The Marmara Region - Turkey with Your Family: From Bustling Bazaars to Historic Sites - page 97

Karasu Beach

vineyards, wine festivals and,
above all, its seemingly endless
number of fields full of bright
yellow sunflowers - a potential
background for some lovely fam-
ily photographs. The city of
Te k i r d a g lies on the northern
side of the Sea of Marmara, and
is known for its architecturally
important building, the 16th-
century Rüstem Pa@a Mosque ,
built by the Grand Vizier of
Süleyman the Magnificent.
There are also a couple of
impressive museums worth a
second look: the Archaeology
and Ethnography Museum
( b [phone] ) tells the
story of Tekirda g and the imme-
diate area through its collection
of ceramics, gems and artefacts;
and the Rakoczi Museum
( b [phone] ), is the
former home of Rakoczi Ferench
II, a notable resident of the town
in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Yalova

Yalova, a popular spot for holiday-
ing visitors, lies on the banks of
the Sea of Marmara not far from
Bursa in one direction, Kocaeli in
the other. Its beaches are out-
standing and its coastline is espe-
cially characterful, with old
buildings set among new. A little
museum housed in the former
summer residence of Atatürk
known as the Atatürk Mansion
( b [phone] ) has original
furnishings from the early
20th century. Centuries ago,
the town of Yalova was known as
Helenapolis after the Emperor
Constantine's mother Helena who
was largely responsible for the
design of the then important city;
its basic layout remains to this
day. The town is famed for its
thermal springs, believed to heal
ills, at Thermal, an elevated dis-
trict of the city. Here, the Yalova
Thermal Complex ( b [phone]
7400 ; http://bilisimpark.com/
thermal/enter.swf ) has indoor and

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