Turkey Travel Guide

Turkey is a land of vast open spaces, massive mountain ranges, fertile valleys and rugged coastline, fast-growing cities and sleepy villages, bustling neon-lit seaside resorts and unfrequented beaches.

A rich history has left an indelible mark and Turkey, and the country overflows with historic sites and archaeological wonders set in a varied and beautiful landscape. The Mediterranean coastline is punctuated with well-preserved Greco-Roman cities such as Pergamom and Ephesus, while the austere and rugged Anatolian plateau has cave churches hidden away in the improbable fairytale landscape of Cappadocia. Istanbul, still very much the pulse of the nation, has even more to offer, with Roman aqueducts, Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques and palaces.

But however deep its past, Turkey is now a thrusting and dynamic society that embraces cultural, economic and political change while consciously seeking to retain the best of its multicultural heritage and time-honoured traditions of hospitality.

Destination :

Ankara

With its pleasing mix of Ottoman ar

chitecture, modern skyscrapers, domed mosques, minarets and a resplendent castle, Ankara is not only Turkey's capital but also its hidden gem.

In recent years, careful restoration has breathed new life into many of the city's handsome Turkish buildings that now house art galleries, bistros and bazaars. Large leafy parks boast fountains, funfairs and boat rides while cobbled backstreets hide a myriad of pungent spice markets, coffee shops and sizzling food stalls.

Ankara offers plenty of mystical eastern touches amidst its student-thronged university campus buildings, with a buzzing nightlife scen

e amongst the city's futuristic 20th-century spires. Blessed with a host of sophisticated restaurants and lovely bars and cafés, the city also offers visitors innumerable fine historical attractions.

The oldest parts of Ankara surround a magnificent castle set in neat, flower-filled gardens. Several well-stocked museums contain priceless artefacts from the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras together with Hatti, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartu and Roman civilizations.

Istanbul

Istanbul owes its historic importance and its amazing cultural and architectural heritage to its perfect strategic location, straddling the Bosphorus straits which separate Europe and Asia Minor.

Through most of its 2,500-year-long history, the city (first known as Byzantium, then as Constantinople and since 1930 as Istanbul) was a cultural melting pot. Today, its population of more than 13 million is almost exclusively Turkish, and many of its people are recent migrants from provincial Turkey, lured by the promise of jobs and careers in this vibrant, fast-growing city.

Istanbul is no longer the nation's capital, but is Turkey's economic and cultural powerhouse - a status underlined by its role as a European City of Culture in 2010 and the award of UNESCO World Heritage listing to many of its most important landmarks, which range from stunning Ottoman mosques and Byzantine churches and catacombs to the columns of Hellenistic temples and the remains of massive medieval city walls.

But there's more to Istanbul than Byzantine and Ottoman heritage. A fast-growing economy contributed to a flourishing arts and music scene, with a plethora of new bars, clubs, private art galleries, restaurants and designer fashion outlets.