There is no shortage of sites to see when traveling in Turkey so plan your visit well or call Tamam.

One of the best reasons to take the Tamam trip was visiting places that I would not have known about. We visited many small museums that were gems. First stop was the Pera Müzesi. The museum has three permanent collections including Orientalist paintings and Kütayha ceramics. As you climb the floors, the museum features contemporary art reflecting the current culture. There were paintings, fashion, table settings, and videos providing a peak into modern Istanbul culture.

Another day we traveled to Büyükdere to visit two museums.

The Sadberk Hanim Müzesi sits along the Bosphorous. The traditional Yalli housing the musuem was originally the summer home of the Koç family. The family converted their home to a museum in the 1970’s. The was a temporary exhibit in the adjacent building entitled “motifs” showing typical symbols in various art forms such as çintemani and tiger stripes.

Inside the Yalli are five floors of treasures. The tiles and ceramics were incredible.

Any of the three items above would be hot sellers if recreated today.

The circumcision bed was of interest.

A collection of Ottoman-style clothing shows their ornate embroidery and layered jewelry.

Just down the road is the lovely house that holds the kilim collection of the fascinating Josephine Powell.

Rock sites in Cappadocia are on the World Heritage list.

The hikes were enjoyable on their own as we got out in nature as well as physical activity.

But as a bonus, they led us to amazing sites such as The Church of the Columns seen above.

And to The Church of the Cross with its fabulous frescoes.

A different hike took us to these rock formations in Love Valley.

The fairy chimneys, as they are called, were made by wind erosion and volcanic ash.

About half of our group woke up early to see the sunrise in a hot air balloon.

Others of us chose to watch with a comfortable view and a delicious Turkish breakfast.

Konya was a town of many treasures.

Other memorable activities included seeing Rumi’s tomb in Konya.

Our hotel was right next to this mosque so we heard the morning call to prayer loud and clear. In Istanbul, the call is not always noticeable amidst the city noises. In Konya, one can’t miss it. And in Cappadocia, hearing it while overlooking the scenery is incredibly moving. It is one thing I will look forward to on a future trip.

Side note: I loved this kitschy mirrored hanging fixture.

Also in Konya, was the Sahip Ata Müzesi

And the Karatay Medraza Tile Müzesi.

The Ince Minare Müzesi housed stone and marble pieces.

Right behind that museum sits the oldest Ottoman-style house in Konya belonging to Hüseyin’s family.

Tamam hosts good parties.

Here is Hüseyin, one of the Tamam partners, welcoming us to dinner at a friend’s cave house. I will discuss him more in a later post.

There were a few ferry trips down the Bosphorous showing us the beautiful Yallis.

One friend spotted dolphin swimming along the boat.

I haven’t even mentioned the shopping yet. Stay tuned.

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