Few countries have such a spectacular combination of history and natural landscapes as Turkey. Brian Johnston delves in.
There are plenty of things to love about Turkey: melancholy ruins, crusader castles and turquoise coast line. Waters are blue as a hip cocktail, beaches sprawl between rocky headlands, and cities burst with minarets and markets. These are the main attractions, you might say. But better still, you'll love the endearing eccentricities: storks on twiggy nests atop chimneys, the hilarious patter of carpet merchants, the bristling moustaches and toothless smiles of fisherman.
For most visitors, Istanbul is the impressive start to a journey. Bold and beautiful, seductive and worn, Turkey's biggest city is poised dramatically between Europe and Asia and punctuated with mosques of medieval splendour. Chief among them is Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque, decorated with lznik tiles depicting stylised tulips, roses and cypress trees in vivid blue, illuminated by the sunlight that streams through more than 200 stained-glass windows.
Across the square stands Aya Sophia (St Sophia), completed in 537 as a church, converted to a mosque in 1453 and turned into a museum in 1935. You'll still be staggered by the sheer size of the majestic vault, barely lit by the slanting rays of light that come in from tiny windows and give the interior, decorated with Byzantine mosaics and Arabic calligraphy, a dim solemnity.
Istanbul's third big sight is Topkapi Palace, pleasure ground of the Ottoman sultans. Jewellery, calligraphy, gold and silver objects and rare illuminated books are among its priceless treasures. The architecture is equally splendid: admire the tiled walls, splashing courtyard fountains and exquisite decoration of the harem quarters. Sightseeing apart, you'll want to spend time just strolling around Istanbul in neighbourhoods such as historic Beyoglu or shop-dense Taksim. Spare time for the Grand Bazaar, which comes complete with vaulted ceilings, splashing fountains and a frenzied commercial atmosphere.
Beyond Istanbul, Turkey's indented Aegean coastline unfolds in a series of beautiful bays interspersed with beach resorts and splendid ancient ruins such as that of Troy, subject of classic Greek writer Homer's great epic Iliad, and probably 5,000 years old. Further south is Pergamum, which flourished in the sixth century BC and whose ruined temples and palace foundations sit spectacularly on a rocky outcrop. A well-preserved Greek theatre wedged into the hillside supplies magnificent views over the plains below.
All this ruined splendour culminates at Ephesus. In the second century BC, this trading port was the wealthy capital of Rome's Asian provinces. It's now the Mediterranean's best-preserved ancient site: you can walk colonnaded streets, stroll through the forum and clamber around the magnificent theatre, home to a family of stray cats. The most impressive building is the famous Library of Celsus, where the elegant facade is decorated with statues representing the four virtues.
Beyond Istanbul, Turkey's indented Aegean coastline unfolds in a series of beautiful bays interspersed with beach resorts and splendid ancient ruins such as that of Troy, subject of classic Greek writer Homer's great epic Iliad, and probably 5,000 years old. Further south is Pergamum, which flourished in the sixth century BC and whose ruined temples and palace foundations sit spectacularly on a rocky outcrop. A well-preserved Greek theatre wedged into the hillside supplies magnificent views over the plains below.
All this ruined splendour culminates at Ephesus. In the second century BC, this trading port was the wealthy capital of Rome's Asian provinces. It's now the Mediterranean's best-preserved ancient site: you can walk colonnaded streets, stroll through the forum and clamber around the magnificent theatre, home to a family of stray cats. The most impressive building is the famous Library of Celsus, where the elegant facade is decorated with statues representing the four virtues.
For a thousand years, limestone deposits have oozed down the hillsides at Pamukkale, creating a peculiar series of bright white terraces and pools filled with milky water said to be good for the health. The Romans certainly thought so; they flocked there, as you'll see from the toppled columns and remains of a theatre at nearby Hierapolis.
In central Turkey, you'll find another bizarre landscape on a much vaster scale. Cappadocia looks like the film set of a sci-fi movie, but this other-worldly landscape was the work of volcanism and erosion, which created twisted rocks, serrated valleys and odd-shaped mountains. Early Christians put in a helping hand between the fourth and seventh centuries by digging hundreds of churches and houses out of the soft volcanic rock as shelter against Arab raiders. The paintings that decorate church walls here form one of the greatest collections of Byzantine art in the world.
At Uçhisar, an entire village has been carved out of the mountainside, while at Göreme, the Girls' Monastery once accommodated 300 nuns in a complex maze of tunnels, living spaces and churches over three floors. It’s just one of a honeycomb of caves hiding ancient churches painted with Byzantine frescoes in blue and gold.
"Göreme lies at the heart of Cappadocia's fertile valleys of cheerful farms and orchards, from which rise white, pink and even greenish rock formations, nicknamed 'fairy chimneys' for their surreal appearance."
The landscape changes beyond. Three valleys eventually meet to become the larger Valley of the Monks at Zelve, where rock formations are varied: giant mushrooms, expanses of pink, crumpled rock like frozen rivers, and petrified stone forests. The cliff faces of the three canyons are riddled with churches and houses, all inter-connected by trapdoors and passageways, tunnels and steps.
Underground cities are another extraordinary feature of the region; thirty-six have been discovered so far. The creators of these incredible cities remain one of the great enigmas of Turkish archaeology, and the sheer work involved in building them staggers the imagination.
Back in daylight, every outcrop of rock along the Cappadocian roadside seems to be festooned with kilim rugs and brightly coloured bedspreads. Other bits of kilim end up as shoulder bags, slippers, belts and cushion covers - get carried away and you'll return home looking like a multi-coloured jester. There are plenty of other tempting goodies as well, such as ceramics and jewellery in traditional Byzantine and Ottoman styles, worked with local semi-precious stones such as amber and lapis lazuli. Browse the stalls of Zelve and Göreme and you can pick up mini landscapes made from tufa, the soft volcanic stone that gives this region such spectacular surrounds. It's a little piece of Turkey to bring back home as a reminder of its splendours.
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