Turkiye

A beautiful and wonderful blend of western and eastern culture

Türkiye is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe.

Tourism in Turkey is focused largely on a variety of historical sites, and on seaside resorts along its Aegean and Mediterranean Sea coasts. Turkey has also become a popular destination for culture, spas, and health care.

At its height in 2019, Turkey attracted around 51 million foreign tourists, ranking as the sixth-most-popular tourist destination in the world.

Turkey is famous for the Blue Mosque, the New Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, and the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul; the Bosporus Bridge, which connects Asia with Europe; the Galata Bridge in Istanbul spans the Golden Horn; the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul;
Döner kebab, İskender kebap, Baklava, and Turkish coffee and tea; the Evil eye (nazar); Tulips, Turkish carpets; the Turkish bath (hammam); whirling dervishes (Sufi dance moves); the beaches of Incekum, Ölüdeniz (Blue Lagoon), Kaputas, and Antalya; the amazing travertine terraces of Pamukkale; the cave houses of Cappadocia, Mount Ararat, the resting place of Noah's Ark; Troy, the setting of the Trojan War; and the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the seven wonders of the world.

GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

Türkiye is surrounded on three sides by the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Aegean Sea. Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, is built on land in the Bosporus seaway. The city is partly in Europe and partly in Asia.

Turkey is a predominantly mountainous country, and true lowland is confined to the coastal fringes. About one-fourth of the surface has an elevation above 4,000 feet (1,200 meters), and less than two-fifths lies below 1,500 feet (460 meters).

Turkey's unique location provides certain leverages for international influence. Turkey is centrally situated between Europe, where much of the world's political and economic power is concentrated, and Asia, which has lately become a vital center of economic growth and rising political influence.

CLIMATE

The climate zones observed in Türkiye are the Mediterranean Climate where summers are hot and dry and the winters are mild and rainy; the Black Sea Climate where summers are cool and winters are warm in the coastal area and snowy and cold in the higher parts; the Terrestrial Climate where temperature differences ...

The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea have a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild to cool wet winters. The coastal areas of Turkey bordering the Black Sea have a temperate Oceanic climate with warm, wet summers and cool to cold, wet winters.

Turkey's climate and weather along the coast of the Black Sea is a continental climate. The four seasons are very distinct and in summer the cities and towns bordering the Black Sea are inundated with tourists and holidaymakers eager to enjoy the summer weather.

January, February, and March are fairly cold months in Turkey, although temperatures do warm up by March. Snow is not uncommon in January and even February, especially in the interior around Cappadocia.

CULTURE & HERITAGE     

The Republic of Türkiye has a very diverse culture that is a blend of various elements of the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia, and Middle East traditions. Türkiye has hosted many civilizations and has many ethnic origins on its lands. The fact that it is home to many communities that have left traces of religious, ethnic, and cultural origins has played a major role in the formation of this culture. It is seen that different cultural elements, traditions, beliefs, languages, or dialects of that region live in each city of Türkiye.

There are main elements that make up Turkish culture. These can be specified as language, religion, tradition, art, sport, worldview, and history.  

The first three sites in Turkey, the Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği, the Historic areas of Istanbul and Göreme National Park, and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, were inscribed on the list at the 9th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Paris, France in 1985. The latest inscription, Aphrodisias, was added to the list in 2017, Göbekli Tepe in 2018, and Arslantepe in 2021.

HOLIDAYS, TRADITIONS, AND CUISINE

There are currently 14.5 days of public holiday in Turkey, one of the highest numbers worldwide.

Perhaps the most famous of Turkey's many folk traditions is the spinning dance performed by the whirling dervishes.

Turkish cuisine is the cuisine of Turkey and the Turkish diaspora. It is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and Eastern European cuisines.

TOURISM

THE NUMBER OF VISITORS SURPASSED 48 MILLION ON THE EVE OF THE NEW YEAR

Türkiye, on the verge of achieving the goal of Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Minister of Culture and Tourism with more than 51 million tourists in 2019 on the eve of the new year has hosted 48 million 46 thousand 732 visitors total in the first 11 months.

Some 43 million of the visitors arriving in Türkiye comprise foreigners. The number of citizens who reside abroad has been 5 million 136 thousand 324 according to the 9-month statistics that The Turkish Statistical Institute has announced at the latest.

In accordance with January-November 2019 border statistics of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 42 million 910 thousand 408 foreigners visited Türkiye with a rise of 14.31 percent in comparison to the same period of last year.

In November again, compared to the same period of the previous year, the number of arriving foreigners reached 2 million 190 thousand 622 with a total 11.41 percent increase.

The Top Tourist-Generating Countries

In the first 11-month period of the year, in comparison with the same period of the previous one, Türkiye welcomed the most visitors from Russian Federation with a rise of 17.42 percent (6 million 887 thousand 136 visitors); Germany with a rise of 11.57 percent (4 million 835 thousand 626 visitors) and the United Kingdom with the rise of 13.30 percent (2 million 506 thousand 246 visitors), respectively. The ranking is followed by Bulgaria and Iran in pursuit of the United Kingdom.

The Statistical Data of the World Tourism Organization

Türkiye remained at the 6th rank in the list of most visited countries across the world in 2018 according to December 2019 data from World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

With the recent 2018 data that UNWTO has announced, Türkiye is named at the 15th rank in the listing of world tourism receipts.

Türkiye, as the 6th tourism rreceipt-generatingcountry across Europe, has become the 4th again in Europe in the top tourist hosting countries list.

 10 TOP 10 TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN TüRKIYE

Turkey offers a wealth of different kinds of destinations to travelers. From the dome and minaret-filled skyline of Istanbul to the Roman ruins along the western and southern coasts, from the beaches of Antalya and the Mediterranean seaside resorts to the misty mountains of the Eastern Black Sea. With so many amazing destinations a top 10 is bound to leave some great tourist attractions in Turkey out. So consider this list of destinations as just the start of a great holiday in Turkey.

1. HAGIA SOPHIA

Located in Istanbul, the Hagia Sophia was originally a basilica constructed for the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I in the sixth century. A masterwork of Roman engineering, the massive dome (31 meters or 102 feet in diameter) covers what was for over 1000 years the largest enclosed space in the world. The church was looted by the fourth Crusaders in 1204 and became a mosque in the 15th century when The Ottomans conquered the city. The Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum in 1935 and is now one of the top attractions in Turkey.

2. GOREME FAIRY CHIMNEYS

Cappadocia is famous for its weird and wonderful natural rock formations and unique historical heritage. One of the best places to see these strange formations is the town of Göreme, which is located among a large number of tuff cones, termed fairy chimneys. The fairy chimneys have been formed as the result of wind and water erosion of two different volcanic layers: A thick layer of tuff (consolidated volcanic ash) covered by a thin layer of basalt that is more resistant to erosion. Due to the ease of carving into the tuff, many of the fairy chimneys at Cappadocia have been hollowed out over the centuries to create houses, churches, and storage facilities.

3. LIBRARY OF CELSUS

The ruins of Ephesus are a popular tourist attraction on the west coast. The city of Ephesus was once famed for the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which was destroyed by a mob led by the archbishop of Constantinople in 401 AD. Some of the structures can still be seen however including the Great Theater and the Library of Celsus. The library was built around 125 AD to store 12,000 scrolls and to serve as a monumental tomb for Celsus, the governor of Asia. The façade was carefully reconstructed in the 1970s to its present splendid state from the original pieces.

4. BLUE MOSQUE

With its six minarets and sweeping architecture the Sultan Ahmed or Blue Mosque in Istanbul impresses from the outside. While still used as a mosque, the Blue Mosque has also become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Istanbul. It was built between 1609 and 1616 and like many other mosques contains the tomb of the founder. Inside the mosque, the high ceiling is lined with 20,000 blue tiles with different patterns that give the mosque its popular name.

5. OLUDENIZ

Ölüdeniz is a small village located on the southwest coast of the Aegean Sea. It has a secluded sandy bay at the mouth of Ölüdeniz, on a blue lagoon. This beach is famous for its shades of turquoise and remains one of the most photographed beaches on the Mediterranean. Ölüdeniz is also regarded as one of the best places in the world to paraglide due to its unique panoramic views.

6. MOUNT NEMRUT

Nemrut is a 2,134-meter (7,001 ft) high mountain in southeastern Turkey, near the city of Adiyaman. In 62 BC, King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene built a tomb sanctuary flanked by huge statues of himself, two lions, two eagles, and various Greek, and Persian gods on the mountaintop. Since their construction, the heads have toppled from the bodies and lay scattered throughout the site. The summit of Mount Nemrut provides a great view of the surrounding mountains. The main attraction is to watch the sunrise from the eastern terrace which gives the body-less heads a beautiful orange hue and adds to the sense of mystery of the place.

7. BODRUM CASTLE

Located in the city of Bodrum in southwest Turkey, Bodrum Castle was built by the Crusaders in the 15th century as the Castle of St. Peter. It is one of the world’s best-preserved monuments dating back to medieval times. The castle now operates as a museum, with a focus on the Museum of Underwater Archaeology. It overlooks the internal marina of Bodrum filled with millions of dollars worth of sailing crafts.

8. PAMUKKALE

Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish, is an unreal landscape in western Turkey, famous for its white terraces. The terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by water with a very high mineral content from the hot springs. People have bathed in its pools for thousands of years. The ancient Greek city of Hierapolis was built on top of the hot springs by the kings of Pergamon. The ruins of the baths, temples, and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site.

9. PATARA BEACH

At 14 kilometers (9 miles), Patara is one of the longest stretches of sandy beach found anywhere in the Mediterranean. The beach is backed only by ancient Lycian and Roman ruins and swooping dunes with no buildings visible except for a small café. Patara Beach is also the breeding ground of the endangered Loggerhead turtle. The nearby village of Patara was the birthplace of St Nicholas, the 4th-century Byzantine bishop who later passed into legend as Santa Claus.

10. ASPENDOS THEATRE

Aspendos boasts one of the best-preserved ancient theatres of antiquity. The theatre of Aspendos was built in 155 AD during the rule of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and could seat between 15,000 and 20,000 spectators. Because the stage area was later used as a caravanserai (a roadside inn) in Seljuk times, it was continuously repaired and maintained. Thus, the Aspendos Theatre has been able to survive to this day without losing almost any of its original qualities.