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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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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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
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Photogalleries
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A Perfect Shot
In Homo Urbanus Europeanus, exhibited May 9-24 in front of the National Theatre in Sofia, Jean-Marc Caracci presents his photographs of people in the urban environment of European capitals.
RED&WHITE SOFIA. On the 1st of March Bulgarians say goodbye to the winter. They buy each other red&white threads to carry around until they see a stork and spring can begin. Photography by Lode Desmet
BULGARIA D'OR: The Bulgarian countryside, patinated with the noble golden dust of the autumn. Photographs by Lode Desmet
360 degrees Bulgaria, an exhibition by photographer Alexandar Ivanov, is on display at the Sea Garden in Varna until August 28. It will be shown at Plovdiv’s Central Square from Sept 5.
The exhibition Photographs of a Trip Through Bulgaria by Hungarian photographer András Balla can be seen in Sofia's Hungarian Cultural Institute, at Aksakov 16 Street, until August 22
Instant Spring in Sofia | Photographs by Lode Desmet
Off-the-season Beauty of Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast | Photographs by Adelina Iliev
Bulgaria's Northern Black Sea Coast
Photographs by Albena Shkodrova
excellent smugs