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  • Cheap flights to turkey

    Cheap flights to turkey

    Approximately twenty million tourists revisit Turkey any year origination it a singular of a critical person arriving destinations in all of Asia. A name Turkey alone creates an pattern of glorious palaces, monk mosques as great as appreciative women. Turkey, a singular of a many hotly contested countries of a star, has been ransacked by Alexander a Great, a place where as if Achilles battled a Trojans as great as where a battles that a Ottoman Empire fought to figure a world. To revisit Turkey is to lard yourself in times left by as you revisit a battlegrounds, mythological palaces as great as bursting castles. Istanbul, a nation’s material, is abounding with genealogical sites. Be sure to revisit a Topkapi Palace, a Blue Mosque as great as Aya Sofya, Istanbul’s many critical church. Get in a idea as great as sell with a locals in a Grand Bazaar as great as Spice Bazaar, thereafter finish your day with a boyant along a Bosphorus as great as a relaxing in progress in a singular of a virtuoso eateries. Ride to Safranbolu to consternation during during an sum Ottoman locality, as great as have arrangements to stay in Ottoman-style in a fabulously easy wooden house. Have a prove to see a Acropolis as great as a Asclepion in Pergamum as great as wind a Anzac battlefields in Gallipoli.

    Aside from a ancient carriers of Turkey, Turkish Airlines, pick airlines such as Air France, Lufthansa, Olympic, Alitalia as great as British Airways all have unwavering flights headed to a country. Traveling to Turkey is unequivocally easy as great as bad flights have been some-more approaching since tourists have manifold airlines to name from as great as can endorse that will many suitable fit their needs according to check as great as schedule.

    Esenboga Ubiquitous Airport, Sabiha Gokcen Ubiquitous Airport as great as Ataturk Ubiquitous Airport have been a small of a ubiquitous airports in Turkey. A sure airport that is shaped in Istanbul, a material of Turkey, is a Ataturk Ubiquitous Airport, that serves you guess twenty-six million passengers any year. In serve, Turkey’s spontaneous airports array upwards of 45, origination traversing a republic unequivocally easy as great as quick.

    Turkey can elaborate of twenty airlines that operate a largest cities, presumably as radically done during home carriers, ubiquitous carriers or bucket carriers. Also journey a singular of these not as immeasurable airlines for ride to Turkey from a singular of a exquisite ubiquitous hubs. These little carriers competition for passengers as great as will often indicate a revoke ride if you have been rendezvous alone from a immeasurable content airline.

    The climb mellow for ride to Turkey is in a open, April as great as Competence, as great as a autumn, September to October. Turkey radically has 7 striking go on districts, so any arrange of go on can be occurring during any time. Digest where you instruct to revisit as great as do your go on research. Also be attentive of any inner festivals that competence be occurring while you have been traveling. Though a festivals have been a immeasurable person arriving lift, you strait digest great in lay or be faced with no place to stay. A prices of accommodations as great as, intermittently even services, will mount in or some-more during a festival. Also know that people in Turkey pattern you to haggle. Prices in Turkey have been rounded off continually negotiable. Do not be aroused to adhere to at a behind of as great as watch a locals to see how it’s done-most products can be haggled down by fifteen to 20%. Be fearless as great as you will be rewarded with respect…and a revoke price.

    Turkey is an unusual ride destination. A churches, mosques, temples as great as really aged pattern have been breathtaking. A bazaars have been identical to a largest behind back yard sale that you can ever suspect with a carnival-like atmosphere that will have you smiling as great as non-static identical to a native. Turkey cannot be seen in usually a singular tour, so digest to revisit again!

    via Cheap flights to turkey | Tips.

  • Postcard from Laura: Up the mountains of Turkey

    Postcard from Laura: Up the mountains of Turkey

    lauraWe arrived in Anatalya, Turkey, excited because this was originally to be a day at sea. Because of the change in our ports of call, we were instead happily experiencing more of Turkey. We had two choices: One was a tour of the archaeological museum with a nice lunch in a local restaurant and an afternoon excursion to one of the best-preserved Roman theaters from antiquity at Aspendos. The other was a chance to take a strenuous hike up a steep trail through a pine forest to Termessos.

    I reread the daily program several times just to make sure I would be prepared for the day. I believe in the motto t”here is no such thing as bad weather, just bad equipment.” At Termessos, we were warned to “expect changeable weather atop the mountain – fog, cold winds and rain can come up suddenly.”

    And, rather apologetically, the program noted there would only be a boxed lunch. For me at least this was the best news of all. My bones were aching to stretch, and the thought of being on top of the mountain was thrilling, as heights always revitalize me. I would be prepared, because there are a few items which never leave my suitcase — the little black dress, a swimsuit, the rain hat, the blue wind/rain jacket and my trusty, out-of-fashion hiking boots. I have used these boots since my first trip to Russia in 1992. Because Kathleen the archaeologist from Smithsonian Journey’s promised to take photos at Aspendos anyway, going to Termessos was not a tough choice. In fact, it was the only one for me.

    Some were overly prepared; others were a bit fearful that our several days aboard the Corinthian II and that the multiple trips to the dessert table would catch up with them halfway up the mountain. We kept our heads down and walked from the main road to a steep road and the Yenice Pass to find the more ancient road called “Kings Street.” Much to our surprise, we arrived at our destination quickly. The view of the valley and pine trees below was incredible. We were at almost 5,500 feet, and most of the other mountains of Antalya average only 650 feet above sea level. Thankfully it was not a clear, hot sunny day, but a bit overcast — perfect weather for a hike and a photo or two to prove we did it.

    A few steps more and our guide began to explain that Termessos is one of the best preserved ancient cities of Turkey. Only a small force was needed to defend the city because of its location. In the early 4th century BC, Alexander the Great, attempted (and failed) to conquer this mountain and city of Temessos, which he likened it to an eagle’s nest perched high to protect its value. As we walked through the dense growth of trees and shrubs, I almost wished I had a machete because Alectas’ tomb was at the far reaches of the mountain. However, the additional hike to get there was rewarded with a beautiful high-relief carving of the warrior on horseback.

    On the way down, I was especially taken by the honesty of the signage; one of the buildings had a sign that just simply stated, “Unidentified building. Use unknown.” We could have used it as our tavern, but the lunch boxes were down the mountain; and once there we felt entitled to gorge ourselves on the chicken wraps, fresh fruit and sparking water. We sat on the old tombstones and sarcophagi, chattering away as if we were better than Alexander the Great. In fact, we were so valiant in our efforts to get up the mountain that we were ahead of schedule, and so off we went to the nearby archaeological museum to see the spoils of war and the creations of ancient artisans. I found myself in the gift shop buying a pink plastic book bag and a T-shirt. These were my tangible rewards for exercising my mind, body and spirit — along with remembrances of an active day well spent in Turkey.

    Laura C. Johnson is a freelance art historian who lives and works in Chicago and Florence. This series features a Road Scholar journey starting in Cyprus, to Turkey, Greece and Croatia, finishing in Venice. To reach Laura, send an email to gotravelgirl2011@googlemail.com

    Copyright 2011 Rockford Register Star. Some rights reserved

    via Postcard from Laura: Up the mountains of Turkey – Rockford, IL – Rockford Register Star.

  • Turkish dam threatens town that dates back to the bronze age

    Turkish dam threatens town that dates back to the bronze age

    Turkish dam threatens town that dates back to the bronze age

    Hasankeyf has survived drought, war and empire, but it could be flooded out of existence within a few years

    * Constanze Letsch in Hasankeyf

    * guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 May 2011 17.48 BST

    Hasankeyf and the Tigris river

    Hasankeyf has 'housed all the civilisations of Mesopotamia', but now faces being submerged by a dam project. Photograph: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images
    Hasankeyf has 'housed all the civilisations of Mesopotamia', but now faces being submerged by a dam project. Photograph: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

    It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements on Earth, a town on the banks of the Tigris that dates back to the bronze age.

    Over the years it has survived the rise and fall of empires, drought, war and the harsh vicissitudes of nature.

    But Hasankeyf is facing the prospect of being flooded out of existence as Turkish authorities seek to speed up a dam project in south-east Anatolia that will raise the level of the river by 60 metres (200ft).

    “Hasankeyf has housed all the civilisations of Mesopotamia,” says Idris Turan, a local guide. “Romans, Byzantines, Assyrians, Arabs, Mongols and Ottomans – they have all passed through here and left their marks on the town.”

    The remains of a medieval bridge, one of the largest of its era, still withstand the currents of the Tigris.

    On the northern bank stands the 15th-century Zeynel Bey mausoleum, with its kufic tiles of glazed turquoise.

    More than 300 historical sites lie in and around Hasankeyf, many of them unexplored.

    Activists, both local and international, are fighting for the town, but the Turkish government is pressing ahead. Germany, Austria and Switzerland withdrew financial support for the Ilisu dam in July 2009, citing concerns about the social and environmental impact, but the government was able to secure domestic financing for the €1.1bn project.

    In October 2010, the villagers of Ilisu, 60 miles downriver, were relocated to new, state-built homes.

    At the inauguration ceremony, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ordered the opening of the dam to be brought forward from 2016 to 2014.

    Pointing to the dust clouds rising from a construction site across the Tigris, Ömer Güzel, a shop owner and activist, says: “That’s where the new town of Hasankeyf is being built.

    “It feels like we will be buried alive and all we can do is sit and watch them dig our graves.”

    All is not yet lost. In March 2011, a court in Diyarbakir ordered an assessment of Hasankeyf’s cultural value and the damage the dam might cause.

    The investigation was brought about by the determination of a sole plaintiff.

    Murat Cano, a lawyer, has been fighting the dam since 2000 on the basis that it violates a Turkish law for the preservation of historical sites and the European convention on the protection of the archaeological heritage.

    “The ministry of culture has no feasible plans on how to move and protect the historical monuments,” Cano said.

    “They are not even sure which monuments will be relocated. If the assessment report is written to international preservation standards, the Ilisu dam project will be scrapped.”

    via Turkish dam threatens town that dates back to the bronze age | World news | The Guardian.

  • Submit your entries for the Travel section’s annual photo contest

    Submit your entries for the Travel section’s annual photo contest

    We’re now accepting submissions for our 12th annual photo contest.

    ( Gabor Garamvari / ) - Gabor Garamvari’s photo of a blind vendor at the Istanbul spice market won honorable mention in Travel’s 2010 photo contest.
    ( Gabor Garamvari / ) – Gabor Garamvari’s photo of a blind vendor at the Istanbul spice market won honorable mention in Travel’s 2010 photo contest.

    ( Gabor Garamvari / ) – Gabor Garamvari’s photo of a blind vendor at the Istanbul spice market won honorable mention in Travel’s 2010 photo contest.

    As always, we want gritty as well as pretty. The topic of travel is broad, so have some fun with it: Experiment with lighting, angles, subjects and composition. Start shooting . . . and surprise us.

    One photo entry per person. Photo must have been taken after July 31, 2010.

    Submit your entries online at . Approved entries will be visible to other users. Include caption information and when the photo was taken, plus your name,

    e-mail address and phone number. Personal information will not be published online.

    Or, e-mail entries to travelphotos@washpost.com. Photos should be JPEG or TIFF attachments, between 1MB and 5MB in size. Include caption information and when the photo was taken, plus your name, address and phone number, and put the photo topic (e.g., “Scotland rainbow”) in the subject line.

    We’re looking for amateur shutterbugs only; professional photographers (i.e., anyone earning 50 percent or more of his or her annual income from photography) need not apply.

    Entries must be received by July 25. Photos become the property of The Post, which may edit, publish, distribute and republish them in any form. Photographers retain the rights to their images. No purchase necessary.

    The winners, to be determined by the Travel staff and photography professionals, will receive prizes that will be announced shortly. Post employees and their immediate families are not eligible. Please do not call to ask whether we have received your entry. The winning photos will be published Aug. 28.

    via Submit your entries for the Travel section’s annual photo contest – The Washington Post.

  • Istanbul on the hop

    Istanbul on the hop

    Ian Jarrett ©

    istanbul boatsThe man standing outside Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace is holding two small white rabbits. Intrigued, I hop across the road to find out more.

    “These are,” he says, pointing to Fluff and Stuff, “two very clever rabbits. They can tell fortunes.”

    Fair enough, for just one Turkish lira, I’ll give it a go. One of the rabbits, I think it’s Fluff, noses around inside a cardboard box and pulls out a small piece of white paper, which the rabbit owner then unwraps and reads.

    “You will enjoy a long and prosperous life,” the man says.

    “Anything else?”

    “You can try again if you give me another lira.” I don’t hang around because I’m anxious to get on with my long and prosperous life so I wink and suggest the same words are written – in Turkish – on every piece of paper.

    Now confident about my own future, I wonder about the outlook for Turkey, a country with a complex and multi-layered history that continues to perch, precariously at times, between Europe and Asia, between democratic government and military rule, between a secular society and one influenced by Islam.

    While attempting to persuade the European Union that it is worthy of EU membership, Turkey has been making small social changes that will have earned a few nods of approval from the bureaucrats in Brussels.

    Istanbul’s main Taksim Square last year saw a march commemorating international gay pride day, a first for Turkey, although it didn’t go off without some police intervention.

    Turkey is also promoting a healthier lifestyle. Smoking has been banned from restaurants, cafes and bars but since more than one in three Turks smokes, even the threat of a 5000 lira ($3000) fine may not be enough to encourage cafe owners to stop customers lighting up.

    Less popular with tourists and some locals is the heavy government tax on alcoholic drinks, including wine, even though Turks are moderate drinkers.

    Other habits are less easy to control. They appear to include a requirement for taxi drivers to sting tourists around Istanbul’s busiest tourist sites. Some, but not all, taxi drivers waiting outside the Grand Bazaar adjust their meters for tourists to record fares three times what they should be.

    Another oddity about Istanbul is the small legion of mobile shoeshine boys – although most of them are men rather than boys – who will drop one of their brushes as you pass them in the street.

    After this had occurred three times in a day, and I had picked up the brush and handed it back to its owner each time, I realised the “accidentally” dropped brush was an excuse to start a conversation, which included an offer of a shoe shine, for a modest fee of course, as thanks for picking up the brush.

    These quibbles aside, and to be fair it’s not uncommon elsewhere in the world for taxi drivers to take advantage of gullible tourists, Turkey is moving forward confidently. For Istanbul, its status as European Capital of Culture last year gave it an opportunity to showcase the best of its considerable art, culture and heritage to the rest of the world, and also to involve its own citizens – especially its younger population – in a year-long celebration.

    The influence of the Ottomans, who knocked about these parts for centuries, pervades Istanbul, nowhere more so than in the domed and beautiful mosaic hammams (bath houses), the crowning example being the Baths of Roxelana, with its towering steam rooms, ritual washing quarters, and extensive massage platforms. Roxelana – named after the wife of a sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, became an important social centre, particularly for Muslim women.

    The baths were designated for the use of the congregation of Hagia Sophia when it was used as a mosque. The women’s entrance was at one end of the building and the men’s at the other. Oddly, the building is now a government-run upmarket carpet shop,

    Hagia Sophia, built by Constantine the Great in the fourth century and reconstructed by Justinian in the sixth century, has twice burnt down and been rebuilt. For the past 16 years the ornate ceilings have been restored to their original glory, the work finishing only last year.

    Istanbul’s icons also include the Ottoman Empire’s Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque and the grand palaces, Dolmabahce Palace and the Ciragan Palace.

    No less impressive – and my personal favourite – is Basilica Cistern, the sixth century underground cistern below St Sophia Square, built by the Romans to bring water to palaces in the vicinity.

    Tucked between and beyond the most popular tourists sites, life goes on in old Istanbul pretty much undisturbed. Turkish, Arab and Kurdish families still live side by side in early 20th century apartment blocks in streets surrounding the Galata Tower.

    It’s a noisy area but the clamour is generated by street life: kids playing football, men crowding around the backgammon boards in tea houses, women using a pulley system to haul baskets of vegetables bought from a mobile greengrocer to their upper floor apartments, and junk sellers hawking their wares.

    In narrow streets close to the Grand Central Station, where once a year the Orient Express ends its journey from Paris, people go about their business as they have done for years.

    It has the appearance of a theatre backstage where the workers are scurrying about before the curtain goes up on the main event – in this case the nearby Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar, Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern.

    It was here that I had a most enjoyable visit to a barber. A haircut, wash, neck and shoulder massage, shave and singe, plus a cup of strong Turkish coffee and a chat with locals who dropped in to kill time. All for less than $A10.

    The intensity of the locals’ conversation rose as a cut-throat razor went to work around my chin and neck. I began to think of Fluff and Stuff and hoped that I still had a long and prosperous life.

    Beyond Istanbul on the Bosphorus dividing Asia and Europe, a boat trip to Anadolu Kavagi, close to the entrance to the Black Sea, allows time for lunch between taking the return journey, passing on the way Istanbul’s summer playgrounds, Ortakoy and Galatasaray island, built for the sports club of the same name.

    Look carefully and you may spot one of Australia’s best-known footballers, Harry Kewell, now plying his trade with Galatasaray in the Turkish premier league.

    Thewest.com.au

  • Five unforgettable experiences in Istanbul

    Five unforgettable experiences in Istanbul

    Geetika Jain, Hindustan Times

    From historic sites to sprawling street life, the Turkish town offers the best of culture 1 Explore the historic sights

    istanbul buyukada view

    The Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia Cathedral and Topkapi Palace are three historic and impressive building very close to each other in the Old town of Sultanahmet. Arc

    hitect Mimar Sinan designed the Blue Mosque with its semi and quarter cupolas attached to the main dome and devised four minarets. Aya Sophia’s poignant tale speaks of the arrival of Islam in Constantinople and the intrigues of the harem at the Royal Palace will have you spellbound.

    2 Stroll the grand bazaar and spice market

    The Grand Bazaar has been the epicentre of trade between Asia, Europe and Africa for centuries. Roam its isles to find silvers and gold jewellery and ceramics. At the exotic Spice Market, you can try many Turkish delights.

    3 Sail down the Bosphorus

    According to author Orhan Pamuk, the Bosphorus, a 32-kilometre tranquil strait, is of “spiritual import” to the people of Istanbul. The sultans of yore had their summer homes here, and today, the tall, slim houses along the waters are avidly sought after. Hop on a ferry or cruise liner at Sultanahmet or any other stop along the way and enjoy a two hour ride back and forth, taking in historic sights and modern bridges.

    4 Try the local restaurants

    Subashi is very casual restaurant serving local food just outside the Grand Bazaar. Fez Cafe inside the Grand Bazaar serves delectable snacks with coffee. Hamdi is a lively place with a leafy terrace just outside the Spice Market. They are famous for their pistachio kebabs.

    Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir in Beyoglu serves delectable sweets. Bebek serves Bedem Ezmesi, an almond pastry worth the long lines. Vegetarians will love okra dishes, fava beans, goat’s cheese, local breads and salads.

    5 Walk the neighbourhoods

    Istanbul’s rich visuals have been documented in Ara Guler’s famous photographs. Walk the old historic streets of Sultanahmet, discover the eateries and art galleries of Beyoglu, see the modern, upmarket buzz in Nisantasi and find views of the Bosphorus. Watch the people going by- ladies in hijabs and peroxide blondes rub shoulders. Suave businessmen converse with elderly men knitting skull caps outside mosques. Istanbul is a unique city, steeped in rich and fascinating history and it combines the past and future and the east and west like none other.

    The quick Guide to Istanbul

    Best time to go: spring and autumn.

    Explore: Fransiz Sokagi, known as French St for food and nightlife.

    Experience: A traditional hamaam. Cagaoglu Hamami Kazim Ismail Gurkan. Watch the mystic whirling dervishes at Galata Mavlevihanesi

    Guide: Kenan Ozbey www.geocities.com/ozbey

    Shop: Koy Meydani — modern version of the Grand Bazaar. Beymen in Nishantashi and Kanyon mall

    Clubbing: Ulus 29, Reina and Kurucesme on the Bosphoru.

    via Five unforgettable experiences in Istanbul – Hindustan Times.