MOST USEFUL TURKISH WORDS Learn some basic Turkish words and phrases before you travel to Turkey. You will be surprised how useful they will be every day during your travels. Here is the list of Turkish words and phrases that can be used to begin a basic conversation while you are in Turkey, especially in
DID YOU KNOW? How much information do you know about Turkey? Turkey is a land of contrasts bringing together a mixture of East and West and has so much to offer her visitors. Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents, Europe and Asia. Catalhoyuk is known as one of the
Holiday in Turkey: Travel Routes & Itineraries
- BEST THINGS TO SEE AND DO, NEARBY PLACES, PRACTICAL INFORMATION
- Turkey Holiday Itineraries, Turkey Travel Routes
Travel Routes & Itineraries for Holiday in Turkey A few days: If you only have a few days to vacation in Turkey, think about what kind of trip you want. If you want a main destination that has a little bit of everything from history, to culture, great food, beaches and a party atmosphere, then
Getting Around Turkey Travelling from place to place in Turkey is not much of a problem in as you have some choices. It is custom for many to book last-minute when getting transport to another location, which can be done, just plan ahead around any major holidays or you might get stuck. Train The trains
Let’s Start at the Beginning – Planning Your Trip
- PRACTICAL INFORMATION
- Things to Know Before You Travel To Turkey, Turkey Facts, Turkish Visa, Visiting Turkey
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Before you go and get too excited and even distracted about your journey to Turkey, there are some important details you might want to research and inform yourself about. A vacation to Turkey is one that will require some thought, consideration and planning. There are a lot of things to see and do, but before
Please click image to enlarge slider Breakfast Included, Evening Meal Optional 16 newly rennovated rooms Shared pool Gorgeous newly rennovated boutique hotel in the centre of town with stunning views of the river and tombs. A family run business, Dalyan Terrace Hotel is situated opposite Temsi restaurant in the heart of Dalyan. Offering the choice
Devranzade Tahsin Aga, a prominent citizen of the region, owned a 17-decare property in the vicinity of Dalyan, granted to him by Mihrişah Sultan. Later, his grandson Tahsin Davran realised a life-long wish to sell the property as a part of the Land Reformation Act in 1940, shortly before his death. Ali Riza, the village head of the time, was instrumental in making the transaction so that 120 inhabitants of Dalyan shared titles in what became the beginning of Dalyan’s present land registry.
Please click image to enlarge slider Breakfasts, Main Meals, Snacks & Desserts Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee Beautiful gardens and grounds Soft Background Music Located less than a ten minute drive from Dalyan the Leyley Restaurant is a beautful venue set in stunning grounds on the Ortaca road. With it's garden home to several migrating
Byblis, seized by a passion, for her brother, scion of Apollo; that Byblis serves for a warning to girls, against illicit love. She loved, not as a sister loves a brother, nor as she should. At first, it is true, she did not understand the fires of passion, or think it wrong, to kiss, together, often, or throw her arms round her brother’s neck. For a long time she was deceived by the misleading likeness to sisterly affection
I’ve been meaning to do this for a while actually, and by a while I mean about the past nine months. Work appraisals always flagged up my tendency to put things off until I was really in the mood to do them, which I always rebuffed (when I got round to it) but in all truthfulness it’s a pretty accurate description of me.
School reports mirrored those of my fathers almost identically in saying if I spent as much time applying myself to studying as I did to making people laugh I’d be a genius (ish) but hey you can’t be all things to all people.
Please click image to enlarge slider Main Meals, Famous Khachapuri Georgian Pie Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee Indescribable view of Bacardi Bay and Rhodes between the mountains Sounds of Nature The Sunset Restaurant is a small mountaintop restaurant, it looks over the Datca Peninsula (aka Reşadiye Peninsula) and Rhodes Island in the far distance. It is
Please click image to enlarge slider Complimentary snacks and fruits Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee Gulpinar Street Live music every night from 10pm The one and only premier live music venue in Dalyan! Every night is live music night at this venue with regular and guest performers ready to spoil you with fantastic sets full
Please click image to enlarge slider Main Meals, Snacks & Desserts Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee Gulpinar Street Soft Background Music Just a five minute walk from the centre of town, Istanbul Café is an absolute delight. The food that comes out of this kitchen is out of this world – Volkan’s Adventures have used
Please click image to enlarge slider Breakfast Included, Evening Meal Optional 13 rooms Shared pool Gorgeous intimate boutique hotel in the centre of town situated opposite the river. Situated opposite the river just behind the Jazz Bar in Gulpinar Street, Oskay Boutique Hotel is a charming place for visitors wanting a relaxing break in Dalyan.
Please click image to enlarge slider Self Catering 9 villas Shared pool Beautiful complex of 9 self catering villas with gorgeous shared pool and stunning grounds Located near by the Dalyan River, Villa Candurmaz is a small development of nine self catering two bedroom villas. All relatively new and spotlessly clean, they are located in
Please click image to enlarge slider Self Catering 5 apartments Shared pool Lovely family run self catering apartment complex with shared pool and outside bar located a 5 minute easy stroll from Dalyan town centre. Situated in a perfect location just minutes from the hustle and bustle of town, Apart Gala is a real hidden
Please click image to enlarge slider 2 guests 1 bedroom 1 bathroom Shared pool Beautiful 1 bed apartment with gorgeous shared pool and large gardens situated a short walk from the town centre Dalyan. 1 bedroom ground floor apartment with shared garden and private terrace, guests are limited to 2. Located on a quiet road,
Please click image to enlarge slider 2 guests 1 bedroom 1 bathroom Shared pool Stunning 1 bed boutique apartment with gorgeous shared pool situated in central Dalyan. Yaz apartment is newly beautifully re-furnished 1 bedroom apartment ideal for couples. The apartment is styled with a modern touch that is located on the first floor. The
Please click image to enlarge slider Main Meals Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee River View Soft background music Not just a steak house! Although notorious for it’s outstanding range and quality of steaks, Chefs Steak House Dalyan has a fantastic menu and caters for all tastes. Located a few doors down from the Jazz Bar,
Please click image to enlarge slider Turkish Breakfast & Main Meals, Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee Dalyan Channel Sounds of Nature Placed a very short drive just outside Dalyan town centre, Yalıçapkını Restaurant is a totally organic meat and seafood restaurant nestled amongst the reed beds. Baby turtles swim underneath you as you eat and
Please click image to enlarge slider Snacks & Main Meals, Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee Main Street Background Music, Livelier Later On Conveniently placed towards the beginning of bar street, Yeners Place is a great venue for something to eat as a starting point or your place to remain for your whole night. Indoor and
Please click image to enlarge slider Breakfasts, Snacks, Main Meals, Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee Gulpinar Street Soft Background Music, Televised Major Sports Events A few doors up from the street entrance to Palmyra Hotel is the lovely Heybe Restaurant. Notorious for its diversity from the usual dishes, Heybe offers a wide menu freshly cooked
Please click image to enlarge slider Breakfasts, Snacks, Main Meals, Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee Gulpinar Street Soft Background Music A few doors up from Volkan’s Adventures you will find this absolute delight. A small restaurant with a huge heart, Aubergine is perfect for a light snack or a full meal as it is open
Ready to dive into this limitless treasure? The Western Mediterranean Region that houses Dalyan is just like a paradise on earth with its long fine sandy beaches and picturesque ancient ruins.
Dalyan has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall. The climate of the Aegean is superbly mild. Summers are hot but rarely exceed 40°C, even during July and August. Spring and autumn are sunny, with blue skies and daily temperatures averaging in the high teens. Winters are mild with occasional precipitation.
Please click image to enlarge slider Main Meals, Desserts Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee Main Street Soft Background Music Newly established in 2017, Rendezvous offers a totally unique menu and a wonderful atmosphere. With a well thought out wine list, themed cuisine nights throughout the week including a full traditional roast on a Sunday, this
Please click image to enlarge slider Main Meals, Desserts Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee Main Street Soft Background Music, Occasional Live Music Located in the centre of town just off the main bar street, Temsi has quickly established itself as one of the must visit restaurants in Dalyan. Equipped for around 30 covers, this restaurant
Please click image to enlarge slider Main Meals, Snacks & Desserts Alcohol, Soft Drinks & Coffee River View Soft Background Music The perfect place for a light bite, Soul Kitchen is a small family run business that shines due to it’s presentation skills and attention to detail. Perfectly situated opposite Jazz Bar with a stunning
As an avid reader and someone who thoroughly enjoys driving, longer car journeys to me either as passenger or vehicle controller are a real source of excitement as they provide a great opportunity to do these activities for a substantial period of time (try not to mix the two though that doesn’t tend to end well ;)) So when the VA HQ gang decided to head out on a road trip and trial the ideas we had for Reflections of Taurus I charged my iPad and got ready for some serious novel indulgence as we knew the initial leg of the journey would take us around three hours to complete.
Reading, writing and the importance of language is something that is attempted to be taught to most of us from a very young age. I’m one of life’s readers – give me a good book and you won’t see me for days. My sister on the other hand, is incredibly intelligent but has probably voluntarily read about three books in her lifetime. Some grasp it straight away, others take somewhat longer, some thoroughly enjoy the challenges of learning new words and how to use them both in the spoken and written form, others view it as nothing but necessity. Neither viewpoint can be seen as superior to the other as after all, the right to opinion is something that has been fought for over centuries.
THE KÖYCEĞiZ -DALYAN NATURAL RESERVE MAGNIFICENT ROUTES FOR NATURE AND HISTORY LOVERS
- BEST THINGS TO SEE AND DO, GEOGRAPHY & GEOLOGY
- Dalyan, Koycegiz, Köyceğiz's Plateaus, The Dalyan, The Dalyan Radar Hill Walk, The Ekincik Cove Walk, The Köyceğiz - Ekincik Road
The Dalyan Radar Hill Walk:
The walking route in Dalyan starting from Dalyan – Iztuzu Beach Road and ending nine kilometres away at Radar Hill is a walk which supplies breath-taking views. You will reach one of the four lakes of Dalyan delta, the Sulungur Lake after a short hike on the rocks around a small canyon when you turn to the west at the water tank after passing Gökbel, which is on the 7th kilometre of the Dalyan-Iztuzu road.
THE CAUNOS GUIDE
- HISTORY
- Caunos Guide, City walls of Caunos, Customs Regulations, Euploia, Heraklion, Persikon, Roman Bath, Sacred Stone, Stoa, The Acropolis, The Agora Fountain, the Apollo-Artemis Sacred Area, The Caunos Necrapolis, The Domed Basilica, The Harbour Agora, The Monopteros, The Palaestra Terrace, The Sacred Chamber of Aphrodite, The Small Fortress, The Terrace Temple, The Wind Measuring Platform
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Caunos is not a large archaeological site, despite its being mentioned in ancient sources, but at its heart it shelters many mysteries that have been revealed to some archaeologists for the very first time. Every stone visible amongst the thick undergrowth and the remains of every structure tell the story of past ages to those who wish to understand and be acquainted with it. From the mountains to the Delta extending out to the sea, this panorama of natural history unfolding is one from which dreams are made.
The most ancient find of the Caunos excavations is a piece of a protogeomeric amphora dating back to the 9th century BC. In addition to this, the geometrical style designs of ceramic vessels patterned with concentric circles drawn between lateral bands or with semicircular motifs, were products of local pottery workshops and Herodotus’ comment that the people of Caunos were the natives of the land, brings to mind a settlement that dates far back. However, no architectural objects that can be dated to before the 4th century BC have been found in Caunos as yet.
While giving important information of Caria’s history and Caria’s cities during the Persian Wars, Herodotus, whose father was a Carian from one of the prominent families of Halicarnassus, and whose mother was a Cretan, speaks of Caunos saying: “Harpagos (Persian general), who brought Ionia to heel, marched against the Carians, Caunosians and Lycians.”This passage relates to the Persian invasion of Western Anatolia in 546 BC, with Caunos and its adjoining cities highlighting it as an independent region with a different language and different customs. In Chapter 1.72 of his History, Herodotus elucidates : “I believe that the inhabitants of Caunos are natives of the region. But they say that they came from Crete. Carian influence is traceable in their language, or vice versa…”
In the Anatolia of antiquity many people some of whom were natives of the land and others immigrants, lived in separate regions defined by geographical boundaries Historians and geographers of the First Era used to give the names of places according to their inhabitants. That is why Caria means Land of the Karians.” This country of mountains, highlands and plateaus cover the south of today’s Aydın, the southwest of Denizli and the entirety of Mugla (apart from Fethiye). This expansive area encompasses the lace-like Aegean coast, bays, peninsulas and islands.
Cevat Şakir Kabaagaçlı, known by his penname, “the Fisherman of Halicarnassus”, writes about the “Sea Islands” as follows: The Aegean coast is a place where bays and headlands embrace the sea… Noble peaks and great headlands fall into the sea, rise out to become islands. These headlands that dip in and out of the sea form a series of islands, just like a line of pearls.”
The blue crabs that were brought to Turkey for their economic value and released in lagoons in the Northern Aegean and the Saros Bay reproduced and multiplied. However, probably because they were not able to find the natural conditions they required in this region, they migrated to the Southern Aegean and inhabited the Güllük and Dalyan lagoons, extending right over to the Karadeniz fish trap in Taşucu. Today a large number of blue crabs are hunted in the Dalyan delta and are served by restaurants with various sauces and cooking methods.
Dalyan Beach Sea Turtles Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (DEKAMER)
- BEST THINGS TO SEE AND DO, HISTORY
- Captain June, Caretta Caretta, DEKAMER, Iztuzu Beach, Sea Turtle, Ulrike Schreiber
Sea turtles are one of the oldest species alive on the planet earth. It is essential that they are protected and treated in case of injury in order to ensure the continuation of the species. In America, Mexico and Brazil, where the beaches are 40-50 km long, there are sea turtle research and treatment centres at almost all of the beaches. In the Mediterranean, there are Sea Turtle treatment centres in Italy, Greece and Israel. The fact that such a centre was founded in Dalyan, at Iztuzu Beach, and was chosen the “Best Open Air Zone of Europe’’, is significant in terms of promoting Turkey’s reputation.
Sea turtles have been living on earth for 110 million years, the human being, however, for only 2-3 million years. Of the eight species living in the world’s seas, five are present in the Mediterranean. It is estimated that only a limited number of individuals of the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), the Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) species enter the Mediterranean for nutrition or by mistake.
Holy Trees of the Gods and Goddesses
Most of the flora and fauna specimens you will come across when hiking in the Köycegiz-Dalyan Special Natural Reserve hold some very old secrets that they will whisper into the ears of those who wish to know and understand. Some plants were used medicinal in ancient times and even today by those who are practitioners of alternative medicine. Some of this plant life provides delicious food and spices enjoyed by the locals, while some others warn you that they are poisonous through their shiny colours.
The well-preserved architectural texture of the Dalyan and Köycegiz District centre, allows for a building plan in harmony with the natural and historical environment and is a successful application for the Special Environmental Preservation Corporation. Thanks to the wastewater purification plants of the two settlements, the aquatic ecosystem is protected from domestic waste pollution to a significant degree.
When the Ottoman Empire, despite its many victories was ultimately defeated in the first World War, the Moudros Treaty was unwillingly signed and the whole of Mugla Province was left to the Italian forces. Interested in the rich chrome deposits in Köycegiz and its vicinity, the Italians placed a small garrison in Köycegiz to control the region. Although in occupation, the Italians treated the locals and Ottoman officers fairly, (even turning a blind eye to the organisation of the National Forces), and quietly after the War of Independence.
In the 18th century large farms were established on miri land in order to meet the alimentary needs of the Ottoman palace, the army and horse breeding industry. The Dalaman Farm, which Sultan Selim III granted to his mother Mihrişah Sultan, was taken under the administration of the Foundations Corporation in 1820 and was purchased by the inheritors of Hacı Ali, Lord of Mugla, in 1836.
Although no ruins of architectural samples dated to before the century have survived, many graves were found during once 16th foundation excavations in the present town of Dalyan. Evid of a large cemetery indicates that there was once a deep-rooted and large settlement here. Another known fact is that in Dalyan, Turks and Greeks lived together until 1924, as is the case with many other coastal settlements of Anatolia.
After Turkish tribes invaded all the Christian lands to the north of Caria in the 1300s, Caunos experienced a severe population decline resulting from the economic implosion of maritime trade. Additionally, a malarial epidemic brought the city to its knees and it was finally abandoned. When the ancient city was heavily damaged by earthquakes, it was covered with earth that then grew a dense vegetation, hiding it from view. Eventually two new settlements budded within the vicinity.
Iztuzu and the Dalyan Gate is the magnificent final of the Köycegiz – Dalyan ecosystem and the place where the Dalyan River meets the Mediterranean. The threshold of this strait is the Delik Island that rises opposite to the Dalyan Gate and is covered with pine trees and scrub. Having a pier and a lighthouse at the side facing the Iztuzu beach, the Delik Island was a point of bearing showing sailors of the antiquity the entrance to the port of Caunos.
Yes, the delta is chaotic, but this incredible land that is in constant flux, reshaped by the divine order, inspires feelings of awe and joy. There are four lakes worthy of exploration, the first of these Sülüklü lake, was once the port of ancient Caunos, and the life blood of its economy. This busy harbour was frequented by the tilted-nosed, square-sailed ships of antiquity and was according to Strabo ‘protected with a chain across its entrance when necessary’.
The fish trap gate opens into an entirely new world. Here begins the Delta where the reeds spread out into a 1700 hectare area, massing like an enormous straw field that roots down to a brackish bed. The contours of the Delta are drawn by the reeds that filter the water through its roots providing a haven for small shrimps (crangon crangon). The young fish function as an important part of the ecosystem, moving like clouds as they travel together. Looking from above, you see this meandering chaos that lacks any describable shape.
Boats travelling from Dalyan to the Iztuzu Beach pass through the gate of a fish trap constructed of gauze stretched between poles, so as to block the fishes from one side to the other. A “Dalyan” in fishing terms, is controlled by a watchman’s post, before boats enter the delta’s labyrinth of reed islets and complicated waterways. It is customary to salute the fish trap watchman while going in and out of this gate, which is sunken below to provide passage for the boats and raised back in place immediately after the boat has passed.
Dalyan is a Bouquet of Attractions and Beauty
- BEST THINGS TO SEE AND DO, HISTORY
- Caunos, Dalyan, Dalyan Attractions, Dalyan Delta, Dalyan History, Dalyan River
he town of Dalyan has a history that probably dates back to the 13th century, but which received it’s status technically speaking during Süleyman the Magnificent’s Rhodes campaign. More recently, about 30 to 40 years ago, this settlement turned village was almost exclusively dependent on agriculture and fishing for its sustenance.
Spread out all along the river banks, and dotting the Delta like an archipelago, the tall plumes of reeds whisper a very old story in the soft breezes. This is the tragic tale told by Ovid in his masterpiece “The Metamorphoses”, about the birth of the Calbis River and legendary King Caunos, who founded the ancient city named after him.
According to this legend, Caunos and Byblis, twin children of King Milatos, were very attached to each other.