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BRIEF WORDS ON
PLACES TO VISIT IN TURKEY |
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ISTANBUL |
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IZMIR-KUSADASI-PAMUKKALE |
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ANKARA-CAPPADOCIA |
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ISTANBUL |
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 The foundation of Istanbul
dates back to the bronze ages. According to Greek legends, a
Greek hero named Byzas established the city in 7th century BC.
The city’s great situation connecting the two continents Asia
and Europe, was the reason why it was conquered by so many
civilizations throughout the history. Istanbul was the second
capital of the world as it replaced Rome. The Turkish
Sultan Mehmet II has conquered the city in 1453. Today,
it is still the center of commerce, business, art and culture
in Turkey. The population of Istanbul is almost 12
million.
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ST.
SOPHIA
A
6th century Byzantine Church, built by the famous architects
of its time, in the reign of The Emperor Justinan, and
originally named “Haghia Sophia” meaning “the Wisdom of God”.
Although it was destroyed partially by many earthquakes, the
building has been well restored and is almost 1500 years old.
As an architectural masterpiece of Byzantine Empire with all
its golden mosaics as a part of the interior decorations, it
symbolized the power of the Byzantine emperors. It was
converted into a mosque by Turkish Sultans after the fall of
Constantinople into the hands of Turks, and restored and
maintained well throughout the Ottoman period. St.
Sophia has been a museum-open to public after 1934. It still
has one of the largest domes in the world, with a diameter of
33 meters.
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BLUE MOSQUE
17th century Ottoman Mosque built in the time of Sultan
Ahmed III. Famous with its beautiful blue tiles covering
the walls and ceilings. Tiles were the productions of the
small town (4 hrs drive from Istanbul) named Iznik (Biblical
Nicea). Iznik tiles were unique pieces of art with all
their earth, turquoise blue colors. Today the factory is
no longer existing and the secret of Iznik tiles is unknown to
modern artists. The Blue Mosque is situated right in front of
the Hippodrome Square of the ancient Constantinople and next
to the Church St. Sophia. It has six minarets. The
Mosque is still in use by the Moslem prayers.
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HIPPODROME:
The ancient square right in front of today’s Blue
Mosque. Just like the Collossea of Rome, Hippodrome was
the racing area for the chariots of Byzantium. It was
also the political, social and cultural center and meeting
point for the citizens of the city. In the year 532, a
public revolt named NIKA caused the Emperor Justinian to
execute 30,000 people right in this
spot
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THE UNDERGROUND WATER
CISTERN (BASILICA CISTERN)Built
in the reign of the Emperor Justinan in 6th century AD, the
Basilica Cistern was also used in Ottoman (Turkish)
ages. It is one of the best-preserved Roman water reservoirs in the world. Today it is a museum open
to public.
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CHURCH
CHORA
This beautiful Byzantine Church is famous with its
mosaics and frescoes covering all the ceilings and
walls. Like many other Byzantine Churches, it was
converted and used as a mosque in the Ottoman ages.
Today, it is a museum and well restored by the
American-Byzantine Institute in 1970s. The art historians
accept the Chora Church as the starting point of Renaissance
Art in Europe.
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TOPKAPI PALACE
The first formal and actual resident of the Ottoman
Sultans started to be built on one f the Seven Hills of
Istanbul next to the Church St. Sophia. It is right on
the corner where Bosphorus Strait is connected with the
sea-canal Golden Horn. The Palace has four main
courtyards with the Harem (ladies section) in the second
court. Today, it is a museum and holds priceless
valuables from various parts of the world. Among those are the
private belongings of Prophet Mohammed and the bones of St.
John the Baptist in the Holy Relics section, the famous dagger
of Topkapi with its four giant emeralds and the famous
“spoonmaker’s diamond” (88 carats, single piece) in the
Royal Treasures section.
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BOSPHORUS
Bosphorus is the water passage that
connects the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea. (Sea of
Marmara then is connected with Dardanells Strait to the Aegean
Sea) There is a continuous flow of water from the Black Sea
towards the Sea of Marmara at a rate of 5 km per hour.
Sometimes the hazardous weather conditions sometimes-foggy
weathers and the tricky flow of water makes Bosphorus a very
difficult passage for foreign ships. Th strait is 31 km
long. Although it is in Turkish borders within the limits of
the city Istanbul, Bosphorus is considered as an international
waterway and open to all the foreign trade tax-free.
Cruising Bosphorus one has he opportunity to see the
magnificent Ottoman Palaces, beautiful villas, and the
wonderful nature of the Bosphorus shores on both sides of the
city. For citizens of Istanbul, the Asian side is more
residential and the European side is more business
centers. Most of the hotels are also located on the
European side of the city.
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DOLMABAHCE PALACE
Built in
19th century on the European shore of the Bosphorus,
Dolmabahce Palace was the last resident of the Ottoman
Sultans. Since it was built on a bay of the Bosphorus by
filling the bay with concrete and stones, it was given the
name “Dolmabahce” meaning “the filed-in gardens”. The
Palace has more than 600 rooms including many Turkish baths,
ballrooms, bedrooms and ceremonial halls. Our national leader
Ataturk lived his last years here and died. Like all the
other Turkish palaces it has two sections: Harem (for ladies)
and Selamlik (for men). The Palace has many priceless
furniture from France, Italy, England and various parts of
Turkey.
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GRAND COVERED BAZAAR
An early mall built in
15th-16th centuries. In the past, the bazaar had sections for
everything. Today, more or less they all sell Jewelry,
Carpets, Leather and souvenirs. The Bazaar has 14 gates,
400 streets and almost 4,000 shops all covered under one
roof
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EGYPTIAN
(SPICE) BAZAAR
Built as an annex to
the Grand Covered Bazaar, the Egyptian or Spice Bazaar today
is a small bazaar itself. Most of the shops sell spices
and herbs brought from the Middle East.
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IZMIR
- KUSADASI - PAMUKKALE |
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| Izmir or by the ancient name Symrna was an
important center of commerce and culture in the ancient
ages. It is an
important city for Christians due to its Biblical
references. The
city is right on the shores of the Aegean Sea. Today it is still one
of the major cities in Turkey. Symrna is the second of the
Seven Churches to receive a letter from John. The city won
favor with Rome even before the Roman Empire. According to Paul,
Symrna had a population of 100,000 people. It was also the
birthplace of Homeros |
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EPHESUS
Church of Ephesus was first of the Seven Churches that
received John’s Revelation letter. Ephesus acted as the
second capital of Roman Empire in Asia Minor. The city had
three harbors which were export centers at the end of the
important trade route through Asia Minor. The harbors of
Ephesus were also the terminating point of the sea-trade route
from Italy.
The ancient city Ephesus has been under
excavation and restoration since the turn of the
century. It is one of the best-preserved Roman cities in
the world. The whole city is open to visit.
Highlights are the marble streets, Temple of Hadrian, Temple
of Domitian, market place, Roman baths, stadium, the famous
Celsus Library, the great amphitheater with 24,000 seating
capacity which is still in use for public concerts, and the
empty site of the Temple of Artemis.
The city Ephesus had the
great Mother Goddess Artemis (or Diana) who was worshipped as
if she was a single-god b the whole Asia Minor. Temple
of Artemis whch used to be one of the Seven Wonders of the
World, was stolen to the British Museum.
St. Paul visited Ephesus
on his second Journey for the first and short time. Then
he stopped in Ephesus on his third journey and stayed here for
two years making it the center of his missionary journeys in
Asia.
Nearby Ephesus is the
modern town Selcuk where there is the archeological museum of
Ephesus, an early Turkish Mosque named Isa Bey Mosque, and the
Cathedral (Basilica) of St, John. According to some
Biblical resources, after Jesus is crucified, St. John
accompanies Virgin Marry and they come to Ephesus where thay
both lived and died. The Basilica of St. John was
rebuilt in the time Byzantine Emperor as a
Cathedral.
The House or the Shrine
of Virgin Marry is over the hill next to Ephesus. It was
accepted and confirmed by Pope from Italy that this was the
original House of Virgin Marry where she lived her last
years and died. |
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PERGAMON
Established on top of a hill closed to Izmir, by one
the generals of Alexander the Great (Lysimachos) in 3rd
century BC. The city has two parts: Acropol, the center
of the city and Asklepion, the medical center.
Highlights are the amazing amphitheater which could seat
15,000 people, the Temple of Trajan and the empty site of the
Altar of Zeus. The Altar of Zeus used to be one of the
Seven Wonders of the World. This gigantic building (112 feet
by 118 feet) was stolen stone-by-stone to the Berlin Museum of
Germany. The Library of Pergamon, one of the greatest in
the ancient world, had some 200,000 volumes. The invention of
the animal skin parchment is attributed to Peramon.
On the
slopes of the hill lie the high walls and the ruins of the
“Church of Pergamon” one of the Seven Churches of
Revelation. John referred to the Altar of Zeus as the
“Throne of the Satan”.
Asklepion was one of the major
medical centers of the antiquity. There was a 2,700 feet
Corinthian colonnaded street, known as “Sacred Way” which
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SARDIS
The fifth of the Seven Churches to receive a letter
from John. Located around
35 miles south of
Thyatira, Sardis had the reputation of being “the great, the
wealthy”. One of the most splendid buildings in the city
was the Temple of Artemis. In the 1st century AD the
population of the city was 120,000.
The highlights today
are a well-restored ancient synagogue, the gymnasium and the
ruins of the Temple of Artemis |
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HIERAPOLIS
It was an important prosperous city during the Roman
ages. It is located 6 miles north of Laodicea.
Hierapolis is 300 feet above the plain and surrounded b the
hot-springs and natural white terraces. The name
Hierapolis means “the Holy City”. Just like Ephesus,
Hierapolis had a large community of Jewish citizens.
According to resources, Philip the Apostle was martyred in
Hierapolis and burried here |
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APHRODISIAS
One of the most interesting ancient
Greco-Roman cities in Asia Minor, Aphrodisias is dedicated to
the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite. The city was very
carefully excavated and restored by a Turkish-American
Professor of Archeology, Dr. Kenan Erim. He rejected the
help of Turkish government and carried out excavations by his
own funds and efforts. He was given the National
Geographic’s 100th Anniversary Award for the great job
he has done in Aphrodisias. He recently died and buried
there. Highlights are the beautiful Tetrapylon
Gate, the Stadium, theater, market places and the Temple
of Artemis. |
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ANKARA -
CAPPADOCIA
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ANKARA
Capital City of modern Turkish republic made by Ataturk
in 1923. The city is the second most populated in Turkey
after Istanbul, with around 8 million people. Highlights
are the Mauseleum (monumental tomb) of Ataturk, called
Anitkabir; The Anatolian Civilazitons Museum which
chronologically displays the evolution of Anatolian
civilizations from prehistoric times through the reign of the
Hittites and ending with Roman occupation, and the Old
Fortress of Ankara. |
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CAPPADOCIA
Cappadocia is a volcanic landscape where one marvels at
the twisted lunar landscape formed by successive volcanic
eruptions of two now-extinct volcanoes, Hasan and
Erciyes. The region has been well-inhabited by earl
Christians. Until th republic times, there has always
been Christians living in the region. Cappadocia covers
an area of nearly 100 square km.
One of the highlights in
the region is the volcanic-natural rock formations named “the
Fairy Chimneys”. The town Goreme (the monestry area, with
beautiful stone-carved churches covered with colorful frescoes
inside walls) is another highlight point. Tour visits
one of the many Underground Cities in the region, the
UndergroundCity of
Kaymakli. Digged out on the solid earth surface of
volcanic rock, Underground cities were emergency
dwellings to escape under danger of enemy attacks. It is
estimated that Kaymakli Underground City was ale to host
20,000 people in its 8 stores and thousands of rooms carved
out of stone for one year. The deepest point we go down
will be 65 meters.
The pottery town of
Avanos and visits to local artisans. The region is a
natural and historical wonder, and attracts millions of
visitors every year. Our tours include a visit to the
local people’s stone-carved dwellings in which they still live
properly.
The stone-carved
restaurants and nightclubs are famous with their Bon-fire
dinners and authentic folk-dance, belly dance
shows. |
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