Places to visit in

Turkey

Diyarbakır City Walls & Hevsel Gardens form a combined cultural and natural World Heritage site that illustrates a long continuity of urban life on the upper Tigris. The black basalt city walls (partly of Roman, Byzantine and mainly medieval Islamic construction) are among the longest and best-preserved fortified city ramparts in the world and define the historic core of Diyarbakır (ancient Amida). Hevsel Gardens are a fertile riparian strip between the walls and the Tigris River that has supplied food, wood and pasture to the city for millennia and supports a unique riverside ecosystem.

Hasankeyf is an ancient town on the Tigris River in Batman Province, southeastern Turkey. Occupied for millennia (archaeological evidence suggests habitation going back thousands of years), it was an important river crossing and regional stronghold with layers of Roman, Byzantine, Artuqid and Ottoman history. Its limestone cliffs contain rock-cut dwellings, tombs and cave complexes, while the citadel, mosques and mausoleums reflect significant medieval Islamic architecture. The site’s rich stratigraphy and dramatic river gorge made it both an archaeological treasure and a striking natural landscape. In recent years Hasankeyf has become widely known because of the Ilısu Dam project, which led to the flooding of large parts of the historic town and a major international heritage debate.

Gaziantep is one of Turkey's oldest continuously inhabited cities, with roots stretching back to Hittite, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. It sits at a crossroads of ancient trade routes and has a rich archaeological record—most famously the Zeugma mosaics—reflecting a blend of civilizations. Culturally, Gaziantep is renowned as Turkey's culinary capital and is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, celebrated for its baklava, pistachios and diverse regional cuisine. The city also preserves strong traditions in handicrafts such as copperwork and weaving.

The Zeugma Mosaic Museum preserves one of the richest collections of Roman mosaics in the world from the ancient city of Zeugma, a Hellenistic-Roman settlement founded by Seleucus I. The mosaics date from the 2nd–4th centuries CE and provide exceptional insight into urban life, mythology, and artistic techniques of the region. Many were saved through emergency excavations after the construction of the Birecik and Karkamış dams threatened to flood archaeological layers, making the site a landmark case in rescue archaeology and cultural heritage preservation.

Rumkale (literally “Roman Castle”) is a cliff-top fortress on the Euphrates with strategic importance from Roman, Byzantine, Crusader and Ottoman periods. Perched above the river, it controlled ancient river crossings and trade routes and contains layered archaeological remains — defensive walls, cisterns, chapels and a mosque — that reflect the site’s multi-cultural history. The site also has natural significance for its dramatic limestone cliffs and panoramic views of the Euphrates and surrounding river valley.

Halfeti (Şanlıurfa Province, southeastern Turkey) is significant as a historic riverside town on the Euphrates that combines natural, cultural and historical values. The town and surrounding area have been inhabited for millennia and reflect the layered history of Upper Mesopotamia — from ancient settlements and medieval fortifications to Ottoman-era architecture. The creation of the Birecik Dam transformed the landscape, partially submerging the old town and creating a striking new waterscape that attracts visitors.

Adıyaman sits in southeastern Turkey in the ancient region of Commagene and is a crossroads of Hellenistic, Roman, Armenian and Kurdish-Turkish cultural layers. Its most famous monument, Mount Nemrut, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and contains the monumental tomb-sanctuary of King Antiochus I (1st century BCE). The province is rich in archaeological sites, Roman-era bridges and tumuli, and offers striking natural scenery along the Euphrates and surrounding mountains.

Mount Nemrut (Nemrut Dağı) is a 1st-century BCE funerary monument built by King Antiochus I of Commagene. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site noted for its monumental seated statues, large stone reliefs, and a tumulus thought to cover the king's tomb. The site is important for illustrating the cultural syncretism of Hellenistic, Persian and Anatolian traditions and provides rare insight into the Commagene kingdom's political-religious program.

Konya is one of Turkey's oldest continuously inhabited cities and served as the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum (11th–13th centuries). It is globally renowned as the spiritual center of Sufism because it is the final resting place of the 13th‑century poet and mystic Jalal ad‑Din Rumi (Mevlana). The city preserves exceptional examples of Seljuk architecture, tilework, and religious complexes, and sits on the fertile Central Anatolian plain with nearby Neolithic and rural heritage sites.

Mevlana Museum (Konya) is the mausoleum and former lodge (tekke) of the 13th-century Persian poet, Islamic jurist and Sufi mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi (known in Turkey as Mevlana). The site is the spiritual heart of the Mevlevi order (Whirling Dervishes) and a major center for Sufi thought and Ottoman-era religious architecture. Built around Rumi's tomb from the late 13th century and expanded under Seljuk and Ottoman patrons, the complex preserves important manuscripts, musical instruments, ceremonial dervish garments and richly tiled architecture that reflect Konya's historical role as a crossroads of Anatolian culture. The Mevlana Museum is a symbol of Turkey's living Sufi heritage and a key pilgrimage and tourist site in Konya.

Alaeddin Mosque (Alaeddin Camii) and Alaeddin Hill (Alaeddin Tepesi) form the historic heart of Konya and are among the most important Seljuk-era sites in Anatolia. The mosque, founded in the early 13th century during the reign of Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I, exemplifies Anatolian Seljuk architecture and served as a political and religious center for the Seljuk state. The hill is a landscaped mound that contains remains of the Seljuk palace complex and the tombs of several Seljuk rulers, giving the site high historical and cultural significance for understanding medieval Anatolian governance, architecture, and Islamic art.

Çatalhöyük is one of the most important Neolithic settlements in the world (occupied c. 7500–5700 BCE). It provides exceptional evidence for early sedentary life, communal urban-like planning, ritual practice, early agriculture and animal management, and rich symbolic art. The site has reshaped understanding of late hunter-gatherer to early farming transitions and social organization in prehistoric Anatolia. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 2012), recognised for its outstanding universal value.

Sille is an ancient village northwest of Konya in central Anatolia with a layered history spanning Hittite, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. It was historically a mixed Greek-Orthodox and Turkish settlement and is notable for its long-standing Christian heritage, rock-cut dwellings and churches with surviving frescoes. The village illustrates the cultural exchange of Anatolia and is an important living example of traditional stone architecture and rural Anatolian life near Konya.

Eskişehir is an important Anatolian city with layers of history from the Phrygians, Romans and Byzantines to the Seljuks and Ottomans. Today it is known as a modern university city combining historical Odunpazarı architecture with contemporary arts, lively student culture, and industry. Its location on the Porsuk River and proximity to Phrygian rock-cut sites adds natural and archaeological interest.

Odunpazarı Modern Museum (OMM) is a major contemporary art institution located in the historic Odunpazarı district of Eskişehir, Turkey. Opened in 2019, the museum has quickly become an important regional center for modern and contemporary visual arts, bridging local artistic production with international practices. Architecturally notable, OMM represents a contemporary intervention in a district known for its well-preserved Ottoman-era wooden houses, creating a cultural dialogue between past and present.

Odunpazarı Historic Houses are a well-preserved ensemble of traditional Ottoman-era timber houses in Eskişehir, Turkey. The district showcases 18th–19th century residential architecture and provides a living example of urban Ottoman domestic life. It is culturally important as a center of restoration and urban renewal in Eskişehir and attracts interest for its vernacular architecture and streetscape.

Antakya (ancient Antioch) is one of the eastern Mediterranean's great historic crossroads — a major Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine metropolis and an early center of Christianity. The city and province of Hatay show layers of Greco-Roman, Armenian, Arab, Crusader and Ottoman heritage. Culturally it is noted for its long-standing religious and ethnic diversity (Muslim, Christian, Alawite and Arab communities), and for being a living culinary crossroads — Hatay was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. Naturaly, the area sits near the Orontes River and the Amanus (Nur) Mountains, with nearby Mediterranean coastlines and scenic waterfalls that combine historic sites with attractive landscapes.

Hatay Archaeology Museum (Hatay Arkeoloji Müzesi) in Antakya (ancient Antioch) is one of Turkey's most important regional museums, renowned for its exceptionally rich collection of Roman and Byzantine mosaics and a wide range of artifacts that trace the cultural history of the Amik Plain and the ancient city of Antioch. The museum's collections span prehistoric, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods, documenting the multicultural crossroads that Hatay has been for millennia. Its mosaic collection is particularly famous and frequently described as one of the world's finest and most extensive examples of Roman provincial mosaic art. Excavations from the Amik Plain, Tell Tayinat and surrounding sites supplied many of the museum's standout pieces.

St. Peter's Church (Saint Pierre), Antakya (Antioch) is traditionally regarded as one of the oldest Christian worship sites in the world. Carved into the limestone of Mount Starius (Nur Mountains), the cave church is associated with the Apostle Peter and the early Christian community of Antioch — the city where followers of Jesus were first called "Christians". The site has importance for religious history, Byzantine and later Christian traditions, and as a continuing pilgrimage destination.

Adana is one of Turkey's oldest continuously inhabited cities, lying in the fertile Çukurova plain (ancient Cilicia). Its history spans Hittite, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. The city has been an important trade and agricultural hub thanks to the Seyhan River. Architecturally and culturally Adana reflects a mix of Ottoman mansions, Armenian and Levantine influences, and modern Turkish urban life. The region is also notable for its rich cuisine, especially the world-famous Adana kebab, and for natural features such as the Seyhan riverfront and nearby Mediterranean coastline.