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Turkey
Turkey is located at a point where the three continents making up the old world, Asia, Africa and Europe are closest to each other, and straddle the point where Europe and Asia meet. Geographically, the country is located in the northern half of the hemisphere at a point that is about halfway between the equator and the north pole, at a longitude of 36 degrees N to 42 degrees N and a latitude of 26 degrees E to 45 degrees E. Turkey is roughly rectangular in shape and is 1,660 kilometres long and 550 kilometres wide. The actual surface area of Turkey inclusive of its lakes and rivers is 814,578 square kilometres, of which 790,200 are in Asia and 24,378 are located in Europe.
The land borders of Turkey are 2,753 kilometres in total, and coastlines (including islands) are another 8,333 kilometres. Turkey has two European and six Asian countries for neighbours along its land borders.
The land border to the northeast with the Commonwealth of Independent States is 610 kilometres long; that with Iran, 454 kilometres long, and that with Iraq 331 kilometres long. In the south is the 877 kilometre-long border with Syria. Turkey's borders on the European continent consist of 212-kilometer frontier with Greece and a 269-kilometer border with Bulgaria.
Because of its geographical location the province of Anatolia has always found favour throughout history, and is the birthplace of many great civilizations. It has also been prominent as a centre of commerce because of its land connections to three continents and the sea surrounding it on three sides.
Some facts about Turkey:
Full country name: Republic of Turkey
Area: 779,452 sq km
Population: 68.1 million
Capital City: Ankara (pop 3.7 million)
People: Turks (85%), Kurds (12%), other Islamic peoples, Armenians, Jews
Language: Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
Religion: Muslim (Sunni)
Government: republican parliamentary democracy
Head of State: President
Head of Government: Prime Minister
Major Industries: Textiles, food processing, tourism, motor vehicles, mining, lumber, petroleum, construction.
Major Trading Partners: Germany, USA, Italy, UK, France, Russia.
Member of EU: No
Akbuk
Akbuk represents an outstanding opportunity for the Real Estate industry due to its nature as well as its history. Akbuk used to be a small fishing port where the fishermen would go to catch delicious Aegean Sea bass. Today, However, Akbuk is rapidly growing into an elite tourist resort with its holiday complexes as well as summer houses, villas, harbour, and hotels.
Akbuk was made a township in 1991 and has continued to develop due to careful planning. Most of the infrastructure is in place and with its beautiful calm beaches; Akbuk is an ideal resort for the connoisseur who enjoys beautiful scenery tranquillity and water sports. Many people have visited Akbuk from the big cites of the world and gone on to make the decision to stay and enjoy their retirement. Akbuk has been explored by tour operators in recent years yet still remains unspoilt offering something a little different in comparison to resorts like Altinkum, Kusadasi and Bodrum.
The economy in Akbuk is now more related to tourism with local fishermen using their boats for trips around Akbuk bay during the summer months. During your visit to Akbuk, the Chapel on the coast line close to town centre is very well preserved and is open to the general public.
Akbuk has currently has holiday complexes, 3 star hotels, a 4 star hotel and also a holiday complex with a 5 star rating, making it the ideal setting for A Touch of Paradise Country Club. Traditional guest houses are also available throughout the summer season along with restaurants by the sea where delicious fish and local food can be enjoyed at very reasonable prices.
Didim
Didim is located on a peninsula surrounding Mugla on the east coast with a huge sweeping bay where Akbuk town is situated on the Aegean Sea. Around 15 years ago, people from large cities around Turkey such as Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir first started to visit Altinkum (golden sands "Altin= golden" "kum=sand") these people started to build their own summer houses and holiday homes. At this time the Turkish economy had started to decline and people found it very hard to survive in the big cities. Most of the people that owned summer houses in this area were mainly retired people that had taken the decision to move into small resorts such as Altinkum.
The central location of today's Didim is different than that in the past. The ancient town of Didyma encapsulating the Apollo temple was the area known as "Yoran" (name derives from Yeuwani meaning castle). In 1956 following an earthquake the government supported locals to build modern earthquake proofed concrete houses to the west of the old centre this area became know as "Yenihisar", meaning "yeni= new" "hisar=castle" (Newcastle). The People of Yenihisar used to go to Söke for their weekly shopping and Akköy used to be the biggest town in the area. However thanks to tourism the area itself has turned into a rapidly growing holiday resort. The infertile tobacco fields deprived ancient Didyma, (meaning twins and derived from the temple of Apollo; Artemisia and Apollo, twin sister and brother), of the means of earning a living. The owners of those fields needed to adapt to the new market and most of them are now businessmen, owners of hotels, restaurants and bars. The name was changed to "Didim" which is now a very large area with numerous towns and villages incorporated.
Today's Didim is a rapidly growing popular holiday location completely different to 10-15 years previously. The area of Didim is now attracting many tourists from all over the world, with its beautiful beaches, resort diversity, ancient towns, culture, and climate. In comparison to the big tourist resorts like Bodrum and Kusadasi the beach resorts incorporated within the Didim area remain relatively unspoilt. Most of the work on the infrastructure in and around Altinkum has been done during the winter, including main roads and pedestrian walkways along with beach promenades.
If you enjoy shopping the local market of Didim is available to you every Saturday and can be visited by the use of local transport that provides a regular service. (However, if you are a resident of A Touch of Paradise Country Club located in Akbuk you can take advantage of the concierge service that will help you to discover the beaches and natural coves by boat, or take a trip to the local attractions, beauty spots organised by our team of professionals located on site at the Country Club. Water sports, diving courses, fishing tours are also available).
Akbuk itself is close to ancient towns and natural wonders, so different cultural, spiritual and historical experiences are never far away through organised tours to Lake Bafa, Akköy village, and Didyma - Miletos - Priene, Söke Market, Kusadasi Market, Bodrum, Ephesus - Virgin Mary's house, Pamukkale, Aphrodisias, Dalyan and many more.
Ancient Didyma
As mentioned earlier Didyma is located in the village of Yenihisar, 4 km inland from the coast called Altinkum (Golden sand) and 15 kms south of Akköy, near Söke. Didyma was actually a sacred site and not a city, centred with a great temple built in the name of the sun god Apollo. However much Apollo may be considered as one of the twelve deities dwelling on Mount Olympus in Greek mythology, he is actually an Anatolian god, the counterpart of the Hittite god, Apulunas. The discovery of ancient records show him racing with King Midas or the satyr shepherd Marsyas who gave his name to the river Cine, is evidence that he is a very ancient god of Anatolian origin. Apollo is the son of Zeus and twin brother to Artemis, the Moon-goddess. According to the legend their mother, Leto, gave birth to the twins in the Ortega woods north of Kusadasi. The word "Didymaion" means, "twins", this is the reason for the location of the Temple of Apollo. The Greeks, believing in fate, also looked upon Apollo as an oracle.
The prophecies received from the oracle in the temple of Apollo at Delphi influenced and changed the lives of people to a great extent. The Ionians built the temple in Didyma as the second oracle centre; they constructed it with such care that it was one of the most magnificent temples of the times. The temple flourished under the guardianship of the city of Miletus. Pausanius, one of the writers of the first century informs us that the cult seen in this region existed long before the Ionians arrived in Anatolia.
The first temple we know of was built in the 8th century B.C. It was surrounded by columns at the beginning of the 6th century B.C. This temple which had all the characteristics of archaic art was finally completed around 550 B.C. Those who built the temple and took its guardianship upon themselves, acting as priests and oracles were called the "Brankhid. This word was derived from the name of a person Apollo loved, "Branchos"; The Brankhids ruled in this region for a very long and peaceful period and founded a theocratic administration.
The biggest classical temples were formed by surrounding an inner space with columns in two rows, and were called "dipteros". The dipteros of the archaic Didymaion measured 38.40 X 85.15 meters. The columns with Ionic capitals and fluting 8 in the short rows and 21 in the long rows. The idol statue in the inner space was made by the famous sculptor, Kanachos. Sacred goods and valuable gifts were kept hidden here. For example, Herodotus writes that the Egyptian King, Necho II, gave the outfit he had on in the battle against the Syrians to the temple as a gift to the oracle. In front of the temple, there was a round sacrifice altar. The walls surrounding the sacred room are the walls we see now. These were 3.5 meters high and were built in 550 B.C.
Kings Road - Sacred Road & Altinkum
A sacred road, paved with stones was built stretching from Didyma to Miletus and could be covered in four days on foot by those who wanted to visit the temple of Apollo or to appeal to the oracle. On both sides of this sacred road, there were marble statues of Brankhids sitting. Twelve of these are very famous examples of archaic art, namely 8 men, two women and two lion statues were taken to the British Museum by C.N. Newton in 1858. Another group almost the same in numbers, found later, today decorate the Louvre in Berlin and Istanbul Archaeological Museums. Four smaller samples are to be found in the Miletus Museum.
The archaic Didyma temple was completely destroyed during the Persian attacks in 494 B.C., Its treasures were plundered, and the valuable Apollo statue, was taken to Ekbatan. The remains of the temple we see today are the remains of the building which was constructed on a larger scale during the reign of Alexander the great and during the Hellenistic period. Seleukos, one of Alexander the greats commanders, returned the statue of Apollo which was taken to Ekbatan to its original abode. The length of the new temple was 60 meters, its height 118 meters; it rises on a platform surrounded in all directions with seven steps. Around the temple were 124 Ionic columns 19.70 meters high, in two rows; 13 large steps lead to the front from where one enters the front hall with 12 octagonal columns whose bases are ornamented, 10 of which belong to the Hellenistic, and two to the Roman periods. Behind the front hall, is the oracle room which is 1.5 meters higher than the front hall. Connecting the two halls was a very magnificent door 5.65 meters in length and 19 meters high.
Because of the different levels of the two halls, the visitors that wanted to go to the oracle room could not enter it directly, they had to go through the first hall and make their petitions from there. Two large columns supported the roof of the windowless oracle room, from three doors at the back, people used to descend to the inner courtyard called "addition". The single piece of marble block behind these doors with a weight of 70 tons is a phenomenal and is the biggest architectural element. There are stairs on both sides of the oracle room leading to the rooms at the top and to the roof.
The connection of this addition with the outer world is by two slanting tunnels on each side of the front hall. The fact that the inner courtyard had no roof was due to Apollo being the sun god. The addition measured 21.70 X 45 meters, there were 11 facings on the side walls and three on the west wall over which there were friezes with griffon motifs. The crowns of the columns surrounding the temple were joined by slabs of marble called architraves ornamented by medusa and bull heads. Some of these ornaments made by the Parodied masters can be viewed in the museum area today. In 395 A.D. prophecies were forbidden by order of Emperor Theodoles and thus the temple of Apollo lost its importance and its construction which had lasted for centuries remained unfinished.
If you would like to visit the temple on foot, evenings or mornings are best. The temple of Apollo is around 30 minutes walking distance from the centre of Altinkum. Altinkum is a busy resort which has been receptive to the demands of the British holiday-maker. This resort is beach fronted and directly behind the beach and Didim is the name of the actual town. Most of the locals working here speak English and the centre of the resort is full of restaurants and bars to satisfy the British palate.
The main beach in Altinkum (often referred to as First Beach) is a large bay of golden sand with incredibly shallow waters and therefore it is very popular. There are a couple of other sandy bays, the one to the left-hand side is broken by a headland but can be accessed by the beachfront promenade. Water sports are plentiful here so there is always something to watch or participate in. Altinkum enjoys a large contingency of holiday makers that return year after year. Dolphin Square no longer exists but the Tea Garden is a great place to sit whilst familiarising yourself with the resort or to watch the world go by. Sunset Homes (the main business of Turkish brothers that are co-developing A Touch of Paradise) are also based in Altinkum. Another place you may wish to visit is the Istanbul restaurant in Altinkum where you will receive excellent service, a friendly family atmosphere and fantastic traditional Turkish cuisine. Supermarket chains such as Migros, Tansas and Gima are located along the main Didyma to Altinkum road.
The Saturday Bazaar is also at the top end of the town plus the old town of Didim and the ruins of Branchidai at Didyma, the site of an ancient temple which has been in excavation since 1873, with wonderfully preserved inscriptions including the head of Medusa. Altinkum has developed into a lively destination with plenty to do night and day, a regular mini bus service will be provided from A Touch of Paradise country club along with excursions to see the sights of Ephesus, Pamukkale, and Bodrum.
Everything will be available for you at A Touch of Paradise Country Club, should you decide to have a lazy day by your pool or a maybe a quiet a drink or a nice meal the country club will cater for your every need. For the more energetic a comprehensive range of sporting activities will be available to you on site. These services and much more make it a great complex if you require everything in one place.
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