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ake Istanbul as a model for all of Turkey. The Occident meets the Orient, true enough. But there's so much more — a lot of this and plenty of that. The Romans, for instance, urban planners par excellence, left behind ingenious cities. Ottoman sultans contributed great mosques and palaces (and other spots in which they tucked away their mothers, sisters, wives, concubines). The Byzantines built the ancient world’s mightiest churches and castles. (Aya Sofya beat St. Peter's by a millennium or so.)

Who can argue with using Istanbul as our jump-off point? The Spice Bazaar, Aya Sofya, the Blue Mosque, much more. Topkapi Palace, including the harem sections. Take a private cruise on the Bosphorus. Home is the Four Seasons, luxury in what was once a prison in the middle of the city.

Izmir leads us to Pergamum, yesterday’s Big Apple that rose to power as the Persian Empire crumbled (move over, Alexander the Great). At the Asclepion, perhaps the Western world’s first medical center, the scholar Galen sets up shop as a gladiators’ internist. That’s after our exploration of the acropolis, the library, the Temple of Trajan, and more.

More history at Ephesus, best preserved classical city on the eastern Mediterranean. Founded by the Greeks, overtaken by the Romans.

In the nearby village of Sirince, taste the locally made wine, and see where the "evil eye" superstition got its start.
    Ankara beckons. Visit the mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, father of modern Turkey. He chose this city as the nation’s capital. Get a lesson on the Hittites at the world-famous Museum of Anatolian Civilization.

To Cappadocia, mysterious and surprising. Layers of cities buried among "fairy chimneys" (volcanic rock columns that look to us like elf hats). Hattusas, today an eerie relic, was once the Hittites' hub. Yazilikaya boasts an open-air religious sanctuary with a hundred-plus Hittite deities carved into it. Avanos, a Bronze Age town, continues to turn out pottery from the local red clay. Its cave dwellings? Still occupied. Meet with the mayor of a Goreme Valley farming hamlet (if your groups has at least six travelers), and get a handle on the local politics and the local gossip.
     Our Cappadocia hotels, by the way, were honed from ancient, inhibited caves. Truly something else

Off to the underground (literally) town of Kaymakli. A maze of caves, tunnels, and subterranean rooms, these, too, still inhabited.Meet with a carpet expert for a lesson on the local patterns and designs.
     Ever see a dervish, mid-whirl? You will. Speak with him after his hypnotic dance. Ask your questions, please.

To Antalya, the country’s HO on the Mediterranean. Learn the basics of Anatolian civilization and get an eyeful at Agzikarahan Caravanserai.

Fly back to Istanbul or on R. Crusoe’s five-day extension to Anatolian Turkey.

Anatolian Turkey. 5 Days.

We strongly recommend you take this last bit of time to round out your understanding of Turkey. Poke around the ancient Roman city of Perge, where we follow St. Paul's footsteps. Nearby Aspendos traces its roots back to the Hittites, though today's ruins are all Roman. Kaleici, the old quarter of Antalya, boasts Ottoman mansions and Roman remnants.

Taste doner kebap before you return to Istanbul, a city you're beginning to understand now. Relax, browse, shop for a new hookah.

Turkey: Europe & Asia All at Once. 11 Days.

Anatolian Turkey 5 Days.