Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Visiting Istanbul, Turkey - The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)

I visited Ayasofya in 1994 and to this day, I will always remember the magnificent views within the ancient church/mosque/museum that held me in awe, wall after wall. To know more about this historic and truly unique structure, read some background on the Hagia Sophia here.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Visiting Ankara, the Capital of Turkey

Many would be familiar with Istanbul or Constantinople, Turkey's largest and also most famous ancient city. Ankara comes second in terms of size and population.
I visited Ankara in 1994 and remembered the city being located on top of a rocky hill, which allowed you to have quite a scenic view of the rest of the city and the Enguri Su river.
I also remember the scorching, hot daytime weather during summertime while I was there - average daytime temperature was 45 degrees Celcius - and yes, it was a memorable visit indeed.




Monday, July 07, 2008

Turkey - Visiting Pamukkale, Denizli

If you think this image was taken from some Hollywood sci-fi flick, then you're absolutely wrong. This place actually exists, in Turkey. To be exact, you can visit these extravagantly unique "salt bowls" at Pamukkale (or ancient Hierapolis) in Denizli, Turkey.

Apparently, thermal spring waters laden with calcareous salts running off the plateau's edge have created this fantastic formation of stalactites, cataracts and basins. These hot springs have been used since Roman times for their therapeutic powers.

I was at this very spot back in 1994, during one of those English summer holidays I had while studying abroad. An amazing place to visit in Turkey.