Turkey Hotels

Türkiye is a country situated in the "middle" of the Northern Hemisphere. It is right at the crossroad between Europe and Asia. The ends of these two continents meet at the straits of Istanbul and Çanakkale. The land is a peninsula -actually two peninsulas, one in European side which is smaller, and one in Asia. Türkiye is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean Sea to the west and the Black Sea to the north. The northwest of Türkiye reaches to Balkans, bordering Greece and Bulgaria. The east side opens to the Caucasus. Georgia and Armenia are the northeast, Iran is the east, Iraq and Syria are the southeast neighbors of Türkiye. I think you can picture how this land stands at the medium between Europe and the Middle East. Consequently, this results to a diversity beyond any expectation.

Adding to the diversity, there are mountains along the both north and south coasts. These ranges of mountains keep the mild sea air from reaching the middle parts. While the typical heart-warming Mediterranean climate is felt at the great beaches of Southern Anatolia aka Asia minor (the name of the peninsula), the midlands mostly have continental, dry weather patterns. On the north side, the cool and wet Black Sea effect does not make it behind the mountains. Imagine all this happening in a peninsula that is only 600 kilometer wide. That's a days vacation in which you can see the green small trees of Mediterranean (maquis) turn into yellow steppes; and then further north, the steppes turning into lush, dense forests of pine and oak trees. To add more to the variety, the east of Türkiye where it is much "higher" than the west side, the climate turns into more harsh mountainous conditions. All things combined, the diversity is spectacular. Nowhere else in the face of this Earth can you experience such variety in vegetation and wildlife; There are more than 10 000 species of plants, and more astonishingly, 20% of that is unique to this land! It is the same story with animal species too. For ex. there are more than 400 species of birds -some native, and some migratory- that can be observed in many sanctuaries. These figures cannot be matched by any other country of the world. Birdwatchers, prepare your cameras... While summer temperatures reach up to around 40 degrees Celsius in southern and mostly under 30 degrees Celsius in northern shores, winter temperatures don't often go below zero in either. However inland where continental climate takes its toll, it gets colder.

If you are looking for peace and quiet in your travels, you will find many regions with untouched, picturesque nature. Many green covered mountains are set apart by running waters, waterfalls, hundreds of small lake and pond formations. If you are the trekker, this land is heaven for you. Recommended spots are "Yayla"s of north-northeast Anatolia; the Mountains of Bolu which are conveniently situated between the biggest city İstanbul and the capital of today Ankara; Mount Ida (Kazdağları) which is very close to the ruins of the famous city Troy and where also, oxygen levels are highest. You can either go in summer to enjoy the green nature or have your visit in winter when the green is hidden away under the white cover of snow. Be sure to have a go at many extreme sports activities from rafting or canoing to para gliding.

You will experience some of the best green-meets-blue moments in the shores of the Mediterranean and Aegean regions. The beaches are stunning. There are many well developed resorts as well as quiet, untouched natural spots if you are willing to do a bit of exploring. These southern and western regions receive quite an amount of tourism, especially from Europe. The local populace is very welcoming and respectful for the tourists, if a bit shy. The "business language" of the shopkeepers in touristic areas are surprisingly good. You won't feel a need for translation. Recommended sea&sand&sun spots are the city of Antalya, districts of Fethiye, Çeşme, Kalkan Bodrum, Marmaris, Kuşadası, Ayvalık; each having different characteristics and well developed facilities as well as quieter, cheaper motels and pensions.

I've kept the best to the last, the heritage and historical value. This land was home to many great civilizations for thousands of years and has been continually inhabited. From the early civilizations such as Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, Hattis, Hittites, even Persians or Greek settlers and Hellenistic civilizations, Anatolia has always been popular. Archeological sites from the earliest periods of time are to be found here, best kept example, the famous Çatalhöyük Mound dates back to 7500-5700 BC, Neolithic age. The settlement of Troy is another great example, which continues onto the Iron Age. The Mediterranean coastline has always been popular for trade reasons. The Ioanians, Lydians, and many Greek settlements were just some of the important kingdoms and city states of the time. The silk and spice roads crossed Anatolia too. Alexander the Great once conquered these lands. All of these we mentioned were the most important and advanced civilizations of their times!

You will find many ruins and monuments from periods of each. Ephesus houses the "Temple of Artemis", one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Another attention point should be Bergama which is believed to have sustained a population of approximately 150,000 at its height in the first century AD. Bergama also housed the most advanced school of sculptures. As a result, the best examples of Greek sculptures can be spotted. In later periods, Greek kingdoms were succeeded by the Roman Empire. In 4th century, Emperor Constantine transferred the capital to Istanbul, which was then called Constantinople. From that date, to 1923 when the Turkish Republic was founded, Istanbul had been the capital of the worlds most influential empires. Because of this fact, best artists, best examples of art and best kept relics had always been transfered to Istanbul throughout history. Today, the Archeology Museum of Istanbul is one of the most important in the world and holds a few "millions" of items, and displays ten thousands of them, from crude tools and burial grounds of prehistoric eras, to sculptures and tombs of Greek periods and also, later periods of Byzantian and Ottoman rule.

Byzantines ruled these lands for a thousand years. They of course left great monuments. Unfortunately, the Latin invasion of İstanbul during the Fourth Crusade (early 1200s) turned into a major devastation. The city was sacked, some most important monuments were damaged or destroyed. We can say that almost all that survived that unfortunate period, has survived to this date. If you are interested in the Byzantian period, you will be staggered by what you see. Best example, the Hagia Sophia Cathedral, now known as Ayasofya Museum was built in the 6th century, served as a church for 1000 years then converted into a mosque and served for another 500 years after the conquest of İstanbul by Turks, and now, serving as a museum for about 80 years. It is the best witness of last two thousand years, housing both Christian and Muslim symbolisms together. It was so advanced in techniques and technology that the diameter and height of its dome was not matched for a thousand years!

In 1071, Turks won a harsh battle against Byzantians and this opened up the gates of Anatolia for Turks. For many centuries, many Turkish families started migrating deeper west. First the Seljuk Empire, then small states and finally in the 14th century, the Ottoman State fought against Christians for territory. This went on until the conquest of İstanbul by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, The Conqueror in 1453. Ottomans conquered almost all the land Byzantines once had occupied and later, many more and continued the dynasty of Roman Empire. Turks built many monuments of great importance too, such as mosques, roads, bridges, baths most of which survived to this date. Especially in the big cities, you will experience the ever so different periods and cultures bound together by the land. The old city of İstanbul is like the biggest open air museum of the world! Even the narrowest streets house some great examples of architectural achievement. The atmosphere is simply breathtaking.

Over the time, as diverse as the civilizations were, the art and approach to art was very diverse too. While ancient Greeks were very keen on sculptures, Byzantines were very good at architecture, mosaic tiling and murals for decoration whereas Ottoman visual art focused away from the figure of human or animals, into wood and metal craftsmanship, glass works and glass blowing, calligraphy and manuscript illumination, ceramics and china, weaving and jewelery, embroidery. The materials used for construction were very different in the first place. While the Greek's color was the white of marble, The Byzantians' preferred the red of bricks, and Turk's, yellow and gray of stone. The variety is just staggering.

Another reason to choose Türkiye for a vacation is the astonishing cuisine. The diversity shows itself here too. Turkish cuisine is accepted to be one of the three richest of the world. We all know the name "kebab" which basically means "meat dish", every different region, every different city has their own kebabs; so many different sauces, so many different methods... One can hardly believe! It's not all kebab though, the Mediterranean shores have some of the best olive oil products and are very keen on using them on fresh vegetable dishes. These can be called "related to" other Mediterranean countries. The sauces really bring the vegetables alive! The south-eastern regions are keen on hot and spicy dishes. Around the Black Sea, people are very proud of the small fish called "hamsi". All in all, every region has unique approaches, and each one is more worth-trying than the rest.

Common culture is on Turkish Coffee and the small sweet "Turkish Lokum" (aka Turkish Delight). The strong coffee is not boiled, but cooked in a special pot called cezve. The drink itself is very respected that you don't just consume it on regular basis, but drink on special occasions only.

Most famous Alcoholic drink is Rakı, it is very strong and mostly consumed together with small "leisurely" appetizers called "meze" or fish. There are some very good wines from local vineyards too, those might be worth a trying.

Another decisive point is the economy you will get. Costs are fairly cheaper in Türkiye compared to other European or Mediterranean countries. You will generally receive excellent service too. Turkish populace is very hospitable and kind to tourists, as long as the local traditions and values are respected. Because everyone is so friendly, it is very unlikely to run into unpleasant occurrences. Compared to other big cities in Europe, cities in Türkiye are much safer.

Türkiye offers a lot for both educated and casual tourism if you are willing to explore a bit. As Türkiye is a candidate for EU, standards are getting higher each day. After the dreamy vacation in Türkiye, you will definitely want to come again as soon as you can.