No Frills Anzac Tours

20/07/2019

Come, Visit and Discover the ancient city of Ephesus, Turkey.

No Frills Ephesus Tours - Certificate of Excellence on TripAdvisor & Top Choice on Lonely Planet 2019 - History Only - No Shopping visits.

Ephesus Shore Excursions / Tours from Kusadasi Port.

www.ephesus.co

Ephesus Shore Excursion from Kusadasi Port.
Fabulous Find
It was great to feel completely confident that touring Ephesus was all that was on the agenda for us...there would be no high pressure shopping stops at jewellery or carpet or ceramic shops. We had an extremely knowledgeable guide who's English was great and who walked us through this beautiful ancient town knowing when to go slow and give some personal time for photos or exploring.
A REALLY great tour which I would HIGHLY recommend.
Amanda P.
Ephesus, Turkey
www.ephesus.co - History Only - No Shopping Stops

08/09/2016

“Great Ephesus tour!”
We took a full day guided private tour of Ephesus - they also do group tours. Mehmet, the owner, is amazingly helpful, friendly and full of knowledge. If you are truly interested in history and architecture (and want to skip the carpet/ leather shop tourist traps!), this is the tour for you. They call it no frills, but it has just the right amount of frills/ comfort. It is really more "no nonsense" than no frills :)
You travel in a comfortable vehicle with A/C between the sights, and also get a guidebook and really yummy box of Turkish Delight at the end of the tour. This was the best TD we tasted - better than anything we could find in the city of Izmir, and way better than the stuff we bought at Duty Free. If you have a choice, go to the Ephesus city first and then to the museum. A guide is absolutely necessary at the city site and though helpful at the museum, not essential.

Visited July 2016

www.nofrillsephesustours.com -www.ephesus.co

No Frills Ephesus Tours, Selcuk, Ephesus, Turkey - Rated Excellent on TripAdvisor & Top Choice on Lonely Planet 2016 - Ephesus Tour Options from Kusadasi or Izmir ports - Ephesus Tour Options - Private Ephesus Tour Options - Tour Ephesus hassle free.

11/08/2015

Australia donates Gallipoli artifacts to Çanakkale

Australia has presented three artifacts from the 1915 Battle of Gallipoli to a Turkish military museum as a “gesture of friendship.”

The Australian War Memorial donated a unit banner, a folding periscope and a hand gr***de to the Çanakkale Naval Museum in northwestern Turkey.

Addressing a ceremony at the museum, Australian Governor-General Peter Cosgrove said the handing over of the artifacts was “an appropriately significant gesture of the friendship and goodwill we share and a sign of the importance of the 100th anniversary of the campaign to our two countries.”

Cosgrove thanked the Turkish Navy and the Çanakkale Naval Museum for being consistent and supportive partners of Australia. “The Çanakkale Naval Museum, like the Australian War Memorial, plays an important part in preserving the military history of the nation and ensuring that future generations are informed and educated about the sacrifices of those before them,” he said.

About the three artifacts, Cosgrove said, “The standard of the 2nd Division Train Australian Army Service Corps AIF shows the battle honors of Egypt, Gallipoli, France and Belgium.”

He added the periscope, which was used by Lieutenant Colonel J.C. Robertson, who was possibly one of the first men ashore on Gallipoli, was a rare example of a folding periscope used to observe the battlefield from a trench.

Cosgrove also said that the hand gr***de used by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps forces was commonly referred to as a “cricket ball.”

“[The name] perhaps helps explain why a number of them were able, on occasion, to successfully catch the gr***des and return them before they exploded,” he said. “I am very pleased to be returning this one to its original owners in a much more peaceful manner and in much happier circumstances,” he added.

Cosgrove and an accompanying delegation also visited the museum after the ceremony.

This year marks 100 years since the conflict in the Dardanelles Strait, which became a turning point for Turks fighting against the invading Allies during WWI.

ÇANAKKALE – Anadolu Agency-http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/australia-donates-gallipoli-artifacts-to-canakkale----.aspx?pageID=238&nID=86737&NewsCatID=385

22/07/2015

Korean War: Reinvigorated mateship for Aussies and Turks

To many Turks and Aussies, the Battle of Gallipoli is a significant part of their history. As every ANZAC ceremony held in Gallipoli suggests, it had been a cornerstone of their nation-building process and shaping of national identity. Likewise, the Korean War also has a special place in their mind, particularly more so for the Turks given that Koreans had been historically perceived as “Kan Kardeş,” meaning “blood brothers.”

However, surprisingly, it is not so well-known in the public mind that both countries served “together” in the Korean War as comrades-in-arms, not as enemies as in Gallipoli. Like Australia, Turkey was also one of the first countries to join the U.N.-led coalition to fight against communism in Korea.

The Aussies and Turks are both very proud of their achievements in both battles, but no one seems to connect these two experiences together in one picture.

In fact, the first people-to-people level mateship between the Aussies and Turks after the Battle of Gallipoli “started in the Korean War during the 1950-1953 period, fighting the fierce battle together,” Kenan Çelik, Turkey’s leading expert on the Gallipoli campaign, told me.

The photograph above was taken on July 14, 1954, in Korea during the Korean War and is archived in the Australian War Memorial.

The commander of the Turkish Regiment (left), Col. Kemal Madanoğlu, and Lieutenant Col. S.H. Buckler (right), commander of the 3rd Battalion, are enjoying Col. Mandanoğlu’s farewell party at the Turkish Brigade.

In the beginning, their friendship did not exactly start out rosily. When they first encountered each other in no-man’s-land, they accidently fired at each other, mistaking one another for Chinese or North Koreans troops. There was the language barrier, and the Turkish force was on a rushed mission.

Nevertheless, the language barrier did not stop them from forming “a close friendship right from the outset of the war in Korea,” according to the Australian War Memorial records.

While in Korea, they actually enjoyed commemorating ANZAC Day together.

In an interview with Michael Kelley, a historian specializing in the Korean War at the Australian War Memorial, he emphasized that during the 1950-1953 period, they held joint celebrations every year except 1951, when Australians were away in another location fighting in the battle of Kapyong. Although they did not get to be in the same place on ANZAC Day that year, they still had “a quality bonding time preparing for the special day together.”

This growing mateship continued in 1952 and 1953, “celebrating the past and strengthening the future together as allies,” said Kelley.

Each ANZAC Day was remarked by joint march-pasts, a series of drinking together, and friendly exchanges of canned Aussie beef and Turkish ci******es. The two former enemies held “a high level of respect for each other and the common sharing of the past as allies.”

“The bonds of soldiering together” reinvigorated the Gallipoli mateship throughout the Korean War.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk famously said, “Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives … you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours,” referring to the fallen men of Australia and Turkey who fought in the Battle of Gallipoli.

Almost 20 years later, the Johnnies and the Mehmets became real “mates.”

The legacy of the Australian-Turkish bond remained strong even in the aftermath of the Korean War. It had a positive impact on the Turkish veterans’ community, leading “many Turkish men who served in the Korean War to bring their families to Australia to settle,” said Kelley. This was not the only reason for the Turks to decide to immigrate to Australia, but the Korean War experience certainly played a significant part.

Another interesting fact is that the first non-European country that Australia signed a migration agreement with was Turkey in 1967, when the infamous “White Australia” policy had still been in place. As the name speaks itself, the policy was aimed at attracting immigrants from European countries to keep the population “white,” although the policy was later abolished in 1973.

Although there had been limits for “Asiatic Turks” immigrating to Australia, given the historical context, it is quite remarkable that Turks were the first non-Europeans permitted to enter Australia officially during the strict “White Australia” policy.

After the 1960s, there was “a huge influx of Turkish immigration to Australia,” where the number of Turkey-born immigrants “spiked from 970 to 5,383 in the early 1970s in Victoria,” said Kelley.

During the Korean War, the Australian War Memorial notes “perhaps the most monumental comradeship to develop is between the Turks and the Australians and New Zealanders whose fathers fought at Gallipoli.”

*Julia Nho is involved in the refugee settlement and integration field in Australia. She previously lived and practised journalism in Istanbul.

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JULIA NHO*-http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/korean-war-reinvigorated-mateship-for-aussies-and-turks.aspx?pageID=238&nID=85711&NewsCatID=385

18/03/2015

Commemorating Gallipoli: Healing wounds and uniting people
This year marks the centennial of the Gallipoli Campaign, which Turkey expects thousands to gather for in remembrance of this devastating battle. The commemorations demonstrate how the wounds of war can heal into friendships, as people from each side mourn together for a common purpose
The guides of Gallipoli do not walk ordinary tourists around - they help the descendants of those who died in the brutal violence of 1915 understand how the conflict shaped identity, achievement and existence for both sides. These experienced guides are also first-hand witnesses to the reconciliation that has grown up between Turks, Australians and New Zealanders. The three countries have grown into respectful friends, even if bullets flew between them 100 years ago.
Gallipoli (Gelibolu in Turkish) is six hours south of Istanbul and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year who come in April to commemorate 1915's bloody conflict, known by Turks as the Battle of Çanakkale. It is a campaign regarded as a heroic war of defense by Turks, but a catastrophe for Australians and New Zealanders - grouped in the famous "Anzac" units - who were fighting on behalf of Britain.
"I have to say that Gallipoli is not an ordinary touristic destination," says Yurtsev Yarıcı, a 30-year-old Turkish tour guide.
Yarıcı, who has been working as a professional guide for 20 years, studied tourism in high school and university. Having even performed his national military service as a tour guide, Yarıcı is perfectly suited to the needs of tourists - he is talkative and well-informed about Gallipoli. Guiding nearly 20,000 domestic and foreign visitors every year, Yarıcı says that each tour has a special place in his career. "But my first day on the peninsula was really interesting; I witnessed the unifying power of the war," he says.
According to Yarıcı, he guided a group of elderly women who were Quran course students from a small Anatolian town. Then, in the same afternoon, he showed high-income Australian travelers around. "It was really an impressive moment for me to realize that those two quite different groups looked on the battlefield with the same eyes. They sensed the war with same feelings. Gallipoli is a uniting phenomenon. I will never forget my first day," Yarıcı says.
Gallipoli excursions generally focus on the Arıburnu and Canterbury cemeteries as well as Chunuk Bair, Lone Pine, Anzac Cove and Shrapnel Valley, which were strategically important scenes in the campaign. The conflict is accepted as one of the greatest Ottoman victories during World War I and a major Allied failure - but there were many casualties on both sides after eight months of fighting.
Around 13,000 New Zealanders and 50,000 Australians fought during the war and at least 2,700 New Zealanders and 8,700 Australians were killed. Ottoman forces lost almost 60,000 soldiers. Around 1,700 Indian soldiers, fighting for the British crown, also lost their lives. Yarıcı says the conflict became a source of national identity for both the Anzac countries and Turkey. "We do not need to tell the victory of Turks to the Anzac tourists; they are conscious of our victory and always show their respect," he says. According to Yarıcı, the Gallipoli campaign is not only the Turks' war of independence, but also that of the Anzacs: "April 24 is really an important day for Australians and New Zealanders, as March 18 [Turkey's annual Martyr's Day] is for us. The Allies commenced their attack on the Dardanelles (Çanakkale) but failed - so, it is important for us. That day was the first step of the Anzac people in discarding British nationalism which had been imposed on them throughout history, and in gaining their own national consciousness," he says.
Before Gallipoli, Turks, New Zealanders and Australians had never been in contact; the battle was the first time they faced one another.
According to İlhami Gezici, having run daily tours to the Anzac sites for over 18 years, Australians and New Zealanders really care about Turks and ask their guides what Turkish people think about Gallipoli.
Gezici, in his own words, "was born to work as a guide on the battlefields of Turkey." As a professional guide, Gezici was inspired by his high-school history teacher, who took students around the Gallipoli Peninsula and told stories about the land.
"They [visitors] mostly wonder about the deep esteem and solidarity between the Turkish and Anzac soldiers, even during the war," Gezici says. Both Yarıcı and Gezici agree that the Gallipoli campaign can stir diverse emotions.
Stating that Gallipoli is not only famous for being the setting of a glorious victory and the suffering of soldiers, Yarıcı says it is also famous for many legends and mysteries that occurred during the battles.
According to one story, a huge cloud swallowed nearly 2,700 soldiers and dozens of tanks of the British Royal Norfolk Regiment. Having enveloped them in the cloud, the soldiers then disappeared, astonishing Turkish, Australian and New Zealand fighters.
Yarıcı says there are many legends about the war.
In one of the tours, a visitor asked him about a river. He says she asked him about a rumor that there was a river on the peninsula. "She told me the story of a soldier who felt thirsty and looked for water during the battle. He heard that there was a flowing river. He knelt down to drink but he realized soon that it was not water but blood flowing like a river. She asked me to show her where that spot was," Yarıcı says.
According to Yarıcı, foreigners often ask for the Turkish-language place names on the peninsula and their meaning. "For example, they wonder why Turks call the Lone Pine 'Kanlı Sırt' which means 'Bloody Ridge' in Turkish."
However, the guides are in total agreement about this year's centennial commemorations. Although Gezici hopes the number of visitors will double, Yarıcı is disappointed by the high-level officials who have undertaken to organize the events marking the anniversary.
Gezici says this year's reservations are much better than last year, but Yarici thinks that the restrictions in the number of visitors who would be able to attend the ceremony have blighted anticipated turnout. "I have been waiting for the centennial anniversary for 20 years. But the officials firstly restricted the number of visitors for Anzac Day, then they announced that the March 18 anniversary will be closed to visitors as well," he says.
To be able to attend 2015's centenary ceremony, there is a ballot in New Zealand and Australia; around 40,000 people have applied for 10,000 tickets. "All those developments have affected our plans, but we still expect a rise in the number of the visitors compared to previous years," Yarıcı adds.
Turkey will commemorate the March 18 Çanakkale (Gallipoli) victory and Martyrs' Day, which is also the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign that cost 500,000 lives from the Allied and Ottoman sides. According to the statement from the Çanakkale governorate, the events will begin at 9:30 a.m. with an opening ceremony that will be held at Çanakkale Stadium.
The Yunus Emre Institute also prepared a special program with the support of the institute's branches. A number of events are organized to promote Turkish language and art with the institute's initiatives at its branches.
March 18, 1915, was the final day of naval operations during the Gallipoli Campaign in the Dardanelles, which was launched by the Allied powers on February 19, 1915, and concluded with an Ottoman victory. Almost a month later, the Allied powers began a powerful assault on the Dardanelles, but encountered a successful Ottoman counteroffensive. This caused them to withdraw and abandon the naval Campaign, even though they continued to fight the Gallipoli campaign afterward. On that day, the Ottomans sank three battleships and damaged another with mines, and inflicted 700 casualties to the British-French fleet.
Turkey is also preparing a commemoration ceremony for the centennial of the Gallipoli Campaign, which will be held on April 24, and presidents of many countries have already been invited to the event. This is also coincides with ANZAC Day on April 25, which is national day of remembrance to honor the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Turkey is expecting 10,000 visitors from Australia and New Zealand for the commemoration.
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http://www.dailysabah.com/…/commemorating-gallipoli-healing…

14/03/2015

Istanbul exhibition marks Gallipoli Campaign centenary
ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency
A new exhibition in Istanbul, ‘From the Depths to the Trenches: Gallipoli 1915,’ focuses on the memories of the Gallipoli Campaign on its 100th anniversary
A major new exhibition on the Gallipoli Campaign opened in Istanbul on March 9, marking the centennial commemorations of the iconic conflict.

Organized by the İş Bankası Museum, the exhibition hosts military objects and uniforms, pictures showing life during the war, and documents compiled from the domestic and foreign archives on the tragic battle.

The exhibition, entitled “From the Depths to the Trenches: Gallipoli 1915,” focuses on the unknown history of the war.

Speaking in a press conference at the opening of the show, exhibition advisor Professor Haluk Oral said their aim was to give details of the human side of the conflict, rather than just tell the history of what happened.

“Everybody knows the history, but we actually wanted to reveal the details of the war that the majority of people do not exactly know,” Oral said, describing each object included as a “door opening onto history.”

“The exhibition will achieve its purpose if it can make visitors feel and sense those days. Although there are many written books about the campaign, there are still many stories to tell and secrets to disclose,” he added.

The 1915 battle took place in the Dardanelles strait in the northwestern province of Çanakkale’s Gallipoli district. The victory against the Allied forces, who were trying to force their way to occupy the Ottoman capital Istanbul, gave the Ottoman Empire a massive moral boost during the war, and also surprised many who had not expected the Ottomans to fight so tenaciously.

“We lost my grandfather in 1974 but I followed his traces in the seas, witnessing the discovery of many submarines and war ships, along with famous underwater researchers from Turkey and across the world. My grandfather named me ‘Savaş’ [war in English] in order to keep the memories of the war alive,” he added.

Describing all war relics as “time capsules” sent from the past to the present, Karakaş said the aim of the exhibition was to explain “the sufferings of those people who sacrificed themselves for us.”

The exhibition at the İş Bankası Museum, located in the Eminönü neighborhood of Istanbul, is open every day except Monday through Aug. 15.

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

03/02/2015

Gallipoli: The last gentlemen’s war

Journalist and author Bülent Günal recently wrote a book titled "Çanakkale 1915: Vatikan Gizli Arşiv Belgeleri Işığında Frank Coffee Vakası" (Gallipoli 1915: The Case of Frank Coffee in Light of Secret Vatican Archives) with a focus on the humanitarian side of the Battle of Gallipoli. Published by Kültür A.Ş. to mark the centenary of World War I, the book was inspired by the true story of a young ANZAC lieutenant and was written after secret Vatican documents were released thanks to the efforts of Rinaldo Marmara, the press secretary of Turkey's Catholic Bishops Conference and Cultural Attaché, who worked to uncover for them for three years.

The book opens with historical documents that feature the correspondences between the Vatican, which was closely following the war, and its Istanbul representative, Monsieur Dolci. It then picks up momentum by featuring the family's letters to Pope Benedict XV that pleaded with him to find where lost soldiers were buried.

Amid the chaos of war, Ottoman War Minister Enver Pasha paid particular attention to graves and ordered the generals to respect them, and even directly told soldiers to take care of them. Upon the request of English, French and Austrian families, the graves of dead soldiers were searched for.

The report of Monsieur Dolci to Roman Catholic Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, dated April 4, 1916, gives detailed information about the cardinal's meeting with Enver Pasha. Dolci first wrote about his talk with Enver Pasha and then the pasha's response. Some of the translated accounts include:

"The military priests have confirmed that War Minister Enver Pasha gave the order with this intention. I am well-aware of his noble and heroic feelings; even though he has many responsibilities, he was ordering his generals to protect these sacred graves from the early days of the war."

"The minister drew my attention to his strict orders to take the necessary precautions, and immediately bounded the cemetery areas with iron wires as well as restricted anyone from harming the graves, as much as the war conditions allowed."

"He said if any of them were damaged, it was probably because of the howitzers of enemy ships hitting the graves, adding he even saw such an incident in a war zone. Honestly, I was also informed about this case. Shells damaged some of the graves inside the cemeteries, but when the firing ended, [Turkish] soldiers immediately intervened and returned them to their normal condition upon the order of Enver Pasha."

Count von Lüttichau of the German General Staff, who was a Protestant military chaplain, wrote in 1996 about the conditions of the graves of English and French soldiers who died in Gallipoli. The original name of his work, "Bericht über den Befund der Gräber der französischen und englischen Gefallenen auf Gallipoli, Konstantinopel, Kaiserlicher Botschaftsprediger und Marinefeldgeistlicher" (Report on the findings of the graves of the French and English who died at Gallipoli, Constantinople by the imperial embassy's priest and navy chaplain). Von Lüttichau also described how Turkish soldiers took care of the graves.

The story of the ANZAC lieutenant, Frank Matthew Coffee, stands out among all the letters featured in the book, and it has a special section about the case of Coffee who died after shrapnel struck his heart on Nov. 19, 1915. His unfortunate story began with the letter by his father who heard the tragic news in Sydney, far away from the war. His father wrote a letter to the Vatican to find his son's grave and send his body to his homeland in order to hold a funeral. Coffee's efforts took almost four years; Yungels, the head of the Ottoman Army Medical Department and the chief of staff of the mobile military hospital, sent a letter to Dolci on June 28, 1918 and suggested that Coffee's grave might have been damaged due to the bombardment. In his letter to Gasparri, dated June 17, 1920, Dolci said that he had received the record and photographs of Coffee's grave. Another piece, dated Oct. 5, 1920, reported that his body was not transferred and was left next to other soldiers in Gallipoli.

The case of Coffee presents another question: Was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk aware of this incident? Did he know about the abovementioned letters or the search for the young lieutenant's grave? These questions are also addressed in the book, and Atatürk's statement that was delivered during the commemorations of the Battle of Gallipoli on March 18, 1934 is discussed as well.

"Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives … you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side-by-side here in this country of ours … You, the mothers who sent your sons to far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well."

http://www.dailysabah.com/features/2014/12/16/gallipoli-the-last-gentlemens-war

14/09/2014

Water workers unveil century-old bomb from the Battle of Gallipoli

Turkish workers have discovered an unused bomb believed to be from the Battle of Gallipoli.

Workers at the state waterworks authority in the village of Kilitbahir in the northwestern province of Çanakkale uncovered the century-old bomb while digging a water supply canal.

During the dig, workers found a 150-kilogram, 73-centimeter long bomb, which is believed to have been underground for 99 years.

After being informed, the gendarmerie arrived and closed the area for safety reasons.

The bomb is believed to have been launched from a battleship during the Battle of Gallipoli, remaining hidden underground without detonating for nearly a century.

After being notified of the discovery, the authorities worked to defuse the bomb.

The bomb is believed to have been launched from a battleship during the Battle of Gallipoli, remaining hidden underground without detonating for nearly a century.

ÇANAKKALE – Doğan News Agency

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/water-workers-unveil-century-old-bomb-from-the-battle-of-gallipoli-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=71564&NewsCatID=375

05/04/2014

THERE is one towering monument at Gallipoli that's particularly intriguing. It's not typical of the monuments you might expect to see on the peninsula; of heroic, rifle-wielding Turks or of Turkey's reformist president Mustapha Ataturk starring stern-faced and resolute toward an invading foe.

05/02/2014

Gallipoli ready to host Anzac service attendees
Gelibolu - Turkey
The northwestern province of Çanakkale’s Gallipoli peninsula is preparing for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli next year. Every year, thousands of people visit the memorial and graveyard for fallen soldiers in Çanakkale, where a Dawn Service is held in memory of the fallen.

Çanakkale Mayor Ülgür Gökhan said they would accept everyone who wants to attend the commemorations next year.

For next year’s commemorations on April 25, 2015, it has only allotted 10,000 places - 8,000 for Australians and 2,000 for New Zealanders. But more than 42,500 people from Australia and almost 1,000 people from New Zealand have applied to attend commemorations.

Gökhan said the Australian and New Zealand governments had imposed the quota, adding, “Our door is open to everyone. If necessary, we will host them in our houses. There is no quota.”

Gökhan said under normal circumstances, they could accept up to 50,000 people for the commemorations, adding, “We want to increase the number of attendees. There may be other people from other countries, not only from these two countries. We are open to everyone. If necessary we can start a campaign to host these guests in our houses.”

The people who will attend the commemorations will be determined with a lottery that will be drawn at the end of February or mid of March. “The number of applications is fantastic,” Michael Ronaldson said in a report in Sunday’s Sydney Morning Herald. He added most applicants would be disappointed.

The Çanakkale Governor’s Office also made a statement saying only a certain number of people would be able to attend the commemorations, but a second commemoration ceremony would be held for those who would not have the chance to attend the first one. This ceremony will be held on Aug. 8 or 9, 2015. Turkish Foreign Ministry officials also stated there was no quota for those who want to attend the commemorations.

MELBOURNE - Anadolu Agency / hurriyetdailynews.com

20/04/2013

Thanks everyone and we look forward to touring with you guys soon :)
Hassle free tours to Ephesus and surrounds with NO SHOPPING STOPS - History & Culture only :)

Lonely Planet review for No-Frills Ephesus Tours
This full-serve licensed travel agency up on St John's Hill in Selcuk offers a range of services but specialises in the 'no frills' group concept of Ephesus tours-meaning no compulsory side trips to carpet shops and tacky crafts outfits. The Australian-Turkish owners offer - and deliver - on entertaining and informed half-day and full-day tours of Ephesus, along with other historical sites, ferry tickets for Samos and so on.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/turkey/aegean-coast/ephesus-efes/activities/tour/no-frills-ephesus