As the intense summer heat fades, a crisp chill begins to fill the air. The harsh sunlight softens, enhancing the vibrancy of the landscape, as the lush green of summer gives way to a stunning tapestry of autumn browns, reds, and golds.

With its mild temperatures and breathtaking display of colors, autumn is one of the best times to explore the country—some places even become more appealing than they are in the height of summer.

Here are a few of Türkiye’s most popular autumn destinations.

Yedigöller National Park

The national parks of Türkiye are particularly attractive in the fall when the trees begin to shed their leaves. Yedigöller National Park is one of the most beautiful national parks in Türkiye, and one of the top destinations to visit in autumn.

Set amid the provincial borders of Bolu in the Western Black Sea, Yedigöller takes its name from the seven lakes in the park, which are connected by hiking trails.

Lake Abant

Lake Abant, a freshwater lake, is a national park in northwest Türkiye’s Bolu. 

A three-hour drive from Istanbul, the lake, formed as a result of a landslide, offers spectacular views every season of the year.

There isn’t too much to do or see in Abant, nonetheless, a visit to this heavenly corner of Türkiye is sure to be memorable.

The Black Sea

The Black Sea region is home to breathtaking natural landscapes, verdant colours and fresh mountain air. The area is truly stunning in autumn, especially in the forested landscapes such as Artvin, Kastamonu and Şavşat.

Autumn in Istanbul

Autumn is the perfect time to visit Istanbul, with pleasant weather that is neither too hot nor too cold. As summer winds down, the city’s central districts come alive again, and the vibrant, bustling atmosphere of Istanbul returns.

A Bosphorus cruise in autumn offers a particularly stunning experience, as the waterfront mansions are draped in the rich colors of the season.

Of course, Türkiye is such a vast country with varying climatic conditions that you might just find yourself waking up to snow in October!

Sources: Daily Sabah/Anadolu Agency/Culture Trip

This article was first published on November 2, 2021 and updated on 29 September 2024.

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Surrounded by the sea on three sides, Türkiye has been blessed with an abundance of fish. Although fish is not considered a main source of food for Turks, the people living near the seas, especially those in the Black Sea region, are very creative in their kitchens when it comes to the sea dweller.

Türkiye’s national fish

Hamsi, or Anatolian anchovies, could be considered Türkiye’s national fish. Abundant in the Black Sea, especially during the winter, it is more than a simple sea creature for the people of the Black Sea region. Locals have become very attached to all things hamsi related and, as a result, the fish has become a significant part of life in the region. Poems and songs have been written about hamsi. Bards from the north even travelled around Anatolia singing songs about the glorious fish. In fact, an entire cuisine has been devoted to hamsi in northern Türkiye, and the locals use it in almost every dish.

This silver, delicious beauty in all of its 12 to 15-centimetre glory is the tiny king of Turkish dinner tables. During the winter months, when the Black Sea is crawling with hamsi, this shiny little fish is quite a bargain.

There is a saying among native Black Sea people, “Foreigners eat hamsi without bones, but the people of the Black Sea eat it whole.” Indeed, most people eat hamsi without removing its bones, pan-fried whole.

Fried hamsi

Frying is the easiest way to prepare hamsi. Wash the hamsi and cover them with either regular flour or cornflour. Place them in a large well-oiled pan and fry for a couple of minutes on each side.

Hamsi with rice

Turks have always respected their past, and this is also the case when it comes to hamsi. This incredible fish was once the king of the Ottoman imperial kitchen, as well. Sultans preferred to eat it with a special kind of “pilav,” a dish made with rice. Although it is not as easy as the fried hamsi, Turks still cherish this tradition in their homes.

The Laz, an ethnic minority in the northeast of Türkiye, live in the verdant Kaçkar Mountains that seem to crash right down into the Black Sea. 

This recipe comes straight out of the Laz heartland

Hamsili pilav

Ingredients:

1 kg of fresh, whole anchovies
1.5 cups of white rice
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup currants
¼ cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup chopped dill
Salt
Black pepper

Preparation:

Sautée the pine nuts in the vegetable oil on medium heat, add the finely chopped onions and keep cooking until the onions turn golden but still soft. Add the rice and continue cooking for a few minutes. Add the currants, dill, black pepper and salt. Mix well and add enough water to cover the mixture. Cook over low heat until the water has cooked off. The mixture is ready when the rice is still a bit “underdone” or “yarım pişmiş” (“half-cooked”),

Debone the anchovies and remove their guts, patting them flat to create mini filets (or, better yet, ask your fish seller to do the deboning for you). Cover the bottom and sides of a well-oiled oven tray or casserole dish with the anchovies. Spread half of the pilaf over the anchovies. Add another layer of anchovies on top of the stuffing and then spread the remaining pilaf on top of the fish, as if layering a cake. Finally, add one more layer of anchovies. Add enough water to cover the top layer of anchovies. Drizzle a little vegetable oil on the surface and bake at 200 degrees Celsius until the water has been completely absorbed by the rice or about 30 minutes.

To serve, use a sharp knife to score the pilaf’s top into square portions and then use a spatula to take the squares out of the tray.

Pickled hamsi

The people of the Black Sea have taken their love for the fish one step further by creating hamsi pickles.

Hamsi pickles (turşu) are quite easy to make and similar to any other pickles. After a thorough cleaning, the hamsi is put into glass jars or plastic cans and vinegar and oil are added. You can also put bay leaves and lemon in the jar. The pickles must be stored away from direct sunlight or in the fridge. Hamsi pickles can be stored unopened for more than a year.

Afiyet Olsun

You can find more hamsi recipes here

Sources: Daily Sabah/ Miraç Geyik//Istanbul Eats

This article was first published on 9 February 2020 and updated on 5 September 2024.

The post Hamsi: Türkiye’s national fish appeared first on Fethiye Times.

Just 28 kilometers from the city center, Maçka is famous for its highlands and unique houses. It also home to a number of ancient churches and monasteries, including the famous Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Virgin Mary, better known as Sümela Monastery.

During the summer, Maçka’s highlands welcome tourists from Türkiye and all over the world.

Most tourists stay in authentic Black Sea houses and enjoy a bite in the restaurants located near the rivers. Nature also encourages many tourists to pick up their bags and go for a stroll.

Sümela Monastery

Sümela Monastery is undoubtedly the region’s biggest tourist attraction. Both the interior and the exterior of the monastery are covered with beautiful frescoes – depicting everything from the Virgin Mary to the Last Judgement. The earliest examples date back to the ninth century, but most are from the 19th century.

There are no exact records on who built it and when, but its history dates back more than a 1,000 years. It is believed that the locals who constructed it did so to escape enemy attacks. Located high up in the cliffs above the surrounding forest, this incredible feat of architecture has changed hands many times over the course of its existence, until it was finally abandoned in 1923 during the population exchange between Greece and Türkiye.

The monastery was closed for restoration in 2015 and reopened on May 18, 2019. So if you are looking for an excuse to hop in your car or a plane to visit the Black Sea region this, Maçka should top your list of destinations.

Trabzon is also a wonderful place to visit during the winter months.

Sources: Daily Sabah/Travellers Archive

This article was first published on 21 June 2018 and updated on 5 December 2023.

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The range stretches for about 30km, from south of Rize almost to Artvin at its northeastern end. Dense forest covers the lower valleys but above 2100m grasslands carpet the mountain passes and plateaus. 

The ranges are studded with lakes and alpine villages, all backed by jagged peaks offering stunning scenery and an insight into a more traditional way of life. 

The Kaçkars are also becoming increasingly popular with trekkers.

Local resident Ashley Hayes recently took a trip to the Kaçkars and shared the experience with Fethiye Times.

A trip to The Kaçkar Mountains, July 2021

The Kaçkar Mountains are in Rize province in the far northeast of Turkey. It’s a region that very much retains its cultural character, largely tourist-free, although more and more Turkish tourists, particularly hikers, are starting to discover this little gem. The scenery is stunning and you quickly realise that life is lived at a slow pace and has not changed for locals living here over the years. 

Getting there

To get there, we travelled about as far as one can travel across Turkey. Starting near Fethiye we drove to Ankara, which took us over seven hours. We stayed in a big but friendly hotel, close to the train station, and left our car there. 

The following day we took the Doğu Express from Ankara to Erzurum. The train ride took 25 hours and we had a comfortable couchette for four people to sleep in. The train is a great way to travel across the plains of Turkey and see the countryside that most people never get to enjoy. There is a limited buffet car on the train however, most people bring their own food.

After an overnight stop in Erzurum, the largest city in the region, we had a three-hour bus journey to Yusufeli. This small town is likely to be submerged in the coming years as a huge dam project is underway. It’s a busy town with locals seemingly scurrying everywhere, perhaps to get their affairs in order before losing their homes to the watery depths! 

The Kaçkars

The dolmuş from Yusufeli left at lunchtime and two hours later we arrived in Bahar, which is the gateway to the Eastern Kaçkar. It’s a pretty village where two small mountain rivers merge. The air is fresh and the countryside is magnificent with hills full of pine and poplar trees and wonderful mountain views. 

We spent a few days in Bahar, went on some lovely day hikes, enjoyed the slow pace of life and friendliness of the locals, then caught another local bus to Yaylalar in the heart of the Kaçkar Mountains. Yaylalar is a village about as far as you can go by road into the mountains. It was a beautiful base for us for five days of hiking, exploring and relaxing. 

Our wooden chalet-style hotel with its comfortable ensuite room gave us excellent views across the surrounding mountainside. Breakfasts are enormous, with local cheeses being a particular favourite of mine. 

The locals are friendly and made us all feel very welcome. Tea is produced locally and the best you are likely to drink in Turkey. There is an abundance of fruit trees including apples, pears, cherries, plums, as well as hazelnuts and walnuts. A short walk from our hotel, along a river valley, revealed wild raspberry bushes. Local women with big wooden baskets were harvesting the fruits and a man was fishing for trout in the river nearby. We walked past a group of picnickers, who offered us their food, before returning to our hotel.

And then it was time to leave

The five days flew by and, almost before we knew it, we returned to Ankara by bus and the Doğu Express. After our trip, we all agreed that we definitely wanted to return. 

In summary, I would definitely recommend the Kaçkar Mountains to anyone who has a little adventure in their soul, who likes to enjoy nature at its most magnificent, who wants to experience the rich culture, hearty cuisine, and scenery to get really excited about! 

Go in the summer months when there is only a little snow on the mountains and roads are accessible. 

If you don’t fancy doing the trip we did, you can fly to Trabzon or Erzurum and take a bus from there.

Happy travels

Click here for more information about the Kaçkar Mountains.

Sources: Discover Turkey/Lonely Planet

If you enjoyed Ashley’s story, here’s another article you might like:

This article was first published on 26 August 2021.

The post A trip to the Kaçkar Mountains appeared first on Fethiye Times.

Driving down the roads of Artvin in the Black Sea can sometimes feel like heading to a fairy tale land above the clouds. 

This dreamlike land mesmerizes its visitors with its mountains, reaching as high as 4,000 meters, forests of tall pine trees, rock formations and steep valleys carved by the Çoruh River, one of the longest-running rivers in Turkey.

Situated on the border of Georgia, Artvin is surrounded by the high mountains of Kaçkar, Karçal, and Yalnızçam providing a magnificent backdrop for the houses of the town lying on the upper slopes of the valley.

This breathtaking place is among the wonders everyone should see at least once.

Artvin experiences the Black Sea region’s signature climate. The city is very wet and mild by the coast, and as a result, is heavily forested. The rain, a very frequent visitor to the region, turns to snow at higher altitudes, and the peaks are very cold in winter.

The people of Artvin

Caucasian and Black Sea cultures are dominant in the region. Artvin is home to the Laz, a seafaring race of obscure Caucasian origins who migrated to the city when the modern northern borders were drawn following the Turkish War of Independence. 

They are remote cousins of the Georgians but with the important difference that they converted to Islam early and have remained staunch Muslims.

The Laz are relatively progressive in outlook and in their dress, which is colourful and fashionable. Often extroverted by nature, they traditionally enjoy dancing and playing the bagpipes.

The folkloric dance, Artvin Barı- generally known as “Atabarı,” the dance dedicated to the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk – is the signature dance of the city. Every year, the Traditional Bull Fighting Festival and Kafkasör (Caucasian Cultural Festival) attract thousands of tourists to the city.

A culinary tradition

Artvin hosts a rich culinary tradition. Hamsi, or Anatolian anchovies, is abundant in the region and could be considered Turkey’s national fish. Locals have become very attached to all things hamsi related and, as a result, the fish has become a significant part of life in the region.

Alternative tourism

However, Artvin’s main tourist attraction is unquestionably its nature and alternative tourism opportunities such as camping, skiing, jeep safari, rafting and canoeing are popular.

There are various trekking routes visitors can explore to discover the area. One of the highest mountains in Turkey, Mount Kaçkar, is probably the most coveted trekking route. Mountaineering groups and mountaineers complete the Trans-Kaçkar route by walking through Yusufeli Yaylalar Village to Rize – Çamlıhemşin Ayder Highlands. If that trail is a bit too difficult, you can take various other routes through the Altıparmak Mountains.

Hunting is also allowed during the region’s open season. However, visiting hunters are advised to hire a local guide to avoid getting lost in the thick forests of Artvin.

Sightseeing

Artvin is home to three castle ruins.

The first is the Şavşat Castle located in the Söğütlü Quarter in the city. Built by the Armenian Bagratunis dynasty in the ninth century, the castle was later used by the Ottomans. Today the castle is abandoned but parts of its towers are still visible.

Also built by the Kingdom of Bagratuni in the 10th century, Artvin Castle is located on a huge rocky outcropping near the Çoruh River.

The third, Ardanuç Castle, is among the most significant ruins in the region. Dating back to the region’s ancient civilizations, the castle had been an attraction for centuries, due to its unique interior design. Even the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent recorded his interest in this castle.

National parks

Artvin province is also home to several national parks, the most famous being Karagöl-Sahara National Park, which came under state protection in 1994. Covering 3,251 hectares, the national park is composed of two areas. The Karagöl side consists of kale and thick trees and is used as a recreational area by locals. In the Sahara part of the national park, locals continue traditional Black Sea highland life.

Hatila Valley National Park consists of a steep-sided river valley at the eastern end of the Kaçkar Mountains. The area is close to the Black Sea but has a micro Mediterranean climate with warm summers, cool winters and plentiful rain throughout the year. The park’s forests and surrounding areas are rich in wildlife and include the grey wolf, leopard, and brown bear.

Want to know more?

Click here for more information about Artvin.

Sources: Explorer Turkey/Discover Turkey

This article was first published o

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