Travel S Helper

Pergamon’s acropolis was once celebrated as a seat of Hellenistic learning and culture, but by the 2nd century CE its identity had shifted to something more spiritual. UNESCO notes that the city later “became known for its Asclepieion healing centre”. Indeed, scholars record that in this era “Pergamon’s fame as a center of healing and […]

From the days of Late Antiquity and well into the Ottoman era, one manmade space pulsated at the core of Constantinople’s life – a long, U‑shaped racing circuit where the roar of tens of thousands of citizens once echoed. In its heyday the Hippodrome could hold vast crowds (ancient sources claim up to 100,000, though […]

Perched high above a rugged canyon in southern Turkey, the Varda Viaduct is a striking relic of early 20th-century railway engineering. Built of hand-cut stone in the Taurus Mountains near the village of Hacıkırı (officially Kıralan), the structure carries a single-track rail line over the steep Giaour (“infidel”) Creek gorge. Its eleven massive stone arches—three […]

Konak Square (Konak Meydanı) serves as Izmir’s bustling epicenter – a crossroads of history, culture, and daily life. At its center stands the ornate İzmir Clock Tower, surrounded by a constellation of landmarks: a seaside mosque (the Yalı Camii), the Governor’s Mansion, and public buildings that flank its edges. Together they form a public space […]

Antiphellos is an ancient city in Lycia (southwestern Anatolia) whose ruins lie beneath the modern Turkish town of Kaş. Known originally as Habesos, this coastal settlement was settled by the Lycians by at least the 6th century BCE. It served as the port for the nearby hilltop city of Phellos, and over time it grew larger […]

The Şehzade Mosque stands on Istanbul’s third hill as a testament to the empire’s golden age. Commissioned by Sultan Suleiman in 1543, it was expressly built as a memorial to his eldest son, Prince (Şehzade) Mehmed, who died that year. In its very conception the building embodies both personal loss and ambitious design. It was […]

What Is Ormanya? More Than Just a Zoo Ormanya is not a typical concrete zoo but a sprawling nature park with a wildlife focus. Covering nearly 400 hectares of woodland and meadow, it is widely cited as Europe’s largest “natural life park” and (at one time) the world’s third-largest. That means: instead of cages, most […]

Located beneath the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, Derinkuyu reveals an extraordinary underground world. Burrowed into the volcanic tuff some 85 meters (280 feet) below the surface, this vast city could shelter up to 20,000 people along with their food stores and livestock. For centuries the chambers and tunnels lay hidden, forming part of the Göreme […]

Eyüp Sultan Mosque stands just outside Istanbul’s old city walls, overlooking the Golden Horn. It is more than a majestic Ottoman structure – it is a focal point of Islamic devotion and Ottoman history. Built by Sultan Mehmed II in 1458 to commemorate the burial place of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Eyüp Sultan) – the standard-bearer […]

Bodrum Castle (the medieval Castle of St. Peter, or Petronium) stands sentinel on a rocky promontory overlooking Bodrum’s harbor and the blue Aegean beyond. The Order of St. John (the Knights Hospitaller) built the castle beginning in the early 15th century, drawing on stones and even decorative reliefs from the ancient Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Today […]

Anıtkabir (Turkish: [a’nɯ.t.kɑ.bir]; literally ‘grave monument’) serves as a lasting emblem of veneration and national identity in Turkey. This monumental mausoleum complex, situated in the Çankaya district of Ankara, functions as the interment site of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the esteemed leader and architect of the Turkish Republic. Anıtkabir, designed by the distinguished architects Emin Onat […]

Called the Pearl of the Bosphorus, Ortaköy is one of Istanbul’s most picturesque neighborhoods. Its waterfront square and narrow lanes brim with life, merging sweeping sea views with intimate local scenes. The district is “vibrant and lively”, packed with cafés, artisan shops and bars. By day Ortaköy feels like a bustling market place, and by […]