Travel S Helper

Nestled among the olive-clad hills of western Turkey, the ruins of Pergamon command a sweeping view of the Aegean plain. From this lofty vantage the ancient city unfolds: terraced stairways lead to temples and theaters carved into the rock. UNESCO has praised Pergamon’s acropolis as “the capital of the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty, a major centre […]

Bağdat Avenue (Bağdat Caddesi) remains Istanbul’s preeminent Asian-side boulevard, a 14-kilometre ribbon of commerce, culture and daily life. Running east–west from Maltepe to Kadıköy, it is the longest street in the city. Often considered the Anatolian counterpart to İstiklal Avenue on the European side, Bağdat Caddesi is lined with stately plane trees, global flagship stores […]

Beşiktaş strikes the visitor as a place where the past and present convene along the glistening edge of the Bosphorus. The morning scene is alive with the honk of ferries shuttling commuters across the strait and the sweet, smoky aroma of roasted chestnuts wafting from street carts. This is a district famed for its mix […]

Fethiye Limanı (Fethiye Harbour) rises from the eastern arm of a long Gulf on Turkey’s famed Turquoise Coast. At dawn the harbour stirs: fishing boats rock gently alongside wooden gulets and sleek yachts, gulls wheel overhead, and the scent of sea salt and pine drifts from the surrounding hills. Framed by the sheer Lycian rock […]

An Introduction to the Heart of Orthodox Christianity Why is the Church of St. George So Important? Nestled in the narrow lanes of Istanbul’s Fener district, the modest Patriarchal Church of St. George belies its immense significance. Though its façade is simple and unassuming, the church serves as the spiritual headquarters of Eastern Orthodoxy worldwide. […]

Belek’s central mosque stands as a tranquil counterpoint to the resort town’s liveliness. In the heart of Belek’s shopping boulevards and fountains, a single elegant minaret rises against the sky. A subtle ezan (call to prayer) rings out over the modern streets at midmorning and dusk, reminding locals and travelers alike of the mosque’s daily […]

Marmaris Castle stands sentinel above the town’s harbor, its stone ramparts and watchtowers offering panoramic vistas of turquoise sea and red-tiled rooftops. From its heights, visitors gaze over a tranquil Mediterranean bay, the sun glinting on azure waters and yachts below. This venerable fortress, rebuilt by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1522, traces its lineage back […]

Beneath the bustling streets of Istanbul’s Old City lies a subterranean marvel where antiquity and modernity converge. The Şerefiye Cistern – also known as the Theodosius Cistern – invites visitors to descend into an underground chamber built some 1,600 years ago. Dim light from lanterns and modern projections softens against ancient brick vaults and marble […]

The Süleymaniye Hamamı, completed in 1557, forms an integral component of the Süleymaniye Mosque complex—built at the zenith of Ottoman architectural achievement under the aegis of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent and Mimar Sinan. As one of the oldest and best-preserved Ottoman hamams in Istanbul, it embodies both the ritualistic essence of Turkish bathing culture and […]

High above Avanos, the three-tiered ravines of the Zelve Open Air Museum unfold as a labyrinth of eroded cliffs, cave chapels, and vanished villages. For nearly a millennium this was a living cave town – one of the oldest monastic settlements in Cappadocia – where Greeks and Turks lived side by side until the mid‑20th […]

Mor Gabriel Monastery (Syriac: Dayro d-Mor Gabriel; Turkish: Deyrülumûr), founded in AD 397, stands today as one of the world’s oldest surviving Christian monasteries and the oldest Syriac Orthodox monastery still in continuous use. Perched on the rocky Tur Abdin plateau in southeastern Turkey, roughly 20 kilometers east of Midyat in Mardin Province, it has […]

The Kordon (or Kordonboyu) of Izmir is far more than a mere waterfront promenade: it is the beating heart of the city’s social life. From dawn to dusk—and long into the night—locals and visitors alike flock here to stroll, socialize, and soak up the salty imbat sea breeze. Indeed, Kordon has become synonymous with Izmir’s […]