This Friday, Sunseeker Turkey suggests 10 Facts to make you want to visit Turkey…! This richly historic land with a balmy Mediterranean climate offers some of the worlds tastiest cuisine along with cultures and civilizations connecting Europe and Asia Here are some extra facts about Turkey that you may not know:
1. In 2010, the Turkish city of Istanbul was chosen as the European capital of culture by the European Union.
2. Istanbul is home to The Grand Bazaar – This amazing shopping centre is 540 years old! The Grand Bazaar spans amazingly across 64 streets and has 4,000 shops with 22 entrances and 25,000 employees. Perfect if you are shopping for that perfect gift for someone back at home or simply want to treat yourself to an Arabian souvenir.
3. You can cross continents underground – Even though Istanbul may be Europe’s largest city, half of it actually extends into Asia. A sultan dreamed of a railway link beneath the Bosphorous Strait and Turkey so opened the Marmaray Metro Line in 2013.
4. Amazingly a new type of horticulture is discovered every ten days – Turkeys 10,000 plants and 80,000 species of animals help with the country’s ranking among the world’s 35 biodiversity hotspots, making it a great place for animal and nature lovers. Check out the countries highlights like the native Fritillaria Imperialis.
5. Istanbul has an exciting modern art scene – Istanbul Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition now in its 14th edition and held ever two years in Istanbul, this is an absolute must see for any art lovers planning to visit Turkey. The Biennial is organised by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts with an aim to create a meeting point in İstanbul in the field of visual arts between artists from diverse cultures and the audience.
6. If you visit Turkey then you might find chicken in your dessert – The signature Ottoman treat is tavuk göğsü, or chicken breast pudding. It is an odd combination of of boiled chicken, milk and sugar with cinnamon dusted across the top – we’ve heard it’s delicious… Click here for a suggestion of 6 others!
7. One of the primary sea turtle nesting beaches is here – İztuzu Beach, just west of Fethiye, is a major breeding ground for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle. When the Loggerhead Turtles arrive between May and October they climb ashore at the exact site of their birth to lay a new generation of eggs.
8. The Trojan War took place in Western Turkey – The story of the Trojan War is of the Bronze Age conflict between the kingdoms of Troy and Mycenaean Greece, both straddling the history and mythology of ancient Greece and inspired the greatest writers of antiquity, from Homer, Herodotus and Sophocles to Virgil. Since the 19th-century rediscovery of the site of Troy in what is now western Turkey, archaeologists have uncovered increasing evidence of a kingdom that peaked and may have been destroyed around 1,180 B.C.
9. The first ever church was built in Turkey – St. Peter’s Church is located in Antakya and is composed of a cave carved into the mountainside on Mount Starius with a depth of 13m, a width of 9.5m and a height of 7 m. This cave, which some believe was used by the very first Christians, is one of Christianity‘s oldest churches. Definitely a must see visit!
10. Turkey has some of the best beaches with the cleanest water – Hundreds of beaches and marinas in Turkey have been awarded the ‘Blue Flag’ which is a European award for the cleanest water!
For further information on the above Top 10 Facts, or to visit the Sunseeker Turkey team during your next visit, please contact:
Sunseeker Turkey | Haydar Aliyev Cad. No:174/4 | Tarabya | Istanbul | Turkey | +90 (212) 257 0030 | info@sunseekerturkey.com |http://www.sunseekerturkey.com
