Barbara Fishman
Our thanks to Mevlut Uysal for organizing and executing a perfectly coordinated 5 day trip in Turkey. There wasn’t a single weak link. Every transfer was confirmed, reliable, and on time. One day while in a tour van, we received a call ( to the guide’s cell phone) confirming our next morning ai...

Ahtamara Church: The origin and meaning of the island's name is based on an old Armenian legend. According to the tale, an Armenian princess named Tamar lived on the island and was in love with a commoner. This boy would swim from the mainland to the island each night, guided by a light she lit for him. Her father learned of the boy's visits. One night, as she waited for her lover to arrive, he smashed her light, leaving the boy in the middle of the lake without a guide to indicate which direction to swim. His body washed ashore and, as the legend concludes, it appeared as if the words "Akh, Tamar" (Oh, Tamar) were frozen on his lips. The legend was the inspiration for a famous Armenian poem by Hovhannes Tumanyan.

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