Jereed (Cirit, Çavgan or Gokboru in Turkish) is a traditional sport of Turks played since centuries form the times of Turkic States. Horses were sacred and indispensable for Turks; they were born, grown up, fight, and die on the horse. They even drank Koumiss (kimiz) made of horses’ milk.   The Javelin was the main game of Turks during ceremonies and considered to be the oldest of Turkish equestrian sports. It was first introduced to Anatolia in 1071 by the Seljuk ruler Alpar

Since up to 98 percent of the population are Muslims, Christians are obviously a minority religion in Turkey. Because it is a secular country, the only Muslim country in the world that has no state religion, the Constitution guarantees religious freedom, and tolerance is the rule. The population includes members of the Armenian Apostolic and Greek Orthodox churches, Roman and Eastern Catholics, and Jews. Today, approximately 120,000 Christians and 26,000 Jews live in Turkey,

Being strong and durable, functional, economical and aesthetic are the basic characteristics of the traditional Turkish house. The houses are built along the roads and on the edges of the squares in an order which reflects a strong respect for the neighbors. In most cases, the houses on both sides of the roads, which follow the configurations of the land, are separated with high walls and have overhanging sections on these walls, reaching towards the street. Entrance to the h

Labranda, which is the holy area of Zeus Labraundeus, is in ancient Caria (Southwestern Anatolia), 13 kms northeast of Milas (Mylasa), the city to which it is affiliated. The site is famous with its Temple of Zeus, its delicious water, and its pine and plane tree forests. There are daily tours to Labranda from Bodrum as well which is about 1 hr away. The most ancient findings belong to the year 600 BC. The area that has been used as holy area in 6th and 5th centuries and then

Troy is a city which existed over 4.000 years and known as the center of ancient civilizations. For many years people believed that it was the city mentioned only in the tales and never existed until it was first found in the 19th century. Troy (Truva in Turkish) is located in Hisarlik near Canakkale province where the remains of this once-great city can be visited. What was left are the remains of the destruction of Schliemann, the famous German archaeologist or a treasure h

The Nargile, also known as hookah or hubble-bubble or sheesha or Turkish water pipe, is an old tradition in Turkey for smoking Turkish tobacco. The first type of nargile came from India, which was made of a simple coconut shell with a straw in it. Later on in Iran it took the name of "nargil", meaning coconut in Persian, and then found its way into the Arab world and finally in the Ottoman Empire, when it became very popular between 17th and 19th centuries. During the Turkish

The ancient site of Sagalassos is located on the hillside of Mount Akdag of Taurus mountain range near Aglasun village in southwestern Turkey, about 33 km to Burdur province and 115 km north of Antalya. The site covers and area of 2,5 km by 1,5 km at an altitude of approximately 1500 meters, being one of the largest archaeological sites in Turkey. Hittite sources from the 14th century BC mention a Luwian mountain settlement named Salawassa, this could be the earliest name of

Assos, the ancient Aeolian city clinging to a rocky hillside above the charming and fairly sensitively developed fishing village of Behramkale in the Aegean region, is a splendid retreat from the hustle and bustle of many nearby 'must-see' sites and resorts.   Only really finding it's place on the tourist map at the end of the 1980's, the village has a relaxed air to it and although you may be offered olive oil, soap and, of course, carpets there is still very little in the w

The story of Hatay begins with the Paleolitic Age (Early Stone Age). The earliest inhabitants of the region were the Prototigris who later came under the rule of the Akads in the first half of the 3rd millennium B.C. In the 2nd millennium B.C. the Amik Plain was invaded by the Subars, one of a confederation of city-states united by a common language and traditions. Of these, the Yamhat Kingdom, based in Aleppo governed the whole plain.   Towards the end of the 17.th century