In its great cities you see a European-style cityscape punctuated by dozens of graceful minarets, and busy boulevards where taxis throng by the high-walled palaces and somber stone tombs of ancient sultans and pashas. The musty image of Turkey left from a century ago, when the sultan ruled and the Ottoman Empire encompassed all the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean all but gone.

In its place, visitors discover a modern, Western-oriented country familiar in many ways, yet still alluringly Old World and exotic. The delights of contemporary Turkey have been discovered by European and American vacationers.

They come for the beach side tavernas and ancient amphitheaters, the dependable sun, warm sea water, friendly people and excellent cuisine, all at very reasonable prices. It's no wonder that Turkey is among the world's top 20 tourist destinations.