Turkey`s Mediterranean Coast

Mediterranean Turkey conquered the hearts of millions of tourists long time ago. Every year travelers from Russia and Europe, from East and West come here to have a rest. Well, let us see why.

We should probably start with Antalya, for the latter is claimed to be the best resort in both Turkish and the whole Mediterranean region! Having almost ideal ecologic state, Antalya is registered in appropriate UNESCO catalogue. Besides, the resort is a landmark by itself, guarded by both Turkey and the International society.

The most attractive thing for a tourist in Mediterranean Turkey is undoubtedly crystal clear warm seawater. Oh, and climate, of course. Mediterranean region belongs to subtropical area of our planet. Yet, in Turkey it is so special that scientists classified it as a separate climatic type. This is that very type unique for its soft damp winter and dry summer. Water temperature here falls no lower than +18 degrees centigrade in winter, whereas in summer it stays at +28-30 degrees. Here, Mediterranean Sea is very sofl and warm. Thus, beach tourism has become a major travelers’ aim in Mediterranean Turkey.

Now, we are returning to Antalya. Like many other Turkish resorts, this city is more than a mere holiday place. Antalya possesses long history. It is aged more than two thousand! Pergam Tsar had founded it and used as a resort in those times. Another advantage of Antalya making it attractive to active rest in addition to passive is the abundance of small cosy bays. Therefore, Mediterranean coast of Turkey is that popular among sailors.

There are a few historical places in Antalya, which belong to unique historical heritage. Take Adrian Gate built by Emperor Adrian as early as 130 A.D. the monument has been amazingly well preserved – it still breathes the Empire power of Rome in Mediterranean region… Another, younger monument is a 13th century minaret called “creased”. It is 37 m tall, and one can see Antalya from bird fly height from its top. Another minaret, called “cut” had been destroyed by a lightning one day in the past. After all, similarly to many other Turkish towns, Antalya has Museum of Archaeology in it. Near Antalya are antique towns of Thermesos and Faselis.

Of course, in addition to cultural entertainments, Antalya offers more modern ones, like Aqua Park, discos, casinos, bowling clubs, horse riding clubs, restaurants, and bars…

Now, let us go along the seaside a little farther from Antalya, approaching to the resorts of Kemer, Belek, and Alanya. If we start with Alanya, it is worth to note that this place had once been the favourite rest place for… pirates! Since 4th century, the corsairs used to visit these rocky bays, and hid their ships from stormy weather, here. To-day, the same bays are swarmed by yachtsmen.

Not only pirates, Romans appreciated this place’s advantages as well. Therefore, Marcus Antonius presented Alanya to legendary Cleopatra. Bit by bit, nothing but the name retained from her… On the contrary, Alanya was not lost. Seljuks came to these lands, and nowadays their progeny welcome tourists from all over the world, here. The local climate is somewhat unique, being a subtype of Mediterranean. Nowhere but in Alanya can one see the only… banana plantations on Mediterranean coast!

Besides, one can visit 13th century Byzantine fortress and legendary Alanya caves. Maidens’ Cave is the one where pirates had hid kidnapped girls, then, there is famous Dalmatas Cave, and Lovers’ Cave… There are lots of caves here, one should only make his choice. But now, we are shifting to Kemer.

In fact, Kemer consists of pine forests, citric gardens, crystal clear water, modern resort, and antique town mentioned by the great Homer. Three hundred sunny days a year had made Kemer a popular resort many centuries B.C. Pebble beaches, in turn, were believed to have healing feature, for pebble transfers the healthy warmth of sun to people. By the way, Kemer is not very hot a resort, therefore one can safely bring his kids, here. The latter will like the learn-and-entertain practice, which is widespread in Kemer. He will learn how to dive (with instructor, of course), how to do aerobics exercises, how to play tennis, and many other useful and pleasant things.

Saying the name “Kemer”, we always mention the yachts. Well, the whole Mediterranean coast of Turkey is ideal for yachting, but Kemer is an exception even here. It is the best among many good’s. Therefore, yachting tourism is so well developed, in Kemer. For instance, one can sail to drowned city of Kekova, and see how under a thick layer of transparent water antique walls, sarcophagi, arches, columns, and statues silently stay. On his way back, one will pass another antique town, named Mir Lykian. Right in front of the yacht, suddenly a huge rock appears. The richest people of that epoch had their tombs in this rock. Your actual funeral palaces…

One more vital advantage of Kemer is the opportunity of swimming in clear water during stops at marinas. Actually, the numerous sailors from all over the world do this with a great pleasure all the time.

Belek is very close to Antalya. It is a very big tourist project, and therefore Belek is literally full of prestigious five-star hotels. Belek is famous for its healing air. Abundance of nearby pine arches make the local atmosphere extremely curing. If one want to feel himself an elite tourist, he should visit Belek. Finest golf pitches, better than those in Europe, are here. So are the finest horse riding areas. Well, we cannot do without antiquity, of course, here. Nowhere in Turkey can one. In Belek, antiquity is represented by Aspendos amphitheatre. The unique acoustics of this ancient theatre attracts tourists by curious fact that people can easily communicate with each other by whispering, standing in the opposite sides of the amphitheatre! One will not resist the temptation to try this, will he? So, in Aspendos built by ancient Greeks, Turks organize concerts and poetry evenings, nowadays.

Forests and sand beaches extend along Mediterranean coast from Belek to Alanya...

And finally, we come to the resort town of Side with its multitude of antique temples. It is well known for its waterfalls, arches, gardens, and springs. Side’s fame ensues not only from its heroic Roman past, but from its unrepeatable Trembling Lake, as well…

... One can spend a lot of time talking about the towns located on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Yet, all these towns are nothing but the pearls adoring the main treasure, the diadem. It is the very Mediterranean Sea.

Turks say, this sea is the most hospitable.

Turkey’s Aegean Coast

Aegean coast belonging to the Western region of Turkey is one of the most unique places on our planet. In the past, it was referred to as the “Ottoman’s outdoor window”. Aegean coast is an amazing land literally intersected by river valleys and mountain ridges. As a result, the coast has a plentiful of picturesque sailor-friendly bays. Ancient Greeks were the first to appreciate the value of the bays, and started to settle by the modern Turkey’s Aegean coast thousands of years ago. Time went on, Greeks were constantly replaced by other peoples, but the Aegean coves stood unchanged. To-day, they are well used by sailors, whose saying goes as this region is a real paradise for yachtsmen.

To get sure that the sailors’ expressive words are adequate, let us consider the climate of the Aegean coast. First of all, the shore is quite wide, making the microclimate of it very steady. That is, opposite to many other coasts on Earth, the region’s weather does not change rapidly. Turkey’s Aegean shore can be counted on, in this context. Its climate is typical Mediterranean. During the hottest months of year, namely, July-August, the temperature here is some +28 degrees centigrade, whereas in the coldest winter times coinciding with January and February, it rarely falls lower than +10 degrees.

Now, attention! Here is the very thing making people call this place a paradise. The point is “imbat” – the breeze flowing here in daytime in summer. Imbat counteracts the heat resulting in ever-fresh atmosphere of the Aegean coast. Add the marvelous panorama of the Eastern lands – snowcaps of mountains, visible throughout the whole year, and you will understand why this place is that attractive to tourists.

Well, Aegean coast does not consist of climate and sea. Modern tourism has been demanding interesting tour programs as well from the welcoming part since recent years. Regarding this, everything is all right, here. One can see numerous curious thing, on the Aegean coast.

Let us start with Izmir, being the pearl of Aegean Turkey. You must have read some things about it in the Bible, where it carried the name of “Smirna”. Names kept changing, but the city is still there. Aged as many as thousands of years, Izmir became a full size treasury of historical monuments, artifacts, stories, and legends. Izmir is both a city and a major port well known by landside and sea travelers. Its building was started on a hill, and slowly crawled down the valleys. Its history lasts for nearly 3 thousand years. Izmir is not a hot town, thank the five rivers flowing via it, and hence it ideally fits in the general climate of Aegean Turkey. The rivers get dry in the hottest months, but the springs by them still bring the cool freshness to the environment.

Izmir is the cultural capital of Aegean Turkey. One can see an ancient fortress built by Alexander the Great, and Tsar Tantal’s tomb. Yes, that was the same Tantal who was sentenced by gods to endlessly roll a huge rock up a mountain… Marble agora columns are still standing in the middle of the city under the blue sky like so much thousands years ago. Town citizens used to arrange their meetings, and apostles used to claim about Christ, here. Lots of Greek and Roman statues can be seen in the local Museum of Archaeology, which is second largest in Turkey. The bathhouse in which, as legends say, Diana bathed, is here as well. The grave of Turkey’s greatest man Ataturk is here as well. Finally, Izmir has hundreds of mosques, the oldest of which is aged 500!

Besides, the famous international amusement fair takes place from 20.08 to 20.09 in Izmir annually…

Well, let us return to the Aegean coast of Turkey. As we have already mentioned, this area is very convenient for sailors due to numerous peninsulas and deep bays between them. The largest among the latter is Izmir bay that is 9 km wide! This bay is a true wonder made by nature, having its curved shores extremely good for marina functioning.

As a whole, Aegean coast is told to be the Ancient Greece reserve. Thus, Turks deserve every praise for keeping the shore right as it had been in antique era. Take the Cesme peninsula with its numerous beaches. This resort, whose name means “spring”, is very popular among tourists. There are lots of mineral springs, here, all extremely healing and beautiful. One of the best Aegean resorts is located by Izmir, being separated from it by 50 km. It is Gumuldur – the most favourite place according to water sports fans.

Kusadasi is another resort so appreciated in Aegean region. Translated as the “Birds’ Isle”, this area used to be the Aegean pirates’ base. The very pirates’ Admiral – merciless Barbarossa used to reside here. Genoa fortress towers and sea-port reminds us of the past. The port is what attracts every sailor here. Many love to relax in the nearby National Park having enjoyed water sports. Pine, lime-tree, chest-nut, and laurel weeds growing on the shores of small bays make this place ideal for resting. Greeks used to present the crowns made of that very laurel leaves to Olympic winners. Not only tourists, but the locals see the cosiness of this place, and love to spend their holidays in the National park as well. Another curious thing is that here one can easily see a Mediterranean tortoise that is a fine ecology indicator. Hence, one can be sure that ecology of this region is absolutely all right.

The National park undoubtedly could not do without a spring, for the latter are abundant within all the coastal areas of Turkey. This very one brings mineral water and is located in a cave. Its water is slightly salty and cool, and as local doctor says, possesses the feature of cellular anti-aging. At least, after having bathed in this cave, you feel yourself cheerful, young, and energetic.

Now, we are switching to the other three “stars” of Aegean Turkey, namely, Ephesus, Milet, and Pamukkale.

The first two are ancient cities mentioned in Bible like Izmir. Ephesus is famous for Aphrodite temple, which had been set in fire by Gerostratus. However, a few of its columns are still preserved. Visit Ephesus, and you will get to an antique Greek city restored by architects according to original city plan. Besides, you will see real Celsius’ library, and of course, Virgin Mary’s house… She had spent last years of her life, here. Milet to-day is where Apollo’s temple stands together with marble Ilias Bey Mosque of Seljuks.

As for Pamukkale, it is one of the new World Wonders selected by modern tourists to replace the old ones. Only the Pyramids are still preserved, among the latter. Pamukkale is white mountain ridge where mineral springs flow. These springs all have water of different temperatures. One can find icy springs, and boiling ones as well. Many tourists having visited this place claim that time simply stops here…

Well, now let us return to the very Aegean Sea. Nothing but the sea is believed to be the main treasure of Western Turkey. That is the point! This sea is the cradle of Antiquity, thereby automatically becoming the cradle of whole our culture…