Bodrum is an exquisitely beautiful resort in the southwest corner of  Turkey, which has become the haunt of the rich and famous. Its waterfront is domitaned by the magnificent The Castle of St. Peter , which houses a unique Museum of Underwater Archeology. There are regular ferries from Bodrum to the island of Kos in Greece. Years ago, one of Turkey’s most famous pop-rock groups, MFÖ released a song entitled, “Bodrum, Bodrum”; “How do I describe it, where do I begin, Bodrum, Bodruuuum,” was how it started. Since then, it has become the unofficial anthem of this popular summer resort. Most...

A while cat with mismatched eyes, a rock-cut citadel, and a lake big enough to be called a sea are just a few of the wonders to be found in the former Urartian capital of Van in remote Eastern Turkey. Van also makes a good base for exploring the surrounding area where you’ll find a lovely medieval church alone on an island, an impressive waterfall, and a castle straight out of a fairy tale. Turkey’s largest lake, Lake Van, sprawls over an area of 3,750 square kilometers. It’s a beautiful and mesmerizing place that retreats into silence once the sun goes down. On its shores stands the modern...

The great poet and religious leader Mevlana Celaleddin rumi was born in 1207 in what is now Afghanistan. Later, his family fled the Mongolian invasion and settled in Konya. Mevlana means “our guide” or “our master”, while Celaleddin means “majesty of religion” in Arabic. Mevlana wrote most of his poetry in Persian, but also penned some verses in Turkish, Arabic and even Greek. His life took an unexpected turn when he met Şemseddin Tabrizi, who became his spiritual guide and companion. Şems vanished unexpectedly, believed murdered by Rumi’s disciples who could not stand his influence...

Commanding the Mediterranean from sheer cliffs rising out of the sea and backed by the Bey Mountains, Antalya has one of the most beautiful geographical locations in the world. It is also a vibrant modern city, grown up around a fascinating old inner city full of reminders of the past from Roman times right through of the Ottomans. Antalya was founded by the Pergamum King Attalos II in the 2nd century BC. Legend has it that Attalos instructed his soldiers to find “heaven on earth” and that after a long and tedious search across the world, his men offered the king this city, which he named Attaleia....

One of the best things about Side is the way that the ancient ruins overlap and intertwine with the modern city. The theater, the museum, and the Temples of Apollo and Athena are all within easy walking distance of each other. The bazaar is extremely busy; as a melting pot for many different nationalities and languages, it generates an atmosphere that some find endearing and others find offputting. The site of a famous love affair… Some sources say that Side originally meant “pomegranate”, and the pomegranate is the symbol of abundance and wealth. The city experianced its period of greatest...