There is a certain type of destination that doesn’t need aggressive promotion. Azerbaijan is one of those places.

The Silk Road is in that phase now: not undiscovered, not untouched, but no longer overlooked. What we refer to today as the “Silk Road” was never a single route.

Uzbekistan is often described as the easiest way into Central Asia. And on paper, that’s true. The visa process is straightforward…

Yazidis are one of the most fascinating ethno-religious groups that can be found in the vast regions of Turkish Mesopotamia.

Discover the ancient city of Sagalassos! Nestled 1700 meters high in the Akdağ mountains, just 7 km north of Ağlasun, this archaeological gem was once the most significant city in the Pisidia region during the Roman Empire.

The day before yesterday we peeped into the world of Turkish confectioneries, and kebabs were discussed yesterday. What do we have for today? Today we will speak about Turkish coffee.

Our virtual voyage across the expanses of Turkey will head in a completely different direction today. We are in for a wonderful and delicious guide to the world of Turkish sweets.

What is Turkish cuisine? It would, first of all, be a kebab! And what is a Turkish kebab? Kebab is meat (or fish) cooked on an open fire or coals.

We would like to tell you about a wonderful cosy town of Kaş, nestling on a mountain slope at the very junction of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.

This corner of Turkey is meant for truly elite holidays, as we can assume seeing numerous luxury hotels and apartments, and everything related to yachting.

A small resort village, Akyaka is located on the shore of a bay deeply penetrating the mainland near popular town of Marmaris.

Today we will discover such a wonderful place as Datça, a town on the Datça peninsula to the west of Marmaris.

Today we offer to plunge into the fragrant world of Turkish spices. Visiting any city in Turkey it would be difficult not to stop by a spice shop…

Even those who have been to the coastal resorts of Turkey several times rarely know about the tiny village of Ekincik, located 10 km from Dalyan and the Iztuzu turtle beach.

Let’s continue our virtual journey around Turkey. Today we are visiting the south-east of the country – the very heart of Mesopotamia and a cradle of human civilization.

The name of the Hatay province, and its administrative center Antakya, means almost nothing to a vast majority of foreign visitors of Turkey.

Monastery of Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana Manastırı) with beautiful church is located 30 km east of Midyat in the Anıtlı village. Old name of this village is Hah which comes from the Aramaic language. Even at the present time Anıtlı is Christian village populated mostly by Assyrians.

Zinciriye Madrasa (Turkish Zinciriye Medresesi) also known as Sultan Isa Madrasa is one of the most beautiful historical sights in the old part of Mardin. It was build in 1385 Melik Necmeddin Isa bin Muzaffer Davud bin El Melik Salih. He was last Sultan from the Artuqid dynasty ruling in Mardin. The basic principles of the original Mardin architectural style were formed in the time of the Artuqids.

Deyrulzafaran Monastery is one of the most significant centers of the Assyrian Church besides its magnificent architecture. It is situated in about 5 km from the old part of Mardin in Tur Abdin plateau located in the southeast of Turkey. According to chronicles, the monastery was founded in the 5th century AD, when the first church was built there.

Savur is a small town in Turkey located at the north of Tur Abdin plateau 45 kilometers from the historical part of Mardin 900 meters above sea level. Stone houses in the center of Savur are very similar to houses in the old part of Mardin so this town is often called “small Mardin”.

Mor Behnam (Kırklar Kilisesi) church is one of the most significant historical sites in the old part of Mardin. It is located the Şar Neighbourhood of the city centre where nowadays many Christians are still living. This church was constructed in 569 and consecrated in honor of Syriac Saint Behnam and his sister Saro.

Mardin Castle is standing on the hill dominating the old town and crowned with superb stonework. It was founded more than 3000 years ago and became the point around which the city began to grow. The castle even gave the modern name to the city.

Located southwest of the old part of city Kasımiye Medrese is amongst the most significant historical sights of Mardin. Also its one of the best examples of the local Artuklu architecture style. The edifice is interesting due to its design, masonry and ornamentation.

Van Otlu Peynir (Van herbed cheese) is a special type of cheese originating from the Lake of Van area. It is made from sheep’s milk with addition of herbs. About 25 different weeds can be used for production of this cheese. The main ones are: sirmo, mendi, heliz, wild mint and thyme.

Thanks to one girl from Mardin I found an information about abandoned cave monasteries which are located on the top of the ridge near functioning Deyrulzafaran (Mor Hananyo) Monastery. I dont know why but even local Assyrians from Mardin and Midyat usually don’t know their names.

The Monastery of Mor Gabriel (Saint Gabriel) is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world. It was founded in 397 by two monks Mor Shmuel and his apprentice Mor Shemun on the Tur Abdin plateau near ancient town of Midyat. According to legend Shemun saw an Angel in a dream and this Angel said him to build a church in a place marked with three big stones.

This zawiya was build on the small hill in the memory of Imam Abdullah, which comes from the descent of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was very respected by people so his tomb was extended and became a kulliye.

Winemaking in the Upper Mesopotamia enjoys a very long history and the roots of it go back more than six millennia. The spread of Islam in this area seriously damaged it due to ban on alcohol. But Middle East christians keep the traditions of local winemaking alive up to now.

There are a lot of very interesting but hidden places in the old part of Mardin which the guests of it can not even imagine. For example you can see many beautiful photos of this city in the Internet and in the tourist guide books. But even for locals sometimes it’s hard to find correct viewpoint to make similar camera shots.

Shahmaran (Turkish “Şahmeran”) is a fabulous creature which is popular in the culture of many peoples in the Middle East. She is considered to be the queen of the serpents and the keeper of the wisdom. She is usually described as a being with a head of a beautiful and intelligent woman, a body of a dragon and a second serpent head at the tip of her tail.

Mardin is very old city which was founded several thousands years ago at the mountains of the Northern Mesopotamia. The development of the Great Silk road gave rise to this city. Under the walls of the Mardin fortess the caravans found shelter and took a rest before going to Amed (present Diyarbakır) or Edessa (now Şanlıurfa).

Sometimes it seems that time has stopped at the narrow streets of the old Mardin. When I am having a walk there I can take a stroll through history in my mind. It is hard just to imagine how many strange and mysterious stories are hidden at the corners of this mystical city.

Old Mardin is a very interesting and really mystical city but looks like not “open mind”. It knows a lot of different stories but doesn’t want to tell them to its guests. It is also hard to find somebody among locals who can become a guide to the real history of this city.

Dara was an important Early Byzantine city build just 30 years later after the Fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Kız kalesi is an ancient fortess located on the top of the hill in about 5 km from the center of Mardin.

I couldn’t find any information about it in any tourist guide book but is very interesting.

Located located in the north-east of Turkey Mardin is known as an open-air museum because of its historical Arabic architecture. This city and its neighborhoods are mainly well described in the tourist guide books. But there are some interesting historical sights near Mardin which are little-known even among locals.

After construction of the Ilisu Dam it will be put underwater.

This article is just small guide about how to find a cheap accommodation when you are travelling in Turkey. If you are individual traveler and have no special requirements for comfort you can save a lot of money with our tips.

Kars is not a big city but it’s the largest in the northeast part of Turkey after Erzurum. It is famous inside Turkey not only because of historic sights but also local cheese production.

Ethnic restaurant “Erzurum Evleri” is one of the places which must be visited if you come to this city. But it’s not just a nice and authentic restaurant. It looks like museum and represents interior of a typical late Ottoman house for this area.

Künefe is traditional Middle East dessert made from cheese pastry soaked in sugar-based syrup. Now it’s very popular all around Turkey.

Bus is the most convenient way to travel all around Turkey but there is some special details usually not known by foreign tourists. After reading of this article you be able to get to any Turkish city by this type of transport and order tickets even you are abroad.

Cağ kebabı (Jah kebab) is a unique type of kebab originating from the province of Erzurum. It is actually a variant of lamb doner kebab, which is cooked on a vertical spit.

Pearl Mullet (İnci Kefali in Turkish, Latin Alburnus Tarichi) is an unique fish which can be found only in Lake Van and is endemic to it. This lake is the largest in Turkey and located in the far east of that country. Because of a saline soda water another species of fish cannot live in Lake Van.

Along with tea, coffee in Turkey can rightly be considered as a national drink.

Due to it’s historical meaning Trabzon is really like onofficial “capital” of the Black Sea part of Turkey.

Diyarbakır is a very old city with complex history. Even at the present time dramatic events take place in the life of it and you can feel them just walking in the historic district named “Sur”.

This is a small city situated on the most northern edge of the Turkish part of Black Sea coast.