There have been several Cunard cruises that have called at ports in Turkey. The Queen Elizabeth took her 18-day roundtrip Aegean Introduction cruise in November 2010. It was during this voyage that vessel docked in the beautiful resort town of Kusadasi, Turkey. Littered with history, the city was connected with an outpost of Ephesus in Antiquity. In fact, some of the literature revolving around the Cunard cruises referred to this stop as Ephesus. This was a very wise move, considering that this was once the second largest city in the Roman Empire. The ruins there are easily accessible from the Kusadasi port.

During any layover, passengers would also want to be sure to see the Kuşadası Caravanserai. Essentially the remains of a fortified waypoint for medieval caravans, the Caravanserai was built after Sultan Mehmet I brought the city into the Ottoman Empire in 1413

Perhaps, instead, one might like to try their hand at the great city of Istanbul. This is a relatively popular port. For instance, the Queen Victoria’s 12-day Mediterranean Odyssey voyage stopped here in October of 2010. The same vessel has stopped there several times since then. There are numerous things to see and do in the city that was once the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire

Initially, the ancient city of Byzantium was a shining example of Greco-Roman civilization. Under the later Byzantine Empire, Constantinople was the seat of Eastern Christendom. The modern name was formally adopted after the establishment of the Republic of Turkey after the First World War. However, regardless of what you want to call it, this is the perfect city for Cunard cruises to bring eager travelers to. One should never miss the Topkapi Palace, which was the home of the Ottoman Sultans for almost 400 years. Having become a museum in 1924, the massive complex has a giant museum collection. Arms and armor stand alongside Turkish miniature paintings and calligraphy in the dazzling array of artwork.

The Haiga Sophia was at one point an Eastern Orthodox basilica, which became a Roman Catholic cathedral at another point in its existence. In the fifteenth century, it became an Imperial Mosque. Today, the structure is a museum that no visitor would want to miss. The building is considered to be the epitome of sixth century Byzantine architecture. Originally designed by Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, the Haiga Sophia has stood the test of time to become something that can compete with even the silhouette of Cunard’s modern ocean liners