As travel guide, reference, or leisurely read, Turkish Odyssey is the most comprehensive cultural guide to travel in Turkey. It's also the first travel guide to Turkey written by a Turk, so it gives insights into the culture that only a local can provide. It covers subjects like people, language, education, mythology and religion, as well as geography, history, architecture, archeology, and the country's key regions and cities. Meticulously researched and fully illustrated with maps, charts and color photographs, Turkish Odyssey is essential reading for the traveler to Turkey or the general reader interested in the country.
Serif Yenen
Serif Yenen was born in Odemis-Izmir in 1963. He graduated from Kuleli Military High School in Istanbul, earned a degree in English Philology at the University of Istanbul in 1985, became an Army Officer, and taught English as a second language for a while.
He quit the Army when he was a lieutenant and began as a tour guide in 1989, and has been working as a national tour guide with great enthusiasm ever since. He has held elected positions as chairman of the Istanbul Tourist Guides Guild (IRO), the Federation of Turkish Tourist Guides (TUREB) since 2002, the Tourist Guides Foundation (TUREV) between 2002 and 2009, and was an executive board member of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA) for two terms between 2003 and 2007.
While actively working as a tour guide, he also writes guide books, articles for travel magazines, and weekly columns on tourism for newspapers and websites. He gives comprehensive lectures about 'Turkey' and 'Civilizations of Anatolia' at schools, universities, museums, cruise ships, tour companies, etc. Among the places where he has lectured successfully several times are the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., Boston University and Penn Museum in Philadelphia.
He is an active licensed professional tour guide and prides himself on his ability to add personal touches to every tour he conducts. It is extremely important to him that his guests return home with experiences to remember.
Mr. Yenen has many years experience in guiding tours all over Turkey as well as in Istanbul. As a Turkey Travel Specialist with contacts and years of experience, he is able to help travelers with their plans and itineraries. (www.tourguideturkey.com)
Mr. Yenen is married and has two sons: Ege (born in 2004, www.egeyenen.com) and Atlas (born in 2009, www.atlasyenen.com)
Books and other works by Serif Yenen
"Turkish Odyssey" was published in 1997. It is available in English, German, Italian and Turkish. The multimedia production of the same work as a CD-ROM was published in 2001. Quick Guide Istanbul is a practical guide to Istanbul. Quick Guide Istanbul and Turkey Brochures are his new ongoing project. These pamphlets have a lot of illustrations, maps and plans.
