Global Travel Entrepreneur

15/03/2025

We began our day visiting the abandoned ruined (Aziz Nikolaos) or St. Nicholas Church in Güllübahçe that was built by the Greeks in 1821, on top of the remains of an older church. It is situated in a beautiful and peaceful location high up in the village of Güllübahçe (rose garden), with magnificent views of the area.

What a beautiful warm and sunny start to the day it was. ☀️😎

Afterwards we drove to our next stop which was for breakfast at Bafa Lake.

15/12/2023

These photos are from my first afternoon and evening. The afternoon photos are from when I arrived at my Airbnb which had amazing views of Mesopotamia and right next to the Ulu Camii.

This restaurant was also very close to where I was staying and luckily it wasn't cold or too windy to eat there on the top terrace to enjoy the amazing views. After I had finished my delicious dinner, 😋 I was taken out for a drive by another couchsurfing friend, İbrahim, to see the spectacular views of the castle and city by night. How lucky was I! 😍🥰

15/12/2023

The following few posts (there will be quite a few) of photos and videos are from my 2 recent visits to Mardin during October and November.

On my first morning, after arriving the day before, I met with İrem, my (couchsurfing) friend and tour guide. She had kindly offered to show me round a couple of places. We visited Olğunlaşma Enstitüleri (some hand made items that women made were for sale).

We also visited the magnificent Zinciriye Medrese, which was only 10₺ per person to enter. After we finished here, İrem went off to Uni for her afternoon lecture, while I continued my walkabout. İrem also showed me which minibus to take to and from Yeni Mardin and back to Eski Mardin. She also shared with me her typical daily life. She was very glad for the opportunity to practice her English with me. 🥰

21/08/2023

As previously mentioned, Aizanoi Ancient City is located in the Çavdarhisar township and 57 km from Kütahta's city centre. The city has a temple built for Zeus and is the best preserved temple in all of Analolia. 🏛

As well as a large theatre and stadium, there are two Turkish style baths, one of which is decorated with mosaics, plus a gymnasium, 5 bridges on Kocaçay which are still used today (one bridge in photos), an old dam, a trading building, and avenues with columns on both sides, necropolis areas and the sacred cave of Metre Steune. The German Institute is still carrying out excavations in the city.

The Temple of Zeus was built on a high plateau of the city and recent excavations done in that area revealed several levels od settlements dating as far back as 3000 B.C.
Most of the structural remains that have come down from Aizanoi that are located on both sides of the Kocaçay River (Petkalas) were built during the Roman era.

On both banks of the river, there were protective walls made out of large cut stones to protect the city against the rising waters of the Kocaçay, which still rise today. Two out of the four bridges on the river are still in use today (see photos). The low wooden bridge on the north was used as a pedestrian crossing.

As you can see, the stone bridge (in my photos) with 5 arches, that follows the wooden one is still in good shape. There is another one with three arches which has fallen into ruins. This one is followed by the city's main bridge, which today supports all of the traffic with its 5 arches.

Interestingly, the inscriptions on the pedestal of the bridge's railing tell us that the opening ceremony of the bridge took place in September 157 A.D.

After walking from Zeus Temple and over the 5 arches bridge, we continued to observe and walk among the ruins, still listening to all the information that was being sharing with us on our very informative guided tour with Professor Dr. Gökhan Coşkun, who is Head of Aizanoi excavation and Head of arkeoloji dept of Dumlupınar University, till we reached a place called Anturia (see photos).

Anturia, is a School of Archaeology and Social Environmental Ethics. It is also 'Çavdarhisar Evi' which is a cafe, cooking workshop, and has rooms for short stays. After such an amazing and interesting morning with much walking, we were all hungry, thirsty and ready for a rest. And what a great place to come for lunch! Home made Tarhana soup and goats cheese pizza. I highly recommend you come to this place for lunch if you ever come to see The Ancient City of Aizanoi! 🍕🍲🤌😋

Although there aren't any buggies yet for those less mobile that take you round the complete site, it's already in the plan and is being organised to be ready by spring next year. Other than that they're ready and waiting for tourists. 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️📷

For anyone wanting to learn more about Arzanoi Ancient City and Zeus Temple click the link below to find out more. 👇
https://www.ktb.gov.tr/EN-114130/aizanoi-ancient-city.html

Many thanks to my friend Hasan and his friend (our driver) for taking me to see this amazing historical Unesco World Heritage site on my birthday last week. I really had a wonderful time. 🥰

20/08/2023

The Temple of Zeus in the Phrygian City of Aizanoi is said to be one of the best preserved Roman temples. Construction of it began in 92 CE and continued during the reign of Hadrian in the 2nd Century CE.

The temple was dedicated to 2 deities. Zeus was worshipped in it's above-ground section while the underground chamber was the place of the cult of the Anatolian goddess Cybele.

Myself, my tour guide friend Hasan and our driver were priveliged to have been introduced to Prof Dr Gökhan Coşkun since he is Head of Aizanoi excavation and Head of the archaeology dept of Dumlupınar University. He was very happy to meet us and give us his precious time to personally show us around the complete site and explain the history.

Although Dr. Coşkun spoke some English with me to explain some history, he shared the majority of the history with Hasan who then later translated to me, since I was busy taking photos and videos. I felt so priveliged to be there experiencing this magical site and was so overwhelmed by everything in the underground area, including the music that was playing as it enhanced my experience.

After we finished looking at the temple and underground we continued walking in the surrounding area as there is still a lot of the ruins scattered around and ongoing excavations. Strangely enough you'll notice some new housing developments amongst the ruins.

2nd of 3 posts to be continued..... 😉👍🏻

19/08/2023

If you are like me and love visiting ancient Temples and Ruins then I highly recommend a visit to AIZANOI ANTIK KENT. 👌🥰🏛

The Aizanoi ancient city is located in the inner Western Anatolia Region, 48 km Southwest of the Kütahya Province, and within the boundaries of the Çavdarhisar district.

The visible remains of the city are mostly derived from the period of the Roman Empire. The city has significant remains such as the Zeus Temple, the Complex of Stadium-Theatre, Macellum, Portico Street, the bridges and dam, two necropolises, odeon, the Roman Baths.

Comparison with other similar properties......

When compared to the other Zeus Temples in the World, the Zeus Temple in Aizanoi is one of the best preserved. Since the space surrounded by the columns in the temple is marble-covered, the Zeus Temple in Aizanoi is unique in the pseudodipteros plan.

The other temples in this plan have a wooden roof cover. The temple is among the rarest religious buildings in Anatolia which have survived till today by preserving its form.

The Complex of Stadium-Theatre which was constructed adjacently is unique in the ancient world. The Macellum in Aizanoi dated to the midst of 2nd century AD is one of the first exchange stock markets in the world. Inscriptions on the Macellum showing the prices of all goods sold in the markets of the Imperial are survived till today and can be read completely at present.

If you're interested to know more about this amazing historical UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE site click the link below for the official information. 👇

https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5724/ #:~:text=The%20Aizanoi%20ancient%20city%20is,is%20known%20as%20%C3%96rencik%20Plain

Post 1 of 3...... To be continued

31/05/2023

It's so easy to spot me! Here I am on the West Bank of the Nile River near Luxor with Egyptoria (holding onto my hat 😃), exploring The Valley of The Kings in Egypt.

It's the most famous site for having unique collections of tombs and breathtaking ancient ruins. I was so overwhelmed! You should see these Wonders of the World at least once. You'll have a Holiday of a Lifetime if you take your tour with Egyptoria! 😍🏛

The Valley of the Kings is one of the most iconic and historically significant sites in Egypt, located on the west bank of the Nile River near Luxor. It was ...

11/01/2023

SHORT 3 NIGHT 4 DAY TOUR OF MARDIN, MIDYAT & ŞANLIURFA departing on 23rd-26th April, '23. Itinerary cont....

DAY 4

Today is my last day (for this tour anyway). 😉 After breakfast I'll pack my luggage and meet up with my guide and head to Dara. Dara is known as the Ephesus of Southeast of Turkey and is well worth visiting. The site was built by Romans so it is quite easy to see similar architectural monuments down here. Many people put off visiting Dara due to its proximity to Syria, but wandering around the deserted ruins, nestled amongst which sits the current village, makes for a very unique experience.

I'm told the local folk around Dara are super friendly as you wander through what is essentially their farmland and even underneath their homes in the case of the incredible underground cistern. When arriving in Dara you will first notice the necropolis with rock cut tombs, but there's so much more that's well worth venturing further to explore such as the Roman bridges, walls, agora, cisterns and even part of the Silk Road itself.

Dara is an important East Rome military city is around 19 miles outside of Mardin, where excavations have been going on since 1986. The finds have been abundant and the most recent being an olive workshop dating from the 6th century. This confirms the city was an important olive oil production and trade center, as well as the site of numerous military conflicts.

Many underground cisterns left over from Mesopotamia's original irrigation system are open to the public, so I'll be taking a wander inside one to see just exactly what I've only heard about. One Byzantine cistern is so enormous the locals refer to it as zindan, a dungeon, and tell stories of it being used as prison. It decends 82 ft underground with access through the basement of a village house, providing you can find the man with the key! 😉

I will also visit the first Dam of mankind which was built during the 3rd century A.D. Afterwards I will visit one underground cistern which dates back to the Roman period as well. Around 11am my guide and I will sit in the village café where I can talk to the local people while taking a rest and drink coffee or tea.

Then we will drive one hour to Midyat. The city has got a very deep history of Syriac race and their own architecture and art. I'll have lunch at a local restaurant and then visit Mor Gabriel Monastery. Mor Gabriel Monastery, also known as Deyrulumur, is one of the oldest surviving Syriac Orthodox monasteries in the world. It is located on the Tur Abdin plateau near Midyat in the Mardin Province in Southeast Turkey.

Then we will walk to the Bazaar where I can visit one of the Syriac shops where they still make beautiful jewellery known as Telkari. You can watch how they make this beautiful art. I will then have some more free time and later get ready for my flight back to Izmir from Mardin.

So...... if all this information has whet your appetite for joining me on this incredible tour check the information below and if it's suitable for your budget please drop me a message or leave your Whatsapp number or email address and I'll ask them to reply to you ASAP. If you would like to make this tour on a different date or at the end of May, you can ask for your requested dates.

🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️🔹️

INCLUSIONS

Flight tickets

3 nights accommodation at a 5 star hotel

Transfers from Didim to Izmir and vice versa Mardin to Hotel and vice versa

4 days local English Speaking Guide

Breakfasts and lunches

Private bus or van

Insurance

EXCLUSIONS

Personal expenses

Dinners

Tips to guide and driver

TOUR PRICE:

£599 pp

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