Turkey

Cultural Crossroads

European and Asian, western and eastern, Turkey is a country in two continents, and two continents in a single country. From vibrant metropolis to sleepy villages, ancient cultural treasures to modern beach resorts, there's something here for everyone.

Turkey is a junction of land and sea, a crossing point for traders and travellers. The narrow waters of the Dardanelles and the Bosporus are wide enough to allow the passage of ships from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and beyond, yet narrow enough for Europe and Asia to touch at Istanbul's Bosporus Bridge.

It's a land of contrasts, both geographically and culturally.The predominant religion is Islam, but it's a secular state; it's dressed in ancient monuments, yet has a thriving modern economy; its coasts are warm and welcoming for tourists, yet the interior plateau is arid in summer and bitter in winter.

Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey is the nation's cultural and economic powerhouse. Formerly known as Constantinople (and before that as Byzantium), the city was once the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and holds a stock of ancient buildings from that era to rival even Rome, plus monuments from the later Ottoman era, which saw a flourishing of art and learning.

A prominent historic attraction in Istanbul, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque was built in the 17th century and is still the largest in the country. Ornately decorated, it's a fine example of craftsmanship in the Ottoman tradition.

One of the best preserved pieces of Byzantine architecture, the Hagia Sophia was originally built as a basilica, but converted into a mosque when the city came under Ottoman control and has been serving as the museum of the Turkish Republic since 1935.

Impressive though the grand monuments of the city are, the soul of Istanbul is its history of commerce - best seen in the Grand Bazaar. Containing over 4,000 shops and stalls it's one of the largest covered markets in the world, attracting tens of thousands of visitors every day.The bazaar's outlets are grouped by their goods, such as silver jewellers, carpets, confectionery etc. Now fairly well frequented by tourists, you may have to shop around to find the better prices, but the bazaar's large enough to keep even the keenest shopaholic occupied for at least a whole day.

No visit to Istanbul can be complete without a sampling the local cuisine and top of the'to do' list has to be sampling an authentic doner kebab in it's home town. Forget the chip-shop side show that you might be used to in the UK, the real doner is slowly roasted on a coal fired spit and traditionally served on rice, on a'pide' long bread, or combined with tomato sauce, butter and served with yoghurt as an Iskender Kebab.

There's no better place to sample Turkish culinary culture than in a'meyhane' bar-cum-restaurant, mixing food, live music, dancing and singing, all served with'raki', a potent, anise-flavoured beverage, which enjoys a semi-official status of the national drink.The'meze'served with the raki and song are an excellent way to taste many different Turkish dishes in a single sitting - think tapas, but with an eastern Mediterranean flavour.

The cultural attractions in Turkey are not limited to Istanbul, with historic sites stretch back through time to period even earlier than the Roman. Ephesus on the Aegean coast is a settlement that dates from the Bronze Age.

Some four kilometres from the modern town of Selçuk, the site is open for visitors to see ruins from various periods in its history. The Library of Celsus, which dates from around the second century AD, still has much of its impressive façade intact, as does the Temple of Hadrian from around the same period. Less well preserved though perhaps more moving, is the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, built around 550 BC. Little sign of the original building remains, having been destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly throughout history; a single column has been reconstructed from fragments to mark the site.

North from Ephesus along the Aegean coast are the ruins of the Greek settlement of Pergamon.The site boasts many impressive ancient monuments dating back to the Greek period, including the reconstructed Temple of Trajan.

Having spent several days immersing yourself in the historic treasures that the country has to offer, you might then choose to immerse yourself in one of the choice of warm seas that that surround the country, smug in the knowledge that you've done the 'cultural bit'.The'Turkish Riviera'along the country's southwestern Aegean coastline is an ideal base for those who might want to combine seeing the historic sites with lying on a beach.The climate is everything you'd expect from a Greek Islands holiday, being only a few miles away from many of the most popular island holiday destinations.

Bodrum offers the best of both worlds - a modern tourist resort with a good beach at Gumbet, plus wind surfing, diving and boat tours, while the city has just enough monuments to tick the'culture'box if you don't want to spend too much effort.

Olympos, on the southern Mediterranean coast is popular with younger backpacker visitors and has a livelier atmosphere. Don't miss a visit to the eerie Eternal Flames of the Chimera, permanent fires fuelled by natural gas seeping up through the rock - especially impressive after dark! From ancient history to modern beach holiday, metropolitan glitz to simple rustic pleasures,Turkey deserves its reputation as one of best holiday destinations in Europe.