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Thursday, 18 March 2010

Featured Destination


Turkey
Turkey: The Unknown Hagia Sophia

Istanbul’s Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) Museum is one of the most visited in the world. Its construction was commissioned to two architects from Anatolia by the Emperor Justinian in 537 during the period of the Eastern Roman Empire. More than any other building after the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, it has engendered competition among architects all over the world who tried to imitate it out of awe and envy.
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Epicure


Balkans
Wine and Rakiya from 6 Balkans Countries Awarded in France

10 March 2009 | Dozens of brands of wine and rakiya, or brandy, from six Balkan countries received gold and silver medals at the 2009 Vinalies Internationales
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News


Turkey
Turkey Tops British Tourists’ Most Preferred Destinations for Summer of 2010

8 March 2010 | Turkey will be the most preferred summer destination for British tourist this year, according to a survey by the British leading online tour operator On the Beach.
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Balkans
Turkey and Romania Triumph at Berlinale
Balkans
Croatia and Turkey Names Top Cruise Destinations


Routes Less Travelled


Turkey
Turkey: The Troubadours of Allah

The mystical whirling dervishes, which have been hypnotising Europe for centuries with their unearthly dances that lead them into a trance, are nowadays becoming a part of Turkey’s tourist industry. On the Old Continent, it is a little known fact that their Mevlevi Order practices one of Islam’s most liberal forms, based on Neoplatonism, and that their ideas have influences some of the most prominent intellectuals, from Shakespeare through Andersen.
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Turkey
Intimations of Byzantium: Hidden History of Turkey’s Caucasus and Eastern Anatolia
Turkey
Ishak Pasha Lived by a Road. The Silk Road

Curiosity Chest


Turkey
Cuisine Museum Opens in Gaziantep, Turkey

8 January 2009 | Turkey’s first museum dedicated to cuisine opened recently in a historical stone house in the south-eastern city of Gaziantep,
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Hidden Sofia


Bulgaria
The Turkish Café: A Place for Sweet Tea, Salty Snacks and Long Chats

A presence in Sofia’s student city (‘Studentski grad’) for several years, the place is actually called Dilgün - Simit Sarayı. Full Story

Bulgaria
The Flea Market in Malashevtsi: From Communist Rebellion to Memorabilia
Bulgaria
Panta Rei at Adams Bar

Hidden Bulgaria


Bulgaria
Julian Perry's Walks in Bulgaria's National Parks

Julian Perry, author of Walking in Bulgaria’s National Parks, describes three of his most loved routes through the Bulgarian mountains for the readers of BalkanTravellers.com. His book was published by Cicerone press last month. Full Story

Bulgaria
From Sofia to the Village of Lakatnik in an Old Locomotive
Bulgaria
Go Green in Bulgaria: 23 Eco-Hotels and Guest Houses to Choose From






Balkan Coasts & Mountains


Ararat: The Mountain Where Noah’s Journey Ended

Turkey

Eastern Turkey, 10 kilometres from the Iranian border. The raven-strewn landscape is a barren yellowish red. On one side rises Ararat, the twin-topped dormant volcano that is rightly considered as one of the world’s most impressive sights. Full Story

Ten Things To Do in Pamukkale
Mount Nemrut, Turkey: Guarding the Gardens of Eden


Balkan Towns


Turkey: Stroll Along Istanbul’s Theodosian Walls

Turkey

Visitors to Istanbul usually head straight for the city’s traditional landmarks – the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Topkapı Palace or the enormous Kapalıçarşı bazaar. Typically, not much attention is paid to the medieval walls that still stand in various spots throughout the city. But – as BalkanTravellers.com contributor Bruce Macphail discovered during his recent tour of Istanbul’s Theodosian walls, they carry the historical imprint of the city’s rulers, conquerors and diverse inhabitants Full Story

Urfa: Before the Syrian Desert Begins
Turkey: Panta rhei, Ephesus rhei