"TURKIYE" Turkey by Pinat

Turkey Travel Guide: 24,322 reviews and 69,510 photos

DARE TO CROSS THE BRIDGE!

It has not been that long since I joined VT (May 8, 2009) but I was so impatient to start building my pages and I built quite a few (mostly on less known Turkish cities). Then, I started to wait for some comments or ratings. Of course, there was almost none. Then, I thought as these cities are less known, few people would notice because many people are not aware of them at all. That’s when I decided to build a proper Turkey page first that would attract more attention.

But what to write? How to start? So much to tell, so much to write but I can only give a tiny piece of it through words. Then, I said to myself: "Scan the pictures you have. Some would help you to start with" Believe me, I have scanned hundreds of pictures I have for over two weeks. I thought of putting several of them together but still my starting point was missing.

Then, on a lazy Sunday afternoon I realized the picture of this lovely bridge: A picture we took back in 2007 in Sinop; the picture of an old bridge mostly used by shepherds and their cows. That was it!

Now I'm ready to start!

Imagine the picture in this way: Turkey is this bridge itself. Meaning, you are now standing on the spot where I took the picture. You have peacefully landed in Istanbul: such a glamorous spot, so much history, so much beauty, totally discovered and (unfortunatelly exploited).

Then, some of you prefer to go to south, following the western coast (Dardanelles, Assos, Pergamon, Izmir, Ephesus, Bodrum etc.) or directly to the southern coast (Antalya, Alanya, Kas, Kalkan, Xanthos, etc.) : Those places would be the very first steps you'd take on this bridge. Again, very touristic, very well known and of course easier and safer to explore.

There are also very interesting places you’d reach if you go towards the center of the bridge: Cappadocia would be one of them. Still, Cappadocia is a well-known spot on the bridge as it is in the center and not close to both sides of the bridge.

You have to dare to cross the bridge if you want to go to the other side, which is a bit dark, hidden, unknown, (maybe) scary, (maybe) uninteresting and totally out of sight or you have to dare walking towards the edges of the bridge to see the beauties on both sides. When you reach the end, depending on which route you take you are in Georgia or Iran or Iraq or Syria. So do dare to start your journey as some of you have very nicely did! (Check the pages of MalenaN for an idea).

WHAT WILL I TRY TO DO?

We are all waiting for you:)

I will try to give quite general tips in my Turkey pages as you will find the details in the relevant city’s or region’s homepage.

In the “things to do” part, I will start with my favourite cities so there will be a sequence. These tips will be mostly about the places which have been visitied by millions of tourists.

I will write my “less known” cities in the “off the beaten path” section as relatively few people know/visit these places so they are really off the beaten path.

In the “local people / customs” tips, I will try to give information about traditions of Turkey and I’ll try to tell you the traditional differences between regions. I also prefer to tell legends / stories of the relevant regions (if any).

Of course these are my intentions. You will tell me if I succeed or not. I hope to be successful enough to attract more attention to my beautiful country.

Pros and Cons

Pros:We have all the colors of the rainbow!
Cons:So much to see, too big to discover in few weeks!
In a nutshell:Turkey is truly a bridge on which you should step on!

Intro Updated Jun 15, 2009
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Reviews (38)

KEMER Things to Do (14)

My first time in Kemer was many years ago in the 1980s with my parents. It was like a village at the time. Today Kemer... more travel advice

It's gonna melt in your mouth! Local Customs (6)

Pismaniye, famous flavour from Izmit (a city in the east of Istanbul) used to be made in Ottoman palaces centuries ago.... more travel advice

Acigöl (Cevat Kopanoglu's picture) - Turkey

THE TURKISH LAKE DISTRICT Off The Beaten Path (13)

It was back in 2003 when a friend of mine was getting married with a guy from the region, we had the chance to see the... more travel advice

ERFELEK Off The Beaten Path (13)

On our northern Turkey road trip couple of years ago we had stopped in Sinop for an overnight. We were looking for a... more travel advice

Sports & Outdoors (4)
See All Erciyes Ski Center

Favorites (1)
Let's Start with the Geography!

Comments (17)

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nixca316 Nov 16, 2011 at 1:58 AM

Interesting page...I learned a lot :)
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IreneMcKay Apr 24, 2010 at 6:41 PM

Hi Pinat , Really liked your site and your approach to building it. i used to live in turkey. Istanbul - four years, Isparta - 6 months. Your photos brought back many happy memories. I loved your Cappadocia in the snow picture.
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fabrice Feb 12, 2010 at 1:59 AM

Turkey really means diversity
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budapest8 Nov 29, 2009 at 4:38 AM

Congrats on being Rookie number 2.--- I just love Turkey with it's history, culture and nature. If you ever want to come to Budapest, just let me know. Thx for sharing your pics and tips, maybe more of your own experiences...:) Tim
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mallyak Nov 21, 2009 at 12:10 AM

LOvely photos and tipsespecially the food tips!Helva sounds similar to the Indian Halwa a very simple dish served for occasions.
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richus Sep 9, 2009 at 7:24 AM

i would prefer tips where you speak of your own experiences, not someone elses!
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starship Aug 27, 2009 at 6:33 AM

Fantastic page! The country of Turkey is famous for its history, culture, splendid geography and wonderful food. I also liked the info. on traditional sweets, dervishes and hamams. Great work!
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SLLiew Aug 25, 2009 at 10:29 AM

Wow.. what an great introduction and overview of Turkey. Your food tips are yummy.
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unaS Jul 31, 2009 at 2:30 AM

How beautifully you write. It is almost like reading poetry. You make me want to return and visit all the places I missed.
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riorich55 Jul 27, 2009 at 9:59 AM

Great Off the Beaten Path tips! I've just added Turkey to my Places I want to go to because of you. Keep up the great work!!