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Private
Trips
Looking for a unique way to bring your group together? Look no furher. Friends,
family, co-workers and others who wish to create their own departures regularly
may request us to tailor their private trip according to their desires. Private
organizations and corporations find our diving, walking, archaeological excursions
very satisfying and a unique once-in-a-life-time experience. Others discover
that a trip customized to fit their group is a wonderful way to be together.
We can adjust departure dates and distances plus add special activities, such
as wine tasting, local culinary instruction, horseback riding, hot air ballooning,
hunting,diving or archaeological and natural history experiences. Contact
us to request details of vacations.
TURKEY:
TREASURES OF ASIA MlNOR
Expedition of the GRAND ANATOLIA.History and culture meet in Anatolia where
art is life style and culture is a product of numerous civilizations. Discover
history of more than 17 civilizations. The treasures of Turkey, so ample and
various, are sought by art historians, archaeologists, cooks and travelers alike.
Whether you consider Turkey's great monuments of art, cave dwellings, compelling
myths, colorful bazaars, spice-laden cuisine or brilliant landscape its special
treasure, the choice exists. We take in riches galore, walking in a land conveying
timelessness, sailing on an elegant gulet (traditional boat) and eating delicacies
worthy of a sultan's table. While some afternoons call for lingering over a
tiny cup of Turkish coffee, others call for hearty walks into a past age.
A
NTALYA
The city of Antalya stretches along the bay bearing its name, and is built at
39 meters altitude on a rocky coastline. One is immediately struck by the Taurus
mountains rising to 3086 meters above this coastline, intersperesed withvalleys
of varying sizes. Land and sea everywhere meet the beaches stretching for miles
or the steep cliffs. The Taurus mountains against the blue backdrop of the sky,
the precipices and especially the caves close to the sea add another dimension
to the beauty of the region. Small and large streams emerging from the west
side of the Taurus water the plains on their journey to the Mediterranean. This
translucent running water, cascading into the sea at points along the coast,
is another attractive sight. The plant life of Antalya is extremely varied.
Every kind of tropical plant can be found along the coast. When you reach the
foothills of the Taurus, you will see they are covered in the typical Mediterranean
maquis, while the forests are full of thriving oaks and pine trees. The coton
and sesame plantations and citrus and banana groves of the plains have a beauty
of their own. In Antalya the four seasons only appear on the calendar, as there
is no real winter here, so much so that when in 1985 for the first time in 60
years snow fell, it was front page news. The summers are hot and rainless while
the other months are warm and often rainy, with a mean annual temperature of
18.7 °C. On average there is no rain for 309.5 days a year. It is very rare
for the temperature to drop below zero. During the last 40 years the highest
recorded temperature was 44.6 °C. In Antalya the average humidty rate is 64%,
whereas the seat temperatures are 17.6 °C in January, 18.0 °C in April, 27.7
°C in August and 24.5 °C in September

History
of Antalya
Antalya
has been continiouslyinhabited since its founding in 159BC by Attalos ll ,a
king of Pergamum ,who named the city Attaleia after himself. When the Pergamene
kingdom was willed to Rome,Attaleia after himself. When the Pergamene kingdom
was willed to Rome, Attaleia became a Roman city .Emperor Hadrian visited here
in 130 AD and a beatifully decorated triumphal arch(Hadrianus Kapisi)was built
into the city walss in his honour. The Byzantines succeeded the Romans .In 1207
the Selcuk Turks based in Konya took the city from the Byzantines and gave Antalya
a new version of its name. To them are owed most of medieval monumants visible
today. After the Mongols broke Selcuk power,Antalya was held for a while by
the Turkish Hamidogullari emirs. It was later taken by the Ottomans in 1391.
Ottoman Antalya figured little in world events until 1918,when the Italians
made it the focus of their short-lived Turkish colony.