Theme Week Turkish Riviera – Alanya

26 January 2018 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  9 minutes

© kallerna/cc-by-sa-3.0

© kallerna/cc-by-sa-3.0

Alanya, formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort city and a component district of Antalya Province on the southern coast of Turkey, on the Turkish Riviera, 138 kilometres (86 mi) east of the city of Antalya. Because of its natural strategic position on a small peninsula into the Mediterranean Sea below the Taurus Mountains, Alanya has been a local stronghold for many Mediterranean-based empires, including the Ptolemaic, Seleucid, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. Alanya’s greatest political importance came in the Middle Ages, with the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm under the rule of Alaeddin Kayqubad I, from whom the city derives its name. His building campaign resulted in many of the city’s landmarks, such as the Kızıl Kule (Red Tower), Tersane (Shipyard), and Alanya Castle.   read more…

Theme Week Turkish Riviera

25 September 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  6 minutes

Harbour in Kalkan © Kitkatcrazy

Harbour in Kalkan © Kitkatcrazy

The Turkish Riviera (also known popularly as the Turquoise Coast) is an area of southwest Turkey encompassing the provinces of Antalya and Muğla, and to a lesser extent Aydın, southern İzmir and western Mersin. The combination of a favorable climate, warm sea, mountainous scenery, fine beaches along more than a thousand kilometers of shoreline along the Aegean and Mediterranean waters, and abundant natural and archeological points of interest makes this stretch of Turkey’s coastline a popular national and international tourist destination. Many cities, towns and villages in the area are internationally known, such as Alanya, Antalya, Bodrum, Çeşme, Fethiye, Kalkan, Kaş, Kemer, Kuşadası, Marmaris and Side.   read more…

Theme Week Turkish Riviera – Antalya

31 August 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Erencet/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Erencet/cc-by-sa-3.0

Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. It is Turkey’s biggest international sea resort, located on the Turkish Riviera. In 2011 the city had a population of 964,886 and the metropolitan municipality 1,041,972. The Turkish Riviera is also the home for the internationally known Blue Voyage, which allows participants to enjoy a week-long trip on the locally built gulet type schooners to ancient cities, harbors, tombs, mausolea and intimate beaches in the numerous small coves, lush forests and streams that lace the Turquoise Coast.   read more…

Theme Week Turkish Riviera – Çeşme

22 August 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  7 minutes

Çeşme © Brecht/cc-by-sa-2.5

Çeşme © Brecht/cc-by-sa-2.5

Çeşme is a coastal town and the administrative centre of the district of the same name in Turkey’s westernmost end, on a promontory on the tip of the peninsula which also carries the same name and which extends inland to form a whole with the wider Karaburun Peninsula. It is a popular holiday resort and the district center, where two thirds of the district population is concentrated. Çeşme is located 85 km west of İzmir, the largest metropolitan center in Turkey’s Aegean Region. There is a six-lane highway connecting the two cities (Otoyol 32). Çeşme district has two neighboring districts, Karaburun to the north and Urla to the east, both of which are also part of İzmir Province. The name “Çeşme” means “fountain” and possibly draws reference from the many Ottoman fountains scattered across the city.   read more…

Theme Week Turkish Riviera – Gullet, the motor glider of the Turkish Riviera

23 August 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Tall ships, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  6 minutes

Gulet type schooners near Bodrum © Georges Jansoone/cc-by-sa-3.0

Gulet type schooners near Bodrum © Georges Jansoone/cc-by-sa-3.0

A gulet is a traditional design of a two-masted or three-masted wooden sailing vessel (the most common design has two masts) from the southwestern coast of Turkey, particularly built in the coastal towns of Bodrum and Marmaris; although similar vessels can be found all around the eastern Mediterranean. Today, this type of vessel, varying in size from 14 to 35 metres, is popular for tourist charters. For considerations of crew economy, diesel power is now almost universally used and many are not properly rigged for sailing.   read more…

Theme Week Turkish Riviera – Bodrum on the Gulf of Gökova

5 August 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  6 minutes

Castle of St. Peter in Bodrum © flickr.com - Robin & Bazylek/cc-by-2.0

Castle of St. Peter in Bodrum © flickr.com – Robin & Bazylek/cc-by-2.0

Bodrum is a district and a port city in Muğla Province, in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey. it has a population of 36,000 inhabitants. It is located on the southern coast of Bodrum Peninsula, at a point that checks the entry into the Gulf of Gökova, and is also the center of the eponymous district. The city was called Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times and was famous for housing the Mausoleum of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Bodrum Castle, built by the Crusaders in the 15th century, overlooks the harbour and the marina. The castle grounds include a Museum of Underwater Archeology and hosts several cultural festivals throughout the year. The Greek Island of Kos can be reached within 30 minutes by ship. Bodrum has an active tourist economy.   read more…

Overview Theme Weeks

27 December 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  20 minutes

Theme Weeks (Latest addition: February 2024) In irregular intervals we publish Theme Weeks about cities, regions, and countries. Here you can find the complete list.   read more…

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