If asked, most of the tourists that visit Side would point out to the temple of Apollo as the best-recognized symbol of the city. Splendidly situated, on the tip of the peninsula where the ancient settlement had developed, this temple attracts crowds, especially at the sunset when it looks its best. However, this is not the only temple that existed in Side, and, as the matter of fact you can still see the remains of not one, but five temples here, not to mention the ruined early Christian basilica.
In the heart of Köprülü Canyon National Park (tr. Köprülü Kanyon Milli Parkı) the ruins of ancient Selge stand among the modern buildings of a small village known as Altınkaya. Not many tourists get there as the majority of them are more interested in rafting on the Köprüçay river than visiting the ancient settlements. However, in the last few years Altınkaya has been attracting more and more attention of the foreigners who are walking along the Saint Paul Trail - a long-distance trekking route from Perge to Yalvaç (the ancient Antioch of Pisidia).
The ruins of the ancient city of Syedra are located near the most popular Turkish holiday resort of Alanya. They are an excellent proof of a fact that a lot of interesting ruins remain to be discovered in Turkey, even so close to the place where millions of tourists spend their holidays every year.
A visit to the Archaeological Museum in Alanya may be a very pleasant surprise. Who would expect such an interesting and well prepared museum in the center of Turkey's chief vacation resort? There are many neglected and dusty museums in Turkey, to mention the venue in Kayseri and Ürgüp in Cappadocia as examples only. However the Archaeological Museum in Alanya is worth the highest praise as its exhibitions actually encourage the holidaymakers to undertake a more in-depth exploration of Alanya area and to learn more about its history. If you have an hour or two during your holidays in Alanya make sure you spent this time visiting this museum and you will certainly not regret a single minute.
Today, on March 18, 2015, is the centenary of the naval battle of the Dardanelles, fought during the First World War. From the outbreak of this war the Allied forces were planning to cross this narrow strait that connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara, an important section of the sea route from the Mediterranean to Istanbul. Their main goal was to capture this city which was, at that time, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The naval operations of the fleet, which consisted mainly of ships from the Royal Navy, were led by Rear Admiral John de Robeck.
