A visitor today may hope to take in at least one small piece of this vast history and human beauty today. Every year, visitors from all over the world flock to the capital Istanbul and popular tourist destinations such as Cappadocia and Pamukkale to try and come close to understanding the beauty that history leaves behind. Several Muslims pray at the beautiful and vast Hagia Sophia and Sultanahmet mosque with its beautiful architectures and pulpits echoing the remnants of the strong faith of a people gone. At the end of 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic, Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism commissioned a report and found that 46 million people visited the country in the year 2018 alone.

Long known for the sugar-spun soft candy - the Turkish Delight- Turkey offers so much more delight even in the cuisine brimming with variety. Varying shades of beautiful green herbs and cold cut hams with sweet honeycomb drizzling over your hand will leave you dreaming of a Turkish breakfast everyday while you will have a hard time getting over the warm hug of Sahlep in the colder mountain regions- made with orchid tubers and garnished with cinnamon. Take the boat across the Golden Horn and relish in the monument that is the Galata Tower. Visitors usually stand in awe, looking up at the tower as they hear the story of the 60 heavy war ships that were rolled, completely hidden through the forest across and into the Golden Horn in a surprise attack during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (henceforth Istanbul).

While the language barrier may be a bit difficult to get across, there is no harm in learning a few words and trying to communicate with friendly and smiling locals as you nibble on a soft wand warm Simit (Turkish bagel made with sesame seeds and molasses). It is also always worth taking public transportation such as the ferry across the Bosphorus into Europe or Asia- while white seagulls with yolk-colored beaks soar by the hundreds in the wake of the ferry's movement through the dark blue waters. Be warned, feeding the seagulls is not typically recommended on land, they will always rudely demand more.

Turn your head towards the pale blue and green natural pools of Pamukkale in a scene that will make you think you're dreaming. When the sun hits the water just right, it feels like you're floating on pools of light airy water that reside on top of clouds. The locals in Pamukkale will also proudly show you their pomegranate sauce - sweet, savory and tangy, it is a must try on any sort of meat - a best kept secret.

You may also want to forget a magic carpet ride, sail a hot air balloon across the valleys of quaint and peaceful Cappadocia as you think of all the antique sightings to be done below. If you wish, you can also look up almost every day and enjoy the multicolored dots of massive air balloons as tiny specks across a pale blue sky in Cappadocia as you go on a horse ride. The rising sun that greets you will remind you of the color-changing Turkish Zultanite stones in hues of green, yellow and pale pink in addition to actual carpets woven with intricate stories in addition to its wool strings. Staying in a cave hotel also means you get to carve out time to relax and take in a massage at one of the infamous Hamams.

Whatever your soul craves, Turkey has a strange way of offering it. You find yourself hoping for more and more time to spend there as you just wish time would slow down so you can catch up with the trail of history and the rich culture of its people.