The Rough Guide to Turkey (Travel Guide eBook)

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Contents

Introduction to Turkey

Where to go

When to go

Author picks

things not to miss

Itineraries

Basics

Getting there

Getting around

Accommodation

Culture and etiquette

Food and drink

Health

Festivals

The media

Shopping

Sports and outdoor activities

Travelling with children

Travel essentials

Istanbul and around

Sultanahmet

The Grand Bazaar and around

Eminönü

The northwest quarter

The land walls

Galata and around

Beyoğlu

Tophane

Beşiktaş

Ortaköy

The Golden Horn

Asian Istanbul

Along the Bosphorus

The Princes’ Islands

Around the Sea of Marmara

Thrace

Southern Marmara

The North Aegean

Çanakkale

The Gelibolu Peninsula

The Turkish Aegean Islands

Troy to İzmir

Sardis

The central and southern Aegean

İzmir

The Çeşme Peninsula

Selçuk and around

Kuşadası and around

Didim and around

Bafa Gölü

Milas and around

Bodrum

The Bodrum Peninsula

Marmaris

The Hisarönü Peninsula

The Datça Peninsula

Pamukkale

Around Pamukkale

The Turquoise Coast

Fethiye

Around Fethiye

Ölüdeniz

Beyond Ölüdeniz: hamlets along the Lycian Way

Göcek

Dalaman

Dalyan and around

The Xanthos Valley

Kalkan and around

Kaş and around

The Kekova region

Demre and around

Arykanda

The coast to Olympos

Phaselis

The Mediterranean coast and the Hatay

Antalya to Alanya

East of Alanya

The Hatay

South Central Anatolia

Lakeland

Cappadocia

North Central Anatolia

Ankara and around

Eskişehir and around

Kütahya and around

Safranbolu and around

Boğazkale and the Hittite sites

Amasya

Tokat

Sivas

Divriği

The Black Sea coast

The western Black Sea

The eastern Black Sea

Northeastern Anatolia

Erzurum

Yusufeli

Around Yusufeli

The Kaçkar Dağları

Artvin and around

Ardahan and around

Kars and around

The Euphrates and Tigris basin

Gaziantep

Southwest of Gaziantep

East of Gaziantep: towards Şanlıurfa

Şanlıurfa and around

Harran

Kahta

The road to Nemrut Dağı

Nemrut Dağı

Malatya and around

Diyarbakır

Mardin and around

The Tür Abdin plateau

Hasankeyf

Lake Van and the southeast

Lake Van

Hakkâri

Lake Van to Doğubeyazıt

Mount Ararat

Contexts

History

The peoples of Turkey

Turkish cinema

Turkish music

Books

Turkish

Glossary

Small print

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Introduction to Turkey

A mesmerizing mix of the exotic and the familiar, Turkey is much more than its clichéd image of a ‘bridge between East and West’. Invaded and settled from every direction since the start of recorded history, it combines influences from the Middle East and the Mediterranean, the Balkans and Central Asia. Mosques coexist with churches, Roman theatres and temples crumble near ancient Hittite cities, and dervish ceremonies and Roma festivals are as much a part of the social landscape as classical music concerts or football matches.

The friendliness of the Turkish people makes visiting a pleasure; indeed, you risk causing offence by declining invitations, and find yourself making friends through the simplest of transactions. At the big resorts and tourist spots, of course, this can merely be an excuse to sell you something, but elsewhere, despite a history in which outsiders have so often brought trouble, the warmth and generosity are genuine.

KAHRAMANMARAS EARTHQUAKE

The most recent update of this guide was completed before the Kahramanmaras Earthquake occurred, affecting large areas of southern Turkey and northern Syria. With the extent of the damage still being determined as this book went to print, we wanted to recognise and pay respect to those now rebuilding their lives in these countries. While tourism will be sure to play a major part in the return to normality, it is advisable to check ahead on the current status of attractions in Adana, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and the surrounding areas.

Politically, modern Turkey was a grand experiment, largely the creation of one man – Kemal Atatürk. With superhuman energy, he salvaged the Turkish state from the wreckage of the Ottoman Empire and defined it as a modern, secular nation. Despite four military coups between 1960 and 1997 (and one failed coup attempt in 2016), Turkey has maintained a multiparty democracy since 1950. The conservative, pro-Islamic Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi; AKP) led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been the dominant party since 2001.

When the Ottoman Empire imploded in the early twentieth century, refugees streamed into Anatolia, including Muslim Slavs, Greeks, Albanians, Crimean Tatars, Dagestanis, Abkhazians and Circassians. There they joined an already mixed population that included a very sizeable minority of Kurds. Thanks to recent arrivals from former Soviet or Eastern Bloc territories and Syria, that diversity endures. Another surprise may be Turkey’s relative youthfulness: the median age is 33.

A huge part of Turkey’s appeal lies in its archaeological sites, a legacy of the bewildering succession of states – Hatti, Hittite, Urartian, Phrygian, Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Armeno–Georgian – that held sway here before the twelfth century. From grand classical cities to hilltop fortresses and remote churches, some still produce exciting new finds today. In addition, Turkey holds a vast number of graceful Islamic monuments, as well as intriguing city bazaars, still hanging on amid the chain stores and shopping malls. Sadly, ugly modern architecture spoils most coastal resorts, where it’s often hard to find a beach that matches the tourist-board hype. Inland Turkey, with its Asiatic expanses of mountains, steppes, lakes, and even cloud-forests, may leave a more vivid memory, especially when accented by crumbling kervansaray (desert inns), mosques and castles.

Fact file

Turkey covers a vast 783,562 sq km (97 percent in Asia, 3 percent in Europe). Four seas lap its 8,333km coastline: the Mediterranean, the Aegean, the Marmara and the Black Sea. Numerous peaks exceed 3,000m, the highest being Great Ararat (Büyük Ağrı Dağı; 5,165m). Turkey’s three longest rivers – the Kızılırmak, Yeşilırmak and Sakarya – flow into the Black Sea, while its largest lake is Lake Van (3,713 sq km).

The population of some 85 million is 99 percent Muslim (Sunni or Alevi), with dwindling minorities of the Armenian Apostolic or Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox and Jewish faiths. Besides standard Turkish, two dialects of Kurdish are widely spoken; other languages include Arabic, Laz, Circassian, Albanian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Romany and Greek. Well over half the inhabitants live in cities; the four largest are İstanbul, Ankara (the capital), İzmir and Adana.

Since 1922 Turkey has been a republic. The single legislative chamber Grand National Assembly (Büyük Millet Meclisi) in Ankara has six hundred seats.

Where to go

Western Turkey is the most economically developed, and most visited, part of the country. It would take weeks even to scratch the surface of the old imperial capital, Istanbul, straddling the straits linking the Black and Marmara seas, and still Turkey’s cultural and commercial hub. Flanking it on opposite sides of the Sea of Marmara, the two prior seats of the Ottoman Empire, Bursa and Edirne, abound in monumental attractions and regal atmosphere. Beyond the Dardanelles and its World War I battlefields lie Turkey’s two Aegean islands, Gökçeada and Bozcaada, popular for their excellent beaches, lingering Greek-ethnic identity and (except in midsummer) tranquillity.

Further south, the olive-swathed landscapes around Bergama and Ayvalık epitomize the classical character of the North Aegean. Ancient Sardis, and the old Ottoman princely training ground of Manisa, also make a fine pair, although İzmir serves merely as a functional introduction to the central and southern Aegean. Celebrated Ephesus tends to overshadow the equally deserving ancient Ionian sites of Priene and Didyma, or the intriguing ruins of Aphrodisias and Labranda – and don’t overlook evocative hill towns such as the lovely Şirince. Also inland are tranquil, islet-dotted Bafa Gölü and the compelling geological oddity of Pamukkale, where travertine formations abut Roman Hierapolis. While the coast itself is heavily developed, its star resorts – Datça is the quietest, Bodrum the most characterful – make comfortable bases.

Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque in Istanbul

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Beyond the huge natural harbour at Marmaris, the Aegean gradually becomes the Mediterranean. Coastal cruises make popular pastimes in brazen Marmaris or more manageable Fethiye, the principal town of the Turquoise Coast, while fine beaches stretch at Dalyan and Patara, near eerie ancient Lycian tombs. Further east, Kaş and Kalkan are busy resorts, good for resting up between explorations of the mountainous hinterland. Beyond relatively untouched Çıralı Beach, at ancient Olympos, fast-growing Antalya sprawls at the start of the Mediterranean coast proper. This is graced by extensive sands and archaeological sites – most notably Termessos, Perge, Side and Aspendos – though its western parts get swamped in season. Beyond castle-topped Alanya, however, tourist numbers diminish; points of interest between Silifke and Adana include Roman Uzuncaburç and the romantic offshore fortress at Kızkalesi. Further east, Arab-influenced Antakya is the heart of the Hatay, culturally part of Syria.

Inland in South Central Anatolia, the rock-hewn churches, subterranean cities and tuff-pinnacle landscapes of Cappadocia await. The dry, salubrious climate, excellent wine, artistic and architectural treasures, plus horse riding or hot-air ballooning could occupy you for ten days, including a stop in Kayseri on the way north. You might also pause at the historic lakefront towns of Eğirdir or Beyşehir, or in Konya, renowned for its Seljuk architecture and associations with the Mevlevî dervishes.

Ankara, Turkey’s capital, is a planned city whose contrived Western feel indicates the priorities of the Turkish republic; it also features the outstanding Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Highlights of surrounding North Central Anatolia include the ancient city of Aizonai (Latinized as Aezani) with its bizarre Temple of Zeus, near Kütahya; the Ottoman museum-town of Safranbolu; exquisitely decorated early Turkish monuments in Divriği; and remarkable Hittite sites at Hattuşa and Alacahöyük. As you travel north, pause in the Yeşilırmak valley towns of Sivas, Tokat and Amasya. The lush shoreline of the Black Sea beyond holds little more than a chain of Byzantine–Genoese castles; the oldest, most interesting towns are Sinop, Anatolia’s northernmost point, and Amasra. Fabled Trabzon, east of Sinop and once the seat of a Byzantine sub-empire, is now convenient for Ayasofya and Sumela monasteries.

The Ankara–Sivas route positions you to head along the Euphrates River into the ‘back half’ of Turkey. First stop in northeastern Anatolia is likely to be Erzurum, Turkey’s highest and bleakest major city, a base for visits to the temperate, church-studded valleys of southern medieval Georgia, or treks in the Kaçkar Mountains. Kars is mainly visited for the sake of nearby Ani, the ruined medieval Armenian capital.

The old town of Antalya

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The Euphrates–Tigris basin has a real Middle Eastern flavour. Booming Gaziantep offers world-class Roman mosaics, an atmospheric old quarter and Turkey’s spiciest cuisine. Further east, biblical Urfa is distinguished by its colourful bazaar and sacred pool, while cosmopolitan Mardin overlooks the vast Mesopotamian Plain. The major attraction, however, is a dawn or sunset trip to Nemrut Dağı’s colossal ancient statues. Between Mardin and Nemrut Dağı, teeming, ethnically Kurdish Diyarbakır nestles inside medieval basalt walls. The terrain becomes increasingly mountainous towards the Iranian frontier, an area dominated by the unearthly blue, alkaline expanse of Lake Van. Urartian, Seljuk and Armenian monuments abound within sight of the water, in particular the exquisite, restored Armenian church on Akdamar islet. The east-shore city of Van is notable for its massive camel-shaped rock punctured with ancient tombs. Beyond Van looms the fairy-tale Kurdish castle of Hoşap, while just outside Doğubeyazıt, another isolated folly, the İshak Paşa Sarayı, stands in the shadow of Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı) at the very end of Turkey.

Turkey’s top five beaches

With over 8,000km of coastline, it’s hardly surprising that Turkey has some excellent beaches. Below is a roundup of some of the very best:

Patara Stretching for 15km along the beautiful Lycian coastline, Patara Beach is one of the longest and finest beaches in the entire Mediterranean. It’s home to the atmospheric, dune-set ruins of ancient Patara, and a favoured nesting site of endangered turtles (see page ).

İztuzu Best reached by a delightful thirty-minute boat ride downriver from the charming riverside resort of Dalyan, the soft golden sands of İztuzu Beach are as popular with visitors as they are with nesting loggerhead turtles (see page 253).

Çıralı This pebble-and-coarse-sand beach, bookended by dramatic limestone spurs, backed by the snowcapped hulk of Mount Olympos (Tahtalı Dağı) and fronted by the Gulf of Antalya, is home to a protected turtle nesting site, the overgrown ruins of ancient Olympos and the eternal flames of the Chimaera (see page 275).

Phaselis The ancient site of Phaselis sits grandly among pines right by the shore. The southern beach here shelves gently into the turquoise waters, while the small western beach fronts onto a shallow lagoon (see page 277).

İskele Few foreign visitors make it out to low-key İskele, the beach-front offspring of nearby Anamur. Walk east along the beach to the fairy-tale medieval castle of Mamure, or west to the remote beachside ruins of ancient Anemurium (see page 301).

A traditional Bodrum house

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When to go

Among coastal areas, Istanbul and the Sea of Marmara shores have a relatively damp, Balkan climate, with muggy summers and cool, rainy (though seldom snowy) winters. These areas get crowded between late June and early September. The popular Aegean and Mediterranean coasts can be uncomfortably hot during July and August, especially between İzmir and Antakya; in spring or autumn, the weather here is gentler and the crowds thinner, while late October and early November see the idyllic pastırma yazı or ‘Indian summer’. Even during winter, the Turquoise and Mediterranean coasts are – except for rainy periods in January and February – still fairly pleasant. The Black Sea is an anomaly, with exceptionally mild winters for so far north, and rain likely during the nine coolest months, lingering as mist and subtropical humidity during summer.

A real Turkish delight: Yoghurt

Only two genuinely Turkish words (as opposed to those loaned from Arabic or Farsi) have found their way into the English language. One is kiosk, from the Turkish köşk, which refers properly to an ornate wood-built mansion and informally to a raised seating area. The other is yoghurt, from the Turkish yoğurt (pronounced yo-urt). Given their origins as nomadic pastoralists in the steppes bounded by the Altai mountains, Lake Baikal and the Gobi Desert, it’s hardly surprising that yoghurt, relatively easily produced from the Turks’ vast, mobile herds of sheep and goats, became a staple part of their diet.

Today yoghurt remains a prominent feature of Turkish meals, though it’s as likely to be made from cow’s milk as from that produced by sheep or goats. Although sweetened fruit concoctions have crept onto supermarket shelves in recent years, the vast majority of yoghurt is still purchased in its basic, pure, white and simple form. It forms the ‘sauce’ for many of Turkey’s most tempting meze (appetizers), is used in soups, slathered over kebabs and mantı (Turkish ravioli) and, when mixed with water and salt, drunk as ayran.

Cut off from the coast by mountains, Central Anatolia is mostly semi-arid steppe, with a bracing climate – warm but not unpleasant in summer, cool and fairly dry in winter, from late November to late March. Cappadocia makes a colourful, quiet treat during spring and autumn – or even December, when its rock formations are dusted with snow. As you travel east, into northeast Anatolia and around Lake Van, the altitude increases and conditions become deeply snowy between October and April, making late spring and summer by far the best time to visit. In the lower Euphrates–Tigris basin, a pronounced Middle Eastern influence exerts itself, with winters no worse than in Central Anatolia but torrid summers, without the compensation of a nearby beach.

Who are the Turks?

Today’s Turks are descended from nomadic pastoralist Turkic tribal groups that originated in Siberia, China and Central Asia, went on to conquer the Anatolian landmass, and have subsequently intermarried on a large scale with the region’s already extremely heterogeneous population. Although historical records can trace them as a readily identifiable people as far back as the sixth century BC, only during the sixth century AD were they first recorded (by the Chinese) as ‘Tujue’ or, to the west, Turks.

From around 1000 AD onwards, the Turks gradually migrated southwards and westwards. By the time they reached Anatolia, which would eventually become the heartland of the mighty Ottoman Empire, most had converted to Islam. Turks still maintain ethnic, linguistic and cultural links with Turkic peoples in Central Asia, the Caucasus, northwest Iran, northern Iraq, southern Russia, and Xinjiang in western China.

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Author picks

Our author recommendations don’t end here. We’ve flagged up our favourite places – a perfectly sited hotel, an atmospheric café, a special restaurant – throughout the Guide, highlighted with the ê symbol.

Our authors have traversed every corner of Turkey, from the bazaars of Istanbul to the resorts of the Turquoise Coast and the summit of Mount Nemrut. Here are some of their favourite experiences:

A big night out, Istanbul-style The Beyoğlu quarter (see page 106) of Turkey’s leading city is a party animal’s dream on a Friday and Saturday night. Warm up with a multi-course, rakı-infused spread at a lively meyhane (see page 119) before heading off to a pulsating club (see page 120).

The Tophane Clock Tower in Bursa

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Birthplace of the Ottoman dynasty Bursa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014, and an easy target from Istanbul via fast ferry across the Sea of Marmara, is packed with intriguing early Ottoman monuments (see page 146).

‘Çiğ köfte’ Most forms of Turkish sustenance are familiar to Western travellers, but this inexpensive lunchtime pick-me-up may be new to you: a dürüm (wrap) filled with spicy paste and vegetables, all given a little lemon zing (see page 208).

Get wet Make the most of Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coast by scuba diving off Kalkan or Kaş (see pages 262 and 264), windsurfing from hip Alaçatı (see page 195) or chilled Gümüşlük (see page 220), or kayaking around the Lycian shore (see page 266).

Turkey’s Wild West Cappadocia’s dusty plains, wildflower-covered slopes and weathered tuff chimneys provide an adventurous backdrop for a horse-riding trek (see page 340).

Ordu Boztepe cable car

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Take tea in Sivas Well off the tourist trail, this charming little city is home to a couple of enchanting thirteenth-century Seljuk buildings whose table-filled courtyards are perhaps Turkey’s most atmospheric places to take tea (see page 387).

Ride a cable car Several teleferîk have been built on strategic mountaintops, offering Black Sea panoramas at Ordu (see page 403) and Samsun (see page 396); taking up skiers and hikers at Uludağ (see page 153); and whisking sightseers up to Pergamon’s acropolis at Bergama (see page 178).

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things not to miss

It’s not possible to see everything Turkey has to offer in one trip – and we don’t suggest you try. What follows is a selective and subjective taste of the country’s highlights: outstanding buildings and historic sites, natural wonders and exciting activities. All highlights are colour-coded by chapter and have a page reference to take you straight into the guide, where you can find out more.

1 Hot-air ballooning over Cappadocia

See page 340

A lighter-than-air float gives an unrivalled perspective on the ‘fairy chimneys’ and other features of the landscape.

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2 İshak Paşa Sarayı

See page 493

Strategically set astride the Silk Road, this architecturally eclectic seventeenth-century palace is one of eastern Turkey’s most emblematic sites.

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3 Whirling dervishes

See page 328

Members of a sect founded by the Sufi mystic Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī conduct ‘turning’ ceremonies to achieve union with God.

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4 Ancient Ephesus

See page 199

This ancient city, addressed by St Paul in one of his epistles, is the best preserved of its kind in the eastern Mediterranean.

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5 Lake Van

See page 479

The cobalt-blue expanse of Turkey’s largest lake is at its most scenic in late spring or early summer.

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6 Lycian Way

See page 247

This well-marked path, suited to

all abilities, follows some of the most scenic portions of the Turquoise Coast.