Mardin, the legendary city of Upper Mesopotamia, has a history going back to 8000 BC, and over the millennia numerous civilizations have come and gone. This is a city of evocative beauty and unique atmosphere, where people of different cultures and religions have always lived in harmony. The Romans knew it as Maride, the Persians […]
The Turkish Bath or Hamam is an atmospheric world all its own in the midst of the modern bustling city. Everyone who sets foot in here surrenders to the water in a voluntary form of captivity, for the process of purification of not just the body but also the soul. Upon entering the door you […]
Konya Archeology Museum The archeology museum has been opened for the first time in the building that is at the southwestern corner of Karma Secondary School in 1901. In 1927, the works have been moved to Mevlana Museum and in 1953 to Iplikci Mosque for the exhibition. In 1962, today’s museum has been established and […]
This is reflected in the 11th-century Turkish dictionary, Divanu Lugat-it-Turk, written by Mahmut of Kasgar between 1072 and 1074, in which he cites the words udma and udhitma for fresh cheese, and translates the Turkish sentence Ol udhitma uditti as he made cheese. The verb “udhitmak” originated from Uighur Turkish and meant to put to […]
In the autumn of 1945, a research team from Istanbul University traced the ancient caravan routes through the passes of the Toros Mountains in search of Hittite sites. The team was led by Professor Dr. Helmut Th. Bossert and included Dr. Halet Cambel. At Feke, a small town in the Toros over a hundred kilometers […]
Thirty kilometers east of the city of Denizli in southwest Turkey you see a yellow signpost pointing south to Haydarbaba Turbe and Kaklik Cave 3 kilometers away. Kaklik Cave was created by an underground stream eating away the limestone and sulfurous rock of the region. It seems strange that a cave should be situated not […]
The province of Canakkale which straddles the Dardanelles strait in northwest Turkey is a region rich in legend and myth. According to one of these myths, the Strait linking the Aegean and Marmara seas was created by the sea god Poseidon, who split the land apart allowing the waters to rush through. The city on […]
One of the earliest Turkish principalities in Anatolia, the Mengucek rulers bore the titles of sah and melik (shah and king respectively). In the 12th and 13th centuries, they constructed magnificent buildings in their capital city of Divrigi in the Turkish province of Sivas. It consists of houses with gardens and orchards spread out over […]
As your plane circles down towards Dalaman, you realize that the view from your porthole has changed from sky blue to pine green. Then, as it straightens, you catch sight of many islands scattered around the innumerable bays of the Gulf of Fethiye, and you imagine yourself sailing before the wind amongst them. As you […]
The town of Didim is one of the prettiest in Turkey’s southwestern province of Aydin. As you enter the seaside town an imposing monument can be seen rising towards the clouds like a mountain peak. This is the Temple of Apollo, a god with Anatolian roots associated with light, music, and prophecy. He was the […]
