Turkish Odyssey, A Traveler's Guide to Turkey and Turkish Culture
"So far, this beautiful book has been the most comprehensive and useful (guide book) of all the published works on Turkey. You are introducing Turkey and the history of Anatolia vividly through 550 pages and a rich archive of pictures. I believe the term "guide book" will not suffice because you are presenting the cultural history of Turkey with all its richness. After reading your work thoroughly I derived the conclusion that it should be used as a reference book in every home, secondary and high school libraries. I am deeply impressed by the fluency of style in covering the areas such as geography, history, economy, administration, natural resources, religion, language, traditions, handicrafts. You have a very good command of English. And I must confess that I envy the high quality of the photos. On the other hand, the painstaking page design is a great success in its kind too...." --Professor Ekrem Akurgal's-Archeologist, born in Istanbul, 1911- letter of April 3, 1998 to Serif YenenSerif Yenen has worked as a tourist guide for many years. His Turkish Odyssey is an invaluable work in English about the history, culture, geography, customs and daily life of this ancient land. Thousands of years after that first long journey was recorded by Homer, this book is a fresh look at the setting of that epic story.Yenen has learnt by experience what most interests foreign visitors to Turkey, and presents a comprehensive map of Turkish culture.The book opens with these famous words by the 6th century BC philosopher Heracleitus, "Everything flows and nothing stays", and continues with a quotation from Bozkurt Guvenc entitled "We Turks!... Who are we?", so introducing readers to the enigmatic process of change which runs through the history of Turkey and the Turks. As home to so many civilisations, cultures and religions over the millenia, Anatolia's history is an ever shifting kaleidoscope. --Skylife Magazine, 11/97TURKISH ODYSSEYHere's a unique guide: a tourist's handbook to Turkey written by a Turk and packed with over 300 color photos, illustrations and maps. The focus here is upon Turkey's society and culture, from daily life and rituals to festivals and beliefs. While this will excite any destination-bound tourist, many an armchair readers will benefit from the in- depth information to Turkish culture. Use this to supplement the more usual guides to accommodations and restaurants: this has much more cultural depth than others. --Midwest Book Review, February 1999TURKISH ODYSSEYThe desirability of Turkey as a travel destination for English-speaking travelers has resulted in almost a dozen guidebooks to Turkey in print. All tell the would-be traveler how to get there, where to eat and to stay and what to see, plus additional and usually condensed background information. All of them have two drawbacks: not one of them is written by a Turk; all are by Americans, Australians, Brits, etc. Not one tells the traveler what makes Turkey and the Turks so interesting: Turkish culture.Serif Yenen's "Turkish Odyssey" fills that gap. Yenen is a professional, licensed tourist guide who has drawn on his own knowledge and that of his guide friends for answers to the questions the visitor to Turkey wants to know."Turkish Odyssey" resembles the usual guides in its last 200 pages, in which Yenen discusses the six areas most commonly visited by tourists. Where the usual guidebook describes every place of possible interest, in this one Yenen limits his descriptions to those sites that tour groups normally visit.The independent traveler who wants to see everything will therefore want to carry a normal guide in addition to "Turkish Odyssey." Those who expect to be with a tour need bring on --Paula M. Strain, International Travel News, January 1999 p.131