Proposing a cultural route in Turkey on the basis of Travelogues written in German (1850-1912)

Travelogues are important sources of information, since these are the recollections of travelers or observers describe their impressions on a certain geographical region that they visited for various purposes and a certain period. The purpose of this study is to reveal the perception of Turkey in that period by examining the impressions of German travelers, who visited the Ottoman Empire for various purposes between 1850 and 1912, and to bring some suggestions for today's cultural tours. From this viewpoint, the travelogues discussed in this study were read and translated by the researcher, and the places that the travelers visited were designated. Within the scope of this research, the travelogues written in German language by seven different travelers, who were members of different occupational groups, were reviewed. These travelers are Andreas David Mordtmann, Alfred Körte, Joseph Grunzel, Eduard von Bodemeyer, Karl Baedeker, Stefan von Kotze and Richard von und zu Eisenstein. The places most commonly visited by the travelers were designated and a route through Istanbul, Sakarya, Bilecik, Eskisehir, Bursa, and Iznik was created. In this qualitative study, the codes obtained via Maxqda were grouped under four themes. These themes are: (1) Historical, Social, and Cultural Structure, (2) Natural Structure, (3) Economic Structure, and (4) Infrastructure and Superstructure. The results of the research were given under two titles. The general evaluations regarding the travelers and the travelogues were discussed in the first part. The route and the findings regarding these six settlements on this route were discussed under the themes in the second part. Keywords: Tour guide, Travelogue, German travelers, Austrian travelers, Culture route, Turkey