The Mevlâna Müzesi (Mon 10am-5pm, Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; $2) is among Turkey's more rewarding sights, housed in the first lodge ( tekke ) of the Mevlevî dervish sect, at the eastern end of Mevlâna Bulvara, and easily recognizable by its distinctive fluted turquoise dome. The tekke served as a place of t

23.05.2008 | Read more

KUSADASI is Turkey's most bloated resort, a brash coastal playground which extends along several kilometres of seafront. In just three decades its population has swelled from 6000 to around 50,000, though far fewer stay year-round. The town is many people's introduction to the country: efficient fer

23.05.2008 | Read more

MARMARIS rivals Kusadasi as the largest and most developed Aegean resort. Its huge marina and proximity to Dalaman airport mean that tourists pour in more or less nonstop during the warmer months. According to legend, the place was named when Süleyman the Magnificent, not finding the castle here to

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Though said to be Turkey's richest town, NEVSEHIR , at the very heart of Cappadocia, can hardly be accused of ostentatious wealth. It is the regional transport hub: frequent bus services all over Cappadocia run from here, and you'll probably find yourself detouring through when travelling between ot

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Around 50km east of Demre is the Lycian city of OLYMPOS , an idyllic site (free access), located on a beautiful sandy bay and the banks of a largely dry river. Close to the beach are some recently excavated tombs with a quay wall, as well as a warehouse; to the east on the same side lie the walls of

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SELÇUK has been catapulted into the limelight of first-division tourism by its proximity to the ruins of Ephesus, and a number of other attractions within the city limits and around. The flavour of tourism here, though, is different from that at nearby Kusadasi, its inland location and ecclesiasti

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Though celebrated for its setting on the Dardanelles, ÇANAKKALE has little to detain you. However, it is the best base for visiting the Gelibolu (Gallipoli) sites and the sparse ruins of Troy . Almost everything of interest in Çanakkale is within walking distance of the ferry docks , close to t

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A once-attractive town of old Greek houses wrapped around a castle, ÇESME these days is little more than Izmir on holiday, and a convenient stopover on the way to the Greek island of Híos. The town's two main streets are Inkilap Caddesi , the main bazaar thoroughfare, and its continuation Çarsi Cad

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Until fifteen years ago, ALANYA was a sleepy coastal town with no more than a handful of flyblown hotels. Now it's one of the Mediterranean coast's major resorts, a booming place that has fortunately managed to hold on to much of its character and is much less crowded than Side, even in midsummer.

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Yildiz Palace - Reception Room in the Sale Pavilion This vast park consists of mansions, gardens and lakes, the whole area surrounded by high walls, and all set in a superb hillside location. Popular at weekends and holidays with locals, it offers one of the few green areas within the city centre

08.05.2008 | Read more

In the 19th century Sultan Abdul Aziz built the Beylerbeyi Palace, a fantasy in white marble amid magnolia filled gardens, on the Bosphorus's Asian shore. Used as the Sultan's summer residence and hunting lodge, it was offered to the most distinguished foreign dignitaries during their visits. Em

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Suleymaniye The cascading domes and four slender minarets of Suleymaniye Mosque dominate the skyline on the Golden Horn's west bank. Considered the most beautiful of all imperial mosques in istanbul, it was built between 1550 and 1557 by Sinan, the renowned architect of the Ottoman golden age

04.05.2008 | Read more

Facing St. Sophia stands the supremely elegant, six-minaret, imperial Sultan Ahmet Mosque. Built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Mehmet, the building is more familiarly known as the Blue Mosque because its interior gleams with a magnificent pane iring of blue and white Iznik tiles. During

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A visit to Efes (Ephesus) - once the commercial center of the ancient world - is a highlight of any visit to Turkey. The city, whose wealth and patronage supported its splendid architectural program, was dedicated to the goddess Artemis. Her enormous temple, once considered one of the Seven Wonders

18.04.2008 | Read more

Built in the mid-19th century by Sultan Abdul Mecit-I, the facade of Dolmabahce Palace stretches for 600 meters along the European shore of the Bosphorus. The vast reception salon, with 56 columns, and a huge crystal chandelier weighing four and a half tons and lit by 750 lights never fails to a

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On a spit of land at the confluence of the Bosphorus, the golden Horn and the Marmara Sea stands the Topkapi Palace, the maze of buildings at the center of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and 19th centuries. In these opulent surroundings, the sultans and their court lived and governed. A mag

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Istanbul embraces two continents, one arm reaching out to Asia and the other to Europe. In the city's heart, the Bosphorus strait, course the waters of the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara and the Golden Horn. The former capital of three successive empires (Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman) today Istanbul

17.04.2008 | Read more