Reversed Logo - white
| City Guide / Heading 2
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. It’s not all oriental
splendour, mystery, intrigue and whirling dervishes but
it is a spicy maelstrom of history knocking up against
Turkey Country Guide
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 Mediterranean’s
better-value destinations.
| Turkey Country Guide / Facts For The Visitor
Facts & Figures
Capital city: Ankara
Area: 779,452 sq km
Population: 76,805,000
Timezone: GMT/UTC +2
Daylight savings
Breakout box
Starts: last Sunday in March
Ends: last Sunday in October
Weights & measures: Metric
Country dialling code: 90
Dialling out: 00
President: Abdullah Gül
Prime Minister: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Government type: Republican parliamentary
democracy
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Geography A delicatessen store inside the Spice Bazaar, Istanbul
Turkey is no footbridge between Europe and
Asia. It’s a 1700km (1050mi) drive from Edirne
on the Bulgarian border to Kars on the Armenian
Kurdish (other)
Laz (other)
Money Currency notes
border and a 1000km (620mi) hike from the Turkey is no longer Europe’s bargain-basement The New Turkish Lira (YTL) - brought into
Black Sea in the north to the Mediterranean in Religion: Muslim (Sunni) destination, but it still offers value for money. circulation at the start of 2005 to replace the old
the south. Ticking clockwise from the northwest, Costs are lowest in eastern Anatolia, and lira’s unwieldy denominations - comes in notes
Turkey shares borders with Greece, Bulgaria, Cappadocia, Selçuk, Pamukkale and Olympos of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100.
Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and
Syria. The country is no desert-and-palm- Economy still offer bargain prices. Prices are highest in
cities such as Istanbul and Ankara, and in the Currency coins
tree album either: mountains, rolling steppe, Currency code: TRL touristy coastal cities and towns, particularly in The New Kuruş (YKr) comes in coins of 1, 5, 10,
meandering rivers, rich agricultural valleys and Currency name: New Turkish Lira Mediterranean regions such as between Dalaman 25, 50 and one New Turkish Lira. One hundred
a craggy, beachy 8400km (5200mi) coastline all Currency symbol: YTL and Antalya. In these places you can get by on as New Kuruş equals one New Turkish Lira.
muck in to keep Turkey interesting. Currency unit: lira little as YTL60 per day, provided you use public
Major industries: Textiles, food processing, transport, stay in pensions, share bathrooms and Sample priceS
Society tourism, motor vehicles, mining, lumber,
petroleum, construction
eat out at a basic eatery once a day (add extra for
entry to sights). Away from Istanbul and the coasts,
> Small bottle of water YTL 2
People: Turks (85%), Kurds (12%), 3% other > Small bottle of beer YTL 50
Trading partners: Germany, USA, Italy, UK, budget travellers can survive on TL40. Throughout
Islamic peoples, Christians > 100km by bus YTL 25
France, Russia, Israel the country for just over TL100 per day you can
> Short dolmuş trip YTL 1.50
upgrade to midrange hotels and eat most meals in
Language spoken: Turkish (official) > Turkish Daily News YTL 1.50
restaurants.
Arabic (other) > Souvenir t-shirt YTL 10
3 | Turkey Country Guide / Facts For The Visitor
and restaurants in many tourist areas. If you’re some South American, European, Asian
left high and dry, most banks countrywide can and Middle Eastern countries, so it is worth
do Western Union transfers. checking out whether or not you will need a visa.
However, travellers from Canada, the UK, the
tipping USA, Australia, Hong Kong, and a number of
other countries do need a visa to enter Turkey;
In cheaper restaurants it’s not necessary to
however, this is just a sticker bought on arrival
leave more than a few coins in the change
at the airport or border post rather than at an
plate. In more expensive restaurants, tipping
embassy in advance (make sure to join the
is customary. Even if a 10-15% service charge
queue to buy your visa before the queue for
is added to your bill, you’re expected to give
immigration). Those from the UK and the USA
around 5% to the waiter directly and perhaps the
pay €15. All other travellers who require a visa
same amount to the maitre d’. Porters expect
must apply for one before leaving for Turkey.
a dollar or so; in taxis you might like to round
The standard visa is valid for three months and,
up the bill; in other situations, such as helpful
depending on your nationality, usually allows for
guardians at archaeological sites, delicacy is
multiple entries.
required. Although a tip may be initially refused
through politeness, you should offer the money
cuStomS overvieW
a second and third time. After three refusals,
you can safely assume they really don’t want the Items such as jewellery and unusually expensive
money. In hamams you should tip 10% to 20% electronic and photographic gear are supposed
of the admission price to the masseuse/masseur. to be declared on entry and may be entered in
your passport to guarantee that you take them
Before You Go out of the country again when you leave.
Cars, minibuses, trailers and motorcycles can
When to go be imported into Turkey for up to three months
without a carnet or special import licence.
Spring and autumn are the best times to visit,
It is strictly illegal to export antiquities more
since the climate will be perfect in Istanbul and
than a century old. Your bags may be searched
on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. It will
when you leave Turkey and you could be asked
be cool in central Anatolia, but not unpleasantly
whether you are removing any antiquities. If you
so. Visiting before mid-June or after August
Painting ceramics in Cappadocia are caught trying to smuggle out a significant
may also help you avoid mosquitoes. The Black
piece of ancient statuary you’ll be dead meat.
Sea coast is best visited between April and
Customs officers may want proof that you have
> Street snack - durum döner YTL 4 possible to get around Turkey with nothing else September; there will still be rain but not so
permission from a museum before letting you
> Litre of petrol YTL 3 but a credit or debit card. Just remember to draw much of it. With the exception of Istanbul, Turkey
leave with an antique carpet.
out money in the towns to tide you through the doesn’t really have a winter tourism season.
relative coSt (roomS) villages and keep some cash in reserve for the Places catering to backpackers usually see
duty free
inevitable day when the machine throws a wobbly. Anzac Day as the official start of the season;
> Low YTL 10-70 Two hundred cigarettes and 50 cigars or 200g of
those catering to package holiday-makers get
> Mid YTL 70-150 tobacco, and five 100cc or seven 70cc bottles
changing your money going in early May. Peak season is from July
> High YTL 150-300 of alcohol can be imported duty-free. You’re
to mid-September, when most Turks take their
> Deluxe YTL 300+ It’s easy to change major currencies in exchange unlikely to have to open your bags on arrival.
holidays. The best time to visit eastern Turkey
offices, and many post offices (PTTs), shops You can export souvenirs up to a value of
is from late June to September. Don’t plan to
relative coSt (mealS) and hotels; however, banks may make heavier $1000 duty-free; if two or more similar items
venture east before May or after mid-October
> Low YTL 3-8 weather of it. Cashing even major travellers are exported a licence may be required.
unless you’re prepared for snow. Try to avoid
> Mid YTL 8-15 cheques can be a hassle (although post offices
travelling during Kurban Bayrami, Turkey’s most
> High
> Deluxe
YTL 15-20
YTL 20+
in tourist areas are a good bet) and the exchange
rate is usually slightly lower. Places that don’t
popular public holiday. Transport
charge a commission usually offer a worse getting there and aWay
viSaS overvieW
preferred form of money exchange rate instead.
Citizens from a long list of countries do not There are plenty of ways to get into and out
Although Turkey has no black market, foreign
With hardly a town lacking an ATM, it’s perfectly require a visa to enter Turkey. This list includes of Turkey by air, sea, rail and bus. There are
currencies are readily accepted in shops, hotels
4 | Turkey Country Guide / Facts For The Visitor
international airports at Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir and be wary of pickpockets in buses, markets compound DEET on exposed areas, sleeping mid-January, in the village of Selçuk, south of
and some of the Mediterranean resorts. Turkish and other crowded places. Keep an eye out for under a mosquito net impregnated with İzmir, and National Sovereignty Day, April 23,
Airlines has direct flights from Istanbul to three anyone suspicious lurking near ATM machines. mosquito repellent (it may be worth taking your a big holiday to celebrate the first meeting of
dozen European cities and New York, as well as The laws against insulting, defaming or making own) and refraining from using perfumes the republican parliament in 1920. Celebrations
the Middle East, North Africa, Bangkok, Karachi, light of Atatürk, the Turkish flag, the Turkish and aftershave. abound in summer: there’s a sloppy oiled
Singapore and Tokyo. By train, the daily Bosfor people, the Turkish Republic etc are taken wrestling festival in early June at Sarayiçi, near
Ekspresi links Budapest, Bucharest, Belgrade
and Sofia to Istanbul. Major European cities such
seriously. Be warned that even if such remarks
were never made, Turks have been known in
Events Edirne; the country Kafkasör Festival near Artvin
in northeastern Turkey in the 3rd week of June;
as Frankfurt and Vienna are also well serviced by the heat of a quarrel to claim that they were, The dates for Muslim religious festivals are the International Istanbul Festival of the Arts (late
Turkish bus lines. The overnight Dostluk Ekspresi which is enough to get the foreigner carted off celebrated according to a lunar calendar. Only June to mid-July); Bursa’s Folklore and Music
links Istanbul to Thessaloniki and is becoming to jail. Unfortunately Turkey has a terrible record two religious holidays are public holidays: Festival in mid-July and Diyarbakır’s Watermelon
a popular option with travellers.You can travel when it comes to road safety, which means Şeker Bayrami, a three-day festival at the end Festival in mid or late September. The whole
by train and bus to Syria and Iran, and by bus that you must drive defensively at all times. of Ramazan (30 days when a good Muslim lets country stops, just for a moment, at 09:05
to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Marmara It’s particularly unwise to drive in the dark on nothing pass the lips during daylight hours), November 10, the time of Atatürk’s death in 1938.
Lines runs car ferries from Çeşme to Ancona and country roads where tractors may be ambling and Kurban Bayrami which commemorates
Brindisi from late March to late October. Private
ferries run between Turkey’s Aegean coast and
along with unlit trailers. When travelling long
distances, it’s worth paying slightly more to use
İbrahim’s near-sacrifice of İsmael on Mt Moriah.
In commemoration of God permitting İbrahim to Weather
the Greek islands. a company with relief drivers, rather than risk sacrifice a ram instead of his son, every Turkish The Aegean and Mediterranean coasts have
being driven by someone who has been at the household who can afford a sheep buys one, mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. In
getting around wheel for a straight 18 hours. In high summer takes it home and slits its throat right after the Istanbul, summer temperatures average around
Turkish Airlines links all major cities, including mosquitoes can make a stay along the coast a early morning prayers on the actual day of the 28-30°C (82-86°F); the winters are chilly but
the busy Istanbul-Ankara corridor. Buses go nightmare. Some hotel rooms come equipped bayram. Family and friends immediately cook up usually above freezing, with moderate rain
everywhere in Turkey frequently, cheaply and with nets and/or plug-in bugbusters but it’s a a feast. You must plan for Kurban Bayrami: most and perhaps a dusting of snow. The Anatolian
usually comfortably. Trains have a hard time good idea to bring your own mosquito coils to banks close for a full week, transportation will plateau is hotter in summer and very cold in
competing with long-distance buses for speed, burn as well. be packed and hotel rooms will be scarce winter. The Black Sea coast is mild and rainy
but the sleeping-car trains linking Istanbul, İzmir and expensive. in summer, and chilly and rainy in winter.
and Ankara are good value. If you’re driving malaria Secular festivities include camel-wrestling in Mountainous eastern Turkey is very cold and
around Turkey, you’ll find mechanical services This serious and potentially fatal disease is
easy to find and relatively cheap but dealing with spread by mosquito bites, although the risk is
impatient drivers may be more of a problem. very small. If you are travelling in endemic areas
Driving in cities should be avoided - traffic is it is extremely important to avoid mosquito
terrible and parking difficult. Dolmuşes (shared bites and to take tablets to prevent this disease.
taxis) are a good option for short trips. Car ferries Symptoms range from fever, chills and sweating,
can save you lots of driving - there’s a useful headache, diarrhoea and abdominal pains to
hydrofoil from Istanbul to Yalova, for Bursa. a vague feeling of ill-health. Seek medical help
immediately if malaria is suspected. Without
Health & Safety treatment malaria can rapidly become more
serious and can be fatal.
Forget safety first - in Turkey, safety is the last If medical care is not available, malaria tablets
consideration if it gets a look in at all. Holes in can be used for treatment. There is a variety
pavements go unmended and unlit at night; of medications such as mefloquine, Fansidar
precipitous drops go unguarded; safety belts and Malarone. You should seek medical advice,
are worn only as long as it takes to drive past a before you travel, on the right medication and
police officer before being released; lifeguards dosage for you.
are conspicuous by their absence. Don’t even If you do contract malaria, be sure to be re-
ask yourself how safe it is for a dolmuş driver tested once you return home as you can harbour
to be negotiating a bend while simultaneously malaria parasites even if you are symptom free.
counting out change! Things are changing slowly Travellers are advised to prevent mosquito
in the west, but parents of young children in bites at all times by wearing light-coloured
particular will need to be on their guard at all clothing, long trousers and long-sleeved
times. Wear a money-belt under your clothing shirts; use mosquito repellents containing the
Whirling dervishes at Mevlevi Monastery, Istanbul
5 | Turkey Country Guide / History
snowy in winter and only pleasantly warm in high worshipped a sun goddess and a storm god. Justinian (527-65) brought the eastern Roman, “In November 2001, the fledgling
summer. The southeast is dry and mild in winter The Hittites dominated Anatolia from the Middle or Byzantine, Empire to its greatest strength,
Islamic Justice and Development
and very hot in summer, with temperatures Bronze Age (1900-1600 BC), clashing with Egypt reconquering Italy, the Balkans, Anatolia and
above 45° C (113° F) not unusual. under the great Ramses II and capturing Syria, North Africa, but five years after his death, Party (AKP) won a landslide
but by the time Achaean Greeks attacked Troy Mohammed was born in Mecca and the scene victory. Since then, under the
in 1250 BC, the Hittite machine was creaking. was set for one of history’s most astounding popular prime minister Recep
Culture A massive invasion of ‘sea peoples’ from Greek
islands put untenable pressure on the Hittites
tales. Sixty years after Mohammed heard the
voice of God, and 50 years after his ignominious
Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has been
Turkey is where Orient meets Occident, a
moving forward at great speed,
and a jumble of smaller kingdoms played at flight from Mecca, the armies of Islam were
crossroads for ideas, beliefs and cultures. This border bending until Cyrus, emperor of Persia threatening the walls of Constantinople (669-78), concentrating on stabilising the
is expressed in the country’s art, literature, (550-530 BC) swept into Anatolia from the east. having conquered everything and everybody economy and strengthening the
music and architecture, from the ancient Hittite The Persians were booted out by Alexander from there to Mecca, plus Persia and Egypt. country’s bid to join the EU....”
civilisation through Roman, Byzantine and the Great, who conquered the entire Middle The Islamic dynasties which emerged after
Seljuk influences to the mighty Ottoman empire. East from Greece to India around 330 BC. After Mohammed challenged the power and status At this point Ottoman general Mustafa Kemal
The faces of its people reflect its diversity; Alexander’s death his generals squabbled over of Byzantium ruled from this time, but the Great began to organise resistance, sure that a new
modern day Turkey is a cultural amalgam the spoils and civil war was the norm until the Seljuk Turkish Empire of the 11th century was government must seize the fate of Turkey for the
wrought by history and its unique position Galatians (Celts) established a capital at Ankara the first to rule what is now Turkey, Iran and Iraq. Turkish people. When Greece invaded Smyrna
between two cultures. in 279 BC, bedding down comfortably with the The Seljuks were shaken by the Crusades and and began pushing east, the Turks were shocked
Seleucid, Pontic, Pergamum and Armenian overrun by Mongol hordes, but they hung onto into action. The War of Independence lasted
History kingdoms.
Roman rule brought relative peace and
power until the vigorous, ambitious Ottomans
came along.
1920-22, ending in a bitterly won Turkish victory
and the abolition of the sultanate. Mustafa
pre 0th century hiStory prosperity for almost three centuries, providing The Ottoman Empire began as the banding Kemal (Atatürk or Father Turk) undertook the
Turkey’s first known human inhabitants appeared perfect conditions for the spread of Christianity. together of late 13th century Turkish warriors job of completely remaking Turkish society. By
in the Mediterranean region as early as 7500 BC, The Roman Empire weakened from around fleeing the Mongols. By 1453 the Ottomans the time he died in 1938, a constitution had
and the cycles of empire building, flexing, flailing 250 AD until Constantine reunited it in 324. He under Mehmet the Conqueror were strong been adopted, polygamy abolished and the fez,
and crumbling didn’t take long to kick in. The oversaw the building of a new capital, the great enough to take Constantinople. Sultan Süleyman mark of Ottoman backwardness, prohibited.
first great civilisation was that of the Hittites, who city which came to be called Constantinople. the Magnificent (1520-66) oversaw the apogee Islam ceased to be the official state religion,
of the empire: beautifying Constantinople, Constantinople became Istanbul and women
rebuilding Jerusalem and expanding the obtained the right to vote. Atatürk remains a
Ottomap to the gates of Vienna. But few of the true hero in Turkey: his statue is everywhere and
sultans succeeding Süleyman were capable there are laws against defaming or insulting him.
of great rule and the Ottoman Empire’s long, Atatürk’s successor, İsmet İnönü, managed
celebrated decline had begun by 1585. By a precarious neutrality in WWII, then oversaw
the 19th century, decay and misrule made Turkey through the transition to a true
ethnic nationalism very appealing. The subject democracy. The opposition Democratic Party
peoples of the Ottoman Empire revolted, often won the election in 1950. In 1960, and again in
with the direct encouragement and assistance 1970, an overreaching Democratic Party was
of European powers. After bitter fighting in brought back into line by watchful army officers,
1832, the Kingdom of Greece was formed; who deemed the government’s autocratic ways
the Serbs, Bulgarians, Rumanians, Albanians, a violation of the constitution. In 1980 political
Armenians, Romanians and Arabs would all seek infighting and civil unrest brought the country to
independence soon after. a halt. Fringe groups caused havoc, supported
on the one hand by the Soviet bloc and on the
modern hiStory other by fanatical Muslim groups. In the centre,
The European powers hovered vulture-like over the two major political parties were deadlocked
the disintegrating empire, while within Turkey so badly that for months they couldn’t elect a
various disastrous attempts to revivify the parliamentary president. The military stepped in
country were undone by the unfortunate decision again, to general relief, but at the price of strict
to side with Germany in WWI. In 1918, the control and some human rights abuses.
victorious Allies set to carving up Turkey. The head of the military government, General
Kenan Evren, resigned his military commission
Ishak Pasa Sarayi in morning sun
6 | Turkey Country Guide / Places to Visit
and became Turkey’s new president. Free put the spotlight on the government’s declared The city’s overwhelming feeling of monument. Emperor Justinian (r 527–65) had the
elections in 1983 saw Turgut Özal’s centre-right commitment to freedom of expression. Kurdish decrepitude and hüzün (melancholy) that Pamuk Aya Sofya built as part of his effort to restore the
party take power and oversee a business boom separatists are also causing problems as they deconstructs so masterfully in his memoir greatness of the Roman Empire, and it reigned
which lasted through the 80s. Özal’s untimely launch cross-border raids from strongholds in is being relegated to the past, replaced with as the greatest church in Christendom until the
death in 1993 removed a powerful force from northern Iraq. a sense of energy, innovation and optimism Conquest in 1453. Mehmet the Conqueror had it
Turkish politics and set the scene for uncertainty: Following the AKP’s triumphant re-election not seen since the days of Süleyman the converted into a mosque and so it remained until
the rest of the decade saw unstable coalitions in mid-2007, the tussle between ‘secularists’ Magnificent. Monument building is back in 1935, when Atatürk proclaimed it a museum.
formed between unlikely bedfellows and and ‘Islamists’ grew more heated. A legal case fashion, with a slew of stunning contemporary
resurgent support for the religious right. In early to close the AKP on the grounds that they were art galleries opening around the city, and the BLUE MOSQUE
1998, Turkey’s Constitutional Court banned the pursuing an antisecular agenda brought tensions strong possibility of a European-flavoured Sultan Ahmet Camii
Islamic-oriented Welfare Party, and along with to boiling point. This was exacerbated in mid- future is being wholeheartedly embraced in Hippodrome, Sultanahmet
it, previous PM Necmettin Erbakan. The Welfare 2008 when the police arrested scores of people the glamorous rooftop bars of Beyoğlu and the Hours: closed during prayer times
Party was found to be working to undermine associated with the ultranationalist Ergenekon powerful boardrooms of Levent. There has never
Turkey’s secular democratic basis, but, ironically, movement, alleging they were fomenting a coup been a better time to visit. With his eponymously named mosque, Sultan
the ban opened up the question of just how against the AKP government, and a series of Ahmet I (r 1603–17) set out to build a monument
democratic Turkey really was. terrorist bombs exploded in Istanbul. Everyone AYA SOFYA that would rival and even surpass the nearby
In the 1990s Turkey suffered from an unhappy drew a sigh of relief when the Constitutional Aya Sofya Meydanı, Sultanahmet Aya Sofya in grandeur and beauty. Its curves are
human rights record, a shaky economy and a Court voted not to close the AKP, but the ongoing Tel: 0212-522 0989 voluptuous, it has six minarets and the courtyard
destructive struggle with the Kurds. Turkey’s political scene is sure to be captivating viewing. Price: Adult/under 6yr TL20/free, official guide (45 is the biggest of all of the Ottoman mosques. The
sparsely populated eastern and southeastern min) YTL50 interior is conceived on a similarly grand scale:
regions are home to six million Kurds; four million
Kurds live elsewhere throughout the country,
Places to Visit Hours: 9am-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Apr, to 7.30pm May-
Oct, upper gallery closes 15-30 min earlier
the blue tiles that give the building its unofficial
name run into the tens of thousands, there are 260
more or less integrated into Turkish society. iStanBul windows, and the central prayer space is huge.
Kurdish separatism is still one of Turkey’s hottest In his memoir Istanbul: Memories of a City, Called Sancta Sophia in Latin, Haghia Sofia in
issues. Ankara pursued a policy of assimilation Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk describes Greek and the Church of the Divine Wisdom in
following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire: Istanbul as ‘an archipelago of neighbourhoods’ English, Aya Sofya is Istanbul’s most famous
officially there were no ‘Kurds’, only ‘mountain within which live people whose lives – like the
Turks’ and the Kurdish language and other overt history of this extraordinary city – are reflected
signs of Kurdish life were outlawed. Marxist in the city views that flow before their eyes,
Kurdish guerrillas based in Syria, Iraq and Iran ‘like memories plucked from dreams’. These
made hundreds of raids during the 1980s into populous neighbourhoods, some dating from
southeastern Turkey, killing thousands of civilians. the Byzantine era, some from the golden age
The Turkish crackdown and the incursion of of the Ottoman sultans and some from recent,
thousands of fleeing Iraqi Kurds after the Gulf War less affluent times, make the city what it is – a
in 1991 put the Kurdish question on the national dilapidated but ultimately cohesive mosaic of
(and international) agenda. buildings, suburbs and people with distinctly
different but equally fascinating histories
recent hiStory and personalities.
In November 2001, the fledgling Islamic Justice Here, you can retrace the steps of the
and Development Party (AKP) won a landslide Byzantine emperors when visiting Sultanahmet’s
victory. Since then, under the popular prime extraordinary monuments and museums;
minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey has been marvel at the magnificent mosques built by the
moving forward at great speed, concentrating on Ottoman sultans on the city’s seven hills; and
stabilising the economy and strengthening the wander the cobbled streets of ancient Jewish,
country’s bid to join the EU. Greek and Armenian neighbourhoods in the
Accession talks began in October 2005 Western Districts. Centuries of urban sprawl
and are expected to continue for at least ten unfurl before your eyes on ferry trips up the
years. Progress was made when Turkey agreed Bosphorus or Golden Horn. You can even cross
to recognise Cyprus as an EU member, but between religiously conservative suburbs in Asia
other political obstacles remain. Author Orhan to hedonistic entertainment hot spots along the
Pamuk’s trial for ‘insulting Turkishness’, has European shore in a matter of minutes.
The richly decorated dome interior of the Aya Sofysa
7 | Turkey Country Guide / Places to Visit
HIPPODROME orders of Cafer Ağa, Süleyman the Magnificent’s between locals, and import/export businesses wonders, there’s no denying that the south
The Byzantine emperors loved nothing more chief black eunuch. Built in 1560 as a school for flourish. Allow at least three hours here; some Aegean is primarily visited for its party towns:
than an afternoon at the chariot races, and the Islamic and secular education, today it is home travellers spend three days. Kuşadası, bloated, ugly and almost entirely
Hippodrome was their venue of choice. It formed to the Turkish Cultural Service Foundation, which artificial, but possessing a fine and surprisingly
the centre of Byzantine life for 1200 years; the runs workshops in traditional Ottoman arts such SPICE BAZAAR varied nightlife; and classier Bodrum, with its
Byzantines supported the rival chariot teams as calligraphy, ebru (traditional Turkish marbling) Mısır Çarşısı, Egyptian Market winning summer combination of cool cafes and
of ‘Greens’ and ‘Blues’, which had separate and miniature painting. Some of the arts and Hours: 8.30am-6.30pm Mon-Sat a thumping, pumping, strobe-heavy club scene.
political connections. Support for a team was crafts produced here are for sale, and there’s
akin to membership of a political party and a a pleasant lokanta (eatery serving ready-made Need a herbal love potion or some natural EPHESUS (EFES)
team victory had important effects on policy. food) in the courtyard. Turkish Viagra? Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar is Tel:892 6010
A Byzantine emperor might lose his throne as the place to find them, although we wouldn’t Price: Admission/parking YTL20/3
the result of a postmatch riot. Today, a visit is GRAND BAZAAR vouch for the efficacy of either. The market was Hours: 8am-5pm Oct-Apr, to 7pm May-Sep
the chance for an inspiring sight rather than a Kapalı Çarşı, Covered Market constructed in the 1660s as part of the Yeni
political statement. Hours: 9am-7pm Mon-Sat Camii complex, the rents from the shops going The best-preserved classical city in the eastern
to support the upkeep of the mosque and its Mediterranean, Ephesus is the place to get a feel
CAFERAĞA MEDRESESİ The labyrinthine and chaotic Grand Bazaar is the charitable activities. It was called the Egyptian for what life was like in Roman times. Ancient
Caferiye Sokak heart of the old city and has been for centuries; Market because it was famous for selling goods Ephesus was a great trading city and a centre for
Tel: 0212-513 360 no visit to Istanbul would be complete without shipped in from Cairo. As well as baharat the cult of Cybele, the Anatolian fertility goddess.
Price: Admission free a stop here. With over 4000 shops and several (spices), nuts, honeycomb and olive-oil soaps, Under the influence of the Ionians, Cybele
Hours: 8.30am-7pm kilometres of lanes, as well as mosques, banks, the bustling spice bazaar sells truckloads of incir became Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt
police stations, restaurants and workshops, (figs) and lokum (Turkish delight). and the moon, and a fabulous temple was built
This lovely little medrese, tucked away in the the bazaar is a covered world. Although there’s in her honour. When the Romans took over and
shadows of Aya Sofya, was designed on the no doubt that it’s a tourist trap par excellence, South aegean made this area part of the province of Asia,
it’s also a place where business deals are done With its coast home to some of the country’s Artemis became Diana and Ephesus became
largest and most popular resorts, and its interior the Roman provincial capital, still incredible and
seemingly filled with the faded wonders of lost unmissable today.
civilisations, the south Aegean would seem the
perfect place to experience the best of both ŞİRİNCE
modern and ancient Turkey. True, the region has pop 960
its critics – its swarming, package-orientated At the end of a long narrow road that winds its
holiday towns are not to everyone’s taste way up into the hills, passing by grapevines
– but the good points easily outweigh the bad. and peach and apple orchards, sits Şirince, a
Development has extended its tentacles inland, perfect collection of stone-and-stucco houses
but its embrace is by no means complete. with red-tiled roofs. What you see today mostly
Unspoilt, undeveloped pockets remain at dates from the 19th century. In 1926 a governor
places like Pamucak and the Dilek National of İzmir decreed that its name be changed to
Park, a glorious wilderness and wildlife haven. the extremely apt Şirince (Pleasantness). The
So rich is the area’s history that it sometimes villagers, who moved here from Salonica and its
seems that for every modern high-rise there are vicinity in 1924, are ardent fruit farmers who also
another three ancient ruins. These include the make interesting fruit wines (YTL8 to YTL20),
grand-daddy of them all, Ephesus, one of the including raspberry, peach melon and black
Mediterranean’s best-preserved classical cities, mulberry varieties.
even if it is sometimes today extremely crowded.
Priene, Labranda and Lasos receive far fewer PRIENE (GÜLLÜBAHÇE)
visitors, and as such perhaps offer more pointed Priene is one of the most atmospheric of all of
evocations of the faded past, their ancient Turkey’s ancient sites. Perched high on
stones now overgrown with weeds and home to the craggy slopes of Mt Mykale, it enjoys an
scuttling lizards. isolated, windswept aesthetic in stark contrast to
But you can only deny the area’s true nature the crowds and commerce of Ephesus. Outside
for so long. For all its aesthetic and historic of the official tours that arrive each day from
Shopping in the Spice Bazaar, Istanbul
8 | Turkey Country Guide / Places to Visit
Selçuk and Kuşadası, the site may be pretty your surroundings a little more, the western KAYAKÖY (KARMYLASSOS) BUTTERFLY VALLEY & FARALYA
sparsely populated when you visit – you might Mediterranean has plenty of ‘X’ factor. Scuba Price: Admission YTL8 Tel: 614 2619
even get it completely to yourself. The emptiness diving at Kaş, paragliding off Baba Dağ, kayaking Hours: 9am-7pm Url: www.butterflyvalley.com
can give it an almost eerie vibe, with the only atop the Sunken City in Kekova, and canyoning
sounds the wind, the high-pitched whirring at Saklıkent are only a few of the options. About 5km west of Hisarönü is Kayaköy Tucked around the coast from heaving Ölüdeniz
of cicadas and the soft scuttle of the lizards Those preferring a slower pace can dine in (Karmylassos), a beautifully eerie town of is the paradise-found of Butterfly Valley, where
scampering around the stones. hip Kalkan, get feral in Kabak or wander the 2000 stone houses and a ghost-filled modern mellow young Turks doss about in hammocks
Ottoman houses of Antalya, an increasingly past. Recently it provided the inspiration for and curious day trippers wish they’d packed
LABRANDA sophisticated neo-European city with a sparkling Eskibahçe, the village in Louis de Bernieres’ an overnight bag. As well as being home to
Price: admission YTL8 old town. Listening to the strains of European novel Birds Without Wings, but the town’s history the unique Jersey tiger butterfly, beautiful
Hours: 8am-5pm opera at nearby Aspendos – a fully functional needs no fictional embellishment. Long known Butterfly Valley also boasts a 60m-high waterfall
Roman theatre – is not, by any means, to be as Levissi, Kayaköy was deserted by its mostly (admission YTL5 for nonguests), a fine beach,
Set into a steep hillside in an area that once missed. Ottoman-Greek inhabitants after WWI and the and some lovely walks through a lush gorge.
supplied the ancient city of Mylasa with its water, Turkish War of Independence. What remains Almost the moment the last tour boat turns
the site of ancient Labranda is surrounded by REŞADİYE & HİSARÖNÜ PENINSULAS today is a gorgeous, timeless village set in a lush back for Ölüdeniz, Butterfly Valley turns on its
fragrant pine forests peopled by beekeepers. Two largely undiscovered slivers of land, known valley with some fine vineyards nearby. In the beguiling, neo-hippy, ‘go on, stay a while’ smile.
Late in the season (October) you can see their in ancient times as the Peraea, trickle west from evening, when the stone houses are spot-lit for
tents pitched in the groves as they go about their Marmaris for 100km into the Aegean Sea. The visitors, Kayaköy is truly unforgettable.
business of extracting the honey and rendering western stretch is called the Reşadiye or Datça
the wax from the honeycombs. It’s a beautiful Peninsula; the southern stretch is known as the
place to visit that’s well worth seeking out, not Hisarönü or Daraçya Peninsula, with the ruins
least because so few people make it up here. of the ancient city of Loryma at its tip. This is
Old Labranda was a holy place, where worship spectacular, raw Turkish coastline, whether seen
of a local god was going on by the 6th century from bus, bike or boat. Aside from the joy of
BC and perhaps long before, and later it became sailing near the peninsula’s pine-clad coasts and
a sanctuary to Zeus. anchoring in some of its hundreds of secluded
coves, visitors come to explore fishing villages,
WeStern mediterranean mountain towns, wee hamlets and epic ruins. At
The Turquoise Coast is a glistening stretch Knidos there are ferry connections to Rhodes and
of clear blue sea where gods once played in the neighbouring Greek island of Simi (Symi).
sublime pebble coves and now spectacular
ruins abound. It’s here too – in villages too pretty SULTANIYE HOT SPRINGS & MUD BATH
to postcard – that sun-kissed locals smile at Price: Admission YTL5
travellers’ never-ending quest for the ‘Med Life’.
The trick is deciding what to do; trying to cover For good, dirty fun, head for Sultaniye Hot
it all can prove exhausting, and detrimental to Springs, southwest of Köyceğiz Gölü. These
your olive-oil glow. Yet by far the most dramatic bubbling hot mud pools (temperatures can push
way to see this stretch of coastline is by 40°C) contain mildly radioactive mineral waters
skimming through the crystal waters aboard a that are rich in calcium, sulphur, iron, nitrates,
gület (traditional wooden yacht), where you can potassium and mineral salts, and are said to be
party till it’s every man and woman overboard, good for skin complaints and rheumatism. At the
or just relax with the salt between your toes. smaller baths, just before Dalyan River joins the
Alternatively, you can negotiate the Lycian Way lake, pamper yourself with a restorative body-
on foot high above Akdeniz. pack of mud in a steaming sulphur pool. It’s
However you go, it’s the region’s seamless quite an experience as strangers stand around
mix of history and holiday that will inspire and chatting while their beauty treatments dry, before
enchant. At places like Patara, Phaselis and being power-showered shiny and new.
Olympos, your hand-packed sandcastles are
humbled by vine-covered Corinthian temples
and Lycian tombs. If you prefer to interact with
Interior of Cagaloglu Hamam bath house, Istanbul
9 | Turkey Country Guide / Places to Visit
KABAK You could spend days touring the rock-cut GÖREME ÜRGÜP
The startlingly remote beach community churches and admiring their frescoes (technically pop 2250 pop 15,500
of Kabak is slowly becoming the solitude seccos). Alternatively, view the troglodyte
searchers’ end point. Regardless of how you architecture from far above on a dawn hot-air- Göreme is the archetypal travellers’ utopia: a If you have a soft spot for upmarket hotels
make the steep, 40-minute downward trek – by balloon ride or from a panoramic hotel terrace. beatific village where the surreal surroundings and fine dining, you need look no further
tractor, foot or mule – you’ll be rewarded with Whether it’s a pension or a boutique hideaway spread a fat smile on everyone’s face. Beneath – Ürgüp is the place to be. The ever-growing
spectacular and empty Gemile beach flanked with as few rooms as it has fairy chimneys, the honeycomb cliffs, the locals live – or, battalion of boutique hotels in the town’s
by two long cliffs. Eight kilometres south of Cappadocia’s accommodation rates as some of increasingly, run hotels in fairy chimneys. The honey-coloured stone buildings (left over from
Faralya – and worlds away from everywhere Turkey’s best, and allows guests to experience wavy white valleys in the distance, with their the pre-1923 days when the town had a large
else – Kabak is for the camping and trekking cave dwelling firsthand. The restaurants in hiking trails, panoramic viewpoints and rock- Greek population) are proving very popular with
enthusiast, yoga devotee or any doyen of quiet, dreamy spots such as Göreme and Ürgüp are cut churches, look like giant tubs of vanilla ice travellers. With a spectacular natural setting
untapped beauty. equally alluring, with yet more terraces offering cream. Rose Valley, meanwhile, lives up to its and a wonderful location at the very heart of
sweeping views of the knobbly landscape. name; watching its pink rock slowly change central Cappadocia, this is one of the most
capadoccia Staying in villages where eroding castles overlook colour at sunset is best accompanied by mezze seductive holiday spots in the whole of Turkey.
small communities of very laid-back people, you in one of the excellent eateries. How much better Northwest of the main square is the oldest part
Between Kayseri and Nevşehir, Central Anatolia’s
might just become a world expert on the aesthetic does it get? of town, with many fine old houses.
mountain-fringed plains give way to a land of
qualities of rocky valleys at sunset. It will require
fairy chimneys and underground cities. The
fairy chimneys – rock columns, pyramids,
evenings of study on the terrace, but you will get
there with a good supply of çay (tea) or Efes.
GÖREME OPEN-AIR MUSEUM
Price: Admission YTL15
Itineraries
mushrooms and a few camels – and the valleys
Between lingering looks at the rocky from the golden horn to the
of cascading cliffs were formed when Erciyes Hours: 8am-5pm
remains of Cappadocia’s unique history, it’s Sacred Way
Dağı erupted. The intervening millennia added
worth checking out some further-flung spots. one Week/iStanBul to epheSuS
to the remarkable Cappadocian canvas, One of Turkey’s World Heritage Sites, this is an
Caravanserais dot the roads to the seemingly
with Byzantines carving cave churches and essential stop on any Cappadocian itinerary.
lost valleys of Ihlara and Soğanlı, and former ÎSTANBUL
subterranean complexes to house thousands Originally an important Byzantine monastic
Greek settlements such as Mustafapaşa. Sea of Marmara
of people. settlement that housed some 20 monks, then
Gallipoli
a pilgrimage site from the 17th century, this Peninsula
amazing cluster of rock-cut churches, chapels Çanakkale
and monasteries is 1km uphill from the centre of Troy
the village. Biga
Try to arrive early in the morning in summer to Peninsula
Behramkale
Assos
avoid the bustling tour groups; alternatively, go
at midday, when the tour parties stop for lunch.
AEGEAN SEA
If possible, avoid weekends, when domestic (EGE DENÎZÎ)
tourists descend; or simply arrive off-season to
have the whole place, blissfully, to yourself.
DEVRENT VALLEY
Look, it’s a camel! Stunning Devrent Valley’s
Ephesus
(also known as ‘Imagination Valley’) volcanic
cones are some of the best-formed and most
thickly clustered in Cappadocia, and looking at
their fantastic shapes is like gazing at the clouds Begin this trip through the triumphs and
as a child. See if you can spot the dolphin, tragedies of empires in Istanbul’s Ottoman
seals, Napoleon’s hat, kissing birds, Virgin Mary, Topkapı Palace, then obelisk-hop the ancient
various reptilian forms, and pretty much anything Hippodrome. Having steamed away any aches
else you can imagine. Most of the rosy rock in the Çemberlitaş Hamamı, spend the evening
cones are topped by flattish, darker stones of cruising İstiklal Caddesi, the heart of modern
harder rock that sheltered the cones from the Turkey. Start day two at the Blue Mosque
rain until all the surrounding rock was eaten and the Aya Sofya, then head underground at
away, a process known as differential erosion. the Basilica Cistern. After lunch, explore the
labyrinthine Grand Bazaar or, weather permitting,
Hot air balloon rides over Capadoccia
10 | Turkey Country Guide / Itineraries
take an afternoon or evening cruise along the to overnight in heavenly Faralya, and further
Bosphorus. inroads into the Lycian Way will definitely top
Come day three, rise early and head down your ‘next time’ list. Back on the coast, have a
to Çanakkale, so you can start touring the pit stop at laid-back Kaş, its pretty harbourside
Gallipoli battlefields by early afternoon. The square alive nightly with the hum of friendly folk
devastation witnessed here during WWI needs enjoying the breeze, views, boutique browsing
no introduction. Next morning head to famous and a beer or two. You may want a few days
Troy, worth a visit even without Brad Pitt. Cross more unwinding at the famous beach tree-house
the ruin-dotted Biga Peninsula to beachy complexes at nearby Olympos.
Assos and nearby Behramkale, with its hilltop Antalya’s old Kaleiçi quarter is well worth
Greek village and ancient temple. You’ll need a wander against the backdrop of that jaw-
another early start to bus down to Ephesus, dropping mountain range. Then it’s time to fold
the best-preserved classical city in the eastern your bikini into a matchbox and head inland.
Mediterranean. Catch an overnight bus north to claim your cave
in Göreme. This low-key travellers’ hang-out is
palm treeS & fairy chimneyS the best place to base yourself in Cappadocia,
three WeekS/iStanBul to a surreal moonscape with phallic tuff cones,
cappadocia no less. For most the cones don’t overshadow
the more orthodox sights including the superb
BLACK SEA rock-cut frescoed churches of Göreme Open-Air
(KARADENÎZ)
Museum and the spooky underground cities at
ÎSTANBUL Kaymakli and Derinkuyu.
Sea of Marmara
Gallipoli
Peninsula
Çanakkale
Troy
Biga
Peninsula
Assos
Behramkale
Cappadocia
Göreme
Selçuk Pamukkale/Hierapolis Kaymaklî
Ephesus & Derinkuyu
Fethiye Antalya
Ölüdeniz
AEGEAN SEA Faralya Olympos
(EGE DENÎZÎ)
Kaš
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
(AKDENÎZ)
For the first week, follow the first itinerary.
Then, from your base at Selçuk, take a day
trip to the travertines and ruins of Hierapolis
at Pamukkale. The brilliant white terraces can
be dizzying in the midday sun, but swimming
among submerged marble columns in the
Antique Pool will restore your cool.
Heading back to the coast, ignore the
overblown resorts of Bodrum and Marmaris and
head straight for Fethiye and beautiful Ölüdeniz.
This is the spot to take to the air on a paraglide
or lay way low on a beach towel. You’re now Kaputas Cove and Beach
within kicking distance of the famous Lycian
Way; hike for a day through superb countryside © 2009 Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Lonely Planet has tried to make the information in this travel guide as accurate as
possible, but it is provided ‘as is’. Lloyds TSB and Lonely Planet accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience resulting from this
information. You should verify critical information (like visas, health and safety) before you travel.