Introducing Turkey’s Museums Turkey has one of the world’s most ancient cultural landscapes. Assyrians, Hittites, Lydians, Phrygians, Lydians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Turks all passed through here-and these are only the main players. Fittingly for a country with such an ancient history, Turkey’s cities and archaeological sites feature some excellent museums. Modern and filled with…
Category: Middle East
The Definitive Istanbul Survival Guide
Overview Istanbul is one of the world’s great cities. Beautiful, huge, chaotic, it is the ultimate example of east-meets-west. With a history dating back thousands of years, Istanbul sits comfortably next to such cities as Rome, London, and Paris. It offers good transport, high-end dining, luxury hotels, or hostels, street food, and excellent opportunities for…
IST vs SAW: Which Is Istanbul’s Best Airport?
Istanbul is one of the world’s biggest cities. It has stood at the center of European, Asian, and African trade for centuries, and it remains an important transit hub today. Istanbul’s two airports receive flights from every corner of the world: the Middle East, Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Australia, and Australia. Perhaps only…
Best Things to See in Ankara, Turkey’s Chaotic Capital
Contrary to popular belief, Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey. That designation goes to Ankara, the modern-yet-ancient city perched on the high steppes of Anatolia. Rapid and haphazard growth has created a somewhat ugly landscape, but there is still a ton of stuff to see and do. And while the dusty steppe may seem…
Best Tourist Attractions in Antalya, Turkey
Antalya, another ancient city on the coast of Turkey, spent most of the past few centuries as a provincial harbour town. In the 1970s, however, Antalya was transformed into a tourist mecca, and still attracts millions of European travelers every year. Tourists come from the cold North of Europe to enjoy balmy weather and wide,…
Visit Ephesus: Turkey’s Greatest Roman Site
Ephesus was one of the greatest and most important cities of the Roman Empire. A million tourists come to walk along its preserved streets every year, viewing the famous Amphitheater or Library of Celsus. Once a harbour town, Ephesus lost its prominence when its harbour silted up. Some 1,200 years ago, it was abandoned. Visitors…
Understanding Selcuk: More Than an Entry to Ephesus
Selcuk is a pleasant, somewhat unremarkable Turkish town with some spectacular history on its outskirts. As the closest town to Ephesus, one of the great Roman sites within Turkey, hundreds of thousands of visitors pass through every year on their way to the city where St Paul preached. However, Selcuk is worth more than just…
A Guide to Visiting Izmir: Turkey’s Window to the West
Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city, is a bustling, modern metropolis. Most visitors view Izmir only as a transport hub to more interesting places nearby, but I think the city is worth a few days’ visit. Izmir appears to be a rather boring city, but its modernity hides some 5,000 years of history. While it lacks…
Top 10 Things to See in Istanbul
For Western travelers, Istanbul is the quintessential ‘exotic’ destination. It sits on the border of Europe and Asia, this sprawling metropolis of 15 million people. As you’d expect, the city blends cultures from across the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern world. You might think of it as a Middle Eastern New York City. Some sections of…