Since the founding of the republic in 1923 as the successor state to the Ottoman Empire, Turkey has been secular and Kemalist in orientation. The country's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, initiated a modernization of Turkey through social and legal reforms modelled on various European nation states.
The current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been at the helm of the country since 2003. Since around 2012, he has led the country in an increasingly authoritarian manner. Freedom of expression and freedom of the press in particular are considered to be severely restricted. The currency and debt crisis triggered by its economic policies as well as high inflation have continued since 2018, which makes Turkey quite attractive from a tourist perspective.
The culture of today's Turkey is a fusion of the ancient Turkish nomadic culture of Central Asia and Siberia, the Greco-Roman era, the culture in the Ottoman Empire with its Byzantine, Persian, Arabic, Caucasian, Armenian and Kurdish influences, as well as the strong European direction since the founding of the Republic Ataturk. The cultural centre of the country is the metropolis of Istanbul.
With the political changes, the content of Turkish literature also changed. Early representatives include Fakir Baykurt, Sabahattin Ali, Sait Faik Abasıyanık and Yaşar Kemal, who put ordinary people at the centre of their work. With the turn to describing living conditions, social and political criticism of the state is inevitable. The state reacts with censorship and political violence. Authors like Nâzım Hikmet, Yaşar Kemal and Aziz Nesin spend many years in Turkish prisons because of the persecution of their publications. Kemal therefore referred to the prison as a “school of Turkish literature”.
Turkish cuisine has also influenced Greek and the rest of the Balkan cuisine - including etymology. For example, tzaziki comes from the Turkish cacık, and Ćevapčići comes from kabapcik. Yogurt also comes from Turkish Yoğurt. Doner kebab is made from beef, veal or poultry. In Turkey, but also in other countries, the kebab is also served on a plate.
It took many years and enormous costs until finally in Kadifekale, a district of Izmir, the excavation of one of the most important ancient theatres of Roman origin could begin.
On the way to Çanakkale, we had passed the previously unknown place Menemen several times before already, which seemed neither to be particularly inviting as a modern town along the main road nor showing any special features.
The goddess Sekhmet is well known from Egyptian mythology because of her lion form in connection with her attribute "The Mighty One" through a multitude of different representations.
A few days ago we were lucky enough to be invited to a concert in the round tower of the Red Basilica of Pergamon in the town of Bergama. We wanted to take the opportunity to explore the immediate surroundings of the Red Basilica a little more closely. But let's start with the reason for this visit to Pergamon.
Selçuk, a small town near the Aegean Sea, is a meeting place of different civilizations, cultures, languages and religions. Selçuk is about 73 kilometres south of İzmir and only 17 kilometres from Kuşadası.
As already described in the first part of my report, during the summer vacation of 1989 we decided to look for a holiday home in the greater Ayvalık area.
At this point, we want to meet the wishes and inquiries of some alaturka readers and give you, as a hobby author, the freedom to portray yourself and report on your move to or settlement in Turkey.
We were on our way to the well-known porcelain exhibition of Kütahya (a separate report will follow later), the provincial capital of the eponymous province of Kütahya with 214,000 inhabitants, which had been hit by strong earthquakes in 1896, 1930, 1944 and 1970. The last major earthquake alone killed 1,100 people.
A few days' stay in Izmir also allows us to take a day trip to Akhisar, the county seat of the district of the same name in Manisa Province, about 90 kilometers from Izmir.
For almost every Turkey traveler, they are still the number 1 destination to visit while staying in Turkey, Pamukkale travertine terraces.
Coming from Lebedos we continue along the west coast towards Kusadasi. After about 22 kilometers you can see the remains of the town of Notion, slightly elevated on a hill, which was of great importance as a former port of the metropolis of Colophon.
We had heard several times about the second tufa region, comparable to Cappadocia, the Phrygian Valley (Frig Vadisi), but so far without ever having visited the area around Afyon.
It is just about 28 kilometers from Teos to the ancient Greek city of Lebedos, always following the coastal towards Kusadasi.
The Ionian city of Teos was located directly on the Bay of Sığacık, only about 35 kilometers away, at that time a day's journey from the gates of ancient Smyrna.
Together with our friends Tony and Linda, we decided to do a small spring tour starting from Izmir, which should take us to Bozdağ, the ski area right in front of the gates of the metropolis of Izmir.
It was pure curiosity that made us follow the sign pointing to the ancient city of Tripoli. Coming from Izmir, we were still about 21 kilometers from Denizli when this street sign made us curious and, as so often, the decision was made quickly.
Coming from Akşehir Lake on the D300 towards Afyonkarahisar, we also make a short stop at Eber Lake, which was once, due to the huge amounts of meltwater from the mountain range of Emir Dağları in the north and the mountain range of Sultan Dağları in the south, connected with the Akşehir Lake.
To supply the metropolis of Ephesus with fresh water, the Romans built another aqueduct system in the mountains between 7 and 15 AD, which also contained an aqueduct over the Dervenddere River that is still well preserved today.
Rarely there are such different views and opinions as when asked about “life in the big city”. For some it is simply unimaginable for others it is the dream of life par excellence.
About 16 kilometers west of the city of Selçuk one encounters another oracle place of the god Apollon, the place Klaros (Latin Clarus), which in antiquity belonged to the city of Kolophon, about 13 kilometers away. The ancient, but little-known, city of Notion was also in the immediate vicinity.