TURKEY

Turkey is a country with rich history, culture, attractions and beauties Welcomes You. Turkey has a reputation for its Old World splendor as well as for mystery and intrigue where crusaders and janissaries once roamed the streets. But the country has long since left behind these unflattering stereotypes. Today, Turkey is modernizing at a rapid pace, with modern-day cities standing side-by-side with spectacular castles and mosques from its glorious past. The people are very hospitable and the food is great while the county’s coastline is nothing short of magnificent. It is also the best place in the Mediterranean for bargain-basement shopping.

CLIMATE IN TURKEY

The Aegean and Mediterranean coasts have very hot and dry summers, and wet, mild winters when the coastal towns more or less shut down between October and April. Winter in Istanbul and Cappadocia can be very cold with a dusting of snow. The peak tourist season is during high summer, roughly between July and September. From June the mosquitoes can be a problem. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit, as the climate is still hot, but not unbearable. Eastern Turkey should be visited during summer as roads and mountain passes may close due to winter ice and snow.

VISA INFORMATION FOR TOURISTS

All passports must be valid for at least the period of stay. All travelers to Turkey are required to hold documents for onward or return travel, and sufficient funds for the period of their stay. Entry may be refused to those of unkempt appearance.

Americans: US passport holders must have a valid passport. A visa is required, which is valid for up to three months, and can be obtained from the point of entry.
UK nationals: UK passport holders must have a valid passport. British Citizens and British National (Overseas) residing in Hong Kong can obtain a multiple-entry visa on arrival for three months, but other passport holders must obtain a visa from an overseas Turkish mission prior to arrival.
Canadians: Canadian passport holders must have a valid passport. A visa is required, which is valid for up to three months (multiple entry), and can be obtained from the point of entry.
Australians: Australian passport holders must have a valid passport. A visa is required, which is valid for up to three months (multiple entry), and can be obtained from the point of entry.
South Africans: South Africans must hold a valid passport. A visa is also required and must be obtained in advance.
Irish nationals: Irish nationals require a valid passport. A visa is required which can be obtained on arrival for a period of three months (multiple entry).
New Zealanders: New Zealand nationals require a valid passport, but no visa is necessary for a stay of up to three months.

Ankara

Ankara, Turkey’s capital city and the country’s second largest behind Istanbul, is host to many impressive tourist attractions, including the Anitkabir museum which also serves as a mausoleum of Turkey’s founder, Kemal Ataturk, and displays many of his memorabilia and paraphernalia. The museum is a huge building that reflects the architecture of great Anatolian empires of the past.

Other impressive sights in Ankara are the Hisar, a Byzantine Citadel sitting on top of a hill, and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, which is the home of the best artifacts discovered throughout the country. Ankara also boasts of several archaeological remains (the Citadel, Atakule Tower, Temple of Augustus, Roman Theater and the Roman Bath), museums and galleries (Painting and Sculpture Museum or Resim-Heykel Mьzesi, War of Independence Museum or Kurtulus Savasi Mьzesi and Ethnography Museum or Etnografya Mьzesi).

Hagia Sofia

The name stands for “Church of the Divine Wisdom” in Greek and was regarded as the foremost church of Christianity during its time. This prime example of Roman engineering dates back to the sixth century features a huge dome (30 meters in diameter) and is believed to have been the largest enclosed space in the world for over 1,000 years. It was originally a basilica but became a mosque in the 15th century and was transformed into a museum in the 1930s. Hagia Sofia boasts of breath-taking mosaics.

Topkapi Palace

Beautifully decorated with lavish ornaments, the palace was home to the great Ottoman emperors for over three centuries. It had four courts, each one more magnificent than the other. The second court led to the emperor’s harem, the state treasury and a display of various weapons. The third housed the imperial treasury.

Troy

This legendary archaeological site may seem dull, composed mainly of ruins, but excavations have unearthed at least nine ancient cities on the site, among them the venues for Homer’s Iliad, which was once believed to be based on legend until the discoveries at Troy proved otherwise.

Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)
City/Region: Istanbul
The Sultan Ahmet Camii, commonly known as the Blue Mosque, with its tiers of magnificent domes and six graceful minarets is one of the most striking and immediately distinguishable structures on the Istanbul's skyline. Constructed as an Islamic rival to the Hagia Sophia in 1609, it is one of the finest examples of Ottoman architecture and is still used by hundreds of worshippers. The interior is splendidly decorated with thousands of blue and white Iznik tiles embellished with traditional Ottoman flower patterns, and it is this special feature that gives the mosque its name. Its design of successively descending smaller domes, soaring columns and 260 stained glass windows leaves a lasting impression of graceful accord and open space. At the back of the mosque is a Carpet and Kilim Museum exhibiting antiques from all over Turkey.

Topkapi Palace Museum
City/Region: Istanbul
The Topkapi Sarayi, built by Mehmet the Conqueror as a Sultan's Palace, consists of a sprawling collection of buildings arranged around several interconnecting courtyards. Magnificently situated on one of the seven hills of Istanbul with uninterrupted views over the Bosphorus River and the Golden Horn, it was the seat of the Ottoman Empire for almost four centuries. Home to nearly 3,000 people, it served as royal residence, harem, state administration and military barracks. One of the most popular sections is the harem, once the quarters of about 300 women who were the sultans' wives and concubines, and their children. Visitors can view the apartments, halls and terraces of the harem, and see the lavish royal bedchamber and Imperial Hall. No expense was spared in decorating the palace and exquisitely designed rooms, intricately detailed fountains and gateways, and the splendid Treasury, housing one of the greatest collections of treasure in the world, afford insight into the opulent lifestyle of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire

Turkish and Islamic Art Museum
City/Region: Istanbul
The grand 16th century palace of the sultan's Grand Vizier, Ibrahim Pasa, today houses the Turkish and Islamic Art Museum, containing what many consider to be the finest collection of Islamic artifacts in the world. The palace itself was the finest private residence ever built in the Ottoman Empire. From its supreme position overlooking the Hippodrome, the sultan could enjoy excellent views of the celebrations in the square below. The museum is well laid out and contains more than 40,000 examples of Selçuk, Mamluk and Ottoman Turkish art, including ceramics, Koran cases, calligraphy, textiles, metalwork and illuminated manuscripts. Its antique carpet exhibit is renowned; the carpets, kilims and prayer rugs forming one of the richest and oldest collections in the world.

The Covered Bazaar (Kapali Çarsi)
City/Region: Istanbul
The oldest and biggest enclosed bazaar in the world, also known as the Grand Bazaar, is one of the most enticing and mesmerizing attractions in Istanbul. Consisting of a vast labyrinth of 65 twisting streets crammed with more than 4,000 shops, teahouses, hamams (Turkish baths), mosques, storehouses and fountains. It is a fascinating experience to wander around the alleyways, looking and enjoying, or bargaining and purchasing. Here you can find almost anything, from meerschaum pipes, carpets and jewelry, to Turkish Delight, textiles, spices, clothing and hand-painted ceramics. Protracted bargaining over a cup of tea is an important institution. Built during the rule of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in 1461, the bazaar grew by covering an increasingly large area of shops and streets with roofs, arches and domes, and it became the center of trading during the Ottoman period. Caravans of silk traders traditionally stayed here and rested their camels while selling their merchandise, and many of these 'hans' or caravanserais still exist as storehouses today.

Ephesus
City/Region: Aegean Coast
Resort Name: Kusadasi
Ephesus is the biggest and best-preserved ancient city in the country and is one of the world's spectacular historical sites. The city was established with a harbor on the mouth of the Cayster River, and in the 2nd century BC it became the most important port and commercial trading center in Anatolia, from Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic period to capital of Roman Asia under Augustus in 133 BC. The city went into final decline during the Byzantine era with the silting up of the harbor and by 527 AD it was deserted. The city is also important as the early seat of Christianity, visited by St Paul, whose letters to the Ephesians are recorded in the New Testament. The site needs little imagination to see what a functioning Roman city would have looked like, but guides are available and can offer a rich insight into the history and architecture of the ruins. Among the amphitheaters, murals and mosaics, baths, fountains, brothels and columns, the chariot-worn streets lead to some of the highlights, including the enormous Library of Celsus, the impressive Temple of Hadrian, a row of public latrines and the Grand Theater where Paul preached to the Ephesians. The city was originally dedicated to the goddess Artemis and her once-magnificent temple was considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Pamukkale
City/Region: Aegean Coast
Resort Name: Bodrum
Calcium-rich mineral springs surging over the edge of a mountain plateau for thousands of years has resulted in an intriguing natural masterpiece. The rock formations of Pamukkale ('Cotton Castle') are a series of natural shelves and ridges, terraces that have been turned white from the solidified chalky calcium deposits left behind as the thermal waters tumble into further basins clinging to the cliff edge below. From a distance it appears to be a dazzling white fairytale castle, with a formation of tiers rising from the ground containing warm water pools. The hot springs have been used since Roman times to cure certain ailments. On the plateau is the Pamukkale Thermal enclosing the bubbling 'sacred pool of the ancients', the main source of the springs creating the white terraces, and its mineral waters are open for public bathing. Pamukkale is also the site of the ancient Roman spa-city of Hierapolis, and there are several ruins scattered about the area, including an impressive Roman theater. It was considered a sacred site for its magic healing waters and was the weekend destination of kings and emperors of the Pergamum and Roman Empires.

Olympos and the Fires of Chimaera
City/Region: Mediterranean Coast
Resort Name: Antalya
The ancient site of Olympos dates back to Hellenistic times when it was an important Lycian city and became famous as a place of worship honoring Hephaestos or Vulcan, the God of Fire. Located on a beautiful sandy bay, the ruins are spread out on either side of the Ulupinar River and include a Byzantine bathhouse with mosaic floors, a marble temple entrance, a theater, and some excavated tombs. The shoreline is also a major protected nesting site for sea turtles. On the rocky slopes above the ancient city are a series of eternal flames issuing from cracks in the rock, caused by the combustion of natural gas seeping out of the mountain. It is possible to extinguish them briefly, but they will always re-ignite and are most impressive in the dark when at their most visible. The fire that comes out of the ground is said to be coming from the mouth of Chimaera, a mythical fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and a snake's tail, who was slain by the Lydian hero, Bellerophon on his winged horse, Pegasus.

Goreme Open-Air Museum
City/Region: Cappadocia
The Goreme Open-Air Museum is the most visited of the monastic communities in Cappadocia and is one of the most famous sites in central Turkey. It is a complex comprising more than 30 rock-hewn churches and chapels containing some superb frescoes, dating from the 9th to the 11th centuries. Inconspicuous from the outside, the interiors are characteristically Byzantine with a central dome and a floor plan in the shape of a cross. The three columned churches, the Elmali, Karanlik and Carikli churches are the best known, and are superbly painted. The largest and best preserved is the Tokali Church, its interior walls covered in some of the richest frescoes in the region depicting scenes from the New Testament.

The Underground Cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli
City/Region: Cappadocia
Central Cappadocia was overlooked by most as a dusty, infertile and barren landscape, making it a perfect refuge for the early Christians who established the first Christian communities here. They carved chambers, vaults and labyrinthine tunnels into the soft volcanic rock for use as churches, stables and homes. Of the 40 underground cities and settlements discovered in the area, Derinkuyu and Kaymakli are the biggest and most interesting, inhabited by Christians fleeing persecution in the 7th century and hiding from Arab invasions. These cities were well-hidden complexes, a safe and self-sufficient environment that could accommodate up to 30,000 people. The most thoroughly excavated is Derinkuyu, consisting of eight floors with stables, a school room and dining hall, churches, kitchens, living quarters, wine cellars, store rooms and a dungeon. Original airshafts still function and the maze of tunnels and rooms are well lit. Kaymakli is similar but smaller with only five of its levels having been excavated so far.

Goreme
City/Region: Cappadocia
The small town of Goreme is situated in the middle of the Valley of Fairy Chimneys, surrounded by the eerie shapes and fantastic rock formations that have made the region famous. It is one of the few remaining villages where fairy chimneys and rock-hewn houses are still inhabited, and several pensions, restaurants and cafes are carved into the rock. Its biggest attraction is the Goreme Open-Air museum with over 30 beautifully frescoed Byzantine rock churches. The town makes an excellent base from which to explore the surrounding rock formations, villages, vineyards and attractions. For shoppers, carpets and kilims are plentiful.