EDGE Chicago

Flying into Bodrum, Turkey is a bit like finding Brigadoon: misty blue islands rising out of the silvery gray sea.

While some people consider Bodrum to be "the Hamptons of Turkey," for me, flying into Bodrum was a bit like finding Brigadoon. From the window of the plane, I watched as a series of misty blue islands rose almost chimerically out of the silvery gray sea.

As the economic and cultural heart of Turkey, Istanbul is the world’s tenth most popular destination. A center of arts and fashion, culture and history, with a median age of 23, Istanbul is also a university town with more than 150,000 students.

With a population of more than 13 million, the city of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest, is almost twice as populated as New York, with an area nearly seven times as large as all five New York City boroughs.

Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Turkey, is one of the top three hot air ballooning destinations in the world.

Located in the ancient region of Central Anatolia, Cappadocia is a topographical wonderland with a spectacular, lunar-like landscape marked by 6th-century monasteries and churches, cave dwellings, and stone mansions, all connected by tunnels.

Photographer Jean-Michel Berts focuses his camera to the mysterious and ancient city of Istanbul in the latest edition of Assouline’s "Light of" Series. "The Light of Istanbul" is a magnificent homage to the city that captures its aura of enchantment.

Istanbul with a population about 16 million is the capital of the gay scene in Turkey. Just as Turkey is a mixture of east and west, Istanbul is a summary of the country. Its cosmopolitan life leads to a very colorful gay life.