Tag: Kars

  • Exploring Turkey by horse, train, cycle and sail boat

    Exploring Turkey by horse, train, cycle and sail boat

    From a riding trek along the Evliya Çelebi Way, to boarding the Dogu Express, to sailing the Ceramic Gulf, or cycling in Cappadocia, there is more than one way to explore Turkey

    • Harriet O’Brien
    • The Guardian
    Mountainbiker in the Love Valley, Guevercinlik valley, Cappadocia, Turkey

    Mountain bikers in the Love Valley, Cappadocia, Turkey. Photograph: N Eisele-Hein/Getty Images/LOOK

    Cycle in Cappadocia

    With its golden landscape of great rock cones and spires known as “fairy chimneys”, the central mountainous region of Cappadocia looks like the stuff of fantasy. This other-wordly area is exhilarating cycling terrain, with quiet tracks and dirt roads winding through weird and wonderful volcanic scenery. EcoTurkey has several eight-night cycling trips here, stopping at rock-cut churches and remote villages, and staying in small hotels and cave rooms. The Cappadocia Adventure Biking Tour is graded “moderate” and would suit those with a reasonable level of fitness. It is a circular trip from Kayseri, taking in Soganlı valley, Nar lake and the incredible monastery and churches at Selime.

    • The next trip with EcoTurkey (020-3119 0004, ecoturkey.com) is from 11-18 May and costs from £650pp, including accommodation, meals, guide, and support vehicle, but not flights. Fly to Istanbul, then take aTurkish Airlines) flight to Kayseri. Mountain bikes can be hired from Kayseri for about £110 a week. Or local company Argeus Tourism and Travel can tailor-make individual trips

    Drive the Aegean Coast

    A leisurely independent road trip from Istanbul to Bodrum will take you to some of Turkey’s most poignant and impressive sites. Among the most notable are Troy; the cemeteries of Gallipoli; Assos, with the remains of the Doric temple of Athena; the ancient Greek city of Pergamon; Ephesus, whose Temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and the remains of Priene, with the striking backdrop of Mount Mykale – but there is plenty more along the way. Overnight stops could include Cunda island, also known as Ali Bey Adasi, near Troy, where the seven-room Otel Sobe hotel is a delight, and the pretty Ottoman village of Sirince, where Nisanyan House hotel has been developed from an atmospheric old inn. The latter is close to Ephesus, so convenient for getting to this much-visited monument early, and avoiding the worst of the crowds.
    • Car hire from Istanbul’s Atatürk airport and also downtown Sultanahmet is available through a number of agencies including Hertz and Europcar

    Ride the Evliya Çelebi Way

    Evliya Celebi route, in TurkeyRiding the Evliya Celebi route in Turkey.Remote areas of Turkey’s north-west became accessible when a newhorse riding and hiking trail opened in 2011. It follows part of the pilgrimage route of the celebrated 17th-century traveller and adventurer Evliya Çelebi – who was also a talented dervish, musician and writer. Developed from goat tracks, forestry paths and Roman and Ottoman roads, the trail passes some of the country’s most spectacular landscape, taking in ancient hill forts and villages that are well off the beaten track, as well as beautiful stretches of Lake Iznik. The full route is roughly 650km and takes about 25 days to complete on horseback, but it’s possible to do shorter sections. In October, In the Saddle has a 14-night riding trip starting at the village of Hersek, near Istanbul, and finishing at Kütahya, the ancestral home of Evliya.
    • From £2,349pp, including accommodation, guide, riding, and most meals, but not flights to Istanbul. The trip runs from 5-19 October, with the possibility of shortening the ride and returning on 12 October. 01299 272997, inthesaddle.com

    Cruise the Ceramic gulf

    A cruise on a traditional gulet sailing boat is one of the most captivating ways of exploring Turkey’s southern coast, sailing around long mountain-backed peninsulas and stopping at sites largely inaccessible by road.Peter Sommer Travels offers a particularly appealing and remote trip around the Ceramic gulf, off Bodrum. This is one of the most unspoilt parts of the south-west region, with seascapes of quiet coves and deep inlets, and a landscape dotted with sites of immense historical interest. There is plenty of opportunity to swim, kayak and snorkel along the way. Highlights include the wonderfully preserved remains of the marble city of Knidos, and the castle of St Peter in Bodrum, built by the Knights of Rhodes and now one of the world’s most renowned museums of underwater archaeology.
    • From £2,065pp (based on two sharing) including transfers to and from the boat, all meals on board, entrance fees, excursions from the gulet and guiding, but not flights. The next trip runs from 8-15 June. 01600 888220, petersommer.com

    Take the train to Kars

    Remains of Great Cathedral at Ani, ruined capital of the Armenian KingdomRemains of Great Cathedral at Ani, ruined capital of the Armenian Kingdom, near Kars. Photograph: AlamyThe Dogu Express runs across Turkey from the capital, Ankara, to the city of Kars on the Armenian border, passing through magnificent rugged scenery, most notably along the Euphrates river. It makes a relaxing yet thrilling trip and, complete with couchettes and restaurant car, is a comfortable way to venture to the wild east of the country. One of the highest cities in Turkey, Kars is home to the dramatic remains of a 12th-century castle, and is a convenient gateway for a visit to the striking ruins of Ani, an Armenian medieval city that is now on the Turkish side of the border. Trains leave from Ankara every day at 6pm and arrive at Kars the following day at 6.29pm. Note that for this year and next, Istanbul’s Haydarpasa railway station is closed for engineering works. To reach Ankara from Istanbul, you will instead need to take a bus to Eskisehir, from where a high-speed train connects to the capital.
    • Tickets from Ankara to Kars cost about £20pp one-way in a four-berth couchette (two-berth options are also available) and can be bought through tcdd.gov.tr or at Turkish railway stations

    https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/mar/22/turkey-holidays-horse-riding-train-cycle-sailing

    Mountainbiker in the Love Valley, Guevercinlik valley, Cappadocia, Turkey

  • Turkey: Historic preservation

    Turkey: Historic preservation

    The Church of Tigran Honents at Ani is seen in the Turkey-Armenia border province of Kars, Turkey. Burhan Ozbilici / AP  Read more:
    The Church of Tigran Honents at Ani is seen in the Turkey-Armenia border province of Kars, Turkey. Burhan Ozbilici / AP Read more:

    Turkey has launched a project to conserve an ancient Armenian cathedral and church in what is seen as a gesture of reconciliation toward its neighbor. Turkey and Armenia have been locked in a bitter dispute for decades over the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in the last years of the Ottoman Empire. The project aims to conserve the remains of the cathedral and the Church of the Holy Savior in Ani, 25 miles from the eastern Turkish city of Kars. According to the New York-based World Monuments Fund, Ani — “one of the world’s great cities in the 10th century” — was once the site of hundreds of religious buildings, palaces, fortifications and other structures. Today it stands abandoned and the remnants of its celebrated buildings are in a precarious state. The site, in an earthquake-prone area, has been listed on the World Monuments Watch since 1996.

    Associated Press

    via Turkey: Historic preservation – Travel – MiamiHerald.com.

  • Azerbaijan Consulate General in Kars inaugurates its new administrative building

    Azerbaijan Consulate General in Kars inaugurates its new administrative building

    Kars–APA. Azerbaijan Consulate General in Kars, Turkey inaugurated its new administrative building, Azerbaijan Press Council told APA.

    Leading media representatives, non-governmental organizations and public and political figures attended the ceremony. Welcoming the participants Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Kars Hasan Zeynalov spoke about the consulate’s 4-year activity. Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Istanbul Sayyad Aran focused on the ceremony’s role in the deepening of Turkey-Azerbaijan friendship. Member of Azerbaijani Parliament Nizami Khudiyev, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Press Council Aflatun Amashov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Vagif Sadigov, Governor of Igdir City Saim Safffet Karahisarli, Governor of Kars Mehmet Ufuk Erden and others called the ceremony as a historic event for both Kars and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani journalists began their tour on Igdir and Kars on the Press Council’s initiative on December 2. Representatives of the non-governmental organizations and members of the Azerbaijani parliament were also included in the delegation. On Wednesday the delegation leaves for Igdir, where the monument of Azerbaijani martyrs will be opened on December 4.

  • New office of Azerbaijani consulate general to be opened in Kars city

    New office of Azerbaijani consulate general to be opened in Kars city

    Azerbaijani MPs have left for Turkey to take part in the inauguration of the new office of Azerbaijani consulate general in Kars,Turkey.

     

    Azerbaijani MPs Nizami Khudiyev and Rustam Khalilov have left for Turkey today. They will take part in the inauguration ceremony of the new office of Azerbaijani consulate general in Kars city, Turkey.  

    Press service of Milli Majlis (Parliament) informed ANS PRESS that Azerbaijani deputies will be familiarized with the activity of the consulate general within their visit on December 2-4.

  • Karabakh Liberation Organization issues statement condemning “Caucasian festival” to take place in Kars

    Karabakh Liberation Organization issues statement condemning “Caucasian festival” to take place in Kars

     

     

    [ 03 Oct 2008 16:52 ]

    Baku. Ramil Mammadli–APA. Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) addressed the Anatolian Turks about the “Caucasian festival” in Kars and Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan’s upcoming visit to Turkey. KLO Press Service told APA the organization accused the Turkey’s current authority in establishing cooperation with Armenia and demanded Turkish people to interfere in this issue. “We hope that you will not allow this treacherous course to keep on. We remind you about the latest events and call on you to prevent “friendly” policy toward Armenians. We believe that you will not allow to the terrorist and bloodsucker president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan to visit Turkey. There are reports about the Kars municipality’s intentions to hold “Caucasian”, rather “Armenian festival”. This person, who wants to serve Armenians, has not to forget about the barbarism of Armenians in Kars and mass graves there. Kars is a joint historical place for Azerbaijanis and Turks. Those, who want to make Kars “Armenian place”, should be damned”.