Walking down the sacred way that was paved with marble block and flanked by columns both broken and whole, we were entering Asklepieion, an ancient healing centre in a city once known as Pergamon to the Romans and now the Turkish city of Bergama. Named after the healing God Asclepius and existed as early as 4th century B.C., Asklepieion was a mixture between a...
Our small tour group reached the Basilica of St John sometime late noon. The temperatures had dropped and there was a cold wind blowing with slight drizzle of rain. While the tour guide went on to describe the site, I was distracted. The ruins that stood there appeared as though it could tell its own story. Exploring ruins are our favourite part about travelling...
It was our sixth day touring Turkey and we arrived in the sleepy town of Kuşadası, a coastal resort town in the Aydin province of the Aegean west coast. Yes, I say sleepy cause we were travelling around Turkey during winter and though Kuşadası is the fourth busiest cruise port among the Mediterranean cruise liners, you will have the place all to yourself during...
Istanbul is a city that cannot be experienced in a day…. But for those who have a brief stopover and have already witnessed the rich heritage of the famous district of Sultanahmet that is home to the remarkable Blue mosque, Hagia Sofia and Grand Bazaar, the guide below is an alternative way to see this vibrant city through the easiest mode of transportation in good...
Ephesus has always been on top of our list of “must see places”. As one of the seven churches of Asia cited in the Book of Revelation, this ancient city holds a special fascination in our hearts. We just had to see it and walk its marble streets for ourselves. Reading about it and watching it on TV wasn’t enough. Located near a town called Selcuk in...
The focal point of our trip to Turkey was visiting places of religious significance. The House of the Virgin Mary was by far one of the most serene places we visited. There is a sense of calmness in the air, a place of reverence, a place we would love to return to in a heartbeat. Located approximately 27 kilometres from the town of Kusadasi, which is home to most of...
I never get tired of ruins and in an ancient Greco-Roman City like Aphrodisias, it’s pretty hard not to get absorbed into the lost world that once worshipped the mythical Goddess of Love – Aphrodite. Located about 150 kilometres east (inland) of the Aegean Sea with the snow covered peak of the Babadag mountain range as backdrop in the ancient city of...
Hierapolis. A city where the ancient people believed was founded by the god Apollo. A Hellenistic city that focused on its natural sources of thermal waters. A city so vast that brought about the visit of St. Philip in his mission to spread Christianity. Eventually crucified upside down at Hierapolis under the persecution of the Roman emperor Domitian (A.D. 81-96)...
Having been used since the 10th century, the Sultanhani caravanserai situated on Konya-Aksaray Highway looked just like seen out of The Game of Thrones. It resembled the entrance to the city of Qarth! Known as kervansaray or caravanserai, literally ‘caravan palaces’, these buildings provided accommodation and other amenities for merchants. You could say...
If the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia weren’t fascinating enough, a visit to the Göreme Open Air Museum and the troglodyte cave-cities of Kaymakli are sure to intrigue. Located in the Nevşehir Province in Central Anatolia, the museum and the underground city are two of the most interesting stops in your tour around Turkey. Mostly everything ancient about Cappadocia...