Turkey Sports

Turkey Sports

Turkey has much to offer for the visitors, its geography and climate offer a wide range of opportunities to practice any sport and activities to do. Sailing Bordered by four seas, the Black Sea, Marmara Sea, Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea, Turkey offers a great opportunity to enjoy of cruising by the seas and at the same time appreciating of the plethora of archeological sites, castles and temples around the coasts. There are many cruising charters available. Gulets, before used for fishing and transportation, now are very popular to make journeys. Best Gulets are built in Marmaris and Bodrum. Scuba DivingTurkey along its coasts and especially in the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts offer great places to dive. Despite that Scuba diving in turkey is relatively new it is developing rapidly. Its coastline abounds with sheltered coves, bays and uninhabited islands, rich and varied marine life, numerous reefs, majestic rock formations, curious caves and sharp drop-offs. There are special requirements for foreign divers, they should have official documentation of their qualification, training and must be accompanied, when diving, by a licensed Turkish guide. The limit for diving with diving gear is 30 meters. To dive exceeding 30 meters they must do it with the proper diving and medical equipment Kas in the Lycian coast is the most popular place for scuba diving. It offers clear water with visibilities up to 40 meters, comfortable water temperature of 25-28 degrees and its possible to see underwater canyons, shipwrecks, caves, bizarre reefs. Bodrum is another great place to dive in. There are sheltered seas with visibility average of 20 meters, water temperatures range from 17 - 22°C during the season which extends from mid April to late October. Rafting & CanoeingAlthough, Turkey is not well-known as good place to rafting, in fact there are some excellent rivers that provide perfect conditions for canoeing and rafting; both for professionals and rookies. Some of the best rivers for rafting are: Coruh, Barhal, Berta, Firtina, Colak, Koprucay, Manavgat, Dragon, Goksu (Silifke), Zamanti, Goksu (Feke), Kizilirmak and Dalaman Cayi. The river Coruh in the Kackar Mountains in northeastern Turkey is readily acknowledged as one of the world’s top ten for rafting. Its origin is in the province of Bayburt and flows for 250 km to terminate in the Black Sea. 4th World Water sports Championships was held here in 1993 with approximately 300 competitors from 28 countries. The Coruh River is best for rafting from May to September and the prime months are May and June. FishingTurkey has plenty fishing areas especially in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. Fishing can be done without a license in some non-restricted areas and just by amateurs. To get more details concerning fishing zones, the permissions and rules can be obtained from the Department of Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. FootballTurkey in the last decades has been experimented a great development in a number of sports especially with football. Football is Turkey’s national sport and is played in all around the country. The most popular teams are Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Besiktas and Trabzonspor, being the Galatasaray the most success, winning the 2000 UEFA Cup and European Super Cup. Turkey in the last years has exported many of its players into top foreign teams principally into European Clubs like Barcelona, Milan, and Parma among others. As well as sending players abroad, the Turkish league has also attracted players into Turkey. SkiingTurkey’s geography and its climate have created great conditions for skiing and winter sports. Turkey is mainly mountainous, and many regions have cooler climates than the major resort areas. There are several ski resorts in Turkey, which offer skiing facilities spanning from November to May. The main ski resorts in Turkey are Uludag in Bursa, located at 1 ½ hours south of Istanbul by ferry and bus. This very popular resort is at 2453 meters. Kartalkaya located in outskirts of Bolu, slopes at 2221 meters' (7300 feet) altitude. Ilgaz at Kastamonu in the north of Ankara in Kastamonu province, the ski center is at 2000 meters (6600 feet). Sarikamis located in Kars at 2120 meters (7000 feet) of altitude and Palandöken in Erzurum is Turkey's coldest and highest (3150 meters/ 10,300 feet) offering with good hotels, good conditions. Wrestling/Oil WrestlingWrestling in Turkey is very popular and another national sport. Yagli gures means literally oiled wrestling. Every year since 1640 Turkey’s wrestlers – men and boys – have gathered for their national championships on a grassy field held on Edirne. The wrestlers wear tight short leather trousers called "Kispet", made of water buffalo leather weighing approximately 13 kilograms, and they cover themselves with olive oil.

Izmir Travel Guide

Izmir Travel Guide

The city of Izmir is located in the Aegean region in western turkey, at the gulf with the same name Izmir. Called as “the Peal of the Aegean”, is the third largest city and one of the most important commercial and industrial centre in the country. Izmir is also the second largest Turkish sea port. Studies and excavations prove that Izmir dates back to 3000 B.C. During the ancient times Izmir was known as Smyrna and was initially built on the Tepekule site today as Bayrakli. Later, in the Turkish era the city of Smyrna was re-named Izmir. Today the city presents Mediterranean Europe influence contrasting the modern buildings with its traditional character. Around the city there are many historical sites from prehistoric times, works and buildings, museums, typical Mediterranean kitchen, handicrafts, festivals, festivities, and other local cultural specialties. Izmir is a prominent city for all that has to offer. It is a cosmopolitan and lively city where culture and entertainment are mixed. Izmir is renowned for its museums, fish restaurants along the shore, the bars, discotheques and night clubs and for the remains of ancient civilizations. One of the landmarks of Izmir is Balcova where is located Turkey's largest thermal spas. The Culture Park in the Alsancak district is another well known spot where many fairs are held during the year, being the most important the International Izmir Festival in September. This festival features music and dance shows, as well as performances.

Turkey Travel Guide

Turkey Travel Guide

Turkey considered as the gateway between Europe and Asia is an Eurasian country located on the Mediterranean stretching across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. It is bordered by the Black Sea, the Marmara Sea, the Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Turkey is a fascinating country where many important civilizations have flourished since 9,000 BC. Turkey was home from the ancient Hittites, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines to the Ottomans which have left behind them superb architectural, archaeological and historical heritage.

Modern Turkey is a secular and democratic Moslem country, founded in 1920 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and from that time, Turkey has been suffering big changes and one of the most notable is its rapidly economic development. Despite of its traditional and Islam roots, Turkey is decidedly western oriented country and today is considered as a candidate to be part of the European Union, which will permit to the country grow up more. Istanbul and Ankara are the most important cities in Turkey, the first is a city of mosques, palaces and fabulous treasures, sultans and mysterious harems; and Ankara the capital of the country. Turkish people are very friendly and hospitable, welcoming people of many races and religions, certainly in this country coexist harmoniously the Islam and Christianism. Visitor can find in Turkey dozens of things to do and see then they never would be disappointed. Historical ancient cities such as Troy, Ephesus, Tarsus, Konya, and many other more are very interesting places to visit. Turkey boasts peaceful harbours, quiet gardens, golden sandy beaches and lively nightclubs and hectic bars, is also the perfect place for leisure and sports. Turkey also has an enviable Mediterranean climate, not for nothing it is said that you can find the four seasons simultaneously.