GTurkiye

Category: Tourism

  • Fascinating Facts Illustrating Turkey’s Rich Heritage

    istanbul

    – As an ancient land and modern nation, Turkey today holds and protects the common past of all people.

    – The only city in the world located on two continents is Istanbul, which has been the capital of three great empires – Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman – for more than 2000 years.

    – Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents Europe and Asia. During its 25,000 year history, it has been the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires.

    – The number of archaelogical excavations going on in Turkey every year is at least 150.

    – The oldest known human settlement is in Catalhoyuk, Turkey (7500 B.C.).

    – Ephesus and Halicarnassus – two of the seven wonders of the ancient world – are in Turkey.

    – Anatolia is the birthplace of historic legends, such as Homer (the poet), King Midas, Heredotus (the father of history), and St. Paul the Apostle.

    – Julius Caesar proclaimed his celebrated words, “Veni, Vidi, Vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered) in Turkey when he defeated the Pontus, a formidable kingdom in the Black Sea region of Turkey.

    – The famous Trojan Wars took place in western Turkey, around the site where a wooden statue of the Trojan Horse rests today.

    – The first church built by man (St. Peter’s Church) is in Antioch Antakya, Turkey.

    – The Amazons originated in Turkey’s Northeastern region.

    – The First Ecumenical Council was held in Iznik, Turkey.

    – Writing was first used by people in ancient Anatolia. The first clay tablets – in the ruins of Assyrian Karum (merchant colony) – date back to 1950 B.C.

    – Prophet Abraham was born in Sanliurfa in Southeast Turkey.

    – St. Nicholas, known as Santa Claus today, was born and lived in Demre (Myra) on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. The village contains the famous Church of St. Nicholas, which contains the sarcophagus believed to be his tomb.

    – Many archeologists and biblical scholars believe Noah’s Ark landed on Agri Dagi (Mount Ararat) in eastern Turkey.

    – The last meal on Noah’s Ark, a pudding with nearly 40 ingredients, is still served throughout Turkey.

    – The last home of Virgin Mary is in Selcuk, Turkey.

    – St. John, St. Nicholas, St. Paul and St. Peter have all lived and prayed in Southern Anatolia.

    – Part of Turkey’s Southwestern Shore was a wedding gift that Mark Anthony gave to Cleopatra.

    – The first man ever to fly was Turkish. Using two wings, Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi flew from the Galata Tower over the Bosphorus to land in Uskudar in the 17th century.

    – Homer was born in Izmir on the west coast of Turkey and he depicted Troy in his Epic the Iliad.

    – Suleyman the Magnificent (the famous Ottoman Sultan) was a poet who wrote over 3000 poems some of them criticising the greed of mankind.

    – One of the biggest and best preserved theatres of antiquity seating 15,000 is Aspendos on the southern coast of Turkey where international music festivals are held each year.

    – Aesop – famous all over the world for his fables and parables – was born in Anatolia.

    – Leonardo da Vinci drew designs for a bridge over the Bosphorus, the strait that flows through Europe and Asia. (It was never built then; but now there are two Bosphorus bridges.).

    – President Woodrow Wilson was fond of telling some of the tales of Nasreddin Hoca (13th century Turkish wit and raconteur; UNESCO has declared a “Nasreddin Hoca year”, 1996-1997).

    – Alexander the Great conquered a large territory in what is now Turkey – and cut the Gordion Knot in the Phrygian capital (Gordium) not far from Turkey’s present day capital Ankara.

    – Greek Cynic philosopher Diogenes was born in Sinop on Turkey’s Black Sea Coast.

    – Croesus – whose name is synonymous with great wealth – had his kingdom (Lydia) in Western Turkey.

    – Smallpox vaccination was introduced to England and Europe from Turkey by Lady Montagu in early 18th century (after Turkish phsycians saved her son’s life).

    – Istanbul’s Robert College, established in 1863, is the oldest American School outside the United States.

    – Throughout history Anatolia – land of Turks has been a bridge between Europe and Asia where people of different origins have come together and mingled with the ones already settled each time creating a new sythesis.

    – Early Christians escaping Roman persecution nearly 2000 years ago sheltered in Cappadocia in Central Anatolia.

    – In 1492 Sultan Beyazid II, learning about the expulsion of Jews dispatched the Ottoman Navy to bring the Jews safely to the Ottoman lands. Like wise Jews expelled from Hungary in 1376; from Sicily early in the 15th century; from Bavaria in 1470; from Bohemia in 1542 and from Russia in 1881, 1891, 1897, 1903 all took refuge in the Ottoman Empire.

    – As it was the case during the Bolshevik revolution, Turkey served as a safe passage an haven for those fleeing their native countries during the World War II, Turkey was one of the few countries in the world which welcomed the Jewish refugees escaping the horros of Nazism.

    – During the Gulf War in 1991, Turkey welcomed nearly half a million Kurds from Northern Iraq, who were fleeing the torment of Saddam.

    – Turkey provided homes for some 313,000 Bulgarian refugees of Turkish origin expelled from their homelands in Bulgaria in 1989.

    – According to Turkish tradition a stranger at one’s doorstep is considered “A Guest from ALLAH” and should be accommodated accordingly.

  • Are any vaccinations required for tourists entering Turkey

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    There are no vaccination requirements for any international traveler. The World Health Organization web site, www.who.org, provides vaccination certificate requirements by country, geographic distributions of potential health hazards to travelers and information on health risks and their avoidance.

  • North Cyprus a Hidden Gem Destination in the Mediterranean

    North Cyprus a Hidden Gem Destination in the Mediterranean

    Northern Cyprus I look over Girne Harbour lost in thought. The light slowly fades and as the night plays its most colourful game with the day, the candle flames stretch out and fall over the sea. A white sailing boat has already glided into the harbour.

    The historic Girne Castle at the tip of the harbour rises out of the dark blue Mediterranean. The stone walls gradually glow red. I realise that Cyprus is not just very beautiful, but has a hidden quality quite different from anywhere else; something which eases tired spirits, brings tranquility and makes even the unforgettable sink into oblivion.

    Perhaps it is the fragrance – of flowers in the gardens overlooked by windows with blue shutters in Girne, and of the orange trees along the road in Guzelyurt.

    Perhaps it is the fresh scent of a cool breeze from the misty Besparmak Mountains blowing through a castle perched upon rocks, or the salt smell of the turquiose sea on the Karpas Peninsula; the old scent of the photographs in an old woman’s one-roomed cottage in the village of Korucam, or the holy scent from Lala Mustafa Pasa Mosque in Gazimagusa.

    Which it is I have no idea. Perhaps Cyprus is a mixture of all these scents. The easiest and most enjoyable way of getting to know Northern Cyprus and experience all its fragrances is to rent a jeep and explore the country from end to end. We began in Girne, whose luxury hotels, casinos and inviting beaches make it the most popular resort in Northern Cyprus. The place where everyone exploring Cyprus gets to meet up is the harbour. Surrounded by café-bars and restaurants, it is always lively.

    Right next to the harbour rises one of the most impressive and impregnable mediaeval castles to have survived anywhere. But it is easy to storm Girne Castle today and spend a few hours visiting the several tiny independent museums to which it is home. And what about the other three castles in the Besparmak Mountains? The castles of Buffavento, Saint Hilarion and Kantara kept watch for uninvited ships on the distant horizon and warned the islanders of approaching danger.

    To see the scenic beauty which they have been savouring for centuries, all you need is a bit of adventurous spirit and stamina for the climb. From a dizzying wind blown height is a matchless view over the Mediterranean. On a mountainside is the tiny village of Karmi where the whitewashed houses draped with bougainvillea nestle amidst roses, geraniums, almond trees and plum trees. Here most of the inhabitants are German and British. The village of Koruçam near Guzelyurt, meanwhile, is home to a community of Maronites from Lebanon and Syria who settled here centuries ago.

    Their houses too are whitewashed, and their windows frame the sea. At the doors stand elderly women dressed in black, matching the black and white photographs on the walls. Melancholy and joy are mingled inextricably here. One of the best ways to get to know the local people is to visit Yorgo’s Place, where the famous Northern Cyprus pit roast is the main speciality, served with hellim cheese, tahini, gabbar (pickled leaves of the milk thistle), garlic sausage and Mediterranean salad.

    Then off we go again, leaving the Besparmak Mountains behind and heading for the capital Lefkosa (Nicosia). Here we wander through the narrow streets of the city’s oldest districts of Arabahmet and Selimiye, where the houses in an eclectic mix of styles Ottoman, Lusignan and even in a few cases Venetian in origin, made of adobe or stone, and with bay windows or balconies. Most have been restored. The Church of Saint Sophia (Selimiye Mosque) is one of the capital’s principal monuments, dating from the 14th century and characterised by marvellous stonework.

    In Gazimagusa is another but still more imposing monument in similar architectural style, the Cathedral of St Nicholas (Lala Mustafa Pasa Mosque), where light filtering through the long stained glass windows enhances the spiritual atmosphere of the interior.

    After visiting the ruins of Salamis, the island’s oldest church of St Barnabas, the Venetian city walls, and Othello’s Tower in Gazimagusa, it is time to head for the Karpas Peninsula. As we drive along through a landscape of yellow wheat fields, I am already excited at the prospect.

    The Karpas Peninsula is the furthest extremity of Northern Cyprus, where the island tapers out in a long narrow finger of land towards Turkey. It is a remote unspoilt spot of long sand beaches. When the road ends, we get out of the jeep and begin to walk.

    My head is whirling with thoughts of all the scents, faces, and tastes of the island, the salt of the Mediterranean, and flowers I dreamed of gathering. Wait for me, I want to get there first… to the very tip.
    Source: Skylife

  • Do I Need a Visa to Visit Turkey?

    As known when people travel to another country a valid travel document (Passport) or valid identity is needed (Except EU countries). As Turkey is still not an EU country the entry regulations are set according the custom and entry regulations Turkey has agreed with each individual country.

    U.S. citizens must have a visa to enter Turkey. U.S. citizens may obtain a visa upon entry into Turkey or in prior to departure from one of the five Turkish Consulates in the United States. Please find your state in the Turkish Consulates Jurisdiction List. Business visas must be issued prior to departure by Turkish consular offices.

    Visas issued upon entry are valid for three months. Visas for longer stays and for study, research or employment must be obtained in advance. Passengers in transit through Turkey who do not leave their port of transit do not require visas.

    Non-U.S citizens must apply for tourist or business visas before traveling to Turkey. Applicants should contact the relevant Turkish Consulate in person, by mail or by a courier service. Applicants outside the united States should contact the nearest Turkish Embassy or Consulate to learn their visa requirements and procedures. Turkish missions abroad are listed at www.mfa.gov.tr

  • Tourism in Turkey

    Another considerably large sector of the Turkish economy is tourism. As a country of uniquely beautiful natural assets and vast historical treasures, Turkey constitutes a perfect center for touristy activities. There exists every kind of opportunity for every type of holiday maker, due to the richness of the land with respect to its geographical and climatic characteristics granted by nature. With its enormously diverse natural figures, ranging from high mountains to extensive coasts, from wide green forests to broad lakes, this country possesses great resources in the field of tourism.

    Consequently, investments in modern and large capacity touristy establishments, are being made to put this potential into good use. Hotels, motels and holiday villages of high standards, offer services in all touristy areas with their high quality facilities.

    The establishment of an infrastructure for the training of qualified tourism personnel constitutes another investment area, and training programs are carried out at the newly established tourism centers serving this purpose and increasing the number of professional personnel.

    As a result of all these processes, Turkey has achieved the goal of providing the high level services suitable to the needs and wishes of foreign tourists. With the promotion policies being pursued and further arrangements in the sector, tourism will continue to rapidly increase its share in the Turkish economy.

  • Did You Know That…?

    A country of sun and history, Turkey straddles the point where Europe and Asia meet. It is located where the three continents making up the old world, Asia, Africa and Europe, are closest to one another.
    Because of its geographical location, the mainland, Anatolia, has witnessed the mass migration of diverse peoples shaping the course of history. Home to countless civilizations, Anatolia has developed a unique blend of cultures—each with its own distinct identity, each linked to its predecessors through history.
    As an ancient land and modern nation, Turkey today holds and protects the common past of all people.
    Fascinating Facts Illustrating Turkey’s Rich Heritage
    Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents – Europe and Asia. During its 25,000-year history, it has been the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires.
    Two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World stood in Turkey – the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Bodrum.
    St. Nicholas, known as Santa Claus today, was born and lived in Demre (Myra) on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. The village contains the famous Church of St. Nicholas, which contains the sarcophagus believed to be his tomb.
    The first man ever to fly was Turkish. Using two wings, Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi flew from the Galata Tower over the Bosphorus to land in Usküdar in the 17th century.
    Many archeologists and biblical scholars believe Noah’s Ark landed on Agri Dagi (Mount Ararat) in eastern Turkey.
    The famous Trojan War took place in western Turkey, around the site where a wooden statue of the Trojan Horse rests today.
    Turks introduced coffee to Europe.
    According to Turkish tradition, a stranger at one’s doorstep is considered “a guest from God,” and should be accommodated accordingly.
    Julius Caesar issued his celebrated proclamation, Veni, Vidi, Vici (“I came, I saw, I conquered”), in Turkey upon defeating the Pontus, a formidable kingdom in the Black Sea region of Turkey.
    Alexander the Great conquered a large territory in what is now Turkey, and also cut the Gordion Knot in the
    Phrygian capital (Gordium), not far from Turkey’s present-day capital (Ankara).
    Aesop – famous all over the world for his fables and parables – was born in Anatolia.
    Homer was born in Izmir on the west coast of Turkey. He depicted Troy in his epic Iliad.
    Part of Turkey’s southwestern shore was a wedding gift from Marc Antony to Cleopatra.
    The number of archaeological excavations going on in Turkey every year is at least 150.
    Writing was first used by people in ancient Anatolia. The first clay tablets – in the ruins of Assyrian Karum (a merchant colony) – date back to 1950 B.C.
    The last home of the Virgin Mary is in Selçuk, Turkey.
    Leonardo da Vinci drew designs for a bridge over the Bosphorus, the strait that flows through Europe and Asia. (Although da Vinci’s bridge was never built, there are now two bridges over the Bosphorus.)
    In 1492, Sultan Beyazýd II, after learning about the expulsion of Jews, dispatched the Ottoman Navy to bring them safely to the Ottoman lands.
    Likewise, Jews expelled from Hungary in 1376, from Sicily early in the 15th century, from Bavaria in 1470, from Bohemia in 1542, and from Russia in 1881, 1891, 1897, and 1903 all took refuge in the Ottoman Empire.
    As was the case during the Bolshevik revolution, Turkey served as a safe passage and haven for those fleeing their native countries during World War II.
    Turkey was one of the few countries in the world to welcome Jewish refugees escaping the horrors of Nazism. During the Gulf War in 1991, Turkey welcomed nearly half a million Kurds from Northern Iraq. The Kurds were fleeing the danger posed by Saddam Hussein’s regime.
    Turkey provided homes for some 313,000 Bulgarian refugees of Turkish origin when they were expelled from their homelands in Bulgaria in 1989.

  • A Peninsula On The Marmara Sea Kapidag

    kapidag peninsula turkey

    A PENINSULA ON THE MARMARA SEA KAPIDAG
    The ferry headed out to sea from the quay at the southern mouth of the Bosphorus and picked up speed. Behind us Istanbul became gradually smaller as it receded into the distance, disappearing altogether an hour later. The ship seemed reduced to a tiny speck in the middle of the Marmara Sea. For a long time the gulls swooped alongside, seizing food thrown by the passengers and rising into the air again. No one seemed in a hurry for this pleasant journey to end.

    When the boat reached Bandirma most of the passengers would be heading for the resort of Erdek to spend the weekend in guest houses, hotels or holiday homes, but we planned to skirt the town and explore the lesser known parts of the Kapidag peninsula, visiting all its villages and coves. Four hours later the peninsula appeared as a blurred shape on the horizon, and half an hour later we were entering the Gulf of Bandirma. The delightful voyage was over, and we were soon standing on dry land again.

    Apart from the small town of Erdek there are seventeen villages on the Kapidag peninsula. Our first stop on the Erdek road was the village of Asagi Yapici, situated on the isthmus. After a short break we were off again to Hamamli, a village 9 kilometres from Erdek. The village stands on the acropolis of the ancient city of Kyzikos, and some ruins can still be seen. In the 3rd century BC Kapidag was an island, separated from the mainland by a narrow strait, along which the Argonauts sailed to Kyzikos on their way to find the Golden Fleece.

    From the village of Hamamli we drove to Yukari Yapici, and from there to Kirazli Monastery, 17 kilometres from the main road. The Monastery of Panaghia Theotokos Faneromeni, known as Kirazli Manastiri (Monastery of Cherries) to the locals, was inhabited until 1923. The 90-room building has a church in the courtyard. After wandering around the ruins, we returned to Yukari Yapici. We intended to travel anticlockwise around the peninsula via the village of Ballipinar (alias Kocaburgaz) on the north coast.

    The east-bound road wound through woods of chestnut, hornbeam, beech and oak, and as we drove we looked out for wild birds and animals. The peninsula was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1978, and hunting is forbidden here, so its forests and hills are home to eagles, hawks, falcons, beavers, martens, wild boars, polecats, foxes, jackals, roe deer, and rabbits. There are also fallow deer, thought to have been introduced here from the Belgrat forests north of Istanbul, and today forming a colony estimated at 70 to 75 in number.

    Passing the seaside villages of Tatlisu and Dalyan on the east coast, with their numerous holiday homes, we arrived at Karsiyaka (Paremo). This large village is home to a community of Pomak Turks who migrated here from Kavala in northern Greece. Here there was a wedding going on, to which we received an invitation. The crowd of guests made a memorable sight, the girls and women dressed in traditional costume consisting of red salvar (baggy trousers), brightly patterned dresses, black coats known as saya, and colourful headscarves.

    kapidag peninsula

    After drinking thirstily from the village fountain, we watched the wedding celebrations for a while and then took our leave. Our next stop was the village of Çakil at the northeast extremity of Kapidag. This village was once inhabited by Greeks from Crete and used to be a busy port of call for shipping, but today it has lost its importance and is a quiet backwater. In the harbour there is a gigantic statue of Atatürk. From Çakil the road turned westwards to Ballipinar, the former Kocaburgaz, which like Karsiyaka is inhabited by Pomaks from Kavala.

    The village is a picturesque place, with narrow paved streets, wooden houses and a ruined church. It is famous for its red onions, producing nearly 2500 tons a year. If you happen to come at the time of the onion harvest, you will find all the villagers sitting in the shade of makeshift arbours along the shore busy braiding the onion stems to form the long bunches which hang to such decorative effect in greengrocers shops.

    On the way to the village of Ormanli we passed onion fields squeezed into the fertile land between small coves. The views were magnificent, with forest clad hills on the one hand and pretty coves on the other, some with tiny villages on the shore. The village of Turan was one such. This area attracts many Turkish holidaymakers, and there are plenty of pensions in the villages of Turan, Doganlar and Ilhanli. From Ilhanli the road turns south along the west side of the peninsula to the village of Narli, beyond which is Ocaklar.

    Both these villages have good asphalt roads and are served by minibuses from Erdek for visitors without their own transport. They offer a choice of accommodation for visitors in reasonably priced and clean pensions. Kapidag is ideal for weekend breaks throughout the year, and its beautiful sand beaches and sea make it equally popular for summer holidays. Exploring this unspoilt area is a delight. Around the coast each bend in the road reveals another lovely cove, and visitors can walk in the footsteps of the Argonauts when they discover the ancient ruins of Kyzikos. Source: Skylife May / 2000

  • Safety in Turkey

    istanbul turkey

    Turkey is one of the safest countries in the world to travel, but some rare instances of theft and robbery happen in big cities. Just leave your valuable stuff, spare money and passport at hotel safety box. Almost every hotel has a safety box service free to hotel customers which you are strongly urged to use. Please take great care with your passport, airline tickets and monies.

    Do not carry more cash than required. A money belt worn under your clothing is suggested. If you are buying something, you should not flash large amounts of money around. Please clearly mark all your baggage with your name and address. Common sense and awareness will greatly reduce the unlikely misfortune of loss or theft. We also suggest you carry small padlocks for your luggage.

  • The Sea of Marmara, Turkey

    Known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey’s Asian and European parts. The Bosporus strait connects it to the Black Sea and the Dardanelles strait to the Aegean. The former also separates Istanbul into its Asian side and European side. The Sea has an area of 11,350 km² (280km x 80km) with the greatest depth reaching 1 370 m.

    The salinity of the sea averages about 22 parts per thousand, which is slightly greater than that of the Black Sea but only about two thirds that of most oceans. However, the water is much more saline at the sea-bottom, averaging salinities of around 38 parts per thousand — similar to that of the Mediterranean Sea. This high density saline water, like that of the Black Sea itself, does not migrate to the surface. Water from the Granicus, Susurluk, Biga and Gonen Rivers also reduces the salinity of the sea, though with less influence than on the Black Sea.

    With little land in Thrace draining southward, almost all of these rivers flow from Anatolia. There are two major island groups known as the Prince’s and Marmara islands. The latter group is rich in sources of marble and gives the sea its name (Greek marmaro, marble). Alternatively, the name may come from the Indo European, compare Hittite marmar(r)a, from mori ‘inland body of water’. The North Anatolian fault, which has triggered many major earthquakes in recent years, such as the Izmit Earthquake of 1999, runs under the sea.

    The sea’s ancient Greek name Propontis derives from pro (before) and pont (sea), deriving from the fact that the Greeks sailed through it to reach the Black Sea. In Greek mythology, a storm on Propontis brought the Argonauts back to an island they had left, precipitating a battle where either Jason or Heracles killed King Cyzicus, who mistook them for his Pelasgian enemies.

  • Turkey’s Coastlines

    Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides, by the Black Sea in the north, the Mediterranean in the south and the Aegean Sea in the west. In the northwest there is also an important internal sea, the Sea of Marmara, between the straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, important waterways that connect the Black Sea with the rest of the world. Because the mountains in the Black Sea region run parallel to the coastline, the coasts are fairly smooth, without many indentations or projections.

    The length of the Black Sea coastline in Turkey is 1,595 kilometers, and the salinity of the sea is 17 percent. The Mediterranean coastline runs for 1,577 kilometers and here too the mountain ranges are parallel to the coastline. The salinity level of the Mediterranean is about double that of the Black Sea.

    Although the Aegean coastline is a continuation of the Mediterranean coast, it is quite irregular because the mountains in the area fall perpendicularly into the Aegean Sea coast is over 2,800 kilometers. The coastline faces out to many islands. The Marmara Sea is located totally within national boundaries and occupies an area of 11,350 square kilometers. The coastline of the Marmara Sea is over 1,000 kilometers long; it is connected to the Black Sea by the Bosphorus and with the Aegean by the Dardanelles.