Turkey
Travel date November/December 2013
flight: Ryanair UK – Instambul Turkey
rented car: Renault from https://www.cizgirentacar.com/ – collection and return at the airport, no problems with the company or the car.
1 day
We arrived in the late afternoon, checked into our room, and went for a walk. Nights in Istanbul are a great experience — the bazaar and street vendors stay open until late.
Our accommodation in Istanbul was Fenerion Golden Horn — you’ll need to Google it, as they no longer list on Booking.com.
Address: Yavuz Sultan Selim Mah., Dr. Sadık Ahmet Cad. No: 24, Fatih, 34200 Istanbul, Turkey.
2 day
Topkapi Palace
information, opening hours and tickets: https://muze.gen.tr/muze-detay/topkapi
“Topkapı Palace and Harem (Topkapı Sarayı) are likely to have more colourful stories than most of the world’s museums put together. Libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful concubines and scheming eunuchs lived and worked here between the 15th and 19th centuries when it was the court of the Ottoman empire.”
Hagia Sophia
The place is a must-see, it’s amazing and huge! “Hagia Sophia is a great architectural beauty and an important monument both for Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, from 1935 till 2020 a museum at the Turkish Republic” https://www.hagiasophia.com/ a mosque again from 2020
Sultanahmet Camii – The Blue Mosque
Contributors to Wikimedia projects
A night at Kızılkaya Butik Hotel Address: Guney Mah. Tuğrul Cad. No:11 Körfez / İzmit, 41780 Korfez, Turkey (again google it). All good, we had breakfast included in the price.
3 day Izmit – Bergama
We booked Athena Pension Address: Barbaros Mahallesi Imam Cikmazi No: 17, 35700 Bergama – excellent place, in the old town with beautiful garden.
4 day
Pergamon
info from UNESCO : https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1457/
” Pergamon was built with advanced techniques in the fields of urbanism and architecture, and was converted into a residential area by creating terraces on a steep hill. The city plan of Pergamon is divided into two as the lower and upper city. In the lower city, there are Hera and Demeter sanctuaries, gymnasium, lower agora, houses and many other social structures. The Upper City, also known as the Acropolis, is the area where the royal family and prominent people of the city lived and where the sacred areas were located. One of the prominent structures in the Acropolis is the magnificent Temple of Trajan. It was constructed by using white marble during the Roman Period. The theater in the city, which was one of the steepest in the ancient world, is another architectural structure that is definitely worth seeing with its breathtaking view. ”
more information, maps and more sites in Turkey: https://turkishmuseums.com/blog/detail/history-of-medicine-ancient-city-of-pergamon/10032/4
Reconstructed view of the Pergamon Acropolis:
The acropolis of Pergamon was the capital of the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty, a major centre of learning in the ancient world. Monumental temples, theatres, stoa or porticoes, gymnasium, altar and library were set into the sloping terrain surrounded by an extensive city wall.
In the evening, we arrived in Selçuk — a very charming town. The bread here is fantastic, and honestly, the tomatoes and bread in Turkey are simply amazing!
In the Evening we arrived to Selcuk – very nice town with fantastic bread (tomatoes and bread in Turkey are simply amazing). We spent 2 nights at Villa Panorama.
Day 5
Pammukale
Pamukkale is a town in western Turkey renowned for its stunning white travertine terraces, formed by mineral-rich thermal waters cascading down the hillside. Right next to it lies Hierapolis, an ancient Roman spa city founded around 190 B.C. The ruins are impressive — from a remarkably well-preserved theater to a vast necropolis stretching over 2 kilometers, filled with sarcophagi.
One of the highlights is the Antique Pool, where you can swim among submerged Roman columns — a surreal experience created by an earthquake that toppled the structures into the thermal waters.
Hierapolis
Day 6
Aphrodisias
“Located in southwestern Turkey, in the upper valley of the Morsynus River, the site consists of two components: the archaeological site of Aphrodisias and the marble quarries northeast of the city. The temple of Aphrodite dates from the 3rd century BC and the city was built one century later. The wealth of Aphrodisias came from the marble quarries and the art produced by its sculptors. The city streets are arranged around several large civic structures, which include temples, a theatre, an agora and two bath complexes.” https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1519/
The monumental gateway or tetrapylon Temple of Aphrodite
1.Temple of Aphrodite 2. The Bouleuterion served as the meeting place of the city’s administrative council (the Boule), and as a multi-purpose indoor theatre, concert hall and assembly space. 3.The Stadium 4 & 5.The Sebasteion 6. The Roman Theater
Ephesus
Ephesus is one of the largest Roman archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean. The visible ruins still give some idea of the city’s original splendour. The city was once considered the most important Greek city and the most important trading center in the Mediterranean region. Throughout history, Ephesus survived multiple attacks and changed hands many times between conquerors.
The Library of Celsus in Ephesos
It is because of extensive restoration work that took place for eight years in the 70s that we can see the library’s front facade because a 3rd-century earthquake demolished it.
The Terrace Houses in Ephesus consists of luxurious residential houses, next to Curetes Street and opposite the Temple of Hadrian:
Toilets
Reconstruction video – how it looked in the past
Temple of Artemis – the site is on the way from Selcuk to Ephesus site. Known also as or Artemision and Temple of Diana, Temple of Artemis. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it was completely rebuilt three times before its final destruction in 401 AD. Only foundations and sculptural fragments of the latest of the temples at the site remain.
model of the Temple of Artemis, Istanbul, Turkey and virtual reconstruction (2017):
Selcuk
The grand Byzantine fortress of Selçuk and Isa Bey Mosque on Ayasoluk Hill
Day 8
Burhaniye
We booked Daidalos Hotel which is actually a house in the village with very large and nice rooms. We spent a day walking around and visiting the Burhaniye beach – nothing special but…
