İstanbul embraces two continents,  one arm reachng out to Asia the other to Europe.  İn the city’s heart,  the Bosphorus strait,  course the waters of the Black Sea,  the Sea of Marmaris and the Golden Horn.  The former capital of three successsıve empires – Roman Byzantine and Otoman – today İstanbul honours and preserves the legacy of its past while lookıng forward to its modern future.

 İndeed it is Istanbul’s variety that fascinates its visitors.  The museums, 5 churches,  great mosques, bazaars and sights of natural beauty seem inexhaustible.  As you recline on the shores of the Bosphorus at sunset contemplating the red evening light reflected in the Windows on the opposite shore you understand suddenly why settlers chose to build on this remarkable site.  At times such as this you feel that İstanbul is truly one of the most glorious cities in the world.

In Antalya,  the pine-clad Toros (Taurus) Mountains sweep down to the sparkling clear sea forming an irregular coastline of rocky headlands and secluded coves.  The region, bathed in sunshine for 300 days of the year is a paradise of sunbathing, swimming and sporting activities such as windsurfing, waterskiing, sailing, mountain climbing and caving.  İf you come to Antalya in March and April you can ski in the mountains in the morning and in the afternoon swim in the warm waters of the mediterranean.  Important historical sites await your discovery, amid a landscape of pine forests olive and citrus grves and palm, avocade and banana plantations.  The Turkish Riviera is Turkey’s tourism capital. 

The Aegean shores of Turkey are among the loveliest landscapes in the country.  The magnificent coastline, lapped by the clear waters of the Aegean Sea, abounds in vast and pristine beaches surrounded by olive groves,  rocky crags and pine woods.

Whether you prefer idyllic fishing harbours, popular holidays villages or the remains of ancient civilizations attesting to more than 5,000 years of history,  culture and mythology,  this region offers something for everyone – nature lovers,  sun worshippers,  photographers,  sports enthusiasts,  sailors and archeologists. 

The Central Anatolian plateau,  ochre-hued,  cleft by ravines and dominated by volcanic peaks,  forms the heartland of Turkey.  Covered with wheatfields and outlined with ranks of poplars,  the boldy contoured steppe has a solitary majesty.  This plateau was one of the cradles of human civilisation.  At Catalhoyuk,  remains of settlements from as early as the eighth millenium B.C. have been unearthed.  The homeland of many people and the historic battleground of East and West;  here the Hattis,  Hittitites,  Phrgians,  Galatians, Roamns, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans all fought for their sovreignty and established their rule.  In the 11th century,  the migrating Turks from the east made the plateau their own.  During its turbulent history,  Central Anatolia has endured invasion by great conquerors,  such as Alexander the Great and Tamerlane.  In the course of ten millenia of habitation,  the denizens of the area have reflected in their art – fron the vigerous paintings of Catalhoyuk and the confident lines of Seljuk architecture,  to, more recently,  the impressive modern form of Ataturk’s mausoleum – the dramatic contours of the surrounding landscape. 

The Southeastern Anatolian Region,  with its very rich history and cultural heritage as shown in its magnificent historicai sites,  is well worth visiting.  Its history begins around 7,000 B.C. in the New Stone Age.  Between 2,000 B.C. and 1,500 B.C. came the Hurris who were to be followed by the Hittites sometime about 1,200 B.C.

 In the sacred land which encircles the Firat (Euphrates)  and the Dicle (Tigris) rivers,  the Grandfather of Religion,  Ibrahim (Abraham) the prophet lived.  Ibrahim was born in Ur, now called Sanlı Urfa, and later moved South from the city of Ur to Harran.  In Harran,  which was an important Mesopotamian historic and cultural centre,  the ruins of one of the largest and oldest Islamic universities can be seen among the archaeological remains.  Restoration is now complete on the 18th century mansion,  Kucuk Haci Mustafa Hacikamiloglu Konagi.  It has just reopened and now serves as an art gallery.

 When you travel from the South to the North over the Mesopotamian plains,  the first high mountain to be seen is the picuresque Mount Nemrut,  with the mausoleum of the Commagene King Antiochos at its 2,150 metre peak.

The Toros Mountains which paralel Turkey’s southern border and the Black Sea ountains in the North join together to form a mighty mountain range which defines the country’s South eastern border.   The tremendous diversity of the Eastern and South Eastern lands surprises travellers. The red ochre plateau of Ezurum; the forests, waterfalls and green pastures of Kars and Agri;  the parmanent snow cap on biblical Mount Agri (Ararat);  the vast lake Van with its deep blue waters.  Small earth-roofed houses,  built close to the ground typify houses around Kars.  Despite a generally austere life,  the people of the area are generous and hospitable.

The regions’s long and turbulent history has left monuments to its various civilizations :  Byzantine monasteries and churches,  Seljuk Mausoleums and caravanserais,  elegant Ottoman mosques and hilltop citadels.  To the inveterate travellers and lovers of adventure, this region of Turkey fascinates,  astonishes and informs.

The national highway,  the great trans-Anatolian axis road is the most direct route between Ankara and the Iranian border and passes through Sivas,  Erzincan,  Erzurum,  Agri and Dogubeyazit.

 The most direct route to this region is the Central Anatolian highway that passes through Kayseri,  Malatya,  Elazig,  Bingol,  Mus,  Van and on to Iran via Hakkari.

Weather information.      

In the Mediterranean and Agean regions, the summers are hot and dry and the winters short,  warm and mild with most of the rainfall taking place only from November to February.  As the summer temperature is around 86  - 105 F  (30-40 C)  and usually above 50 F (10 C) in the winter,  you can comfortably swim and sail in these turquoise waters for nine months of the year.