Turkiye is a rapidly modernising country with one foot in Europe and one in the Middle East. It's not all oriental splendor, mystery, intrigue and whirling dervishes but it is a spicy maelstrom of history knocking up against a pacy present.
The Turkish people have an unrivalled reputation for hospitality, the cuisine is to die for, the coastline is a dream, and many Turkish cities are dotted with spectacular mosques and castles.
There's an enormous variety of things to see and do ranging from water sports to mountain trekking, archeology to night-clubbing and river rafting to raki drinking in Turkiye. Whether you leave Turkiye with magnificent carpets, amulets to ward off evil, belly-dancing tips, an appreciation of its history, or just a tan, you're likely to want to go back for more.
Some Historical Places
Troy
Troy (Truva, Troia, Tros) is located at the mound ‘Hisarlik’ on the east side of the river Scamander, where the Dardanelles strait join with the Agean Sea. Different names, depending on the period, were given to Troy such as Ilion or, in Latin, Ilium. Troy is about 32 km away from the city of Canakkale.
The roots of the city can be traced back to more than 4000 years, and known as the center of ancient civilizations. Thus, Troy was selected as the World Cultural Heritage by international legislative bodies. Wooden Horse and the Archilles' Hell come from here.
Troy is famous for different reasons;
- It is associated with the sagas of the Trojan War told by Homer in the "Iliad" and the “Odyses".
- It is linked with the German excavator Schliemann who dug the ground the first time.
Hierapolis
Hierapolis (Pamukkale) is one of the most extraordinary natural wonders in Turkiye.
The big attraction is a vast white cliff side with scallop-shaped basins of water and frozen waterfalls. It looks as if it's made out of snow or cloud or balls of cotton.
The scientific explanation is that hot thermal springs pouring down the hillside deposit calcium carbonate, which solidifies as travertine. If you take off your shoes, you can gingerly roam the terraces or paddle in the pools.
Pergamum
Pergamum was a major city in western Asia Minor in New Testament times. It lies in a spacious valley, sixteen miles from the Aegean Sea. In the centuries before Christ,
Pergamum was the capital of an independent kingdom. Its impressive temples, library, and medical facilities made Pergamum a renowned cultural and political center.
Pergamum’s dominant feature is its acropolis, the hill on which the highest portion of the city was built.
Ephesus
Ephesus is considered one of the great outdoor museums of Turkiye, in fact perhaps of the world.
It is located on the south of Izmir's Selcuk county. During its long history, which extends back into the third millenium before Christ, Ephesus has always played a significant role in the sciences, in culture, and in the arts.
It was also a cult center attracting thousands of pilgrims for traditional worship of the female, first Cybele, then Artemis and finally the Virgin Mary. Ephesus was also home for the early philosopher Heraclitus.
Aspendos
Aspendos was the only city,besides Side,that minted silver coins in 5th C.AD.The city walls were built in the Hellenistic period and were repaired restored in the late Roman period and in the Byzantine period.
Aspendos is known for his best-preserved theater of antiquity with seating for 15,000. Still used today, the theater's galleries, stage decorations and acoustics all testify to the architects success. Nearby stand the remains of a basilica, agora and one of the largest aqueducts in Anatolia.
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is the name of the ancient province in central Anatolia. The irresistible region (with fairy chimneys) is created through violent eruptions of the volcanoes Mt. Erciyes (3,916 m.) and Mt. Hasan (3,268 m.) three million years ago.
Places which are visited most in the region are : The Göreme Open -air museum with its carved churches, the Ihlara Valley, the underground cities of Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu, the fairy chimneys, Avanos with its handicrafts, Zelve and Ürgüp.
Sumela Monastery
A magnificent setting for the 14th century Sumela (Virgin Mary) Monastery, perched high on a cliff face 270 meter above a deep gorge. It is built upon a mountain and as one approaches the edifice now one can not hide the awesome feeling one feels. Once you arrive at the top, Sumela is still there to surprise you:
Frescos, paintings made on wet plaster still cover the facade and interior of the 'Cave Church,' bright and somewhat intact after hundreds of years.
This Greek-Orthodox monastery is 45 minutes away from Trabzon.
Armenian Church of the Holy Cross
The 10th-century Armenian Church of the Holy Cross stands alone on Akdamar Island amid the alkaline waters of Lake Van.
Besides the marvelous views of the church, the island, the lake and the mountains beyond, there are ruins of an Armenian monastery which once served the church. The interiors of the church walls are decorated with frescoes showing religious themes, which are practically disappearing today. These wall paintings have a special significance as the most comprehensive and oldest examples found in this region. The stone reliefs of Biblical scenes on the church exterior are the main reason for making the trip to Akdamar.
Mount Nemrut
At the junction of the East and West civilisations, Mount Nemrut is one of the most astounding sites in Turkiye: A collection of colossal statues on a remote mountain 2,150 m high, adorning the temple and tomb of King Antiochus.
Unknown until 1881 when an Ottoman geologist discovered these 10 metershigh stone heads, archaeological work began in 1953 to uncover their history. Mount Nemrut has since been a significant attraction, with thousands coming at sunrise and sunset to see the stones in the best possible light. It has been designated a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO, and is one of the most important National Parks in the country.
Turkish People and Mentality
Turkish people are mid Asia oriented. They have lived in tents and were nomads. In the history they have spread to all over the world from central Asia, where most settled in caucasia and Anatolia from the 10th century A.D.on. This moving characteristic created some peculiarities that are exclusively Turkish. The two characteristic trades of the Turkish people are Hospitality and , closed family relations...
Hospitality is one of the cornerstones of the Turkish way of life. Turkish people are the most gracious and generous hosts as a result of their natural instincts. In every corner of the country such a traditional hospitality will meet you. Every individual feels bound to honor his guest in the best possible manner. They will open their houses to every guest with a smiling face and with all their sincerity give the best seat and cook the best food for their guest. Turkish. people are very understanding about foreigners' different customs and they try to communicate in order to help visitors according to their code of hospitality. The mentality of that hospitality is "whatever religion you are from, whichever country you come from, whatever language you speak, you are 'God's Guest' ," so you deserve to be welcomed in the best manner.
Family Relations are very closed within Turks. They respect their elder and support each other in every way. Fathers and Mothers do support their children financially until they get married. When the child get married the financial support may continue but it is expected that the new family could earn enough and manage their livings. Children do care very much about their elder. They take care of their elder and support them when they get old or sick both financially and mentally . This closed relation is a kind of boomerang, elder support children when they are young , children support their elder when they are old..
Turkic Speaking Nations
Did you know ...
- The famous Trojan Wars took place in Western Turkiye, Truva town (Canakkale), around the site where a wooden statue of the Trojan Horse rests today.
- A cave known today as the Grotto of St.Peter or Church of St.Peter is believed to be where the apostle Peter preached when he visited Antioch (Antakya).
- The oldest known human settlement in the world is located in Catalhoyuk, Konya, Turkiye, dating back to 6500 BC.
- Ephesus and Halicarnasus - two of the most famous places of the ancient world - are both in Turkiye.
- St. Nicholas, also known as Santa Clause, was born in Demre, on Turkiye's Mediterranean Coast.
- Noah's Ark landed on Mount Ararat (Agri Dagi) in Eastern Turkiye.
- The last meal on Noah's Ark, a pudding of sweet and sour taste (Asure), is still served throughout Turkiye.
- From the days of the Ottoman Empire through to the present, coffee has played an important role in Turkish lifestyle and culture. Turks introduced coffee to Europe.
- Turkiye provides 70% of the world's hazelnuts; the nut in your chocolate bar was most probably grown in Turkiye.
- The famous Dutch Tulip comes from Turkiye.
- 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.
- Turkiye is noted for having one of the three (together with French and Chinese) most famous and distinctive traditional cuisines in the world.
- The First Ecumenical Council was held in Iznik, Turkiye.
- Anatolia is the birthplace of historic legends, Homer (the poet), King Midas, Heredotus (the father of history), St. Paul the Apostle and Santa Claus
- Julius Caesar proclaimed his celebrated words, "Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)" in North Anatolia when he defeated the Pontus, a formidable kingdom in the Black Sea region of Turkiye.
- Female goddesses dominated the Central Anatolian pantheon for thousands of years before these supernatural powers were transformed to male gods.
- Legend has it that St.John Brought Virgin Mary to Ephesus after the Crucifixion, where she spent her last days in a small stone house on Mt. Koressos (Bulbul Dagi) near Ephesus Turkiye.
- Turkiye houses one of the richest flora and almost every year new plant species are gained to the world literature.
- The Color "Turquoise" comes from the clean see color on the Aegean Cost in Turkiye.
- In Antalya, in the spring time you can both ski in the mountains or swim on the coast.
- UNESCO declares Pamukkale and Zelve Open Air Museum as world heritages.
- The millennium stone at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul was the zero meridian point of the world once upon a time.
- Kasikci diamond is one of the greatest pieces of the world and is displayed in Topkapi Palace.
- Three of the 10 remaining icons of the world and according to the Orthodox belief, Jesus Christ's cross which he was crucified are in Hagia Yorghi church.
- Two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World stood in Turkiye. The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in Bodrum.
- The philosopher Aristotales lived in Assos for three years.
- Lydia which is one of the greatest civilization lived in Anatolia has still got some remainings around Salihli (Sardis) and the first coins were minted in Sardis, the capital of the Ancient Kingdom of Lydia, at the end of seventh century BC.
- The world's greatest amphora and glass collection is in Bodrum Museum in Bodrum Castle.
- The Best preserved Roman Theater is located in Aspendos Antic City, Antalya, Turkiye
- The most valuable silk carpet in the world is in the Mevlana Museum in Konya, Turkiye.
- Istanbul's Robert College (established in 1863), is the oldest American school outside the United States.
- St. Nicholas, today's Santa Claus, was born in Patara (next to Kalkan, Antalya) and lived as the bishop of Myra in Demre (also near Kalkan, Antalya).
- The First University in History is in Harran, Turkiye
Resources & Referances
- The offical website of Turkish Culture and Tourism Office
- Promotional website about Turkiye
- Republic of Turkiye, The Ministry of Culture and Tourism
- Touristic information on Turkiye
- A comprehensive website on Turkiye and travelling to Turkiye
- Touristic information on Turkiye