Welcome to my web site. My name is Tolun
Çerkeş.
If you want to plan a private tour of Turkey you
are at the right place. I am an archaeologist and have
been working as a tour guide in every corner of
Turkey for many years. During my tours I had a
chance to make lots of friends from around the
world. I like to meet different people from different countries. If you want a special tour
of Turkey, I offer my own private tours with my
own minivan. I will do my best to make your trip
a wonderful experience. Start your tour in
Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya or anywhere else
in Turkey. I will arrange transportation,
accommodation in enchanting hotels, meals of local delights and make sure that you see all
the highlights of each of the areas you will
visit. You will not have to worry about
anything. Leave it all to me and just enjoy Turkey.
During your tour I can introduce you to my
friends, the local Turkish people! I will propose you to get acquainted with our daily
life and local traditions of Turkey. If you are
interested, your tours can also include village
and school visits, folk music and dancing,
picnic, teahouse meetings, local artisans,
handicraft and even more. I will accommodate all
ages and levels of physical fitness, but enjoy
taking my guests on exciting walks and if
desired, challenging hikes.
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A View From Bosphorus And The
Intercontinental Bridge |
Asia Minor or Asian Turkey, as it is
known today, is a bridge between Europe
and Asia and was the passageway and
dwelling place of many ancient
civilizations. Come along with me, walk
in the footsteps of the ancients and let
me tell you about:
-
Hattians and Hittites who were some of
the earliest and most mysterious
civilizations of Turkey.
- The
Phrygians and their king, Midas, well
known with his donkey ears and his magic
touch which transformed everything into
gold.
-
The Lydians, their life and traditions,
their capital Sardis, their kings.
Allyattes II who fought against many
nations. His war with Medes ended after
a solar eclipse in 585 BC because they
feared the anger of Gods.
Amazingly, Thales from Miletus,
predicted that eclipse based on his
mathematical calculations.
-
Croesus, the last king of Lydia, who
believed he was the happiest man in the
world because his river, Pactolus,
brought him gold.
- Cyrus the Great
and the Persians, who defeated Croesus
and destroyed the Lydian Empire.
-
The Ionian Confederacy and its efforts
for the freedom after the Persian
invasion. We’ll go back to 494 BC
and learn about the sudden attack
of the Persians which destroyed the
Ionian fleet anchored near the Lade
Island.
-
The Phocaeans
who sent their colonies as far as
Spain and northward to the Black
Sea.
-
The Greeks and the
victory of democracy.
-
The
Macedonians and their king,
Alexander the Great, who always
gained public sympathy by respecting
the traditions of the countries he
conquered.
-
The Amazons,
Cimmerians and the Galatians who
were great warriors but too
independent to create a strong
unity.
-
The regions where the Romans and
their enemies, the Carthaginians
lived, and find out about the end of
their brave commander, Hannibal, who
finally committed suicide in
Bithynia.
-
The ancient
Cilicia region in Southern Asia
Minor where Cleopatra and Mark
Anthony fell in love in the city of
Tarsus.
-
The early
Anatolian Christian
communities. We’ll discuss the
difficulties they encountered while
they were living under Roman rule.
-
The Byzantines
and the fabulous
masterpieces they created throughout
the centuries.
-
The Crusaders,
Seljuk and Ottoman Turks and,
of course, about Ataturk, the
national father of our present
Turkey.
Turkey is
the cradle of ancient civilization,
and I look forward to sharing my
country and our history with you.
It is my hope that when we discuss events of the past times,
looking at advances and
shortcomings, perhaps we can prevent
historical mistakes from recurring.
I would be honored to be your
personal driver guide for one day or
for your entire vacation.
I am an
official tour guide,
license number: 50 - 006351,
associated with
Deren Koray Travel Co., Ltd., and
operate my tours under their license.
Deren Koray Tourism Company is a
member of Association of Turkish
Travel Agencies, Türsab;
American Society Of Travel Agents,
Asta
and Club Friendship
Force International - License No.
A-3885.
