
Yesterday I wrote all about the ancient city of Ephesus and what makes it a great World Heritage Site. Today I want to talk about the modern Turkish town of…
Turkey as we know it today was only established in 1923, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lead the Turkish National Movement and the War of Independence in the aftermath of World War 1. This great man grew the Republic of Turkey from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire and modernized the nation. Even though the country is relatively new it does not mean it is the beginning of its history by any stretch of the imagination.
Trojan Horse from the Brad Pitt movie, Troy
Being situated as a figurative and literal gateway between Europe and Asia, every Mediterranean empire in history has strived to control the area and it is one of the oldest permanently settled areas of the world. The first major empire in the area was the Hittites (18th-13th centuries BC) and were followed by the Phrygians (12th-7th centuries BC), Cimmerians, Urartu, and Medes (all in the 7th & 6th centuries BC).
Library at Ephesus
During this time, important Greek settlements were established on the Aegean (western) coast, but in the 6th century BC the Persians conquered the entire area and would hold it until Alexander the Great came rolling though in 334 BC on the way to establishing one of the largest empires in history.
The Greek Empire would give way to the Roman Empire and the area would Christianize toward the later part of their rule. In 324 AD Emperor Constantine chose Byzantium to be the new capital of the Empire and the city was renamed
Constantinople (later to become Istanbul). By 395 AD the Roman Empire split in two and Turkey was ruled by the eastern half, known as the Byzantine Empire which would last until 1453.
Starting in the 11th century AD a group of people, known as Turks, migrated from their origins in central Asia. As they moved westward they replaced the Greek language and Christianity with the Turkish language and Islam. Eventually they would form the Ottoman Empire, which would capture Constantinople and extinguish the Byzantine Empire in 1453. The Ottoman Empire would last until World War 1, where they fought with the Central Powers and were defeated by the Allied Powers and this set up the War of Independence by Ataturk that I mention first.
In 2016, I visited Turkey twice. The first time I spent a week exploring Istanbul concentrated within the ancient Constantinople area (Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Roman Cistern), but also checked out the area around Galata Tower, Taksim Square, Kadikoy on the Anatolian (Asian) side, and the Princess Islands. The second time I visited in 2016 I flew to Cappadocia to spend several days exploring the wonders of this World Heritage Site.
I returned in 2017 to do a road trip to Troy and the surrounding area and again in 2019 to spend 10 days traveling around the Aegean Coast with the highlights being Ephesus and Pamukkale.
Cave hotel in Cappadocia
Being the gateway between Europe and Asia, Turkey has a lot going for it. From abundant agriculture to geographical location to a wealth of historic sites, Turkey is a regional power and could easily achieve world power statues……if the government did not get in its own way.
From a tourist point of view though, there is so much to see in Turkey. With 17 World Heritage Sites and at least six different major empires ruling the land over the eons, you will not be able to see everything at one time. I recommend you start with Istanbul and then move on to Cappadocia. After that you can choose where to visit based on region, empire, geography, or several other factors.
The pools and cliff of Pamukkale
One thing that is universal in Turkey is their love for food. Breakfast is a huge ordeal with many, many things to choose from. If you ask for a kabab be prepared to pick from at least a dozen different types. Over half the restaurants in Turkey serve meze, which is like tapas and a good way to try many things. Of everything I have had my two favorite dishes are kumpir and manti. Also note that you should never get in the way of a Turk and their coffee or tea. 🙂
You can get even more helpful hints by watching the travel videos I made for Turkey and reading what all I did during my time in Turkey with my blog posts located below the videos.
Yesterday I wrote all about the ancient city of Ephesus and what makes it a great World Heritage Site. Today I want to talk about the modern Turkish town of…
Today’s photo of the day brings a close to our road trip in northwest Turkey that we have been writting about for the last week. I hope you have enjoyed…
Shane wrote about our road trip starting from Canakkale – Marmara Sea / Dardanelles towards the Aegean coast. There are many historic sites to see there as well as beautiful…
During our visit to Assos, Turkey we stayed at Nar Konak Hotel, which I mentioned earlier and Melek will write about tomorrow. Niether one of us could stop from playing with the…
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and the Turks have taken that to heart. When you sit down to a Turkish breakfast you will swear 10 other…
I usually don’t put photos of just me, but Melek wanted me to post this one because the kitten is just so cute. This little guy lives in Assos, Turkey…
By going at sunset of course. The funny thing is they officially close the site around 6pm and the sun does not set until past 8pm. Luckily there is a…
On Tuesday, I wrote all about the ancient city of Troy and today I want to tell you about the rest of our three-night road trip in northwest Turkey. We…
Yesterday I wrote about our vist to the ancient city of Troy and you saw the Trojan Horse they have displayed there. You are able to climb inside of it…
2800 years ago, Homer, who was also from Turkey, wrote about the great 10-year siege of this ancient city and how it was finally captured with a Trojan Horse. All…
Today’s photo of the day is from a small mountain town called Adatepe, which means “hill island”. It is an ancient Greek town that is wonderful to walk around in….
For those of you that have been following me for a while, you have just finished reading all about Melek and mine’s six-week cruise through the upper Caribbean. I hope…
Today will be my last blog about the unbelievably cool area in the middle of Turkey called Cappadocia. As I have shown you over the last week and a half…
This is our last “photo of the day” in the Cappadocia area and it is looking over the city of Goreme. Tomorrow I will wrap up our time in this…
This unexpectedly cool monastery is like being in the Goreme Open Air Museum, except the interiors are much more elaborate. What impressed me was how there were passages everywhere. It…
Today’s “photo of the day” has Melek, which is Turkish for angel, sitting in the window of a typical Cappadocian building. It was carved right into the rock very much…
The Derinkuyu underground city is a very cool area in the Cappadocia portion of Turkey. It was first started when the Hittites carved the first two levels in the 8th…
If so then you want to visit the Cappadocia area. Today’s photo of the day is of Guvercinlik at sunset. We are right in the middle of the blogs about this…
The Goreme Open Air Museum is a valley in the Cappadocia area of Turkey (next to a city of the same name). It contains the remains of a Christian society…
Cappadocia is a region in the middle of Turkey where a plateau of soft rock lies. Canyons have been carved into this plateau over the eons and there are many,…
Here the crew at Atmosfer Balloon is getting the balloons ready for our ride in Cappadocia. Up and down the canyons we will go and tomorrow you can read all…
[Shane – Yesterday I posted a “photo of the day” of a sunrise in a hot air balloon to start a series of blogs about the amazing Cappadocia area in…
Today I am starting a series of blogs and photos about an amazing area in middle of Turkey called Cappadocia. This place is so amazing and should really be better…
This will be my last blog about Istanbul and I hope you have found these to be informative, entertaining, and even ispiring as you venture out into the world. Tomorrow…
We are coming to the end of my time in Istanbul, Turkey (there is a last blog tomorrow). On Sunday I will start telling you about my pilgrimage in Israel. LIKE…
By the time I had landed and gone through customs in Istanbul it was 8 PM. My Turkish friend, Melek, met me at the airport and we took the bus…
This sunset is from the top of Galata Tower that I wrote about yesterday. You did not see that blog? Maybe you should LIKE svGuidingLight on Facebook to make sure…
One of my favorite sites in Istanbul is Galata Tower. This tower was built in 1348 and at almost 220 feet tall it was the tallest structure in Istanbul. It…
You light it with the country’s flag, of course. This is Galata Tower in Istanbul and it is lit up with a spot light projecting the Turkish flag onto it….
The friend I visited in Istanbul is named Melek and she is Turkish and has lived in the city for over 10 years (she is originally from a small town…
The Basilica Cistern. This underground water collection system measures over 450 feet by over 200 feet and was built in the 400s AD. It is across from the street of…
If it does then check out the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul to get all you need!!!! LIKE svGuidingLight on Facebook to keep up with each post about my world trip….
Istanbul has always been a trading port, which has brought great richness to this city. Well that history has created the Grand Bazaar. If you are like me, you are…
The popular Blue Mosque is actually known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque and was built in 1609. Check out yesterday’s blog to read more about it and the other two biggest…
In this blog I am continuing to tell you about my time in Istanbul (the 3rd stop on my world trip) by sharing my experiences at the three biggest tourist…
I have wanted to see Hagia Sophia ever since I started playing Civilation V on my computer. I hardly ever play video games, but I love board games and this computer…
I hope you enjoyed reading the day to day recap of my trip with Eric around Iceland and maybe found the blogs useful to help you plan your own trip…
Here it is in the morning and I still have things to do. Do I have a deadline to get them done by? You bet I do since I I…