IZMIT

A fast highway connects Istanbul with lzmit, the capital of the Kocaeli province. An important city in Roman times when it was known as Nicomedeia, it is now a prosperous industrial center. The Saatci Efendi Konak, a restored typical 18th century Ottoman mansion, now serves as the Ethnography Museum. Pismaniye, the local sweet, consists of thousands of thin layers of stretched sugar. Hereke, west of lzmit, is a major carpet making center. Renowned throughout the would for their beauty and quality, these carpets fetch the highest prices in Istanbul’s bazaars. On the Black Sea coast, north of lzmit, particularly at Kerpe, Kefken and Kovanagzi, sand), beaches and comfortable guest houses attract vacationers.