TOP 7 MUST DO THINGS IN TURKEY!

Once I was asked, 'Burhan tell me out of all the countries that you have visited right now, which one is your favorite and why?' i had one straight solid answer to that question and that was TURKEY.

Turkey, unlike many other countries has such a balanced blend of beautiful sceneries, delicious food, rich history, and a diverse culture. With the number of countries that I have been fortunate enough to visit do take my word on this, finding such a good combination of all these elements is very rare and turkey has all of it in abundance. As a whole this is a very diverse country and there are a lot of elements that could be explored in different specific areas. so to help you narrow down your preferences I have created a MUST TO DO list as to when you visit Turkey.

so I had visited turkey in 2017 just after my 10th-grade board's examination and I really did not know what I was getting into when we decided to go to Turkey. our itinerary included these destinations as follows:-

(a) - Kusadasi (2n)

(b) - Pamukkale

(c) - Cappadocia ( 2n)

(d) - Istanbul (3n)

Okay, the first thing which I would like people to know is Turkey is a quite rich country, rich in terms of history, culture, food etc. It is not somewhere you would go with your friends to party on EDM music. it is somewhere you could go to chill, learn and relax. Unlike places in Europe like Amsterdam and London you can't really party here, this place has to be experienced in a completely different way, so keeping that in mind I would say this destination is suited more for family vacations.

So let's get started with my list of TOP 7 MUST TO DO THINGS IN TURKEY

1 > EXPERIENCE THE HOT AIR BALLOON

The Hot Air Balloon experience top's my list of must-do things in Turkey because that experience alone is worth traveling all the way to turkey. Now when I was here in India and we were deciding the itinerary of this place, my dad told all of us that we were going to experience this hot air balloon ride, I was so excited that I couldn't contain myself and that probably was the only thing I looked to forward to in this trip.

but what exactly is a hot air balloon you ask? So the hot air balloon is a huge balloon blown with heat and it has a basket attached to it which holds around 16 people with 8 on each side and it usually flies only early in the morning to watch the sunrise. I will write a completely different blog telling about my experience in the Hot Air Balloon.

2 > EXPLORE THE GRAND BAZAAR

The Grand Bazaar also locally known as "Kapali Carsi" is one of the world's largest and the oldest covered markets which sell products ranging from glass items, jewelry, clothes, perfumes, accessories, eatery and the list goes on. Here are a few fun facts about this place that will blow your mind:-

(a) There are around 4000 shops here and this market is bustling with around 250,000 visitors each DAY!

(b)The goods here are so diverse ranging from leather goods, jewelry, ceramics, copperware, antique handicrafts, etc that this is one of the most sought-after markets in the world.

(c) Bargaining here is considered as a part of the grand bazaar tradition and hence it is encouraged.

(d) The market is like a maze and it has 21 gates and 56 interconnected vaulted passages.

Apart from all these facts, the Grand Bazaar also has an energy like none another and if you are ever want to buy something or just stroll around this is your place. hours will go by and you won't even realize.

3 > VISIT THE HAGIA SOPHIA MUSEUM

As mentioned above Turkey is filled with raw, rich and a very long history. The Hagia Sophia alone has so much history that you could possibly read a lot of articles on this alone. So for a better understanding here are a few historical facts about this beautiful Museum:-

(a) Hagia Sophia was initially a church built by the Roman emperor Constantius ii and was dedicated to Constantinople in 360CE, but that did not last long and then later was destroyed in a riot in 404 CE but it was rebuilt again by Emperor Theodosius II but that did not last long either and then was again destroyed in the Nika Revolt in 532 CE.

(b) Now, this church was again rebuilt for the 3rd time by Emperor Justinian and this time it showcased the true and rich Byzantium art and architecture.

(c) Centuries of sackings, conquests, sieges, raids, and crusades came to an end in 1453 CE with the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, after this event Sultan Murad II ordered the conversion of this church into a religious mosque and this included the addition of a few Muslim features like To use the space as a mosque, the rulers ordered that a mihrab(prayer niche), minbar(pulpit), and a fountain for ablutions be added to the Hagia Sophia. A succession of minarets was added to the exterior, and a school, kitchen, library, mausoleums, and sultan’s lodge joined the site over the centuries.

(d) After years of this monument as a mosque eventually, it was converted into a museum by a Muslim ruler, even till now all of its beautiful architecture and art still exists and is maintained quite well by the authorities.

4 > TRY THE MOUTHWATERING TURKISH DRINKS AND FOOD

Turkey apart from all of its history and thrilling activities also has some of the most delicious dishes and drinks you will possibly get anywhere in the world, here are few dishes and drinks you cannot afford to miss if you are visiting turkey:-

(a) Apple Tea:- It is a refreshing hot tea with extracts of apple and it is usually served everywhere as a welcome drink and it also consumed by almost every Turkish person as a part of their daily routine.

(b) Turkish ice cream:- One of the world's most famous type of ice cream is the Turkish ice-cream. After Gelato (the best and the tastiest ice cream in the world) the Turkish ice cream comes second usually known for the thick texture of the ice-cream and the unique flavor. Also for the tricks which the Turkish ice-cream vendor plays while serving the ice-cream make them quite attractive and interesting.

(c) Baklava:- People say that if you visit turkey trying out Baklava is an absolute must and that is true. Baklava is a dessert originating in the Middle East made of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and soaked in honey and the Turkish touch to this makes it one of the best in the world. I remember, when we had got back from turkey we had bought boxes of baklava to give other friends & family and for ourselves and within a span of a week we had eaten all of them. They were that good.

(d) Turkish Coffee:- Turkish coffee is one of the world's most famous coffee and in fact also known as one of the strongest form of coffee possibly available anywhere. So when we had visited to turkey we went all crazy over Turkish coffee ( especially my dad and i). The Turkish coffee is so famous that on the peak tourist season there is a long line out of almost all the coffee stores to buy coffees and in coffee shops, most of the time coffee is out of stock but luckily we managed to find a packet of coffee, but that did not lost long enough :/

Also, we had tried this sand coffee in which they give you coffee which is heated on hot sand? something very unique which you really would not find anywhere else in the world.

5 > ENJOY THE TURKISH NIGHT

So here's is a fun story, when we had landed at the Cappadocia airport the hotel was supposed to provide us a pickup facility from the airport to the hotel. someone was supposed to be waiting outside to pick us up and that did not happen which was the hotel's mistake, we had to wait for 30 minutes outside the airport which sucked but we eventually got dropped at the hotel after a phone call to the helpline number provided to us by the hotel.

so to compensate for this inconvenience our hotel provided us 4 free passes for Turkish night which was not planned at all, so on our 2nd night of Cappadocia which was supposed to be free we went for this Turkish night and my only reaction to this was "OMG".

so there were live Turkish singers and instrumentalist's playing their instruments and singing turkey songs with that there were a few belly dances going on and the best part was that there was unlimited food and topping that we had an amazing quality family time.

So after this experience I urge you that if you can get your hands on some of these Turkish nights? just go for it!! it is worth every single penny.

6 > RELAX AT THE TURKISH BATH

This is something that you won't hear much about but this is one of the most relaxing things we did in Turkey. so in turkey, they have their own traditional Turkish bath known as "HAMMAM", so this bath goes in these specific following steps:-

(a) first, you are allotted a small room to change from your clothes to a bathrobe

(b) then you go into to room for sauna for about 15-20 minutes

(c) after the sauna, we head to another room for scrubbing our body with salt to open our pores and to cleanse our body of impurities

(d) after that we go into the hammams room where legit sumo wrestler sized hammams scrub, cleans and washes your body with soaps, this happens for approximately 25 minutes.

(e) After all this to relax our bodies we go and dip into cold water for 5 minutes and after this bath, you are served with apple tea and you relax for 5-10 mins

(f) Then you are done so you change your clothes and get back to your place.

This was one of the most relaxing bath's ever, I felt so much lighter and less stressed after this. Also my skin was literally GLOWING after this bath so if you are in turkey this is an absolute MUST.

7 > REWIND IN THE HISTORY AT TEMPLE OF ARTIMES AT EPHESUS & BASILICA OF ST JOHN

These two historical sites contain a huge portion of Turkish history and if you dive deep into its rich history with the help of a good guide (which is recommended) I am sure you will enjoy thoroughly and the time will pass by and you won't even really know. Also a lot of the architecture which exists at Ephesus has been maintained quite well and it gives you quite a fair idea of how things were earlier.

fun fact:- just like a Colosseum in Rome, there is one like in Ephesus too but a smaller one for sure. This kind of gave me a more clear idea of how fights and punishments in earlier times were given.

here's a picture of me and my guide for the EPHESUS

For me personally these are 7 top things to do when you are in turkey, but apart from this, there are also a few really good alternatives that could be visited like The Grand Mosque, The Galata and Istiklal streets, the underground city in Cappadocia.

Turkey has to be one of my all-time favorite destinations because of its overall energy and vibe, so after this, I hope I have created a very clear image of all the possible things you could do in Turkey.

More stuff related to turkey will be coming out soon in other blogs so stay tuned for that.

Thank you!

Burhanuddin Abuwala