Museums of Istanbul
If you take your holidays in Turkey in Istanbul, you won't need to visit the museums to get a sense of history, because you'll see it all around you. The city itself is full of amazing ancient streets and walls, towers and palaces. However, the Istanbul Archaeology Museum is a good value visit for Turkey holidays since it is not one museum but a combination of three: the main Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Ancient Orient, and the Museum of Islamic Art. There is an array of relics to see here: ottoman artefacts, a number statues, columns, and sarcophagi. The most well-known sarcophagus here is the one intended for Alexander the Great. Alexander was history's greatest military commander responsible for amassing a huge empire that included Turkey, stretching from Greece in the West to India in the east and south into Egypt.
Troy
If your holidays to Turkey take you near the western Turkish town of Çanakkale, you will be on the boundary of two continents, similar to Istanbul. Many people on holidays in Turkey come here on tours to visit the ruins nearby at Truva, which is believed to be the site of Troy. According to Homer's Iliad this is the site of the great siege between the Trojans and the Greeks, where the Trojan horse was used to sneak inside the walls. It's also the origin of the phrase "beware of Greeks bearing gifts." If you come here on your Turkey holidays you'll be able to see the Trojan horse that was used in the film Troy, starring Brad Pitt. It now features on the seafront of Çanakkale.
Ephesus
If you had taken your holidays to Turkey more than two and a half thousand years ago, you could have see one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" here, because this is the location of the Temple of Artemis, a symmetrical edifice with a triangular roof and pillars that could have been eighteen metres high. Although this wonder has been lost to time, you can see a miniature reconstruction of the temple in Istanbul's Miniature Park.
Luckily, the rest of Ephesus has survived the years much better, and is a well-preserved example of Greek architecture. This is a great place to visit on Turkey holidays as part of a guided tour, or for a day trip. You can wander along ancient roads, among classic Greek pillars and imagine that you were here when it was complete. Ephesus is also the site of the impressive Basilica of St. John, which was built to mark the tomb of John the Apostle, who wrote several parts of the New Testament.
Miniatürk
If you don't have time on your Turkey holidays to visit all the amazing historical sites that Turkey has to offer, you could visit them all at once in Istanbul. There's a park called Miniaturk which has reproductions of the major buildings you might visit on holidays in Turkey, as well as some from the former Ottoman Empire. A walk around the Miniaturk Park is no substitute for visiting the real buildings, but it is a fun display of what Turkey has to offer.
Shereena Lingiah is the Marketing Manager for Anatolian Sky, a specialist travel company that provide the very best Turkey holidays at extremely competitive prices. They provide tailor-made holidays to Turkey and North Cyprus, including the entire Anatolian region.
