It’s tough traveling to a country for the very first time. The language is different, the food is different, and even the currency is different. So it’s always a good thing to have some idea what to expect before you land! Below are links to everything you should know about Turkey before you travel.

Cities and Regions

• Ankara: Good information on Ankara, the capital of Turkey which is a great city to begin your Turkey holiday.
• Famous Turkish Places: A list of some famous Turkish places to visit.
• Turkish Tourism: Official site of Turkish Culture and Tourism, it provides information on every region or city, with sites of interest and festivals. 
  
• About Turkey Tourism: A list with historic information of some of the most cherished Turkish landmarks.
  

History

• Outline of History: Gives a brief outline of Turkish history that touches on all the major events.
• History of Turkish Jews: Devoted to the celebration of more than 500 years of Turkish-Jewish friendship. Lots of articles, letters, and books.
• Seismicity of Turkey: Earthquake history and geography of Turkey.
• Chronology of a Thousand Years: A historic Turkish timeline displayed through art.
  

Culture

• Turkish Culture: Official site of the Ministry of Culture. Offers lots of information on Turkish culture including folk knowledge, beliefs, theatrical presentations, folk cultures, culinary culture, and others.
• Turkish Culture Portal: Talks about many different aspects of Turkish culture including things like their arts.
• Arts In Turkey: A brief history of Turkish art with links to art galleries in some Turkish cities.  

The Language

• Turkish Pronunciation: Offers a guide to pronouncing Turkish words and letters for people traveling to Turkey.
• Turkish: Turkish language resource page hosted by the Princeton University.
• Language and Culture of Turkic People: Discusses the difference, or lack of difference, between Turkish and Turkic. 
   

Music and Dance

• Turkish Music Portal: Discusses the history and periods of Turkish Music. Provides information on composers, performers, instruments, and others
• Traditional Music In Turkey: Talks about traditional music in Turkey.
• Turkish Dancing: More information on Turkish dancing. 

Sports

• Soccer teams in Turkey: Everything you could want to know about Turkish soccer, the national sport of Turkey.
• Rally of Turkey: Event history of WRC racing in Turkey.
  

Food

• Turkish Cuisine: Almost everything you want to know about Turkish cuisine including history, social food culture, folk cuisine, and recipes.
• Standardization of Recipes: Recipes for Turkish soups, eggs, hoshafs, and beverages.
• Turkish Cuisine and Culture: History of Turkish food.
  

Money and Economy

• Turkey Money: Discusses the Turkish lira, or money, as well as its exchange rates.
• Turkey ad a Glance Economy: Currency, Exchange Rates, Industries, etc.
• Economic History of Turkey: Divides the history into the history of the people and the history of the land.
  

When you are doing research for your trip to Turkey, it would be a good idea to look into purchasing some travel insurance to help protect yourself from unforseen circumstances.