"TURKEY – THE TIMELESS BRIDGE" Turkey by mtncorg

The theme of timelessness is one I picked up on at the beginning of a recent trip to Turkey. Anýt Kibir, the tomb of the founder of modern Turkey – Atatürk, tries to incorporate a bit of the many different civilizations that have called Asia Minor home at one point in time or another was the first good example. Next, were the many cities, towns and ruins that I came across while visiting the Lycian region of the country.

To describe Turkey as a bridge is a second commonly used metaphor. Asia meets Europe and vice versa; Christian West and Muslim Middle East. As such a meeting ground for ideas, there are plenty of questions on all sides – inside Turkey, itself, as well – as to where or what Turkey really is. Being a bridge though, civilizations and empires have swept through Turkey in both directions leaving pieces of themselves here and there.

Turkey is packed full of fascinating regions to visit with plenty of historical, natural or cultural themes waiting to be explored further. The country is both Europe’s most populous and largest – outside of Russia – and it may have some of the oldest recorded history, as well. The vastness of Turkey should also be taken into consideration when traveling here. An occasional in-country flight could come in handy if, for example, you wanted to combine a visit to Istanbul with a trip to say the Mediterranean coast, or just about anywhere in the country since Istanbul is up in a far corner. Don’t try to see too much on one visit or you might end up spending most of your time on the road.