ACTIVITIES Trekking
Trekking is the main reason people come to the Kafkars, and there are innumerable walks you could do. Talk to locals and the trekking guides to create your own adventure. Note that the trekking season in this region is very short, and you will only be able to do the higher mountain routes between mid-July and mid-August, when the snowline is highest. From mid-May to mid-September there are still plenty of walks you can do on the lower slopes and dozens of little mountain villages where you can...
Oil Wrestling
Turkey's most famous yagli giiref oil wresding matches have been taking place near Edirne since 1361 see the boxed text, pl71 . Every June, hundreds of amateur wrestiers from all over Turkey gather there to show off their strength. The wresders are organised into classes, from te vik encouragement to ba giire ler head wresders , with the winner in each class being designated a bafpehlivan, or master wresder. Clad only in leather shorts, they coat themselves with olive oil, utter a traditional...
Silifke
Syber Internet C fe 1 B3 Teklr Ambari 8 A3 Temple of Jupiter 9 C3 Tourist Office 2 B2 Ulu B2 Archaeological Museum 3 D3 Ataturk Beledlye Town Hall 5 B3 Re adlye B2 Otel Ayatekla 12 C3 G ksu G zde Sallm Ustanln Yerl 16 B3 C3 Ta ucu Dolmu Stand 18 B2 Ta ucu Dolmu Stand 19 D3 Uzuncaburg Dolmu 20 B2 B2 Otel Ayatekla 12 C3 C3 Ta ucu Dolmu Stand 18 B2 Ta ucu Dolmu Stand 19 D3 Uzuncaburg Dolmu 20 B2 The town is divided by the G ksu River, called the Calycadnus in ancient times. Most of the services,...
Laz
The 250,000-odd Laz people mainly inhabit the valleys between Trabzon and Rize. East of Trabzon you can hardly miss the women in their vivid red- and maroon-striped shawls. Laz men are less conspicuous, although they were once among the most feared of Turkish warriors for years black-clad Laz warriors were Atatiirk's personal bodyguards. Once Christian but now Muslim, the Laz are a Caucasian people who speak a language related to Georgian. Just as speaking Kurdish was forbidden until 1991, so...
Sleeping Ewj
Many of the hotels and pensions in Side are not operated and managed by their actual owners, but rather are sublet for the tourist season. You can probably guess what effect this has on customer service. Try to find a place where the employees have been around for a while. Also note that if you're staying in a hotel some distance from town, you'll need to round up transport in order to reach Side's ruins. Pettino's Pansiyon 753 3608 pettino superonline .com Cami Sokak 9 s d 17 23 E Aside from...
The Legend Of Ferhat Irin
Amasya is the setting for one of Turkey's best-loved folk tales, the tragic love story of Ferhat and irin. In its simplest form, it's the Eastern equivalent of Romeo and Juliet the young nakis wall painting craftsman Ferhat falls in love with irin, the sister of sultan-queen Mehmene Banu, but the sultana disapproves of the match, so she demands that the young suitor carve a channel through the mountains to bring water to her drought-struck city. In the course of his Herculean labours, Ferhat...
Behold The Anamur Banana
Nearly every city and town along Turkey's eastern Mediterranean coast seems to be known for its proficiency in growing a certain type of fruit, and Anamur is no different. Here, the banana reigns supreme. Until the mid-1980s, Anamur bananas were the only sort of banana available anywhere in the country. That certainly wasn't a bad thing. It's true the bananas are especially small, but their smell, and especially their taste, is outstanding. Anamur bananas are much sweeter and more flavourful...
Sleeping Flk
PulluOrman ip DinlenmeYeri S 8271151 campsites or caravans 5 Just under 2km east of Mamure Casde is this large, hilly and forested camp ground. It's especially popular with Turkish families and school groups who arrive for picnics by the sea where pious Muslim women swim fully clothed . Hotel Dedehan 814 7522 D400 Hwy s d 11 22 M This rather pleasant place can be found next to the otogar. With its friendly owner and clean, decent-sized rooms, it's a good choice if you're stuck in town...
BELiSIRMA
Midway along the gorge, beside Belisirma village, there are four low-key but agreeable licensed restaurants. These benefit from their enviable position right by the river, and all serve basic meals of grilled trout, saf tava, kebaps, salads and soups. You can camp in the grounds for no charge if you eat in the associated restaurant - all four places have basic ablution blocks. Anatolia Valley Restaurant amp Camping 457 3040 mains 4-5 A good site, with a couple of vine-covered pergolas for...
AROUND TRABZON Sumela Monastery
One of the highlights of the Black Sea coast, the Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Virgin Mary admission 2.80 S9am-6pmJun-Aug, 9am-4pm Sep-May at Sumela, 46km south of Trabzon, was founded in Byzantine times and abandoned in 1923 after the creation of the Turkish Republic put paid to hopes of creating a new Greek state in this region. The setting is absolutely magical. The monastery clings to a sheer rock wall high above evergreen forests and a rushing mountain stream. It can be a mysterious,...
Northern Cyprus
The main crossing point between northern Cyprus and Turkey is between Tajucu near Silifke and Girne on the northern coast of northern Cyprus. Akgiinler Denizcilik www.akgun ler.com.tr makes this journey - see p418. You can also travel between Alanya and Girne with Fergiin Denizcilik www.fergun.net - see p414 . Finally, you can travel between Mersin and FERRIES BETWEEN TURKEY amp GREECE Route Frequency 50 60 same-day, 100 open return 25 40 same day, 50 open return Gazimagusa Famagusta on the...
Goksu Valley
From Uzuncabu the road continues via Kirobasi to Mut and then to Karaman and Konya. Winding up into the forests you may pass huge stacks of logs cut by the Tahtacilar, the Alevi mountain woodcutters who live a secluded life in the forest. About 40km before Mut the road skirts a fantastic limestone canyon that extends for several kilometres. High above in the limestone cliffs are caves, which were probably once inhabited. The land in the valleys is rich and well watered. About 20km north of Mut...
Bulgaria Eastern Europe
It's fairly easy to get to Istanbul by direct train or bus from many points in Europe via Bulgaria. There are three border crossings between Bulgaria and Turkey. The main border crossing is the busy Kapitan-Andreevo Kapikule, 18km west of Edirne on the E5. The closest town on the Bulgarian side is Svilen-grad, some 10km from the border. You have to hitch a lift or hire a taxi rather than walk between the Greek-Turkish border posts. Petrol, foreign-exchange facilities, restaurants and...
SELiME
At the northern end of the gorge, there are three decent accommodation options if you want to stay overnight. The cheapest of these are the worn but clean Piri Pension 454 5114 carpet_Mustafa yahoo.com s d incl breakfast 11.50 23 , a tranquil and friendly place that overlooks some fairy chimneys and the newly built Kayabaji Motel 454 5565 s d incl breakfast 11.50 23 , which is 2km outside the village on the road to Belisirma and offers clean and comfortable rooms with great views. For something...
Urgup O
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Sleeping Eating Thb
Many of Mustafapaja's accommodation options are closed from November to March. Monastery Hotel 353 5005 www.monasteryhotel .com Mehmet Jakirpaja Caddesi s d 10 20 On the road leading to Monastery Valley, this rough-as-guts place has some squalid downstairs rooms and a few much-more-bearable upstairs alternatives. We doubt that the hotel's bizarre disco-bar sees much action. Hotel Pacha 353 5331 www.pachahotel.com Sinasos Meydani s d incl breakfast 15 24 Lots of Cap-padocian hotels boast of the...
Ayder
The hub of the Kaijkar tourist industry, Ayder is a high-pasture village enjoying a glorious valley-side setting at 1300m, with snow-capped mountains above and waterfalls cascading to the river below. Despite a few painful concrete buildings thrown up to meet visitor demand, the charming alpine-chalet look still predominates, and new buildings must now be in 'traditional style' ie sheathed in wood . Ayder really only functions during the trekking season, which runs from mid-May to...
Trekking in Turkey
Turkey's huge, bare central plateau, punctuated by isolated volcanic cones and shimmering, shallow lakes, is hemmed by many mountain ranges. The Taurus ranges, in the central south, are limestone - raising white, weathered ridges above ancient cedar or juniper forests. On the coastal sides of these ranges, below pine-clad foothills, are steep-sided coves, busy harbours and resort towns. On the north are the Pontic Alps with, to the east, the Ka kars - a sharp, granite range, largely unforested,...
Classes Costs
Turkish trains have several seating and sleeping options. Most of the trains have comfortable reclining Pullman seat carriages. Some also have European-style compartments with six seats, usually divided into 1st- and 2nd-class coaches. Sometimes seats can be booked in these compartments, sometimes they're 'first come, best seated'. There are three types of sleeper. A kiifetli couchette wagon has shared four- or some times six-person compartments with seats that fold down into shelf-like beds....
Insect Bites Stings
Even if mosquitoes do not carry malaria, they can cause irritation and infected bites. Using DEET-based insect repellents will prevent bites. Mosquitoes also spread dengue fever. There is a risk of bee stings along the z Aegean and Mediterranean coastal areas. Bees and wasps only cause real problems for those with a severe allergy anaphylaxis . If you have a severe allergy to bee or wasp stings you should carry an adrenaline injection or something similar. There is a particularly higher risk of...
Lyrbe Seleukeia in Pamphylia
Shordy after passing the Roman aqueduct, look for a sign on the left marked 'Lyrbe Seleukeia' 7km . Continue on through the village of ijihlar, and note the small bits of columns built into the walls of the village's stone houses. Take the road to the right opposite the minaret, which winds another 3km uphill to the ruins. The ruins, some quite crumbled and others in rather well-preserved condition, are particularly appealing due to their hilltop location. Situated among an expanse of pine...
Kizkales
Kizkalesi, which pushes right up against the main D400 highway, is the sort of place that seems garish and crude upon arrival. But stick around for a while, and this small village, which today is part open-air museum of antiquated ruins and part tacky tourism epicentre, will almost certainly grow on you. It's no secret how this very small town, 26km east of Silifke, became so popular. The impressively long beach here is one of the loveliest in this region, and that's to say nothing of the fact...
Sleeping Hpo
Otel Selvi 2141763 www.selviotel.com Banka Sokak 10 s d 14 25 Just north of Nasrullah Meydani, the Selvi has a range of basic but serviceable rooms, some with castle views, and a tatty roof terrace. Breakfast is 1.10 you can save 5.60 per person by settling for a shared bathroom. Otelidrisoglu 2141757 CumhuriyetCaddesi21 s d from 20 34 Right on the main road, the brown-toned reception here is the gateway to a selection of minutely differentiated rooms, all of which are quite adequate for an...