Uludag – Bursa
Uludag is one of the most important winter tourism centers of Turkey. It is located in the city Bursa. The height of Uludag is 2543 meters. Ukudag is an old tourism center. It has been visited by lots of people for many years. It is an old volcano. However, like other volcanoes in Turkey, it is inactive. Around the mountain there are plateau. In the area, there are more than 15 accommodation places. There is chair lift system here. In addition to private tours, Uludag camps are held. You can choose such a camp and be in nature more.

Palandoken – Erzurum
Palandoken is located in the eastern part of Turkey. It is 3271 meter high. There is a ski center here. Palandoken is the highest point of the area. It has the longest ski way in Turkey. Palandöken is one of the popular winter holiday places in Turkey. As the mountain has a difficult nature, climbing and skiing here require special equipment and attention. Generally professionals prefer here.

Erciyes – Kayseri
Erciyes is the highest point of Anatolia in Turkey. It is located in Kayseri. Erciyes is 3917 meters high. Between meters 1800 and 3000, a ski center is found. Erciyes is an old formation. It is predicted that this volcanic formation emerged million years ago.

Kartalkaya – Bolu
Kartalkaya is in Bolu, Turkey. It is one of the skiing centers of Turkey. Skiing, sledding and snowboarding are popular activities. Accommodation options are various. There are many hotels, motels and camp places. The scenery of Kartalkaya is unique. Nature is very rich. Mountain, forest, plateaus make it a wonderful place to see.

Ilgaz – Kastamonu
Ilgaz Mountain is located in Kastamonu, Turkey. The altitude of it is 1800- 200 meters. The snow reaches to 2.5 meters in winter. Gondol lift, chair lift services are available. In addition to hotel and motel options, camping is possible.

Zigana – Gumushane
Zigana is located in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is found in the city Gumushane. The highest point of Zigana is 2200 meters. The ski season is approximately four months here. Till april, winter sports can be done here.

Bozdag – Izmir
Bozdağ is a tourism place that attracts people’s attention during all the year. However, in winter much more people come here. It is a small skiing center located in Izmir, Turkey. On the peak point of Bozdag, there is snow even till may.

Davraz – Isparta
Davraz Mountain is located in Isparta, Turkey. It is 2635 meters high. There are two peak points of Davraz. Nearly during all the year it is suitable for skiing tourism. Especially currently, Davraz became one of the most popular winter tourism centers of Turkey.

Sarıkamıs – Kars
Sarıkamış is in the east part of Turkey. It is located in the city Kars. Sarıkamış brings a different atmosphere to the east part of the country. It is a skiing center and attracts tourists from all over the world. Approximately for nine months, snow is available here.

Travel to Turkey

The construction was given to the father of Mevlana by Sultan Ala’ al –Din Kaygubad as a present. It was a rose garden. When Mevlana’s father passed away in 13th century, his tomb was constructed here. Mevlana Museum is a tourism center of Turkey.

Who is Mevlana?
Mevlana is a title given to the religious leader and important figures in Islam. Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi is a Persian poet and philosopher. Mevlana Museum was named after this persona. He is known all around the world with his works and thoughts. His philosophy is based on the concept of tolerance. His speech “Come whoever you are” is world wide famous and it shows the great tolerance of him and his philosophy. UNESCO announced the year 2007 as Mevlana year. During 2007, many ceremonies, performances and organizations were held for Mevlana in many different countries.

Parts of Mevlana Museum
Mevlana Museum is one of the mostly visited museums of Turkey. Tourists from all over the world visit the museum. It is such an international museum that panoramic virtual tours are available on the net. Via it, people can go around Mevlana Museum online.

The building and parts of the museum are architecturally masterpieces. This is one of the factors making it a tourism center. You should see all these different parts of Mevlana Museum. The tour begins with the Gates of Dervishes. In this part of the museums, there are rooms of dervishes. There are also ritual rooms and a small mosque here.

The Tomb is an important part of Mevlana Museum. There are mausoleums of Mevlana, his father, Hürrem Pasha and some other important and historical figures. Every mausoleum is designed separately and they are worth to visit.

The construction was used with religious reasons before being a museum and a tourism attraction. So there are parts constructed and used for religious rituals and ceremonies. There is a small mosque. It is a mosque designed very sophistically. The rugs, walls, seats, everything are worth to see in this part. The mosque attracts attention with well designed atmosphere of it.

Once upon a time dervishes and religious men were living in this building. A kitchen was the basic need of them. The kitchen part is still in good condition. It is open to the visitors. In the kitchen, there are illustrations depicting old times.

There is a special dance of dervishes called “Sema”. It is the part of religious ceremonies. There is a Sema Hane, ritual hall in Mevlana Museum. The dance was performed in this part. Now it is a place in which musical instruments, glass or metal dance figures and statues are displayed.

There are collections displayed in Mevlana Museum. First of all, the books of Mevlana can be seen here. He wrote many books and poems. In addition to that, there are Quran collections. They are generally old and hand written Quran pieces. They are unique pieces and you should see the art used for writing these pieces.

Watch a video of Mevlana Museum.

Travel to Istanbul

Istanbul Toy Museum is located in Göztepe, Istanbul, Turkey. It was founded in 2005 by Sunay Akın. The museum was opened on 23rd April 2005; it is the National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.

Who is Sunay Akin?
Sunay Akin is a Turkish writer, poet, journalist and researcher. He is the founder of Istanbul Toy Museum. Establishing such a museum was a dream of Akin. He gathered toys from all over the world for eleven years. He used his own family’s pavilion as the museum building. In 2005, his dream came true and he opened Istanbul Toy Museum.

Toys at the Museum
At Toys Museum, approximately 4000 pieces toys are found. They were gathered together by Sunay Akin from all over the world. From different countries, you can see many toy kinds. There are new and old pieces. The oldest one is the violin toy made in France in 1817. There are also old toys from America. These are doll and balls. In addition to these, metal toys made in Germany are among the oldest pieces.

The toys are classified and displayed according to their origin, country, history or period. There are toy parts displaying World War Second, Germany, America, France, Turkey, II Abdülhamit King Period and many others. Each part make you live in another time in another place with these little toys.

Activities at the Istanbul Toy Museum
In the first floor of the pavilion you can find a toy and gift shop. From here, you can buy toys as souvenir. There are dolls, metal toys, traditional toy kinds and hand made ones available. You can choose whichever you want.

The second floor displays different soldier figures. There are many imaginary scenes with these soldiers. In addition to that, there are famous world figures such as Batman, Superman, Santa Claus and the others. You will feel the excitement while going around this floor.

While visiting Istanbul Toy Museum, you can rest at the café of museum. You will enjoy resting in this dreamy place. At the museum, there is also an underwater part. This part consists of submarine model and accessories.

At Istanbul Toy Museum, different organizations are held. These are harmonious organizations with the name of museum. For instance, illusion performances, theatre plays for children and similar organizations are held. You can visit the museum and you can also attend these interesting organizations.

Visit the web site of Istanbul Toy Museum.

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Built as a cathedral, it was converted into a mosque during Ottoman Empire period. It is now a museum and it is also called Hagia Sophia Museum. The construction of it began in 532 and ended in 537. Construction period was very fast for such a cathedral. It is one of the biggest cathedrals of the world.

Hagia Sophia chronologically experiences three different periods. First of all, it was a church. Nothing remained from the first construction. Then a new one was built. However, the same destiny was waiting for it. It was burned and ruined. Not all the parts of the church were damaged. Some major parts of it came to our age. With the order of Emperor Justinian, a totally new church was built. After the conquest of Istanbul by Turks, the church was changed into a mosque. It was used as a mosque for a long time. In 20th century, Hagia Sophia became a museum combining different religious, cultural and historical elements.

Architectural Features of Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is located in Turkey. However, it is a masterpiece of Byzantium architecture. It is such a wonderful building that Hagia Sophia gave inspire for other architectural works.

The construction is 56 meters high and 31 meters high from the inside. There are more than 100 columns carrying the building. The dome is the center of Hagia Sophia. It is separately a masterpiece. Forty windows surround the dome. From these windows, the sunlight enters the inside of the building creating different sceneries.

The museum displays some unique archeological works. Marble works, statues, mosaics, icons are just some of the works you can see here. There are four minarets of Hagia Sophia added after it was converted into a mosque. Four of them are different from each other. As they were added to the construction after a long time, architects built them in different styles and weights in order to balance the building.

Hagia Sophia is famous for its mosaics. Built as a church, it depicts figures of Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, Saints, birth and death. With time, some of these mosaics were taken to different parts of the world by vandal people. After Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque, mosaics were removed or covered. Islam is a religion which does not use imagery elements. Becoming a museum, the situation of Hagia Sophia was protected. Now visiting and seeing different mosaics, paintings are possible.

Visiting Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia was a candidate for New Seven Wonders of the World. It was not chosen in 2007. However, it is still a tourism attraction center of Istanbul. Everyday, the museum is visited by hundreds of people. If you want further information about Istanbul city, read also Center of Turkey: Istanbul.

Watch videos of Hagia Sophia.

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Temple of Artemis

Once upon a time, the temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. However, now there are only some columns remaining. Nearly the entire of the temple was ruined.

History of Temple of Artemis
The temple is dedicated to goddess Artemis. It was built in 6 BC. It is totally marble. The construction took a long time. The site area is older than the temple. It is predicted that Lydian and Lelege societies inhabited the area.

The Temple of Artemis was designed and built by Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes. King of Lydia Croesus gave the required financial support for the construction of the temple.

The area that temple was built on a boggy area. It is predicted that such an area was chosen intentionally. It was a precaution for possible earthquakes. When the construction of the Artemis Temple ended, it became a visitation point for traders, kings, tourists, and believers. They brought some goods, jewelry for the honor of Artemis goddess.

This old site and temple faced many attacks and it was restored many times. The biggest event in its history is Herostratus’ ruining the temple. The temple was destroyed in 4 BC by Herostratus. He believed that the temple would be world wide famous after that event. Despite being destroyed, fame was important. The temple was restored only after the death of king. However, this was not the first and the last destroy of the temple. It was destroyed by Goths during their rush. The temple was rebuilt by Roman Emperor Constantine. With time, the temple lost its religious importance. The ruins of the construction were used in different constructions.

Architectural Features of Artemis Temple
The researches show that the temple was built in three periods. In the first period, there was an altar in the area. Then the Temple of Artemis was built. Finally, restoration period began.

The entire of the temple could not reach to our age. We know only what is recorded. The data shows that it was approximately 155 meters high and 55 meters width. The temple was built totally from marble. Columns formed the temple. It was not just a building. In it, there were many art works. It was a displaying center. Statues, sculptures, paintings made by famous artists of the era were displayed in the temple.

Tourism and Temple of Artemis
Ephesus ancient city is a tourism center. Read the article Pearl of Aegean: Izmir – Turkey to get more information about Ephesus. Visiting Temple of Artemis is a part of Ephesus tour. The temple is not in good condition. However, it is still worth to see this historical and mythological site.

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Now Zeugma antique city is found in Gaziantep, Turkey. Zeugma city was a very important trade way. It was used as a passage way. The area of the city is approximately 20000 square meters. It is near the river Fırat. That makes it economically and militarily important.

History of Zeugma Antique City
Zeugma was founded by Seleucus Nicador. It was one of the biggest cities of Commagene Kingdom. In 1 AD, the city was under the control of Roman Empire. The city was named after Seleceus Nicador. The name was changed in 1 AD, the name “Zeugma” was given to the city. In its long history, Zeugma faced many attacks. Some of them ruined it. When Sassanids invaded the area, Zeugma was damaged. After that, the city becomes the land of Roman Empire. Islamic rushes affect the city. People left Zeugma due to these rushes and Islamic population inhabits it. In 17th century, a village named “Belkıs” is founded in the area.

Why Is Zeugma So Important?
Excavations found a unique city. Zeugma is one of the oldest, greatest cities of the world history. It combines culture, history, art and archeology. The city is famous for its mosaics.

The collection of Zeugma consists of mosaics, bullas, and statues. Zeugma is the city of mosaics. Only a small part of mosaics could be found with excavations. These are Roman works. This kind of mosaic can be found in two places in Turkey, Zeugma and Ephesus. If you also wonder about Ephesus read also TRAVEL: Pearl of Aegean: Izmir – Turkey.

Half of the area found with archeological excavations is covered with mosaics. That makes it world wide famous. Some of them were taken to Gaziantep Museum. Who made these works and why? The area was a common point for traders, for passengers. It was a point where people from the entire world met. These attracted the attention of artists. Lots of painters, sculptures came to Zeugma and left all these masterpieces to our age.

A world record was broken in Zeugma. A collection of more than 100.000 bullas were found. Bulla is a kind of seal used for letters. Finding so many bullas shows the great state archive of Zeugma. On every bulla, there are different figures. These figures give us information about economical, cultural situation of the era. The collection is displayed in Gaziantep Museum. It is one of the richest bulla collections of the world.

Sculptures and statues found in Zeugma are other unique parts of the city. The styles sculptures used here lead the other artists. Combining traditional and cultural elements of the area, works that can be seen only in Zeugma were made. Examining these different sculptures and statues is highly recommended during your visitation.

The city is divided into three, A, B, C. With excavations, A and B parts met with sunlight. There is not an excavation work for part C. There is a project to establish a museum at that part. However, ironically A and B parts is under water! A dam was built on the city!

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There are legends about the name of the monastery. It is claimed that Christian Greeks were saying “stou mela” when they wanted something from Panagania Icon. The claim is supported with another name. Sumela Monastery was also called as “the virgin of Mela”.

Architecture of Sumela Monastery
The church is predicted to be built in 3AD. There is not much data about what happened before it became a monastery. A famous story about Sumela Monastery is like that: Two monks dream the same thing. They dream that Pagania Icon made by Saint Luke is at Sumela. They come here without knowing each other and meet there. They start to build the first church.

There is a church, rooms, library, kitchen and other rooms at Sumela Monastery. Every part connects you to some other. At the top of a cliff, imagine series of rooms. Stairs lead you to the upper and other parts of the construction.

Walls of church are full of frescoes. The greatest of these frescoes depicts the birth of Virgin Mary, birth of Jesus Christ, their lives. Some paintings from the Bible can be found under them. This great fresco is found on the south wall of monastery. At the south gate of the Sumela the death of Mary and followers are depicted. At the east gate Genesis, Adam and Eve, the first sin, their punishment, and resurrection are found with frescoes. Some frescoes depict angels, Mikhail and the angel of death. These frescoes are the elements making monastery such important and beautiful. However, unfortunately some of them are damaged. Monastery is an old construction. Time, human factor and nature damaged monastery. Many times it was restored, but there are still parts that are not in good conditions.

The balcone of the Sumela Monastery does not look like such old. It is a part added after hundreds of years. It is predicted that balcony was used by monks and quests. From there, you can watch the charming scenery.

Visiting Sumela Monastery
Sumela Monastery is a tourism attraction place. Especially after restoration more and more people began to visit it. It is a tourism center, but government is worried about that. The current situation of monastery requires special care. There are some precautions that visitors should take. In order to keep this unique building, we should be more careful.

Generally Black Sea tours include Sumela Monastery to their schedules. There is accommodation option near Sumela, there are restaurants close to the area. After visiting Sumela, you can stay in the area.

The atmosphere combines culture, history, religion, architecture, archeology, nature and aesthetics. Finding all these at one place is not possible every time. Sumela Monastery is the only example of its type. If you go Trabzon, certainly visit this mysteries place and have great time.

A Different Option for Vacation: Cappadocia

The name “Cappadocia” means “the lands of beautiful horses” in Persian. The human habitation in the area goes back ages ago. From Bronze Ages, Cappadocia came to our age. Hittite Empire, Persians, Byzantium Empire, Ottoman Empire and finally Turkish people inhabited Cappadocia. In every part of the region, historical elements can be seen. Besides being a natural beauty, Cappadocia is also a place of history.

Now Cappadocia is a tourism center. It is an alternative to sun, sea, and summer vacations. Every season of the year, it can be visited. In summer it is different, in winter, under snow, it is different.  If you wish to make a vacation and see different places, Cappadocia is highly recommended.

Transportation to Cappadocia is easy. It is very close to Kayseri city. There are transportation options to Kayseri by air, railway and road. After coming Kayseri, there are buses and services to Cappadocia. Accommodation options are various. There are hotels, hostels, and houses, rooms rent by visitors.

Activities in Cappadocia
Cappadocia covers a big area and there are many attractive places to visit. There are carved houses, rooms, churches, monasteries, even hotels.

The area was inhabited by different societies. Christian people were living in Cappadocia. The impact of this can be seen clearly. Church visitation is an inseparable part of tours. There are carved churches, they are architecturally masterpieces. Both nature and humankind made them.

The only thing attraction attention is not what you see on the surface of Cappadocia. Under the region, there are underground cities. They make the land more mysterious. More than 40 underground cities can be visited. Why these cities were built, we do not know it. However it is claimed that people built underground cities to protect themselves from attacks and natural disasters.

Seeing Cappadocia by air is possible. Balloon tours are held. If you go there, do not return before watching the city from hot air balloon. The scene is perfect. The tours are held especially for sunset and sunrise. Sunlight reveals a different face of Cappadocia. It is charming.

If you want to sport, mountaineering is an option. Not only in Cappadocia, but also near areas, there are hills and mountains. Trips are organized for mountaineering. Once upon a time, all the area was volcanic. The mountains are no longer active.Along with Turkish cuisine, Cappadocia has a regional cuisine. Taste different flavors. Especially wine kinds produced in Cappadocia should be tasted. The wines are made from the grapes grew in the Cappadocia. They are delicious and unique.

For further information visit Cappadocia Turkey.

Travel to Turkey: Antalya

Antalya is an old province. Since 3 BC, the city was inhabited by people. Different kingdoms inhabited the area. This is what makes it historically so rich. Ancient and Hellenistic period, Byzantium period, Ottoman ages are just some of the historical periods it saw.

The city Antalya is very close to Mediterranean. The mild effect of Mediterranean shows itself in Antalya. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are warm and rainy. Anytime you can visit the city. Weather is always good and suitable for a vacation.

For a nice vacation, transportation should be easy and satisfying. To this big city, Antalya, you can reach by air, sea or by public transportation. Being a tourism center, transportation by air is popular. In the city there is Antalya Airport. Sea transportation requires development. However public one is available and good in conditions. There are buses, services to every spot of the city.

Tourism is the major economical source of Antalya. In addition to that, commerce, industry and agriculture on fertile lands bring prosperity to the city.

Activities in Antalya
Antalya is a city of many different activities. It is a suitable city for everyone. If you like history, architecture, nature, mounts, waterfalls, sea, sports, festivals, fairs, parks, Antalya is waiting for you!

For history lovers, there are many places in Antalya to visit. It is an old province and it has a rich history. There are sites coming from old period, there are cities, monuments, buildings. Aspendos ancient city, Perge ruins, Olympos village, Termessos city, Ariassos city are just some of the historical places.

Kaleici is the symbol of the city. Once being a castle, now the building serves as hotel, bar, store, restaurant. Museum visiting should be a part of your holiday in Antalya. Antalya Archeology Museum and Kaleici Museum are the places representing history and civilization of this old city.

The city hosted many different civilizations. This means different religions. In Antalya, there are mosques and churches together. Broken Minaret was a Byzantium church. Now it is an attraction place. Yivli Minaret was a mosque, and it attracts tourists with architectural features of it.

International festivals and fairs are held in Antalya province. The most famous of them is Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. There are also some other organizations such as Antalya Festival, Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival. You can follow these international and great organizations.

Swimming, yachting, snorkeling, diving, biking and climbing are some of the options if you enjoy being in nature. Antalya is naturally a charming city.

Accommodation options in Antalya are various. It is a tourism city with hotels, motels, hostels and some other ones. You can find anywhere suitable for your holiday budget among these options.

Visit Antalya city guide.

Vacation in a big city: ISTANBUL

Turkey is described as the bridge between Asia and Europe; Istanbul is the proof of this assumption, as the city is divided into two areas, European and Anatolian sides. It is a big city with dense population; the city hosts people from different cities, from different countries.

Located near Marmara Sea, the climate is hot in summers, rainy and sometimes cold in winters. In this big city, transportation web is very well designed; there are two major airports, Atatürk and Sabiha Gökcen International Airports. Within the city, the railway transportation, sea transport, and motorway transportation are available. Especially, transportation by sea is very popular and enjoyable; there are ship services to the other side of Istanbul.

Attractions in Istanbul
Istanbul is an old city with a rich history, the first settlements date back to 6 BC. The city was inhabited by Greek, Roman, Latin, Ottoman, every civilization left something behind them. There are many historical sides to see, Istanbul has also rich architectural buildings. Topkapı Palace, Maiden’s Tower, churches and mosques which are all architectural masterpieces, Anadoluhisari and Rumelihisari, the Grand Bazaar, Yedikule Castle, Dolmabahce Palace are just some of the attractions of beautiful Istanbul city.

Bosporus is the symbol of this great city, it connects European and Anatolian sides of Istanbul. Built in 1973, it is 1074 meters across the sea. The second bridge of the city is Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge is also as charming as Bosporus relieving the traffic. Especially, Bosporus is an attractive place of Istanbul, at night lights create an incredible view, and there are restaurants near it viewing this spectacular scene, waterside residences are also worth to see.

With a rich cultural and historical background, Istanbul is the city of tolerance; people from different races, countries, cities, religions live all together, you can visit a church near a mosque; it is an ordinary scene for Istanbul. If you go there, you should see Hagia Sophia, Pammakaristos Church, Chora Church, Eyüp Sultan Mosque, Fatih Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque, Sultanahmet Mosque and the others.

Istiklal Avenue, located in Beyoglu is a center of Istanbul. Imagine historical buildings on the both sides of a long avenue, and bookstores, cafes, boutiques, pubs, restaurants, cinemas, galleries on that street. From the avenue, there is a historic slam system which is the symbol of Istiklal.

Museum and monument visiting should be a part of your holiday schedule in Istanbul, Archeology Museum, Modern Art Museum, Galata Tower, Zoology Museum, Toy Museum, Istanbul Mosaic Museum are some of the major attractive centers.

City Istanbul gives you opportunity to shop; you can buy traditional things of the country and the other things you wish in there. There are great bazaars, Grand Bazaar, Mahmutpasa Bazaar, Egyptian Bazaar; these are historical bazaars of the city, along with these there are modern shopping centers.

Visiting Istanbul is a good opportunity to taste rich Turkish Cuisine. In addition to that, there are restaurants of different world cuisines, you have many options. Istanbul is a city that provides every necessity of you, from culture, history to shopping and going around.

Visit Istanbul city guide