Turkey Guide

8/4/2019 Turkey Guide

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| City Guide / Heading 2

Turkey Country Guide

Check your Midnight Express stereotypes at the door

- this is a rapidly modernising country with one foot in

Europe and one in the Middle East. Its not all oriental

splendour, 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. And while costs

are rising, Turkey remains one of the Mediterraneans

better-value destinations.


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MoneyTurkey is no longer Europes bargain-basementdestination, but it still oers value or money.Costs are lowest in eastern Anatolia, andCappadocia, Seluk, Pamukkale and Olymposstill oer bargain prices. Prices are highest in

cities such as Istanbul and Ankara, and in thetouristy coastal cities and towns, particularly inMediterranean regions such as between Dalamanand Antalya. In these places you can get by on aslittle as YTL60 per day, provided you use publictransport, stay in pensions, share bathrooms andeat out at a basic eatery once a day (add extra orentry to sights). Away rom Istanbul and the coasts,budget travellers can survive on TL40. Throughoutthe country or just over TL100 per day you canupgrade to midrange hotels and eat most meals inrestaurants.

Currency notesThe New Turkish Lira (YTL) - brought intocirculation at the start o 2005 to replace the oldliras unwieldy denominations - comes in noteso 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100.

Currency coinsThe New Kuru (YKr) comes in coins o 1, 5, 10,25, 50 and one New Turkish Lira. One hundredNew Kuru equals one New Turkish Lira.

Sample priceS

> Small bottle of water YTL 2> Small bottle of beer YTL 50> 100km by bus YTL 25> Short dolmu trip YTL 1.50> Turkish Daily News YTL 1.50> Souvenir t-shirt YTL 10

A delicatessen store inside the Spice Bazaar, Istanbul

Breakout box

GeographyTurkey is no ootbridge between Europe andAsia. Its a 1700km (1050mi) drive rom Edirneon the Bulgarian border to Kars on the Armenianborder and a 1000km (620mi) hike rom theBlack Sea in the north to the Mediterranean inthe south. Ticking clockwise rom the northwest,Turkey shares borders with Greece, Bulgaria,Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and

Syria. The country is no desert-and-palm-tree album either: mountains, rolling steppe,meandering rivers, rich agricultural valleys anda craggy, beachy 8400km (5200mi) coastline allmuck in to keep Turkey interesting.

SocietyPeople: Turks (85%), Kurds (12%), 3% otherIslamic peoples, Christians

Language spoken: Turkish (ocial)Arabic (other)

Kurdish (other)Laz (other)

Religion: Muslim (Sunni)

EconomyCurrency code: TRLCurrency name: New Turkish LiraCurrency symbol: YTLCurrency unit: liraMajor industries: Textiles, ood processing,tourism, motor vehicles, mining, lumber,petroleum, constructionTrading partners: Germany, USA, Italy, UK,France, Russia, Israel

Capital city: Ankara

Area: 779,452 sq km

Population: 76,805,000

Timezone: GMT/UTC +2

Daylight savingsStarts: last Sunday in MarchEnds: last Sunday in October

Weights & measures: Metric

Country dialling code: 90

Dialling out: 00

President:Abdullah Gl

Prime Minister: Recep Tayyip Erdoan

Government type: Republican parliamentary

democracyElectricity: 220V, 50Hz

Facts & Figures

| Turkey Country Guide / Facts For The Visitor


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> Street snack - durum dner YTL 4> Litre of petrol YTL 3

relative coSt (roomS)

> Low YTL 10-70

> Mid YTL 70-150> High YTL 150-300> Deluxe YTL 300+

relative coSt (mealS)

> Low YTL 3-8> Mid YTL 8-15> High YTL 15-20> Deluxe YTL 20+

preferred form of money

With hardly a town lacking an ATM, its perectly

possible to get around Turkey with nothing elsebut a credit or debit card. Just remember to drawout money in the towns to tide you through thevillages and keep some cash in reserve or theinevitable day when the machine throws a wobbly.

changing your money

Its easy to change major currencies in exchangeoces, and many post oces (PTTs), shopsand hotels; however, banks may make heavierweather o it. Cashing even major travellerscheques can be a hassle (although post ocesin tourist areas are a good bet) and the exchangerate is usually slightly lower. Places that dontcharge a commission usually oer a worseexchange rate instead.

Although Turkey has no black market, oreigncurrencies are readily accepted in shops, hotels

and restaurants in many tourist areas. I yourelet high and dry, most banks countrywide cando Western Union transers.

tipping

In cheaper restaurants its not necessary toleave more than a ew coins in the changeplate. In more expensive restaurants, tipping

is customary. Even i a 10-15% service chargeis added to your bill, youre expected to givearound 5% to the waiter directly and perhaps thesame amount to the maitre d. Porters expecta dollar or so; in taxis you might like to roundup the bill; in other situations, such as helpulguardians at archaeological sites, delicacy isrequired. Although a tip may be initially reusedthrough politeness, you should oer the moneya second and third time. Ater three reusals,you can saely assume they really dont want themoney. In hamams you should tip 10% to 20%o the admission price to the masseuse/masseur.

Beore You GoWhen to goSpring and autumn are the best times to visit,since the climate will be perect in Istanbul andon the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. It willbe cool in central Anatolia, but not unpleasantlyso. Visiting beore mid-June or ater Augustmay also help you avoid mosquitoes. The BlackSea coast is best visited between April andSeptember; there will still be rain but not somuch o it. With the exception o Istanbul, Turkeydoesnt really have a winter tourism season.Places catering to backpackers usually seeAnzac Day as the ocial start o the season;

those catering to package holiday-makers getgoing in early May. Peak season is rom Julyto mid-September, when most Turks take theirholidays. The best time to visit eastern Turkeyis rom late June to September. Dont plan toventure east beore May or ater mid-Octoberunless youre prepared or snow. Try to avoidtravelling during Kurban Bayrami, Turkeys mostpopular public holiday.

viSaS overvieW

Citizens rom a long list o countries do notrequire a visa to enter Turkey. This list includes

some South American, European, Asianand Middle Eastern countries, so it is worthchecking out whether or not you will need a visa.However, travellers rom Canada, the UK, theUSA, Australia, Hong Kong, and a number oother countries do need a visa to enter Turkey;however, this is just a sticker bought on arrivalat the airport or border post rather than at anembassy in advance (make sure to join the

queue to buy your visa beore the queue orimmigration). Those rom the UK and the USApay 15. All other travellers who require a visamust apply or one beore leaving or Turkey.The standard visa is valid or three months and,depending on your nationality, usually allows ormultiple entries.

cuStomS overvieW

Items such as jewellery and unusually expensiveelectronic and photographic gear are supposedto be declared on entry and may be entered inyour passport to guarantee that you take themout o the country again when you leave.

Cars, minibuses, trailers and motorcycles canbe imported into Turkey or up to three monthswithout a carnet or special import licence.

It is strictly illegal to export antiquities morethan a century old. Your bags may be searchedwhen you leave Turkey and you could be askedwhether you are removing any antiquities. I youare caught trying to smuggle out a signicantpiece o ancient statuary youll be dead meat.Customs ocers may want proo that you havepermission rom a museum beore letting youleave with an antique carpet.

duty free

Two hundred cigarettes and 50 cigars or 200g otobacco, and ve 100cc or seven 70cc bottleso alcohol can be imported duty-ree. Youreunlikely to have to open your bags on arrival.

You can export souvenirs up to a value o$1000 duty-ree; i two or more similar itemsare exported a licence may be required.

Transportgetting there and aWay

There are plenty o ways to get into and outo Turkey by air, sea, rail and bus. There are

Painting ceramics in Cappadocia

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international airports at Istanbul, Ankara, zmirand some o the Mediterranean resorts. TurkishAirlines has direct fights rom Istanbul to threedozen European cities and New York, as well asthe Middle East, North Arica, Bangkok, Karachi,Singapore and Tokyo. By train, the daily BosforEkspresilinks Budapest, Bucharest, Belgradeand Soa to Istanbul. Major European c ities suchas Frankurt and Vienna are also well serviced by

Turkish bus lines. The overnight Dostluk Ekspresilinks Istanbul to Thessaloniki and is becominga popular option with travellers.You can travelby train and bus to Syria and Iran, and by busto Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. MarmaraLines runs car erries rom eme to Ancona andBrindisi rom late March to late October. Privateerries run between Turkeys Aegean coast andthe Greek islands.

getting around

Turkish Airlines links all major cities, includingthe busy Istanbul-Ankara corridor. Buses goeverywhere in Turkey requently, cheaply and

usually comortably. Trains have a hard timecompeting with long-distance buses or speed,but the sleeping-car trains linking Istanbul, zmirand Ankara are good value. I youre drivingaround Turkey, youll nd mechanical serviceseasy to nd and relatively cheap but dealing withimpatient drivers may be more o a problem.Driving in cities should be avoided - trac isterrible and parking dicult. Dolmues (sharedtaxis) are a good option or short trips. Car erriescan save you lots o driving - theres a useulhydrooil rom Istanbul to Yalova, or Bursa.

Health & SaetyForget saety rst - in Turkey, saety is the lastconsideration i it gets a look in at all. Holes inpavements go unmended and unlit at night;precipitous drops go unguarded; saety beltsare worn only as long as it takes to drive past apolice ocer beore being released; lieguardsare conspicuous by their absence. Dont evenask yoursel how sae it is or a dolmu driverto be negotiating a bend while simultaneouslycounting out change! Things are changing slowlyin the west, but parents o young children inparticular will need to be on their guard at alltimes. Wear a money-belt under your clothing

and be wary o pickpockets in buses, marketsand other crowded places. Keep an eye out oranyone suspicious lurking near ATM machines.The laws against insulting, deaming or makinglight o Atatrk, the Turkish fag, the Turkishpeople, the Turkish Republic etc are takenseriously. Be warned that even i such remarkswere never made, Turks have been known inthe heat o a quarrel to claim that they were,

which is enough to get the oreigner carted oto jail. Unortunately Turkey has a terrible recordwhen it comes to road saety, which meansthat you must drive deensively at all times.Its particularly unwise to drive in the dark oncountry roads where tractors may be amblingalong with unlit trailers. When travelling longdistances, its worth paying slightly more to usea company with relie drivers, rather than riskbeing driven by someone who has been at thewheel or a straight 18 hours. In high summermosquitoes can make a stay along the coast anightmare. Some hotel rooms come equippedwith nets and/or plug-in bugbusters but its agood idea to bring your own mosquito coils toburn as well.

malaria

This serious and potentially atal disease isspread by mosquito bites, although the risk isvery small. I you are travelling in endemic areasit is extremely important to avoid mosquitobites and to take tablets to prevent this disease.Symptoms range rom ever, chills and sweating,headache, diarrhoea and abdominal pains toa vague eeling o ill-health. Seek medical helpimmediately i malaria is suspected. Withouttreatment malaria can rapidly become moreserious and can be atal.

I medical care is not available, malaria tabletscan be used or treatment. There is a varietyo medications such as mefoquine, Fansidarand Malarone. You should seek medical advice,beore you travel, on the right medication anddosage or you.

I you do contract malaria, be sure to be re-tested once you return home as you can harbourmalaria parasites even i you are symptom ree.

Travellers are advised to prevent mosquitobites at all times by wearing light-colouredclothing, long trousers and long-sleevedshirts; use mosquito repellents containing the

compound DEET on exposed areas, sleepingunder a mosquito net impregnated withmosquito repellent (it may be worth taking yourown) and reraining rom using perumesand atershave.

EventsThe dates or Muslim religious estivals are

celebrated according to a lunar calendar. Onlytwo religious holidays are public holidays:eker Bayrami, a three-day estival at the endo Ramazan (30 days when a good Muslim letsnothing pass the lips during daylight hours),and Kurban Bayrami which commemoratesbrahims near-sacrice o smael on Mt Moriah.In commemoration o God permitting brahim tosacrice a ram instead o his son, every Turkishhousehold who can aord a sheep buys one,takes it home and slits its throat right ater theearly morning prayers on the actual day o thebayram. Family and riends immediately cook upa east. You must plan or Kurban Bayrami: mostbanks close or a ull week, transportation willbe packed and hotel rooms will be scarceand expensive.

Secular estivities include camel-wrestling in

mid-January, in the village o Seluk, south ozmir, and National Sovereignty Day, April 23,a big holiday to celebrate the rst meeting othe republican parliament in 1920. Celebrationsabound in summer: theres a sloppy oiledwrestling estival in early June at Sarayii, nearEdirne; the country Kakasr Festival near Artvinin northeastern Turkey in the 3rd week o June;the International Istanbul Festival o the Arts (late

June to mid-July); Bursas Folklore and MusicFestival in mid-July and Diyarbakrs WatermelonFestival in mid or late September. The wholecountry stops, just or a moment, at 09:05November 10, the time o Atatrks death in 1938.

WeatherThe Aegean and Mediterranean coasts havemild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. InIstanbul, summer temperatures average around28-30C (82-86F); the winters are chilly butusually above reezing, with moderate rainand perhaps a dusting o snow. The Anatolian

plateau is hotter in summer and very cold inwinter. The Black Sea coast is mild and rainyin summer, and chilly and rainy in winter.Mountainous eastern Turkey is very cold and

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Whirling dervishes at Mevlevi Monastery, Istanbul


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snowy in winter and only pleasantly warm in highsummer. The southeast is dry and mild in winterand very hot in summer, with temperaturesabove 45 C (113 F) not unusual.

CultureTurkey is where Orient meets Occident, a

crossroads or ideas, belies and cultures. Thisis expressed in the countrys art, literature,music and architecture, rom the ancient Hittitecivilisation through Roman, Byzantine andSeljuk infuences to the mighty Ottoman empire.The aces o its people refect its diversity;modern day Turkey is a cultural amalgamwrought by history and its unique positionbetween two cultures.

Historypre 0th century hiStory

Turkeys rst known human inhabitants appeared

in the Mediterranean region as early as 7500 BC,and the cycles o empire building, fexing, failingand crumbling didnt take long to kick in. Therst great civilisation was that o the Hittites, who

worshipped a sun goddess and a storm god.The Hittites dominated Anatolia rom the MiddleBronze Age (1900-1600 BC), clashing with Egyptunder the great Ramses II and capturing Syria,but by the time Achaean Greeks attacked Troyin 1250 BC, the Hittite machine was creaking.A massive invasion o sea peoples rom Greekislands put untenable pressure on the Hittitesand a jumble o smaller kingdoms played at

border bending until Cyrus, emperor o Persia(550-530 BC) swept into Anatolia rom the east.The Persians were booted out by Alexanderthe Great, who conquered the entire MiddleEast rom Greece to India around 330 BC. AterAlexanders death his generals squabbled overthe spoils and civil war was the norm until theGalatians (Celts) established a capital at Ankarain 279 BC, bedding down comortably with theSeleucid, Pontic, Pergamum and Armeniankingdoms.

Roman rule brought relative peace andprosperity or almost three centuries, providingperect conditions or the spread o Christianity.The Roman Empire weakened rom around250 AD until Constantine reunited it in 324. Heoversaw the building o a new capital, the greatcity which came to be called Constantinople.

Justinian (527-65) brought the eastern Roman,or Byzantine, Empire to its greatest strength,reconquering Italy, the Balkans, Anatolia andNorth Arica, but ve years ater his death,Mohammed was born in Mecca and the scenewas set or one o historys most astoundingtales. Sixty years ater Mohammed heard thevoice o God, and 50 years ater his ignominiousfight rom Mecca, the armies o Islam were

threatening the walls o Constantinople (669-78),having conquered everything and everybodyrom there to Mecca, plus Persia and Egypt.The Islamic dynasties which emerged aterMohammed challenged the power and statuso Byzantium ruled rom this time, but the GreatSeljuk Turkish Empire o the 11th century wasthe rst to rule what is now Turkey, Iran and Iraq.The Seljuks were shaken by the Crusades andoverrun by Mongol hordes, but they hung ontopower until the vigorous, ambitious Ottomanscame along.

The Ottoman Empire began as the bandingtogether o late 13th century Turkish warriorsfeeing the Mongols. By 1453 the Ottomansunder Mehmet the Conqueror were strongenough to take Constantinople. Sultan Sleymanthe Magnicent (1520-66) oversaw the apogeeo the empire: beautiying Constantinople,rebuilding Jerusalem and expanding theOttomap to the gates o Vienna. But ew o thesultans succeeding Sleyman were capableo great rule and the Ottoman Empires long,celebrated decline had begun by 1585. Bythe 19th century, decay and misrule madeethnic nationalism very appealing. The subjectpeoples o the Ottoman Empire revolted, otenwith the direct encouragement and assistanceo European powers. Ater bitter ghting in

1832, the Kingdom o Greece was ormed;the Serbs, Bulgarians, Rumanians, Albanians,Armenians, Romanians and Arabs would all seekindependence soon ater.

modern hiStory

The European powers hovered vulture-like overthe disintegrating empire, while within Turkeyvarious disastrous attempts to reviviy thecountry were undone by the unortunate decisionto side with Germany in WWI. In 1918, thevictorious Allies set to carving up Turkey.

At this point Ottoman general Mustaa Kemalbegan to organise resistance, sure that a newgovernment must seize the ate o Turkey or theTurkish people. When Greece invaded Smyrnaand began pushing east, the Turks were shockedinto action. The War o Independence lasted1920-22, ending in a bitterly won Turkish victoryand the abolition o the sultanate. MustaaKemal (Atatrk or Father Turk) undertook thejob o completely remaking Turkish society. By

the time he died in 1938, a constitution hadbeen adopted, polygamy abolished and the ez,mark o Ottoman backwardness, prohibited.Islam ceased to be the ocial state religion,Constantinople became Istanbul and womenobtained the right to vote. Atatrk remains atrue hero in Turkey: his statue is everywhere andthere are laws against deaming or insulting him.

Atatrks successor, smet nn, manageda precarious neutrality in WWII, then oversawTurkey through the transition to a truedemocracy. The opposition Democratic Partywon the election in 1950. In 1960, and again in1970, an overreaching Democratic Party wasbrought back into line by watchul army ocers,

who deemed the governments autocratic waysa violation o the constitution. In 1980 politicalinghting and civil unrest brought the country toa halt. Fringe groups caused havoc, supportedon the one hand by the Soviet bloc and on theother by anatical Muslim groups. In the centre,the two major political parties were deadlockedso badly that or months they couldnt elect aparliamentary president. The military stepped inagain, to general relie, but at the price o strictcontrol and some human rights abuses.

The head o the military government, GeneralKenan Evren, resigned his military commission

Ishak Pasa Sarayi in morning sun

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In November 2001, the fedgling

Islamic Justice and Development

Party (AKP) won a landslide

victory. Since then, under the

popular prime minister Recep

Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has been

moving orward at great speed,

concentrating on stabilising theeconomy and strengthening the

countrys bid to join the EU....


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and became Turkeys new president. Freeelections in 1983 saw Turgut zals centre-rightparty take power and oversee a business boomwhich lasted through the 80s. zals untimelydeath in 1993 removed a powerul orce romTurkish politics and set the scene or uncertainty:the rest o the decade saw unstable coalitionsormed between unlikely bedellows andresurgent support or the religious right. In early

1998, Turkeys Constitutional Court banned theIslamic-oriented Welare Party, and along withit, previous PM Necmettin Erbakan. The WelareParty was ound to be working to undermineTurkeys secular democratic basis, but, ironically,the ban opened up the question o just howdemocratic Turkey really was.

In the 1990s Turkey suered rom an unhappyhuman rights record, a shaky economy and adestructive struggle with the Kurds. Turkeyssparsely populated eastern and southeasternregions are home to six million Kurds; our millionKurds live elsewhere throughout the country,more or less integrated into Turkish society.

Kurdish separatism is still one o Turkeys hottestissues. Ankara pursued a policy o assimilationollowing the collapse o the Ottoman Empire:ocially there were no Kurds, only mountainTurks and the Kurdish language and other overtsigns o Kurdish lie were outlawed. MarxistKurdish guerrillas based in Syria, Iraq and Iranmade hundreds o raids during the 1980s intosoutheastern Turkey, killing thousands o civilians.The Turkish crackdown and the incursion othousands o feeing Iraqi Kurds ater the Gul Warin 1991 put the Kurdish question on the national(and international) agenda.

recent hiStory

In November 2001, the fedgling Islamic Justiceand Development Party (AKP) won a landslidevictory. Since then, under the popular primeminister Recep Tayyip Erdoan, Turkey has beenmoving orward at great speed, concentrating onstabilising the economy and strengthening thecountrys bid to join the EU.

Accession talks began in October 2005and are expected to continue or at least tenyears. Progress was made when Turkey agreedto recognise Cyprus as an EU member, butother political obstacles remain. Author OrhanPamuks trial or insulting Turkishness, has

put the spotlight on the governments declaredcommitment to reedom o expression. Kurdishseparatists are also causing problems as theylaunch cross-border raids rom strongholds innorthern Iraq.

Following the AKPs triumphant re-electionin mid-2007, the tussle between secularistsand Islamists grew more heated. A legal caseto close the AKP on the grounds that they were

pursuing an antisecular agenda brought tensionsto boiling point. This was exacerbated in mid-2008 when the police arrested scores o peopleassociated with the ultranationalist Ergenekonmovement, alleging they were omenting a coupagainst the AKP government, and a series oterrorist bombs exploded in Istanbul. Everyonedrew a sigh o relie when the ConstitutionalCourt voted not to close the AKP, but the ongoingpolitical scene is sure to be captivating viewing.

Places to VisitiStanBul

In his memoir Istanbul: Memories of a City,Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk describesIstanbul as an archipelago o neighbourhoodswithin which live people whose lives like thehistory o this extraordinary city are refectedin the city views that fow beore their eyes,like memories plucked rom dreams. Thesepopulous neighbourhoods, some dating romthe Byzantine era, some rom the golden ageo the Ottoman sultans and some rom recent,less afuent times, make the city what it is adilapidated but ultimately cohesive mosaic obuildings, suburbs and people with distinctlydierent but equally ascinating historiesand personalities.

Here, you can retrace the steps o theByzantine emperors when visiting Sultanahmetsextraordinary monuments and museums;marvel at the magnicent mosques built by theOttoman sultans on the citys seven hills; andwander the cobbled streets o ancient Jewish,Greek and Armenian neighbourhoods in theWestern Districts. Centuries o urban sprawlunurl beore your eyes on erry trips up theBosphorus or Golden Horn. You can even crossbetween religiously conservative suburbs in Asiato hedonistic entertainment hot spots along theEuropean shore in a matter o minutes.

The citys overwhelming eeling odecrepitude andhzn (melancholy) that Pamukdeconstructs so masterully in his memoiris being relegated to the past, replaced witha sense o energy, innovation and optimismnot seen since the days o Sleyman theMagnicent. Monument building is back inashion, with a slew o stunning contemporaryart galleries opening around the city, and the

strong possibility o a European-favoureduture is being wholeheartedly embraced inthe glamorous rootop bars o Beyolu and thepowerul boardrooms o Levent. There has neverbeen a better time to visit.

AYA SOFYA

Aya Soya Meydan, SultanahmetTel: 0212-522 0989Price: Adult/under 6yr TL20/ree, ocial guide (45min) YTL50Hours: 9am-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Apr, to 7.30pm May-Oct, upper gallery closes 15-30 min earlier

Called Sancta Sophia in Latin, Haghia Soa inGreek and the Church o the Divine Wisdom inEnglish, Aya Soya is Istanbuls most amous

monument. Emperor Justinian (r 52765) had theAya Soya built as part o his eort to restore thegreatness o the Roman Empire, and it reignedas the greatest church in Christendom until theConquest in 1453. Mehmet the Conqueror had itconverted into a mosque and so it remained until1935, when Atatrk proclaimed it a museum.

BLUE MOSQUE

Sultan Ahmet CamiiHippodrome, SultanahmetHours: closed during prayer times

With his eponymously named mosque, SultanAhmet I (r 160317) set out to build a monumentthat would rival and even surpass the nearbyAya Soya in grandeur and beauty. Its curves arevoluptuous, it has six minarets and the courtyardis the biggest o all o the Ottoman mosques. Theinterior is conceived on a similarly grand scale:the blue tiles that give the building its unocialname run into the tens o thousands, there are 260windows, and the central prayer space is huge.

6 | Turkey Country Guide / Places to Visit

The richly decorated dome interior of the Aya Sofysa


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HIPPODROME

The Byzantine emperors loved nothing morethan an aternoon at the chariot races, and theHippodrome was their venue o choice. It ormedthe centre o Byzantine lie or 1200 years; theByzantines supported the rival chariot teamso Greens and Blues, which had separatepolitical connections. Support or a team wasakin to membership o a political party and ateam victory had important eects on policy.A Byzantine emperor might lose his throne asthe result o a postmatch riot. Today, a visit isthe chance or an inspiring sight rather than apolitical statement.

CAFERAA MEDRESES

Caeriye SokakTel: 0212-513 360Price:Admission reeHours: 8.30am-7pm

This lovely little medrese, tucked away in theshadows o Aya Soya, was designed on the

orders o Caer Aa, Sleyman the Magnicentschie black eunuch. Built in 1560 as a school orIslamic and secular education, today it is hometo the Turkish Cultural Service Foundation, whichruns workshops in traditional Ottoman arts suchas calligraphy, ebru (traditional Turkish marbling)and miniature painting. Some o the arts andcrats produced here are or sale, and theresa pleasantlokanta (eatery serving ready-made

ood) in the courtyard.

GRAND BAZAAR

Kapal ar, Covered MarketHours: 9am-7pm Mon-Sat

The labyrinthine and chaotic Grand Bazaar is theheart o the old city and has been or centuries;no visit to Istanbul would be complete withouta stop here. With over 4000 shops and severalkilometres o lanes, as well as mosques, banks,police stations, restaurants and workshops,the bazaar is a covered world. Although theresno doubt that its a tourist trap par excellence,

its also a place where business deals are done


Shopping in the Spice Bazaar, Istanbul

between locals, and import/export businessesfourish. Allow at least three hours here; sometravellers spend three days.

SPICE BAZAAR

Msr ars, Egyptian MarketHours: 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Sat

Need a herbal love potion or some naturalTurkish Viagra? Istanbuls Spice Bazaar isthe place to nd them, although we wouldntvouch or the ecacy o either. The market wasconstructed in the 1660s as part o the YeniCamii complex, the rents rom the shops goingto support the upkeep o the mosque and itscharitable activities. It was called the EgyptianMarket because it was amous or selling goodsshipped in rom Cairo. As well as baharat(spices), nuts, honeycomb and olive-oil soaps,the bustling spice bazaar sells truckloads oincir(gs) andlokum (Turkish delight).

South aegean

With its coast home to some o the countryslargest and most popular resorts, and its interiorseemingly lled with the aded wonders o lostcivilisations, the south Aegean would seem theperect place to experience the best o bothmodern and ancient Turkey. True, the region hasits critics its swarming, package-orientatedholiday towns are not to everyones taste but the good points easily outweigh the bad.Development has extended its tentacles inland,but its embrace is by no means complete.Unspoilt, undeveloped pockets remain atplaces like Pamucak and the Dilek NationalPark, a glorious wilderness and wildlie haven.So rich is the areas history that it sometimes

seems that or every modern high-rise there areanother three ancient ruins. These include thegrand-daddy o them all, Ephesus, one o theMediterraneans best-preserved classical cities,even i it is sometimes today extremely crowded.Priene, Labranda and Lasos receive ar ewervisitors, and as such perhaps oer more pointedevocations o the aded past, their ancientstones now overgrown with weeds and home toscuttling lizards.

But you can only deny the areas true natureor so long. For all its aesthetic and historic

wonders, theres no denying that the southAegean is primarily visited or its party towns:Kuadas, bloated, ugly and almost entirelyarticial, but possessing a ne and surprisinglyvaried nightlie; and classier Bodrum, with itswinning summer combination o cool caes anda thumping, pumping, strobe-heavy club scene.

EPHESUS (EFES)

Tel:892 6010Price:Admission/parking YTL20/3Hours: 8am-5pm Oct-Apr, to 7pm May-Sep

The best-preserved classical city in the easternMediterranean, Ephesus is the place to get a eelor what lie was like in Roman times. AncientEphesus was a great trading city and a centre orthe cult o Cybele, the Anatolian ertility goddess.Under the infuence o the Ionians, Cybelebecame Artemis, the virgin goddess o the huntand the moon, and a abulous temple was builtin her honour. When the Romans took over andmade this area part o the province o Asia,

Artemis became Diana and Ephesus becamethe Roman provincial capital, still incredible andunmissable today.

RNCE

pop 960At the end o a long narrow road that winds itsway up into the hills, passing by grapevinesand peach and apple orchards, sits irince, aperect collection o stone-and-stucco houseswith red-tiled roos. What you see today mostlydates rom the 19th century. In 1926 a governoro zmir decreed that its name be changed tothe extremely apt irince (Pleasantness). Thevillagers, who moved here rom Salonica and its

vicinity in 1924, are ardent ruit armers who alsomake interesting ruit wines (YTL8 to YTL20),including raspberry, peach melon and blackmulberry varieties.

PRIENE (GLLBAHE)

Priene is one o the most atmospheric o all oTurkeys ancient sites. Perched high onthe craggy slopes o Mt Mykale, it enjoys anisolated, windswept aesthetic in stark contrast tothe crowds and commerce o Ephesus. Outsideo the ocial tours that arrive each day rom


8/10

Seluk and Kuadas, the site may be prettysparsely populated when you visit you mighteven get it completely to yoursel. The emptinesscan give it an almost eerie vibe, with the onlysounds the wind, the high-pitched whirringo cicadas and the sot scuttle o the lizardsscampering around the stones.

LABRANDA

Price: admission YTL8Hours: 8am-5pm

Set into a steep hillside in an area that oncesupplied the ancient city o Mylasa with its water,the site o ancient Labranda is surrounded byragrant pine orests peopled by beekeepers.Late in the season (October) you can see theirtents pitched in the groves as they go about theirbusiness o extracting the honey and renderingthe wax rom the honeycombs. Its a beautiulplace to visit thats well worth seeking out, notleast because so ew people make it up here.Old Labranda was a holy place, where worship

o a local god was going on by the 6th centuryBC and perhaps long beore, and later it becamea sanctuary to Zeus.

WeStern mediterranean

The Turquoise Coast is a glistening stretcho clear blue sea where gods once played insublime pebble coves and now spectacularruins abound. Its here too in villages too prettyto postcard that sun-kissed locals smile attravellers never-ending quest or the Med Lie.The trick is deciding what to do; trying to coverit all can prove exhausting, and detrimental toyour olive-oil glow. Yet by ar the most dramaticway to see this stretch o coastline is by

skimming through the crystal waters aboard aglet (traditional wooden yacht), where you canparty till its every man and woman overboard,or just relax with the salt between your toes.Alternatively, you can negotiate the Lycian Wayon oot high above Akdeniz.

However you go, its the regions seamlessmix o history and holiday that will inspire andenchant. At places like Patara, Phaselis andOlympos, your hand-packed sandcastles arehumbled by vine-covered Corinthian templesand Lycian tombs. I you preer to interact with

your surroundings a little more, the westernMediterranean has plenty o X actor. Scubadiving at Ka, paragliding o Baba Da, kayakingatop the Sunken City in Kekova, and canyoningat Saklkent are only a ew o the options.Those preerring a slower pace can dine inhip Kalkan, get eral in Kabak or wander theOttoman houses o Antalya, an increasinglysophisticated neo-European city with a sparkling

old town. Listening to the strains o Europeanopera at nearby Aspendos a ully unctionalRoman theatre is not, by any means, to bemissed.

READYE & HSARN PENINSULAS

Two largely undiscovered slivers o land, knownin ancient times as the Peraea, trickle west romMarmaris or 100km into the Aegean Sea. Thewestern stretch is called the Readiye or DataPeninsula; the southern stretch is known as theHisarn or Daraya Peninsula, with the ruinso the ancient city o Loryma at its tip. This isspectacular, raw Turkish coastline, whether seen

rom bus, bike or boat. Aside rom the joy osailing near the peninsulas pine-clad coasts andanchoring in some o its hundreds o secludedcoves, visitors come to explore shing villages,mountain towns, wee hamlets and epic ruins. AtKnidos there are erry connections to Rhodes andthe neighbouring Greek island o Simi (Symi).

SULTANIYE HOT SPRINGS & MUD BATH

Price:Admission YTL5

For good, dirty un, head or Sultaniye HotSprings, southwest o Kyceiz Gl. Thesebubbling hot mud pools (temperatures can push40C) contain mildly radioactive mineral waters

that are rich in calcium, sulphur, iron, nitrates,potassium and mineral salts, and are said to begood or skin complaints and rheumatism. At thesmaller baths, just beore Dalyan River joins thelake, pamper yoursel with a restorative body-pack o mud in a steaming sulphur pool. Itsquite an experience as strangers stand aroundchatting while their beauty treatments dry, beorebeing power-showered shiny and new.


Interior of Cagaloglu Hamam bath house, Istanbul

KAYAKY (KARMYLASSOS)

Price:Admission YTL8Hours: 9am-7pm

About 5km west o Hisarn is Kayaky(Karmylassos), a beautiully eerie town o2000 stone houses and a ghost-lled modernpast. Recently it provided the inspiration orEskibahe, the village in Louis de Bernieresnovel Birds Without Wings, but the towns historyneeds no ctional embellishment. Long knownas Levissi, Kayaky was deserted by its mostlyOttoman-Greek inhabitants ater WWI and theTurkish War o Independence. What remainstoday is a gorgeous, timeless village set in a lushvalley with some ne vineyards nearby. In theevening, when the stone houses are spot-lit orvisitors, Kayaky is truly unorgettable.

BUTTERFLY VALLEY & FARALYA

Tel: 614 2619Url: www.butterfyvalley.com

Tucked around the coast rom heaving ldenizis the paradise-ound o Butterfy Valley, wheremellow young Turks doss about in hammocksand curious day trippers wish theyd packedan overnight bag. As well as being home tothe unique Jersey tiger butterfy, beautiulButterfy Valley also boasts a 60m-high waterall(admission YTL5 or nonguests), a ne beach,and some lovely walks through a lush gorge.Almost the moment the last tour boat turnsback or ldeniz, Butterfy Valley turns on itsbeguiling, neo-hippy, go on, stay a while smile.


9/10

KABAK

The startlingly remote beach communityo Kabak is slowly becoming the solitudesearchers end point. Regardless o how youmake the steep, 40-minute downward trek bytractor, oot or mule youll be rewarded withspectacular and empty Gemile beach fankedby two long clis. Eight kilometres south oFaralya and worlds away rom everywhere

else Kabak is or the camping and trekkingenthusiast, yoga devotee or any doyen o quiet,untapped beauty.

capadoccia

Between Kayseri and Nevehir, Central Anatoliasmountain-ringed plains give way to a land oairy chimneys and underground cities. Theairy chimneys rock columns, pyramids,mushrooms and a ew camels and the valleyso cascading clis were ormed when ErciyesDa erupted. The intervening millennia addedto the remarkable Cappadocian canvas,with Byzantines carving cave churches and

subterranean complexes to house thousandso people.

You could spend days touring the rock-cutchurches and admiring their rescoes (technicallyseccos). Alternatively, view the troglodytearchitecture rom ar above on a dawn hot-air-balloon ride or rom a panoramic hotel terrace.

Whether its a pension or a boutique hideawaywith as ew rooms as it has airy chimneys,Cappadocias accommodation rates as some oTurkeys best, and allows guests to experience

cave dwelling rsthand. The restaurants indreamy spots such as Greme and rgp areequally alluring, with yet more terraces oeringsweeping views o the knobbly landscape.Staying in villages where eroding castles overlooksmall communities o very laid-back people, youmight just become a world expert on the aestheticqualities o rocky valleys at sunset. It will requireevenings o study on the terrace, but you will getthere with a good supply o ay (tea) or Ees.

Between lingering looks at the rockyremains o Cappadocias unique history, itsworth checking out some urther-fung spots.Caravanserais dot the roads to the seeminglylost valleys o Ihlara and Soanl, and ormerGreek settlements such as Mustaapaa.

GREME

pop 2250

Greme is the archetypal travellers utopia: abeatic village where the surreal surroundingsspread a at smile on everyones ace. Beneaththe honeycomb clis, the locals live or,increasingly, run hotels in airy chimneys. Thewavy white valleys in the distance, with their

hiking trails, panoramic viewpoints and rock-cut churches, look like giant tubs o vanilla icecream. Rose Valley, meanwhile, lives up to itsname; watching its pink rock slowly changecolour at sunset is best accompanied by mezzein one o the excellent eateries. How much betterdoes it get?

GREME OPEN-AIR MUSEUM

Price: Admission YTL15Hours: 8am-5pm

One o Turkeys World Heritage Sites, this is anessential stop on any Cappadocian itinerary.

Originally an important Byzantine monasticsettlement that housed some 20 monks, thena pilgrimage site rom the 17th century, thisamazing cluster o rock-cut churches, chapelsand monasteries is 1km uphill rom the centre othe village.

Try to arrive early in the morning in summer toavoid the bustling tour groups; alternatively, goat midday, when the tour parties stop or lunch.I possible, avoid weekends, when domestictourists descend; or simply arrive o-season tohave the whole place, blissully, to yoursel.

DEVRENT VALLEY

Look, its a camel! Stunning Devrent Valleys

(also known as Imagination Valley) volcaniccones are some o the best-ormed and mostthickly clustered in Cappadocia, and looking attheir antastic shapes is like gazing at the cloudsas a child. See i you can spot the dolphin,seals, Napoleons hat, kissing birds, Virgin Mary,various reptilian orms, and pretty much anythingelse you can imagine. Most o the rosy rockcones are topped by fattish, darker stones oharder rock that sheltered the cones rom therain until all the surrounding rock was eatenaway, a process known as dierential erosion.

RGP

pop 15,500

I you have a sot spot or upmarket hotelsand ne dining, you need look no urther rgp is the place to be. The ever-growingbattalion o boutique hotels in the townshoney-coloured stone buildings (let over romthe pre-1923 days when the town had a large

Greek population) are proving very popular withtravellers. With a spectacular natural settingand a wonderul location at the very heart ocentral Cappadocia, this is one o the mostseductive holiday spots in the whole o Turkey.Northwest o the main square is the oldest parto town, with many ne old houses.

Itinerariesfrom the golden horn to theSacred Wayone Week/iStanBul to epheSuS

Begin this trip through the triumphs andtragedies o empires in Istanbuls OttomanTopkap Palace, then obelisk-hop the ancientHippodrome. Having steamed away any achesin the emberlita Hamam, spend the eveningcruising stiklal Caddesi, the heart o modernTurkey. Start day two at the Blue Mosqueand the Aya Soya, then head underground atthe Basilica Cistern. Ater lunch, explore thelabyrinthine Grand Bazaar or, weather permitting,


Hot air balloon rides over Capadoccia

(EGE DENZ)AEGEAN SEA

Behramkale

STANBUL

anakkale

Ephesus

Troy

PeninsulaBiga

PeninsulaGallipoli

Sea of Marmara

Assos


10/10

Kaputas Cove and Beach

10 | Turkey Country Guide / Itineraries

(KARADENZ)BLACK SEA

(EGE DENZ)AEGEAN SEA

(AKDENZ)MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Behramkale

& DerinkuyuKaymakl

Faralya

Ka

Pamukkale/Hierapolis

Greme

Antalya

STANBUL

Fethiye

Seluk

anakkale

ldeniz

Assos

Olympos

Ephesus

Troy

Cappadocia

PeninsulaBiga

PeninsulaGallipoli

Sea of Marmara

2009 Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Lonely Planet has tried to make the inormation in this travel guide as accurate aspossible, but it is provided as is. Lloyds TSB and Lonely Planet accept no responsibility or any loss, injury or inconvenience resulting rom thisinormation. You should veriy critical inormation (like visas, health and saety) beore you travel.

take an aternoon or evening cruise along theBosphorus.

Come day three, rise early and head downto anakkale, so you can start touring theGallipoli battleelds by early aternoon. Thedevastation witnessed here during WWI needsno introduction. Next morning head to amousTroy, worth a visit even without Brad Pitt. Crossthe ruin-dotted Biga Peninsula to beachy

Assos and nearby Behramkale, with its hilltopGreek village and ancient temple. Youll needanother early start to bus down to Ephesus,the best-preserved classical city in the easternMediterranean.

palm treeS & fairy chimneySthree WeekS/iStanBul tocappadocia

For the rst week, ollow the rst itinerary.

Then, rom your base at Seluk, take a daytrip to the travertines and ruins o Hierapolisat Pamukkale. The brilliant white terraces canbe dizzying in the midday sun, but swimmingamong submerged marble columns in theAntique Pool will restore your cool.

Heading back to the coast, ignore theoverblown resorts o Bodrum and Marmaris andhead straight or Fethiye and beautiul ldeniz.This is the spot to take to the air on a paraglideor lay way low on a beach towel. Youre nowwithin kicking distance o the amous LycianWay; hike or a day through superb countryside

to overnight in heavenly Faralya, and urtherinroads into the Lycian Way will denitely topyour next time list. Back on the coast, have apit stop at laid-back Ka, its pretty harboursidesquare alive nightly with the hum o riendly olkenjoying the breeze, views, boutique browsingand a beer or two. You may want a ew daysmore unwinding at the amous beach tree-housecomplexes at nearby Olympos.

Antalyas old Kaleii quarter is well wortha wander against the backdrop o that jaw-dropping mountain range. Then its time to oldyour bikini into a matchbox and head inland.Catch an overnight bus north to claim your cavein Greme. This low-key travellers hang-out isthe best place to base yoursel in Cappadocia,a surreal moonscape with phallic tu cones,no less. For most the cones dont overshadowthe more orthodox sights including the superbrock-cut rescoed churches o Greme Open-AirMuseum and the spooky underground cities atKaymakli and Derinkuyu.

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Turkey Guide