Customer Reviews

Turkey: West Coast of Turkey, Central Turkey [VHS]

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I was really disappointed in this video. Many people have referred me to Rick Steves, and this was the first opportunity I've had to see one of his videos. I have not read any of his books, but after this, do not plan on doing so.

I was mainly interested in the segment on Istanbul, since I'm visiting the city this fall and have been doing a lot of research into Istanbul's culture and history. From Steves' point of view, this is a city with two or three historical sights of interest. His historical information was brief and without sufficient background to truly educate a viewer who knew nothing of this city's rich history. His information on harems, roughly quoted as, "up to 700 women lived in the harems of Topkapi, and the sultans slept there every night," is incorrect based on academic research I've done.

In short, a person viewing this video without any knowledge of Istanbul would not be inspired to visit a city that for hundreds of years was the dominant capital in both the west and the east. If interested in Istanbul, please refer to the book "Eyewitness Travel Guide: Istanbul" for a vibrant collection of the historical resources available to the experienced traveler.

...I viewed his work after living and traveling in Turkey for five wonderful months. Steves showcases some of Turkey's most memorable and interesting sites, at the same time giving helpful travel tips. While he may not have gone into detail about extensive historical aspects of Istanbul, there are many other facts to know and things to do, including the rich history of the rest of Turkey. For those planning a first-time trip to Turkey, or those adventurous enough to get away from Istanbul, Steves is informative and fun.