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First, let me make clear that these are my personal opinions that I discovered once I returned from my visit to Turkey.
I discovered that, for the most part, the Turkish people think of tourist as visitors and treat them likewise. They do not exploit tourists as some other nationalities do. I know that some people will disagree because they think that merchants who give free cups of tea are doing so to make a sale. Untrue. It is their way of being courteous to visitors.
I also learned that the Turkish people are honest. The only time I found this not to be true was at a carpet sales place.
The Turks are helpful. On several occasions, people not only directed us, but walked us to a location that we were seeking. [Even the armed soldiers were helpful].
From my experience, the Turkish Men were gentlemen. They were polite, concerned, and not at all "fresh".
However, the one area that bothered me in Turkey was in the role of the women. I am aware that the laws have changed and at least in writing, women now have right, but I observed that women usually defer to men and women still do ALL of the domestic chores [most of them work in the fields too]. Several times, I saw couples meet each other on the street, and the men would embrace, but the women stayed silently in the background.
Our male guide told us that even though it is illegal, polygamy is still practiced, and in very remote areas, men buy young wives for cash!
In the cities, especially Istabul, the women seem to have more rights and seem more equal. I saw women in professional jobs and in politics.
My favorite memory of Turkey involved a lovely family who escorted us to a local restaurant because the directions were too complicated. They told us that it was the best place to eat. They were right. We were the only tourist there. The locals were all so friendly and helpful. It was the most delightful and best meal I experienced while in Turkey. Leave a Comment
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Because I love flowers so much, I was completely amazed by the volume and variety of flowers grown in Turkey.
The national flower of turkey is the Tulip. They have records showing that tulips have been growing in Turkey since as early as A.D. 1,000!
When Sultan Ahmet II reigned, it was known as the Tulip Period because ambassadors were sent to watch other cultures and to bring back Turkish Tulips!
But, wildflowers seem to be the specialty of Turkey. There are many ornamental flowers such as the crocus and the lily, which are grown from the wild species found in Turkey. The farmers grow and export many varieties of flowers such as the snowdrops, cyclamen, and snowflakes.
In Isparta region in southwestern Anatolia, farmers grow special roses. The Turkish roses are recognized worldwide. The farmers grow these delicate flowers to export their oil [called attar of roses] to France for use in making perfume!
I saw fields of red Anatolian poppies, which the farmers sell around the world for use in medical prescriptions.
In addition, the Aegean and the Mediterranean areas are known for their glorious pink and white oleanders.
If you enjoy flowers as much as I do, be sure to visit one of the many national parks where you can see a wonderful array of flora. It's quite a sight...better yet, it's quite a scent for the nose! Leave a Comment
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I remember knowing about Constantinople and that it was the center of the Roman Empire. Then it became the capital of the Turkish empire [Africa, southeast Europe and much of western Asia].
I also associate Turkey with the old Greek story from mythology about a girl named Io. In this myth, the god Zeus turned Io into a cow to hide her from his jealous wife, Hera. Unluckily for Io, Hera saw through the disguise; thus, she sent a fly with a painful sting to torment Io. Io tried to escape the fly by running as fast as a cow is able to run. She ran the whole length of Greece from south to north; she did not stop when she came to the narrow neck of the sea between Europe and Asia. She plunged into the water, came ashore on the Asian side, and kept on running, leaving the neck of water with the new name Bosporus. Today, because of this small width, modern Istanbul has spilled across the Bosporus into Anatolia [the Asian part of Turkey.] That vivid myth always reminds me that Turkey is unique in that it spans two continents.
It's also interesting to note that the original Turks were more Chinese than European in appearance; that characteristic is rarely seen in Turkey today. Turks are often thought to be Europena when they visit central Asia.
I was quite amazed when I visited Turkey to discover that many Turks looked like Greeks I had just visited or like Italians I admire so much. Strangely, some Turks are fair-haired and blue-eyed, but most are dark-haired with dark eyes.
My favorite memories of Turkey have to do with the people....they are very kind and polite. I was impressed with the beauty of the country, the astounding architecture, and the unique flavor of both Europe and Asia. * Leave a Comment
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Ankara has been Turkey's capital since 1923. After Atatürk had won the war he declared the republic and moved the capital to Ankara, it is centrally located and it had no associations with the Ottoman Empire.
The city is now Turkey's second largest with a population of 4 million.
In the north is the old city, Ulus, and to the south is the new Ankara, Yenisehir.
The two must sees in the city are the Museum of Anatolian Civilisation and Anit Kabir (Atatürk Mausoleum). Leave a Comment
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This is a must see as the best artefacts from excavations made in Anatolia can be found here. In the basement there are exhibitions of Greek and Roman artefacts but the best part is the different rooms on the groundfloor showing the pre-classical civilisations of Anatolia.
As you enter the museum you will start your tour from the right and come to rooms with items from the Palaeolitic period, Neolitic period (Catal Hüyük), Chalcolithic era, Bronze age (Alacahöyük), Assyrian (Kültepe), Hittite (Hattusas), Phrygian (Gordion), Urartian and Lydian eras.
The museum is housed in an old Han (covered market with workshops) from the 15th century.
The entrance fee is 10 000 000 TL.
It might be closed on Mondays. Leave a Comment
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Amasra is a small picturesque town on the Black Sea coast, about 90 km north of Safranbolu. The old part is on a peninsula and there are two harbours and a beach. When I was there, there were not many tourists at all, maybe because it was June and in the Middle of the week.
It is a lovely place!
I had heard from Erkmen that two bus companies goes all the way from Istanbul to Amasra. They are As74 and Ozemniyet. Other buses go to Bartin and from there you take a dolmush. The dolmush takes 30 minutes and costs 1 650 000 TL.
I bought my ticket at a travel agent in Istanbul. They had tickets with Metro (which is a good company). To Bartin it took six hours and the price was 20 000 000 TL. Leave a Comment
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The Mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk is a large monument over the founder of the republic. The courtyard in front of the mausoleum is huge and it is lined with colonnaded walkways and museums. Steps lead up to the entrance.
As you enter the mausoleum (Hall of Honour) you come into a room with lofty ceiling. There are some gold mosaics, and in the front is a big cenotaph made of one single piece of marble. The tomb is in a camber below.
Official visitors normally come to the mausoleum and one, or two days, after my visit (can't remember) Bush was here to put a wreath of flowers on the cenotaph.
In the towers there are exhibitions of personal items of Atatürk (even two cars), documents and photos and text about the construction of the mausoleum.
Below the Hall of honour there is a museum of "the war of independence", and the beginning of the Turkish state and its founder Kemal Atatürk. It is a very patriotic museum. In the first part there are scenes from trenches with sounds and a lot of paintings. Leave a Comment
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The town of Safranbolu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a small picturesque town full of old Ottoman houses. Many of the houses have been restored and some are now pensions, so you can stay the night one of the old houses. It is a nice place to spend a day in, to walk around the narrow streets, and visit some museums and the old hamam.
Safranbolu is situated about 200 km north of Ankara. Buses go to and from Ankara/Istanbul from Kiranköy, a small town close to Safranbolu. Between Kiranköy and Safranbolu there are frequent buses and the ride takes just a few minutes. Leave a Comment
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The town Amasya is situated in a rocky mountain valley. A river runs through the city with old Ottoman houses on the north bank. Above, on the mountain slopes are some Pontic Tombs. It is all very picturesque, but of course there is also the modern city, not as picturesque but a nice place.
The otogar is about 2 km outside the city centre, but many bus companies have got free service to and from the otogar (bus station). Leave a Comment
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The Museum of Underwater Archaeology is in the Castle of St Peter (Sen Piyer Kalesi) and has a fine collection of shipwrecks and items from their cargos.
In the main courtyard there is an exhibition of amphorae from different periods and areas.
In the chapel you can see artefacts from a 7th century Byzantine shipwreck found near Yassiada. There is also a reconstruction of half the ship, which you can climb.
In the Uluburun Wreck Hall you can see one of the oldest shipwrecks of the world (14th century BC) and finds from several Bronze Age Ships.
And then there is the exhibition of the Glass Wreck.
The ship, which was 16 metres long and 5 metres wide with a flat bottom, sank in 1075 (1025) outside Serce Harbour. The ship came from Syria and had a cargo of three tonnes of glass.
As you enter there is a video film about the salvage of the ship and the work to put the wreck and glass items together. How much work there must have been!
There is glass of different colours and you will see plates, cups and bottles. Even if most of the glass was in pieces there were about 80 intact glass vessels including bottles and drinking glasses.
Dont be stingy but pay the extra entrance fee to see the exhibition of the Glass Wreck. It is very interesting!
Entrance fee to the castle is 10 000 000 TL (July 2004).
To see the exhibition of the Glass Wreck you have to pay another 4 000 000 TL. Leave a Comment
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on July 12, 2005
on September 11, 2004
