Destination: Turkey
LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK INFORMATION
Top Fives
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Festivals
Turks really know how to have a good time, so it should come as no surprise to hear a festival or event is on nearly every other day. These are our top five:
Camel wrestling - Bloodless bull-wrestling.
Nevruz Kurds, Alevis and everyone else celebrate the ancient Middle Eastern spring knees-up on 21 March with joviality.
Aspendos Opera & Ballet Festival - Unbeatable Roman-era venue.
Kafkasör Kültür ve Sanat Festival - More bloodless bull-wrestling.
Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Competition - Yet more battling, but this time it's greasy buck-wrestling!'
Must Reads
Given Turkey’s long history and vibrant culture it’s hardly surprising that it has provided copious source material for authors old and new, local and foreign.
Birds Without Wings, by Louis de Berniéres. If you only read one book about Turkey, make this it. Superbly written and researched historical fiction.
Memed, My Hawk, by Yaiar Kemal. If this were a movie, it would rival the tear-jerking Gone with the Wind.
Snow, by Orhan Pamuk. Pamuk’s fictional insight unearths Turkey’s contemporary challenges.
Atatürk, by Andrew Mango. Get to know one of the 20th century’s most intriguing political figures, virtually unknown outside his homeland.
Portrait of a Turkish Family, by Irfan Orga. This page-turner is so itimate you’ll feel like an honorary family member.
R&R
Ooo la la. You’ve come to the right place with your empty to-do list. In one word: hamams. These are our favourite, plus a couple of other options to indulge in some much-needed R&R.
Çemberlita, Hamam, Istanbul - Touristy sure, but sublime architecture and a head-to-toe service make a visit to this ancient institution a must.
Caialoilu Hamam, Istanbul: Arm-wrestling with Çemberlita? Hamam? for the title of most beautiful hamam. Heck, try both!
Kuriunlu Banyo, Termal - Soak your toes in steamy, mineral waters, then cool them off in the open-air pool – bliss!
Kabak - The word’s starting to get out about this off-the-beaten-path beach community. Get there fast.
Sultaniye Hot Springs and Mud Baths - They’d pay a packet for this in Manhattan, a nose-to-tail mineral mud-pack.
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