilworks of the Turbe are also of great valve.
The idea of constructing such a structure was originated from the will of Sultan-ul Ulema Bahaeddin Veledin, father of Mevlana, when he wanted to be burried there after his death in 1230 and the structure turn out to take its shape as a single tomb was built upon his grave. After the death of Mevlana,a tomb was built there by Pervane Muiniddin and his wife Gurcu Hatun. The tomb has taken its current dervish convent structre as further religious and social architectural additions were carried out.
Succeeding to the death of Mevlana that is from 1273 improvements as to the dervish convent building continued and it was converted into a museum after the Proclamation of the Republic. In the museum there are properties belonging to Mevlana and other dervishes as well as valuable samples of hand-painted erchiefs, handwritings, ornaments, wooden works of art and instruments of the Mevlevi music, carpets and pileless carpets. The most appealing section of the tomb is the Kubbe-i Hadra (Green Vault) above the graves of Hz. Mevlana and his son Sultan Veledin.
Inside of the structure built by Architect Bedreddin during Seljuk Period in 1396 is coated with green tiles.The inner walls of the tomb was embellished with plaster relief and designs. The sarcophagus of Hz. Mevlana is one of the superior samples of wooden crafts of the period.Yet this high sarcophagus is above that of his father Sultan-ul Ulema Bahaeddin Veledin’s. On the north side of the tomb, there are Semahane( where Mevlevi dervishes perform the sema) and a small mosque constructed by Kanuni Sultan Suleyman in 16th century.
Seb-i Aruz Pool, on the other hand, is before the kitchen of the dervish convent. Within the frame of the annual commemoration ceremonies organized in the name of Mevlana, whirling dances of the Mevlevi dervishes (sema) around the pool are performed in certain days called as Seb-i Aruz (Feast Day). Since the death of Hz. Mevlana was considered as a reunion with God, these days have been renamed as feast days.
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Ancient City of Myus, Mugla
It is located near Avsar village, 15 kmto the east of Millets, at the shore of the Bafa Lake. Strabon stated that Myus was founded by Kydrelos, son of Kodros, the king of Athena. According to Strabon, it is one of the cities included in the Panionion Union. Herodotus stated that Persian fleet anchored to Myus off-shores in 499 BC. However, Herodotus declared that Myus took part in the Lade Sea War in 494 BC. with only three ships. Dionysus tempest of which name is being mentioned in ancient resources and which is made of white marble has been found during the digs. Today, we see in the city, some parts of Dionysus tempest, and rampart walls of the Archaic Period and the ruins of Byzantine castle.