Cheap Holidays on the Beach: Turkey Agean Coast

The Aegean coast of Turkey
Arguably Turkey's most beautiful region with beach holidays options, the Aegean beach coast is
an area of rolling hills and fertile valleys covered in cypress
and pine trees, olive groves and vineyards. Even 2,500 years
ago the historian Herodotus maintained it was blessed with
the best climate in the world, and in summer there is always

a gentle breeze to temper the fierce heat. The coastline is
magnificent, indented with endless bays and inlets.
Although parts of the coast are heavily developed, it is still
possible to find deserted beaches and unspoilt rural villages.

Maybe it was the beauty of these
surroundings that encouraged the
flowering here of brilliant civilisations.
After the fall of Troy around 1250 bc,
several waves of Greek emigrants
came and settled, founding cities
and producing great scientists,
historians and poets like Homer.
The greatest of these ancient cities
were Ephesus and Miletos, but
throughout the Aegean region there
are, literally, hundreds of ancient cities,
the ruins of which can still be visited
and explored. for Holidays on beach : Visit this lollypop-holidays.org.uk

Turkish Culture and Religion

People and Religion

Blaring from hundreds of radios; the object of the ages-old rit­ual of bargaining is as likely to be a mobile phone or cheap watch as it is a bag of saffron or a kilim. Even those young Is­tanbul women who have adopted the veil may well wear a fig­ure-hugging version that highlights rather than disguises what lies beneath. There are, however, some clear indications of a re­newed religious fervor in all levels of society.

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Turkey nurtures many cultures within its borders. Istanbul and Ankara have a sophisticated international lifestyle; a cas­ual, beachfront charm typifies the coastal resorts. Yet go only a few kilometres inland and you see an entirely different coun­try, peopled by chickens and goats, squat women in head-

scarves, cardigans and baggy trousers, and men with volup­tuous mustaches and flat caps. This is a country where women work the fields, a flock of small children tug­ging at their clothes, while the men hang out in tea shops playing backgammon and righting the ills of the world. The Turks love to talk.

A crossroads for armies and empires throughout its history, Turkey still walks the delicate tightrope be­tween East and West, look­ing for friends and influence in both directions, and act­ing as a moderate buffer zone in the current tense po­litical atmosphere. So far, it has succeeded admirably.

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Topkapi Palace of the Ottomans- Istanbul

This palace is today an incomparable museum of Ottoman wealth and splendour, beautifully laid out in the rooms. With one of the most fabulous settings of any palace anywhere, the Topkapi stands on the promontory jutting out between the Bosporus and the Golden Horn, the first hill of the Seven Hills of Istanbul. The palace has four courtyards, and the entrance to the first one is marked by the fabulous free-standing rococo street fountain of Ahmet III with its own overhanging roof. Built in 1728, it is the most beautiful and elaborate Ottoman fountain in the city, as befits its location. The ticket office lies within the first court, the Court of the Janissaries, where the sultan's elite military corps of slave soldiers was stationed. In the extreme southeast corner stands the impressive basilica of Aya Irini. During confidential meetings with officials and dignitaries, the sultan would instruct that the fountains be turned on so that no one could overhear their discussions. visit turkey and book All Iclusive holidays to Turkey.

The entrance to the third court is flanked by two magnificent octagonal towers. The main walkway through is lined with cypress trees, two of which have curiously interbred with a fig and a plane tree to form hybrids. Byzantine cisterns run under this walkway, and traces of the red brickwork can still be seen under the paving. The harem lies over to the far western end of the courtyard and the separate ticket kiosk stands outside it. Little is really known for sure about life in the harem. Much is gossip and hearsay. The women were guarded by black eunuchs, and even the chief physician was only allowed to inspect his patients' hands. The lucky woman in favour on any particular night would be summoned to the imperial bedchamber, told to kiss the imperial coverlet at the foot end, then wriggle her way under it to encounter the sultan.

No Turkish woman is thought ever to have had this honor, only thousands of Caucasians, Georgians and Armenians, and a handful of Western Europeans. Murat III (1574-95) had 1,200 harem women and fathered 103 children by them. Problems inevitably arose in such circumstances about how to decide the succession, and the usual Ottoman solution was wholesale slaughter of the other contenders by the eldest. When this custom was thought to be getting out of hand, a new method was introduced of locking up the younger brothers in the royal prison within the Topkapi, known as the Kafes. One of the busiest halls in the palace is the Pavilion of the Holy Mantle, containing Muslim holy relics captured during Selim the Grim's campaign in Egypt in the 16th century. In addition to rare examples of the Qur'an, these include a lock of Muhammad's beard hair and a cast of the footprint he left as he ascended into heaven.

Within the palace, the kitchens occupy the biggest single building. There were ten different ones, each catering for a different hierarchy. Today, they  house a priceless ceramics collection. For most people, the highlight of the I museum is the Treasury, where the accumulated jewels and treasure of the Ottoman sultans are displayed. Here you can see some of the biggest emeralds and diamonds in the world, as well as the famous Topkapi dagger. The Treasury tends to be the most crowded part of the museum. Beyond, in the furthermost court, are the ornate

kiosks and terraces with fabulous views, where the restaurant and cafe make lingering even more of a pleasure. Sultanahmet. Tel: (212) 512 0480. Open: Wed-Sun 9am~5pm. Admission charge. There is an additional charge for a tour of the harem, queued for and bought separately inside the palace, and the Treasury. Tours of the harem leave every 30 minutes, 9.30am-3.30pm.





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