Festivals & Heritage
Results by DATE
Displaying 1 to 20 of 43 results.
The Great Feast - Qurban Bayram or the "Great Festival"
The 'Festival of Sacrifice' is one of the most important days in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates both the end of the Hajj pilgrimage and the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son for God.
Kurban Bayram is a four-day festival marking the culmination of Hajj (the holy pilgrimage), during which a huge number of sheep are sacrificed and the meat distributed to the poor.
The jolly old saint who was to become the rotund and bearded incarnation of Christmas was once a fasting ascetic-turned-bishop in fourth century Demre, Turkey.
The Commemorative Ceremony for Mevlana, the great Sufic saint (1207-1273), is one of the world's greatest spectacles. More than a million people descend on Konya, the ancient Seljuk capital…
Also known as "power gum", mesir is a blend of 41 different spices and its annual festival has been celebrated in Manisa for nearly 500 years! As its name implies, it is intended as a general…
Every 19 May, dignitaries, politicians and military leaders celebrate the historic arrival of Ataturk at Samsun - the event that marked the beginning of Turkey's War of Independence in 1919.
The International Bergama Fair celebrates the site of the Temple of Zeus (one of the wonders of the world) and its culture. It features handicraft exhibitions, folklore shows, sports…
Kafkasor Art and Culture Festival
Don't be misled by the name - Kafkasor Festival is far more than a simple demonstration of folklore and art. Harking back to the time when the population migrated to the plateaux, this event…
Butterfly Valley Breeding Season
Pack your tent and take a boat across the aquamarine waters of the Ölüdeniz lagoon to watch clouds of butterflies flutter across south-western Turkey's protected Butterfly Valley. No wonder…
Every summer, operas and ballets are performed in the 20,000-capacity Aspendos Antique Theatre in Antalya. Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the 2000 year-old amphitheatre resounds to…
"Beautiful Izmir", as it is known in Turkish, is a lively and cosmopolitan coastal city which dates back to 3000 BC, and is flanked by ancient sites. The International Izmir Festival…
Eurasian is Istanbul's annual Asia-to-Europe swimming, rowing and sailing competition. Thousands of Turkish and international athletes aged from 14 to 71 take part under the motto "everyone…
Although claims to the actual discovery of the Trojan site remain shrouded in intrigue (in particular, Schliemann's rather convenient location of such relics as Helen's jewels), there can be…
Every year the toughest Turkish boys take each other on at Elmali Oil Wrestling Festival, now over 600 years old. Elmali is a little mountain town 2000 metres above sea level in the Taurus…
Every year in late summer, the villagers from the Taurus Mountains come together for this traditional market at Gombe, 2000 metres above sea level, inland from the popular tourist resorts of…
Seker Bayram, or the festival of the breaking of the fast, occurs every year with the start of the new moon at the end of Ramadan. Having abstained from pretty much everything during daylight…
Istanbul Houseware & Gift Fair
The Istanbul Houseware & Gift Fair at the Tuyap Fair Center showcases the latest design trends from Eastern and Western markets. On offer is a plethora of gift ideas, from glassware, ceramics…
The island of Kekova is accessible by boat from Kalkan or Kas and offers a fun way to combine an exploration of ancient Lycian ruins with swimming in turquoise waters and a barbecue on the beach.
The ornate, luxurious Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul was built as a summer retreat by the Ottoman Sultan during the 19th century.
Taking the concept of "underground culture" to new levels, the entire population of the region of Cappadocia in Turkey moved into gigantic underground warren-cities long before the birth of…
