FOOD AND DRINK Contemporary Turkish cuisine reflects its Ottoman heritage. Popular dishes such as kebap (kebab) and pilav (rice) derive from the traditions of nomadic Central Asian tribes and other civilizations that have swept through Asia Minor. An Assyrian cookbook found during recent excavations shows that similar dishes have been served for thousands of years.
CUSTOMS & ETIQUETTE Turks value hospitality and will frequently go out of their way to welcome travelers, commonly offering to buy visitors a meal or a cup of çay (tea). Do not refuse tea unless you have very strong objections; it provides a friendly, easy way to converse with locals. If you are invited to
SUFISM Sufism, the mystical Islamic practice in which Muslims seek divine love and knowledge through a direct personal experience with God, has been vitally important in the development of Islam. Islam spread to Turkey thanks to the efforts of traveling Sufi dervishes, who also established the religion in Central Asia, India, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Sufism
THE HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF ISLAM Monotheistic Islam met with staunch opposition in 7th-century polytheist Arabia. In 622, Muhammed fled persecution in his native city of Mecca and escaped to nearby Medina, where he was welcomed as a mediator of a long-standing blood feud. This hijra (flight) marks the beginning of the Muslim community and of
RELIGION About 99% of the Turkish population is Muslim. Jews and Orthodox Christians of Greek, Armenian, and Syrian backgrounds compose the remainder. While Turkey does not have an official state religion, every Turkish citizen’s national identification card states his or her creed. Although Atatürk’s reforms aimed to secularize the nation, Islam continues to play a
Turkey tours give you a great opportunity to explore this special country properly. Traveling to Turkey and discovering this amazing country is a brilliant idea for everyone. Every man and woman should see Turkey at least once in their lifetimes. Turkey has so much to offer to the world. Seeing Turkey and its people will
Cappadocia is famous for its more than 200 historical underground cities.Underground settlements date back to Hittites. Settlements contain Middle and Late Bronz age reliefs, monuments. After Hittites, other civilizations also accommodate an enlarged underground cities and some of the historical artifacts vanished in this process. Especially Roman era played an important role to construct underground
Beyoglu Among the historical districts of Istanbul, Beyoglu has a special place, being the second area of the city to be populated after the old peninsula between the Golden Horn and the Marmara Sea. Beyoglu is located on the European side of the city, over the Golden Horn from the city center of Fatih. Mostly
Have you always dreamed of a beautiful Turkey beach wedding, with the turquoise water of the Mediterranean lapping up onto your private golden sandy beach? Beach weddings in Turkey, we are very lucky to be surrounded by stunning beaches from the picturesque town of Fethiye through to the lively tourist resort of Olu Deniz. Any
There are actually many reasons why people choose to travel, to leave their home in search of new places and experiences. People have been traveling for centuries and centuries in turn, and while their reasons for traveling might have changed over time, the most important of them have remained unchanged. Many of us feel the