As a knowledgeable historian and a champion of Anatolian culture, Aydin has served as an advisor to numerous archaeologists, journalists and film crews on assignment in Turkey. But his true passion – and one he is drawn back to time and again – is leading small parties of discerning travellers keen to discover the cultural riches of his homeland.

 

From the ancient subterranean chapels of Cappadocia to the flower-filled high pastures of the Pontic Mountains; from the labyrinths of Istanbul’s great bazaars to luxurious gulet cruises along the Aegean and Turquoise Coasts – Aydin has spent a lifetime following some of Europe’s most time-honoured travel traditions.

 

“An Anatolian proverb says that unexpected guests are gifts from God,” says Aydin, whose own guests invariably benefit from rich expositions from elderly men in village cafés, or farmers in local markets. “As a young man, I cycled hundreds of miles along Turkey’s coastlines and eastern mountains, and I always marvelled at how even the families with limited sources would share their only food with people they’d just met. I made it my mission to introduce Anatolians to visitors from other cultures – and to interpret their culture and thoughts for the outside world.”