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 Touristic Guide for Turkish Cities - 1 Dreams For Sale Popular culture in the 20th century. |
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 IstanbulNo matter how you travel to Istanbul, your first view of the city will be impressive. It rises beside the blue waters of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus rivers into a dramatic skyline of domes and minarets.
Almost three thousand years old, it has been the heart of three world empires and each one has left its own particular mark on the landscape. Though no longer the capital of the Turkish Republic, Istanbul is still the most popular destination in Turkey for tourists and many tour operators offer short break holidays here, especially in winter.
Basically, Istanbul divides into two main areas which are further subdivided into several small districts. The European part of the city is divided by the Golden Hom and the European and Asian parts are separated by the Bosphorus Strait. The vast majority of the sights are on the southem bank of the Golden Hom.
Istanbul is a good centre for sightseers, as there is an infinite variety of places to visit - peaceful mosques, awe-inspiring palaces and frenzied bazaars. For sun-worshippers there are beaches and resorts along the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara, and while here, all tourists should consider a trip to the legendary city of Troy. Even if you plan to travel further into Anatolia, take a few days to see some of the sights of this fascinating city and experience the unique atmosphere it offers.
Bodrum
Bodrum is undoubtedly the prettiest and most popular of Turkey's major holiday resorts. Built on a peninsula with sandy beaches on either side, the town is dominated by an enchanting medieval castle which overlooks two sweeping bays on the southem side of the strip. White-washed buildings, palm-lined streets and brilliant blue waters all add to its charm. In the past few years Bodrum has become a magnet for watersports and sailing enthusiasts, young families, sun-worshippers and socialites, but despite its popularity it appears less crowded and less commercialized than the major resort of Kusadasi.
While Bodrum attracts vast numbers of package tourists and independent travelIers, its visitors are dispersed among the tiny fishing villages and quiet beaches which adam the shores of the peninsula. This, and the fact that a large percentage of visitors choose sailing holidays rather than hotel-based holidays, helps Bodrum to retain the friendly atmasphere of a small resort. Known in ancient times as Halicarnassus, Bodrum gained its place in the history books in the fourth century BC when, under the rule of the Persian king Mausolus, it was developed into one of the strongest and most important port s on the Aegean coast. When the Persians invaded Anatolia and captured the kingdam of Caria, Mausolus switched the capital from Milas to Halicamassus. The king's burial chamber, the Mausoleum of Halicamassus, ranked among the seven wonders of the ancient world.
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TURKEYAntalya
Antalya is the chief city on Turkey's central Mediterranean coast. As well as several km of pebble beaches and a historic Roman-Ottoman core, Antalya is a good base from which to explore the quieter beach towns and more spectacular ancient cities of the region.
Ephesus
Of Turkey's hundreds of ancient cities and classical ruins, Ephesus is the grandest and best preserved. Indeed, it's the spunkiest classical city on the Mediterranean. Ephesus was Ionia, a flourishing cultural centre during the Greek Empire, and a busy provincial capital during Roman times. Ionia's Temple of Diana was counted among the Seven Wonders of the World, and the city was generally renowned for its wealth and beauty.
Sts Paul and John took up the quill in Ionia and the Virgin Mary is said to have spent her twilight years here. A walking tour of the ruins will take at least half a day, and if you're here in summer, start early, because it gets stinking hot by high noon. Places you'll come across include the Grotto of the Seven Sleepers, in which seven persecuted youths slumbered for two centuries, then woke up and ambled down to town for a meal; the colossal Harbour Gymnasium; the grand marble-paved Arcadian Way; the impressive Temple of Hadrian and a scattering of Roman fountains, pools, brothels, libraries and public toilets.
Ankara
Turkey's capital is a sprawling urban mass in the midst of the Central Anatolian steppe. It's very different from the Ottoman town of Angora which preceded it on this site, a quiet place known for its fluffy jumpers of knitted goat fleece. Several significant attractions make it worth a short visit.
Most visitors head straight for Hisar, the Byzantine citadel atop the hill east of the old city, and the nearby Museum of Anatolian Civilsations. Just south is Atatürk's mausoleum, a monumental building, spare but beautiful, that echoes the architecture of several great Anatolian empires.
Next Page: Black Sea, Gallipoli Peninsula, Harran, Troy
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