Turkey’s Culture Routes Society was established in July 2012 in order to protect Turkey’s existing culture routes, to promote the establishment of new routes, and to set best-practice standards for their development. As defined in the Society’s constitution, a culture route is a sustainable route or combination of routes following a historical, cultural or natural theme. Our routes are aimed at walkers, cyclists or horse-riders. We see the routes as a means of deepening cultural understanding-both for city Turks, who are increasingly distanced from their rural past, and for international visitors who want to have greater insight into Turkey’s rural culture.