Hulya Ozbek
Tour Guide / Historian / Istanbul Expert
Hülya was born and raised in Mersin, Turkey. She graduated from Ankara University with a degree in English Language and Literature in 1994. She also took American Literature Courses which were obligatory in the curriculum. She completed her second bachelor’s degree in History at Istanbul University in 2017. She began her teaching career as an ESL teacher at Ankara University in 1994, and continued at Akdeniz University, Antalya. She is specialized in the TOFEL testing program and also worked at FMV Isik High School, a private foundation school in Istanbul.
In 1997, Hülya obtained her official tour guide certification from the Turkish Ministry of Tourism after successfully completing a demanding one-year training program. That same year, she started working as a freelance tour guide and led many different tour programs to many archaeological sites in Turkey as well as sailing and hiking tours along the entire South and Southwest coast of Turkey. From 2001 to 2003, she participated in the eco-tourism educational programs of TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) in the Kackar Mountains along the Black Sea, Cappadocia, and the Mediterranean coasts of Turkey.
She participated in the Istanbul City Tour Expert Program in 2010, specializing in Eastern Roman (Byzantine) History and Art as well as the Ottoman Era of the city. She has been living in Istanbul since 2009 and has 26-years of experience sharing her extensive knowledge and expertise on the Roman, Byzantium, and Ottoman Empires as well as her warm hospitality and enthusiasm with her guests, making everyone feel like a friend as they discover the history, culture, people, and life in this metropolitan city rather than a tourist while traveling with her. She is the mother of twins (a boy and a girl), loves music, and enjoys playing the violin.