5 Best Sights in The Sea of Marmara and the North Aegean, Turkey

The vast complex behind Ulu Cami comprises many adjoining hans (kervansarays, or inns for merchants) surrounding a bedesten (the central part of a covered bazaar, which is vaulted and fireproofed). Bursa sultans began building bazaars in the 14th century to finance the construction or maintenance of their schools, mosques, and soup kitchens. The precinct was soon topped with roofs, creating the earliest form of covered bazaar, and, late in the century, Yıldırım Beyazıt perfected the concept by building a bedesten with six parts connected by arches and topped by 14 domes. The complex was flattened by a massive earthquake in 1855, and sections were badly burned by fire in the 1950s, but the Kapalı Çarşı has been lovingly restored to provide a flavor of the past. Best buys here include gold jewelry, thick Turkish cotton towels (for which Bursa is famous), and silk goods.

The stunningly situated memorial here bears the names of some 5,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers, buried in unknown graves, who were killed at Gallipoli during the grueling eight-month World War I campaign to defeat the Ottoman forces. Savage hand-to-hand fighting took place on the battlefield where the cemetery was established—thousands were killed on both sides here in four days of fighting—and seven Victoria crosses, the highest award given by the British government for bravery and usually quite sparingly distributed, were awarded after the Battle of Lone Pine. This is the most affecting of all the Anzac cemeteries, and the epitaphs on the tombstones are very moving.

The most dramatic of the remains of Pergamum are at the Acropolis. Take a smooth, 15-minute ride on the teleferik, which includes sweeping views on its way up the hill, or follow signs pointing the way to the 6-km (4-mile) road to the top, where you can park. After entering through the Royal Gate, bear right and proceed counterclockwise around the site.

At the summit, the partially restored, 2nd-century AD Temple of Trajan is the very picture of an ancient ruin, with burnished white-marble pillars high above the valley of the Bergama Çayı (Selinus River). Nearby are the ruins of the famous Library (Atheneum), built by Eumenes II (197 BC–159 BC) and containing 200,000 scrolls. On the terrace below, you can see the scant remains of the Temple of Athena.

Climb down through a stone tunnel to reach the Great Theater, carved into the steep slope west of the terrace that holds the Temple of Athena. On a nearby terrace, the Altar of Zeus was once among the grandest monuments in the Greek world. If you're prepared for a long and rather steep descent, there's more to see on the slope leading down toward the town.

Written about in Homer's epic, the Iliad, and long thought to be a figment of the Greek poet's imagination, Troy was, nevertheless, found and subsequently excavated in the 1870s by Heinrich Schliemann. Although the wooden horse outside is a modern nod to Homer's epics, the city walls are truly ancient.

The richness of your experience at Troy will depend on your own knowledge (or imagination) or the knowledge and English-language skills of a guide. You might find the site highly evocative, with its remnants of massive, rough-hewn walls and its strategic views over the coastal plains—where the battles of the Trojan War were supposedly fought—to the sea. Or you might consider it an unimpressive row of trenches with piles of earth and stone.

A site plan shows the general layout of the city, which is surprisingly small, and marks the beginning of a signposted path leading to key features from several historical periods. The best-preserved features are from the Roman city, with its bouleuterion (council chamber), the site's most complete structure, and small theater.

Juxtaposing simple form, inspired stone carving, and spectacular tile work, this mosque is among the finest in Turkey. Work on the building was completed in 1420, during the reign of Mehmet I Çelebi (ruled 1413–21). Its beauty begins in the marble entryway, where complex feathery patterns and calligraphy are carved into the stone; inside is a sea of blue and green İznik tiles. The central hall rests under two shallow domes; in the one near the entrance, an oculus sends down a beam of sunlight at midday, illuminating a fountain delicately carved from a single piece of marble. The mihrab (prayer niche) towers almost 50 feet and is covered with stunning tiles and intricate carvings. On a level above the main doorway is the sultan's loge, lavishly decorated and tiled.