TURKEY A Country for All Tastes

Turkey is…  one of the world's most popular tourism destinations.

 The country is surrounded on three sides by three different seas. Its shores are laced with beaches, bays, coves, ports, islands and peninsulas.

TURKEY IS THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATIONS  The ancient Greeks called the area Anatole, which the land where the sun rises. The Romans called it Asia Minor, while we call it Anadolu. The word ‘Anatolia’, which refers to the Asian part of Turkey describes a large plateau, which acted as a melting pot for many successive civilizations.The Europen part is called ‘Thrace’.Its history dates back to before BC.  These civilizations are  the Hittites,  the Urartians,  the Phrygians,  the Lydians,  the Ionians,  the Persians,  the Romans,  the Byzantines,  the Seljuks,  the Ottomans,  AND NOW  THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY.

Due to Turkey's diverse geography, one can experience four different climates in any one day.

 For centuries, Turkey has also been a crossroads of religions, not only of Islam and Christianity, but also of many others now forgotten by history. Mosaic of the Virgin Mother with child in Chora Church The Holy Savior in Chora Hagia Sophia Panagia Soumela Monastery

The history of Turkey tells of a 10,000 year-old civilisation. The Turks have inherited both from the Islamic past and their Ottoman past. They have also inherited from their western past, as well as forming a part of the Western present. All these heritages, Eastern and Western, Asian and European, are intermingled in the civilisation of modern Turkey. Ottomon empire has ruled Anatolia for 600 years.

Mehteran The military music band Ottoman miniature painting ~Tughra of Süleyman the Magnificent ~ Sipahis; mounted troops in army Hammam A Female Turkish Bath

Now, Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic with a diverse cultural heritage. Thanks to… MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK

 He is the founder of the Republic of Turkey.  Atatürk was a military officer and he led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence.  His surname, Atatürk (meaning "Father of the Turks"), was granted to him (and forbidden to any other person) in 1934 by the Turkish parliament. MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK

Ataturk Mausoleum (Anitkabir)

POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATIONS

The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.

HAGIA SOPHIA is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Mosaic of Virgin and Child inside the Hagia Sophia in Istanbu

 Topkapı Palace is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years.

Cappadocia is a unique design of nature. It was sculpted out of the tuff of the Erciyes and Hasan once volcanic mountains through millions of years by sand and water erosion, became the seat of several civilisations, and a silent witness to the cultural history of Anatolia. Cappadocia also covers underground cities. CAPPADOCIA

Nemrut Mountain is known as the highest open-air museum in the world. It was one the most majestic place of worship in ancient Anatolia. At the time of the Commagene Kingdom (163 BC), King Antiochus built statues of their five Gods on the top of this mountain. Statues of God in Nemrut Mountain

ASPENDOS Aspendos is famous for having the best-preserved Roman Theatre not only in Anatolia but also in the whole Mediterranean world.

Archaeological Site of Troy The ancient city of Troy, famous as the site of Trojan War

 The Great Ağrı Mountain is the highest mountain in Turkey and Europe with a height of 5,137 m.

The Pamukkale travertine was created by thermal water depositing the calcium carbonate it contained. This sacred land clad in white is waiting for those who want to heal in its waters with a natural therapy.

TAKSİM SQUARE SQUARE

Ortaköy KUMPİR WAFFLE

MANYAS LAKE, BALIKESIR Lake Manyas which is also called Bird Lake is a lake in western Turkey, located in the Bandırma region. An estimated 255 species of birds visit Bird Paradise National park at the edge of Kuş Gölü,the lake formerly known as Manyas Gölü located on the great migratory paths between Europe and Asia, the park is a happy combination of plant cover,reed beds and a lake that supports at least 20 species of fish. Manyas Lake is an important site for breeding and wintering waterbirds.More than 270 species of birds have been recorded at the lake. Important bird species include White-headed Duck, Eurasian Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, plus breeding populations of the vulnerable Dalmatian Pelican. Migrating Great White Pelicans often roost at the lake.

 The foundation of Turkish food is, if anything, dough made of wheat flour. Besides "ekmek" (ordinary white bread), "Pide" (flat bread), "simit" (sesame seed rings),and "mantı" (similar to ravioli), a whole family of food made up thin sheets of pastry called "börek" falls into this category.

Sarma Stuffed wine leaves Lahmacun Minced meat with dough

karniyarik iskender kebap

sütlaç baklava künefe kadayıf dürüm DESSERTS

AYRAN is a cold beverage of yogurt mixed with cold water and sometimes salt.

metrobus metro tramway TRANSPORTATION IN ISTANBUL

FOLK DANCES ÇAYDA ÇIRA HORO N ZEYB EK

HADİSE TARKAN SERTABERENER SOME OF THE FAMOUS POP SINGERS

DERVISHES  The whirling dance is part of a formal ceremony known as the Sama.  The Sama is only one of the many Sufi ceremonies performed to reach God.  The performers of this dance is known as Semazen.  Rumi (Mevlana) is founder of Sufism.

Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi 13th-century Persian Muslim poet an thinker.  Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi says: "All loves are a bridge to Divine love. Yet, those who have not had a taste of it do not know!"

ORHAN PAMUK  is one of Turkey's most prominent novelists.  He won the Nobel prize in 2006.

A Turkish runner who won Gold Medal in 2012 Londra Olympics Aslı Çakır Alptekin

 Galatasaray is a football team which won the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup in 2000.

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