2 Best Sights in Adana, The Turquoise Coast

Adana’s archaeology museum, in a restored former textile factory, has a nicely presented collection of local finds, including Roman mosaics, statues, and carved sarcophagi. The museum complex itself houses six separate museums, one each for archaeology, mosaics, ethnography, agriculture, industry, and urban life. Though there's no audio guide available, the lively displays help to bring the curated finds to life.

The open-air museum of Karatepe, about 130 km (81 miles) northeast of Adana, makes a (long) day trip from Adana or a worthwhile detour if you're heading to Antakya. Karatepe was a fortress founded in the 8th century by Asatiwatas, the ruler of the post-Hittite state of Adana. A short walk from the parking lot are two ancient gateways, where dozens of well-preserved carved stones (once the foundation of mud-brick walls) have been left in place. There is also a small indoor museum behind the ticket office. The area around the site is a beautiful national park; you can picnic here or swim in the adjacent dam. It’s best visited from Osmaniye, passing ancient Hieropolis-Kastabala, but a secondary, longer road leads from Kozan past Kadirli, which has a well-preserved Byzantine church (later converted into a mosque).