Turkey Travel Destinations: January 2013

Friday, January 4, 2013

Catalhoyuk

Catalhoyuk

Located in the south-east of Konya, Çatalhöyük which, according to the excavations, dates back to 6750 BC, was the oldest cultural center in the Near East. The flat roofed mud-brick and pisé houses, inside which one could only enter with the help of a ladder, had a courtyard and were built close together. The walls were decorated with paintings. The people of Çatalhöyük used to honor their deads who where buried, after a partial or total removal of the flesh, under the ground of their houses or under the benches they used for sitting or sleeping. They venerated a Mother-Goddess in full bloom shapes, symbol of fertility.

Catalhoyuk

Kayseri

Kayseri

Kayseri which is situated at the foot of Erciyes Dağı (Mount Argaeus 3916m/12,850 ft), was built around a Christian monastery erected by St Basil (the first bishop of Ceasarea) in the north of the ancient capital called Caesarea of Cappadocia. It rapidely developed during the Byzantine period. In the 11C an important Armenian colony settled here before the conquest of the place by the Seljuks. The Crusaders, the Mongols and the Mamelukes succeeded tı one another. Sultan Selim united the city to the Ottoman Empire in 1515.
Kayseri is the largest city in the region and is linked to İstanbul and Ankara by daily flights.
Kayseri is also a small ski resort. The culinary speciality is the "manti" , a kind of pasta filled with minced lamb meat and served with (or without according to taste) garlic. The "pide" (a thin bread dough covered and baked with any combiantion of cheese, lamb meat, egg...) made in the region are among the best in Turkey.

Kayseri

Burdur

Burdur

Burdur is located 120 kms / 75 miles north of Antalya, in the mountainous Lake Region (Göller Bölgesi) reputed for its natural beauty, flora and fauna. Carpets and kilims weaving also contribute to the reputation of Burdur. The city provides good examples of Ottoman architecture with the Tasoda, Kocaoda-Çelikbas and Misirlilar "konak" (mansions) which date from the 17th century. From Susamlik Hill, the panorama over Burdur Lake and the city is beautiful.
10 kms / 6.3 miles south of Burdur are the 597 m / 653 yds long Insuyu Caves. They contain nine undergroud lakes and halls full of stalactites and stalagmites.

Burdur

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Sanliurfa

Sanliurfa

The origins of Sanliurfa are very old considering that the place is known as the “City of the Prophetes” because it would have welcome Abraham, Job, Jethro and St George. Its location in Upper Mesopotamia, at the point of confluence between different civilizations, explains a rich and eventful past. The city, named “Hurri” (which means caves) by the Babylonians, maintained good relationships with the Mitanians, the Hittites and the Egyptians. Named “Osrhoe” by the Greeks and “Orhai” by its Aramean population, the Macedonians of Alexander the Great finally called it “Edesse”. It came under the sovereignty of the Seleucids, of Armenia at the time of Tigrane, of the Parthians, the Romans, the Sassanids and the Arabs. The city was christianized around 200, and it remained Byzantine until it fell into the hands of the Seljuks and later the Crusaders. From 1098 and during fifty years the earldom of Edesse with Beaudoin of Boulogne (Godefroy of Bouillon's brother) plaid an important role in the fight of the Frankish states against Islam. Taken back by the Seljuks and the Mamelukes, the city was united very late in 1637 to the Ottoman Empire.

Source : guide-martine

Sanliurfa

Diyarbakir

Diyarbakir

Diyarbakir rises above the right bank of the Tigris River (Dicle) to the north of the Mesopotamian plain. Many thousands of years ago, the volcano Karacadag, now extinct, erupted leaving a thick layer of basalt. Diyarbakir, which has its foundations on this black basalt stratum, is known as “the Dark” because the walls and much of the old town are constructed from the rock.
The region of Diyarbakir saw a succession of civilizations such as the Hurrites, Mittanians, Arameans, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Urartians, Medes, Persians, Macedonians. The city, known at the time under the name Amida, from 115 AD, was at stake in the wars between the Romans and the Parthians and later the Sassanids. Finally in 297 AD, Amida was annexed to the Roman Empire. A fortress was built on the hillock overlooking the city and in 349, Emperor Constance surrounded it by walls that later were reinforced by the Byzantines and particularly in the 6th century under the reign of Justinian, to face the continuous Sassanid threat. But aroud 638, the tremendous walls could not resist the attacks of the Arab tribes regrouped unter the banner of Islam and who had set out to capture Syria, Mesopotamia and Iran, after defeating the Byzantines on the banks of the Yarmouk River (which delimits the modern border between Jordan and Syria) in 636.

Source : guide-martine

Diyarbakir