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There is a lot of buzz these days about Göbekli Tepe… Visitors to Turkey are increasingly interested in seeing it if their program permits, but what is Göbekli Tepe, and why is it so important? Located in South Eastern Turkey, near the city of Şanlıurfa, Göbekli Tepe is an...

1.  Raki – Ask most Turkish people what the national alcoholic drink of Turkey is and most will tell you it is Raki.   It is an aniseed-flavoured distilled alcoholic drink made from grapes, figs and plums. Thought to have been in existence for around 300 years, its origins...

You’ll see them hung outside and inside homes, in cars, in shops, on bracelets, worn as earrings, on animals, and babies often wear one attached to a small safety pin – it’s the Nazar Boncuğu, which translates to the Evil Eye Bead, and often (incorrectly) called...

The hamam (Turkish bath) has long played a role in Turkish culture and history, and no trip to Turkey is complete without a trip to a hamam.   A descendent of Roman and Byzantine baths, in Ottoman times the hamam was not just a place for cleansing both body and soul. It also...

As you travel around Turkey you will see lots of statues, busts and photographs of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881 – 1938), the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey. Born in 1881 in Salonica, Greece, he attended military high school, and began his military career  in 1902,...

Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī, (in Turkey referred to as Celâleddin Muhammed Rûmi), often referred to simply as Mevlana or Rumi was a 13th Century Sufi mystic and poet.  All over the world he is a highly respected spiritual master, and respected by people of many faiths.  He was...

It’s hard to visit the Ephesus area without being asked to buy a leather jacket or to visit a leather manufacturer, and as you walk the streets of Kusadasi, it is nearly impossible not to catch a waft of leather as you walk around the shopping district.  But rather than...

1.  Baklava – Consisting of paper-thin layers of phyllo pastry filled with a spicy, sugary mixture of nuts such as walnuts and pistachios, topped with melted shortening, then drizzled in a sweet syrup of honey and cinnamon, baklava was considered a dessert only for the...

Located on 13.5 acres of land just 800m from Sirince Village lies what started out as a unique experiment – Nesin Mathematics Village. Set in tranquil, green surrounds on a hillside, its buildings are simple – made from stone, clay and straw, yet very charming and...

Turkey is one of the World’s top 5 producers of olive oil, with the area around Ephesus, and up the Aegean coastline being one of its major production areas.  It is estimated that approximately 76% of Turkey’s olive trees are located in the Aegean region.  Olive...

Turkey has long been a place where different faiths converge.  There are several religious signs and symbols in Ephesus which give us subtle clues to its rich history as a homeland to these faiths – in particular, Christianity and Judaism. We know that Jewish people have...

It’s nearly time for Ramadan, or Ramazan, as it is known in Turkish. This year it will run from 18 June until 16 July.  The date of Ramazan is earlier by approximately 11 days each year because its date is based on the lunar calendar. When Ramazan is over it wil...