Bergin Tours - Turkey Tours Company

Turkish Folklore and Customs     Turkey has very rich folkloric traditions which have been kept alive for centuries due to the characteristics of Turkish people. Folk music accompanies Anatolian people every single moment of their lives. Every individual creates his own folk music suitable for his own situation. People create their own music, and do not write it down, but pass it from one to the other, and the "asiklar" (troubadours) who sing and play this music keep it alive. Turkish folk dance is also very alive and variant. Each region has its characteristic dance with particular costumes, steps, rhythms and instruments. Every region's dance reflects the characteristics of that region's people. Turkish people are very inventive, creating new dances for different situations. There are particular dances for weddings, for harvest or for guest welcoming and so on, "Horon," a very fluid and swift dance, is particular to the Black Sea Region; "Kasik O...

Turkey, Türkiye, Asia Minor, Anatolia, Anatolie, Anatolië, Turquie, Turkije, Türkei     Turkey has a magnificent past, and is a land full of historic treasures from thirteen (13) successive Ancient Anatolian Civilizations spanning 10,000 years! Even if you spend only a short time in Turkey, Multilingual Cultural Tour Operator TransAnatolie gives you the opportunity to explore a lot of these cultural, historical, archaeological, architectural and biblical/belief heritages with specially designed superb itineraries and with high QoS. Turkey is also a paradise of sun, sea, sand, mountains, forests, and lakes.  Turkey offers the vacationer a complete change from the stress and routine of everyday life. From April to October, most places in Turkey have an ideal climate that is perfect for relaxing on sandy beaches or enjoying the tranquillity of forests, mountains and lakes. There is no doubt that one visit will not be enough, and you would like to com...

Explore Anatolia (Turkey-Türkiye-Asia Minor): The Heartland of Civilisations "The gateway between Europe and Asia...Turkey" "A country situated at the heart of the oldest continents of earth...Turkey" "The crossroads of many important routes since centuries...Turkey" "A bridge between ages, nations and civilizations...Turkey"                                                          The Ancient Near East The ancient Near East refers to early civilizations in a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq and Syria), Persia (modern Iran), Anatolia (modern Turkey), the Levant (modern Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan), and Ancient Egypt, from the beginnings of Sumer in the 6th millennium BC until the region's conquest by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. The ancient Near Ea...

Turkish Carpets     Carpets are among the best known art forms produced by the Turks. There are environmental, sociological, economic, and religious reasons for the widespread art of carpet weaving among the Turkish people. In the regions where the Turks have lived, temperatures changed greatly between day and night, summer and winter. Turks, whether nomadic or farming, have protected themselves from the extremes of the cold weather with carpets. The carpets are almost always handmade of wool, but sometimes cotton is added. In the traditional households, women and girls take up carpet weaving as a hobby as well as a means of earning money. Even as factory-made carpets became easier and cost less they cannot reduce the popularity of carpets in homes. Turkish carpets are among the most sought after household items all over the world. Their rich colors, warm tones, and extraordinary patterns with traditional motifs have contributed to the status that Turkish carpets h...

FEATURED ANCIENT CITIES Aegean:   Aizanoi Ancient City, Anavarza Antique City, Aphrodisias Ancient City, Blaundos Ancient City, Ephesus Antique City, Erythrai Ancient City, Hierapolis Ancient City, Kaunos Ancient City, Kolophon and Notion, Knidos Ancient City, Lagina Hekate Ancient City, Laodicea Ancient City, Miletos Ancient City, Musgebi, Pedesa, Pergamon Ancient City, Phokaia, Sardis Ancient City, Stratonikeia, Telmessos Ancient City, Telmissos Ancient City, Tlos, Tripolis. Mediterranean:   Antiphellos Ancient City, Aspendos Ancient City, Chimera, Daglik, Demre (Myra), Etenna, Kekova Ancient City, Kibyra Ancient City, Letoon Ancient City, Limyra, Olba Ancient City, Olympos, Patara, Perge Ancient City, Phaselis, Sagalassos Ancient City, Seleukeia, Selge Ancient City, Selinus, Side Ancient City, Termessos Ancient City, Xanthos Ancient City. Black Sea:  Alacahoyuk Archaeological Site, Hattusha Ancient City. Marmara:   Assos Antique City, Troy Ancient City. ...

On the border with Armenian, Ani ghost city rarely receives visitors apart from an odd trickle who travel purposely to see it. Nicknamed the city of 1001  churches , beautiful historical landmarks like the Fethiye Cathedral and Tigran Hornet Church sit in a vast green landscape, with hardly anything else in sight. Previously, many historians campaigned for funds for further excavations. At the same time, they warned of collapse if nothing was done to secure their foundations. Hence, the UNESCO committee added it to their World Heritage list in 2016.                                                  Visit: www.bergintours.com

 One of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World The mausoleum was the tomb of Mausolos, from where the name came, and it was the most enduring achievement of his wife/sister Artemisia THE Younger, who, after Mausolos death in 352 BC, had it built in his honor. Mausolos tomb became one of the most famous architectural showpieces of antiquity; it was named one of the seven wonders of the world by the travel writers of the Hellenistic era. It consisted of a solid rectangular base topped by 36 Ionic columns. These were surmounted by a pyramid and crowned with a massive statue of Mausolos and Artemisia riding a chariot, reaching a total height of 40 mt.. the base was adorned with a frieze executed by four of the leading sculptors of ancient Greece, one per side; classical writers were most impressed by these sculptures. The Mausoleum dominated the skyline of the city at least until the 12th century; by the early 15th century it lay in ruins, most likely due to the earthquakes frequent in...

TURKEY'S BEST CRUISE DESTINATIONS Turkey is a very popular departure and stopover point for cruise liners. Turkey's strategic location on the Mediterranean and Aegean, as well as on the Black Sea, makes it one of the most popular spots for the cruise ships. CRUISING AROUND TURKEY Kick back and relax on an all-inclusive luxury cruise around the coastline of Turkey. Year after year, more and more people prefer to spend a few days at Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Sea destinations in Turkey at the beginning or end of their cruises, to discover cities or coastal resort towns. There are several ports of call around the long Turkish coast line where today's big ships are bringing their customers on board, such as Istanbul, Izmir, Kusadasi, Cesme, Antalya, Bodrum, Marmaris, Canakkale, Trabzon, Sinop and so on. Istanbul, the western ports of Izmir, Kusadasi, Bodrum and Marmaris, and the southern port of Antalya are among the favourite destinations for cruise ships. He...

Goreme Open-Air Museum A splattering of ancient cave churches covers a small plateau in the Goreme district of central Anatolian Cappadocia. Cut into the rocks and famed for their vibrant ceiling frescoes, they date to the early days of Christianity. Goreme Open-Air Museum is another UNESCO World Heritage site and the number one destination for first-time visitors. Visit: www.bergintours.com

Troy is the name of the Bronze Age city featured in the Trojan War of ancient Greek oral and literary tradition and the name given to the archaeological site in the north west of Asia Minor (now Turkey) which has revealed a large and prosperous city occupied over millennia. There has been much scholarly debate as to whether mythical Troy actually existed and if so whether the archaeological site was the same city; however, it is now almost universally accepted that the archaeological excavations have revealed the city of Homer’s  Iliad . Other names for Troy include Hisarlik (Turkish), Ilios (Homer), Ilion (Greek) and Ilium (Roman). MYTHOLOGICAL TROY Troy is the setting for Homer’s  Iliad  in which he recounts the final year of the Trojan War sometime in the 13th century BCE. The war was in fact a ten-year siege of the city by a coalition of Greek forces led by King Agamemnon of Myce...

ANCIENT CITIES  Aizanoi ancient city  This city is in the Çavdarhisar township, 57 kilometres from Kütahya’s city centre. The city experienced its golden age in the second and third centuries AD and became the centre of episcopacy in the Byzantine era. The city has a temple built for Zeus which is the best-preserved temple in all of Anatolia. There is also a large theatre and a stadium adjacent to theatre. There are two Turkish-style baths, one of them decorated with mosaics, plus a gymnasium, five bridges on Kocaçay which are still used today, 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.  Aizanoi  Historical research and monuments (Klaus Rheidt)  At the upper part of the Penkalas (Kocaçay) River, there were the Phrygians who lived around the sacred cave of the goddess Metre Steunene, who was the born through the un...

Did you know the Grand Bazaar one of the oldest shopping mall in the world? Still attracts over 250 000 people everyday. The historical Grand Bazaar has it all: 61 covered street and over 3000 authentic shops. Alluring fragrences, colorful sights and hypnotizing sounds. No wonder it is one of the most popular shopping areas in the world.                                                      Visit: www.bergintours.com 

Did you know the Monalisa mosaics in Turkey? Zeugma is the biggest mosaic museum in the world where the world famous mosaic of the gypsy girl lives.So whats the story of the Zeugma museum?Lets find out. 2000 years ago people used to build temporary bridges by attaching both to each other to cross the mightly Euphrates River.The ancient city of Zeugma was named after such a bridge,Zeugma was a crossroad between eastern and western civilization as it was the city of strategic importance. Zeugma was rich and cosmopolitan city,culturaly speaking;its a mosaic itself.Wealthies people lived in terrace villas and decoreted them with amazing mozaics.Some of these villas were excavationed and rebuild here.Peace by peace,stone by stone,column by column.Currently there are 2250 square meters of mosaics in the museum.Their photographs giving us a glimpse into antique life habits and personal taste.Discover all this and more in Turkey!              ...

This is 400 years old mosque came to be known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles adorning its interior walls. This mosque is currently operational and locals fill up this place 5 times a day for their prayer rituals.                                                     Visit: www.bergintours.com

Hagia Sophia has been standing on the Sultan Ahmet Square for 15th centuries. This building is one of the world’s most important monuments of architectural history. Its the oldest cathedral of the world. It has been built as an Orthodox church and when Ottomans conquered Istanbul, it was converted into a mosque. With the foundation of the republic in Turkey,it has been secularized and turned into a museum.                                                      Visit: www.bergintours.com

The maiden Tower story is a well-known Istanbul Legend. A king learns from one of the his oracles that his daughter will be killed by a snake bite by her 18th birthday. To protect his daughter, the king build this tower on the water, a way from any snake and he imprisons his daughter here. However the prophecy stil manifests, As a snake enters the tower inside one of the birthday presents that the girl receives on her 18th birthday. Today,you can reach the tower by boat and have a dinner with a 360 view of Istanbul.                                                        Visit: www.bergintours.com

After Paul’s execution,John took over the leadership of the church at Ephesus,and wrote his gospel and letters.After his death,he was buried,according to his wishes,in the spot that now forms the center of the Church of Saint John. The Church of Saint John is located South of the Selcuk fortress on Ayasuluk.In the Byzantine period,it was the most impressive house of workship in Ephesus and was known everywhere. The church historian Eusebios remarks that the disciple John was expelled from Jerusalem and spread Christianity in Anatolia between 37 and 42 CE.The young evangelist supposedly took the Virgin Mary under his care and came to Ephesus with her. A mere grave monument first marked the tomb.The first bailica,which had a wooden roof,was built only in the fourth or fifth century,when Christianity had prevailed.The present ruins are those of the emperor Justinian(527-565).Ancient sources tell us that Church of Saint John in Ephesus was one of the most important place...

Who has never heard of shish kebab? In Turkish, shish kebab, literally means “gobbets of meat roasted on a spit or skewers.” Probably the most famous preparation for grilled lamb, there seems to be countless recipes. It is said that shish kebab was born over the open field fires of the soldiers of the Turkic tribes that first invaded Anatolia, who used their swords to grill meat, as they pushed west from their homelands in Central Asia. Given the obvious simplicity of spit-roasting meat over a fire, I suspect its genesis is earlier. There is iconographical evidence of Byzantine Greeks cooking shish kebabs. But surely the descriptions of skewering strips of meat for broiling in Homer’s  Odyssey  must count for an early shish kebab.     In the Arab world, the same preparation is called  shish kabab  or  lahm mishwy  (grilled meat). The true shish kebabs are pieces of marinated lamb affixed to flat or four-sided bladed metal skewer...

There’s still a lot of people who only know of Turkish Delight as the powdery white sweet used by the White Witch to entice Edmund in The Chronicles of Narnia. However, the confection has a long history and is one of Turkey's most popular exports. We went back to the year 1777 to explore the story of Lokum, a very, very sweet dessert. One of the oldest sweets in the world, going back almost 500 years, the Turkish Delight recipe has remained almost unchanged since the day of its inception. As the story goes, the Sultan, trying to cope with all his mistresses, summoned his confectionary chefs and demanded the production of a unique dessert. It was through this summon that the Turkish Delight was born. The fully apprenticed confectioner, Bekir Efendi, arrived in Istanbul from a small town in eastern Anatolia in 1777, during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid I. Another theory states that it was actually Bekir Efendi who invented Turkish Delight and went on to o...