Turkey Blogs

  • Turkish Soap: Olive Oil isn’t only for eating

    Written by Valantis on July 30th, 2010 in Turkish CultureNo comments yet
    Turkish Soap: Olive Oil isn’t only for eating
    To anyone who ever travels to Turkey and wants to get their loved ones from back home gifts other than the evil eye amulets, and still keep an affordable budget, Turkish soap is your best bet.  A 600 hundred year-old tradition in Turkey, soap goes hand in hand with the culture, which you can easily share with anyone who wants a sample of your travels.  And the greatest thing about it is you can find Turkish soap anywhere you go. Soap in itself has an interesting history.  It’s said to be invented roughly 5,000 years ago in Ancient Babylon.  Jump...

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  • Let Your Fingers Do the Talking

    Written by Suzanne on July 28th, 2010 in Living in Turkey, Turkish CultureNo comments yet
    Let Your Fingers Do the Talking
    “Suzanne, come!” My boss barked at me, holding out her arm and shaking her wrist  downward, like she was nodding her hand.  My brain froze, unable to decipher the seemingly contradictory commands.   She grabbed my hand and pulled me into a classroom to hide me me from students she had told I was ill in order to free up my afternoon.  She placed her arms against the the door before raising a finger to her lips. “Shh,” she whispered.  “Be quiet.”  But there was no need, this was a gesture I understood. To my American eyes, when she had wanted...

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  • The Men and Their Beads

    Written by Valantis on July 21st, 2010 in Turkish CultureNo comments yet
    The Men and Their Beads
    When coming to Turkey for the first time, it was quick to notice many of the men walking with a string of beads in their hands.  Some were long, while others were very short, but always noticeable.  Some beads are simple, plain white or black, while others hold a more lavish gleaming stone version from the more expensive markets.  Many wonder what it is exactly they are holding.  Is it religious?  Or just something to hold on to pass the time? The name of the beads is called tesbih, and they hold a few different meanings.  The first meaning holds...

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  • The wonders of Turkish wine

    Written by Melissa on July 9th, 2010 in Eat & DrinkNo comments yet
    The wonders of Turkish wine
    When I first came to Turkey, I didn’t know a lot about Turkish wine. In fact, I think it’s safe to say I wasn’t even aware that Turkish wine existed. It doesn’t get a lot of press outside Turkey, which I think is completely unfair given what I know about it now. I came to experiment with Turkish wine in the way that most foreigners here do – by discovering that imported alcohol is taxed so heavily, you have to use the booze you bought to drown your sorrows over how much you paid for it. As soon as I...

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  • Traveling Turkey: Great Ways to Eat Cheap without Missing Out

    Written by Valantis on July 7th, 2010 in Eat & Drink, TravelNo comments yet
    Traveling Turkey: Great Ways to Eat Cheap without Missing Out
    When I came to Turkey for the first time, I had mapped out everything I wanted to do.  The different historical sites I wanted to see, places I wanted to take pictures, clubs I wanted to hang out in.  But there was one thing I didn’t plan; where and what was I going to eat?  Normally, that is priority #1.  But, I figured that I would just wing it, and pay for food that looked good.  Although this is a fine idea hypothetically, it kept me from combining the financial and cultural connection, leaving me either full and broke, or...

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  • History on Horseback: The Evliya Çelebi Way

    Written by OnurInal on July 6th, 2010 in History, World Heritage1 Comment
    History on Horseback: The Evliya Çelebi Way
    In my previous post, I talked about Evliya Çelebi, a Turkish traveler who journeyed through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years in the 17th century, whom the UNESCO has recognized as “Man of the Year” in 2011. Now, I want to tell you the Evliya Çelebi Way, a new cultural route through the Anatolia countryside. The Evliya Çelebi Way is an international project that has two connected goals: historical re-enactment and cultural re-connection by establishing cultural routes in Western and Southeastern Anatolia. The first central goal, historical re-enactment, is aimed to...

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  • The Oldest And The Greatest Covered Bazaar Of The World: GRAND BAZAAR

    Written by Umut on July 5th, 2010 in I was in Turkey, TravelNo comments yet
    The Oldest And The Greatest Covered Bazaar Of The World: GRAND BAZAAR
    When Samantha from Sex and the City broke her toe on one episode, Carrie asked her “Honey, if it hurts so much, why are we going shopping?”. Samantha’s answer was simple and yet explaining it all: “I have a broken toe, not a broken spirit.” I believe shopping is an art. It is not only walking into a shop, picking something from a shelf and paying for it. And because it’s more than that, I believe some of the shopping places are like spiritual centers. In this case Grand Bazaar of Sultanahmet is like a holy place for shopping lovers....

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  • Mastic: The Aegean’s Ingredient that Bonds Two Cultures

    Written by Valantis on July 2nd, 2010 in HistoryNo comments yet
    Mastic: The Aegean’s Ingredient that Bonds Two Cultures
    The Greek island of Chios (Sakiz in Turkish) lies off the coast of Izmir, directly across the shore of Çesme.  For years, there has been a special connection between the island and the port city that surpasses any political barrier between the two countries.  It’s a little magical piece of nature, and it’s called Mastic. Dripping off the trees in Chios is a natural gum called mastic, which is indigenous to the island.  Mastic, from the ancient Greek word mastixa, means “gnashing of teeth”.  Today, we have the word masticate in English for such a meaning. The Turkish name for...

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  • Amasra, a beauty in the West Karadeniz

    Written by fabrice on June 30th, 2010 in TravelNo comments yet
    Amasra, a beauty in the West Karadeniz
    The little town of Amasra is located on the Western Black Sea coast, right above Bartın, which is the capital of its Province. 7000 inhabitants live in this lovely port town but this number certainly double with the approach of the touristic periods. The city includes two islands, Büyük ada (Great Island) which is connected by a stoned bridge to the mainland and a smaller one Tavsan adası (Rabbit Island) which remains wild and uninhabited. Amasra was part of the Greek empire before the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II conquered the whole region in 1460. The Greek villagers were transferred to...

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  • Part 2 – Life and Times of a Modern Day Orientalist

    Written by Craig on June 29th, 2010 in I was in Turkey, Travel, Turkish Hospitality1 Comment
    Part 2 – Life and Times of a Modern Day Orientalist
    Just to recap………….. After travelling through several parts of the globe with the intent of sleeping in as many ancient sites as possible we find ourselves sleeping in the Hippodrome at the amazing ancient complex of Ephesus in Western Turkey. We awoke the next morning all silently taking in our surroundings. We all wondered “How does it get any better than this?” We eyed the cold remains of our makeshift fireplace then all made the decision that breakfast was our next goal. We packed and quietly headed out towards the road, we managed to talk our way past gun wielding Jandarma who...

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