According to Ethnicityology, Ankara, the capital of the Republic of Turkey, is a modern city that has preserved the most ancient architectural monuments: the Roman bath, the Roman temple and the Column of Julian of Roman times, the Aladdin mosque and the Khizar citadel of the Byzantine period, the Haji Bayram mosque of the Ottoman period. It is recommended to visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilization. Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, the birthplace of empires with 2,500 years of history, is a fusion of Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and modern architecture. Cappadocia, a real open-air museum. The soft volcanic bottoms that shaped the landscape of Cappadocia made it possible to organize settlements, cities and temples in the rocks and underground (Valley of the Fairy Chimneys). Hierapolis (Hierapolis), an ancient city (1st century BC), located on a 200-meter high point and surrounded by limestone terraces, famous for its monuments of Roman architecture (Roman theatre, baths, necropolis) and wonderful healing springs. The Lycian tombs are ancient funerary monuments, famous for the large size of the sarcophagi decorated with bas-reliefs, as well as the size and unique architecture of the tombs themselves (two-room with columns). Aspendos (founded in the 5th century BC) is famous for its Roman theatre. It is the best-preserved structure of this type in the world. The theater was built by the architect Zenon during the time of Marcus Aurelius and functions in this capacity to this day (ballet, opera, modern concerts). Miletus is a major port and cultural center of antiquity. He gave the world Geradot and Pythagoras, Thales and Anaximander, the first Greek alphabet was created there, residential areas were surrounded by temples, gymnasiums, palaces, theaters, baths. Troy is a legendary city glorified by Homer, where fragments of the fortress wall, the Dardanian Gates, the temple of Athena and the Roman theater have been preserved. Side. Antique theater for 20,000 spectators (2nd century AD), decorated with statues and bas-relief masks. Square (agora) with the Temple of Fortune, a museum of Roman baths and sarcophagi. Church of Hagia Sophia (532) with a unique golden mosaic. Ephesus, founded in the 2nd millennium BC, flourished in the era of the Roman Empire, is famous for the Roman theater, which can accommodate 24,000 spectators, the library of Celsus, the house of the Virgin Mary, where she, according to legend, spent the last years of her life, the Cave of the Seven Sleepers Youths on Mount Peony, the temple of Hadrian, the temple of Serapis and terraced houses. Pamukkale – a sacred pool with thermal waters (from +35 to +100 C) and white salt terraces have been attracting visitors here for 4 thousand years. They say,
Kitchen
Being at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Turkish cuisine has absorbed the culinary traditions of Arabic, Armenian, Italian and Greek cuisines. Thanks to the extremely developed animal husbandry, Turkish cuisine is replete with meat dishes, the most famous of which is kebab and its varieties, these are lamb meat dishes. Sour-milk products are very popular, olive oil, eggplants are widely used. Modern Turkish cuisine is distinguished by a variety of dishes and methods of their preparation and is traditionally served on the table in a large assortment with a wide variety of seasonings: kebabs, dolma, lahmajun, manti, pastirma, burek, meze, sujuk, karnyyaryk. The preparation of many of the dishes requires considerable skill, which makes this cuisine truly exquisite. The traditional appetizer is rakija, vodka with anise flavor. Local wines are widely distributed. Well, perhaps everyone knows about Turkish coffee and tea. Of particular note are Turkish desserts and sweets: the world-famous lokum, baklava, kadaif, halva, flour kunefe, tulumba, shekerpare and dairy syutlach, gullach, tavuk goyusu.
Transport
Road transport in Turkey is quite well developed, and the main roads are of European quality. The price of intercity buses is low, the buses themselves are comfortable. The maximum permitted speed in built-up areas is 50 km/h, outside built-up areas – 90 km/h. Movement is right-handed. You can rent a car, this will require a national (Russian) driver’s license (for those who stay in the country for no more than 3 months). Features: it is necessary to pay attention to the technical condition of the rented car, often this condition does not meet the standards of safe operation. You need to be prepared for the fact that many drivers ignore traffic rules, often drive into the oncoming lane, make maneuvers without warning signals, can drive at night with the headlights off and make unexpected stops on the roadway. Pedestrians are also not distinguished by discipline. When renting, it is advisable to have an international automobile insurance Green Card. There are several airports in the country, the main of which are in Istanbul (named after Ataturk and named after Sabiha Gokcen) and in Ankara (Esenboga). Two airlines operate flights within the country, one – to foreign destinations, and the flagship airline Turkish Airlines – both domestically and abroad. Rail transport provides transportation of passengers and goods throughout the country. Since 2003, a high-speed railway line (train speed up to 250 km/h) has been put into operation on the Istanbul-Ankara line. In four cities (Ankara, Istanbul, Adan, Izmir) there is a subway.
