316 Best Sights in Turkey

A fine, albeit small, collection of traditional costumes from the lands of the Ottoman Empire, some dating back centuries, is on display in this museum opposite the Muradiye Tombs. Mannequins dressed in the costumes revolve to afford a thorough study of the colorful textiles and embroidery. There are also gorgeous antique silver jewelry pieces and accessories, along with some folkloric items. The building is a medrese (theological school) built in 1475 by Şair Ahmet Paşa, whose tomb is in the garden.

Apart from the two prominent Roman Columns, Urfa's castle is a motley collection of upturned stones, at the top of a lot of stairs. It's impossible to detect any one architectural intent here, probably because the fortress has been razed and rebuilt at least a dozen times since the 2nd century BC. Climb to the summit for a fantastic view of the city. The stairs down are more fun, as they descend through a tunnel cut from the rock.

One of the oldest inhabited areas on the Asian shore takes its name from the 7th-century BC settlement of Scutari, though nothing now remains of that ancient town. Today, Üsküdar is a conservative residential district with a handful of noteworthy Ottoman mosques. Though still rather chaotic, the waterfront area has undergone substantial renovation to accommodate the Marmaray, a rail tunnel under the Bosphorus that transports passengers from Üsküdar to Sirkeci in just four minutes. The ferry landing is dominated by Sinan's pretty, if somewhat dark, Mihrimah Sultan Camii, also known as the İskele Camii (built 1548). The large Yeni Valide Camii from 1710 and another Sinan mosque, the small, beautifully situated Şemsi Paşa Camii, are a short walk southwest along the waterfront.

As historic and lively as the city itself, Antakya’s Uzun Çarşı (Long Bazaar) is a feast for the senses, a maze of covered and open streets full of shops piled high with spices, handmade soaps, clothes, kitchenware, jewelry, and much more. Tucked among them are multiple small mosques, quiet little courtyards, lively eateries, snack vendors, and traditional wood-oven fırıns (bakeries). The restored Kurşunlu Han near the center of the bazaar houses cafés and more tourist-oriented stores selling local handicrafts. At its northern end, the bazaar spills out into Antakya’s open-air produce market.

The small village of Uzuncaburç, in the mountains north of Silifke, makes a nice day trip. It's dotted with the ruins of Diocaesaria Olba, a town run by the priests of Zeus Olbios. Along the ancient main street you'll see a theater, a curious columned structure that once marked the main crossroads, a fountain, a temple of Tyche, and another temple dedicated to Zeus. This temple is one of the earliest surviving Corinthian-style buildings, whose score of upright columns make for an evocative sight. North of the temples is the impressive North Gate, and to the northeast is a well-preserved five-story watchtower. The most straightforward road here is signposted from Silifke: after about 8 km (5 miles), you'll pass ancient Imbriogon (Demircili), where there are four temple tombs.

A Roman city needed its aqueduct, and Constantinople, which seriously lacked drinking water, finally got one in 375 under Emperor Valens. The aqueduct, which was just one element of a well-engineered water distribution system that extended for miles, was restored in the 16th century by the Ottoman architect Sinan and continued to function well into the Ottoman era. The best and most dramatic surviving section is that near Şehzade Mosque, where Atatürk Bulvarı, a major urban thoroughfare, passes through the great arches of the aqueduct—still one of Istanbul's most significant landmarks.

Turkey's largest and most unusual lake consists of 3,738 square km (1,443 square miles) of startlingly blue water surrounded by mighty volcanic cones, at an elevation of 5,659 feet. The lake was formed when a volcano blew its top and blocked the course of a river, leaving the water with no natural outlet; as a result the lake is highly alkaline and full of sulfides and mineral salts, six times saltier than the ocean. Lake Van's only marine life is a small member of the carp family, the İnci kefalı, which has somehow adapted to the saline environment. Intermittent daily ferries ply the route between Van and Tatvan, taking around four hours and costing just 15 TL, but without fixed departure times. Recreational water sports are limited, and beaches along the rocky shores are few and far between. Swimming in the soft water is pleasant, but try not to swallow any—it tastes terrible. If you're in the mood for a dip, your best bet is to do so when visiting the nearby island of Akdamar, from the lake's south shore. Alternatively, if you head northeast from Van on the Doğubeyazit road, you can stop at the little holiday camp located on the lake's edge just past the farming village of Çolpan. Soft drinks, barbecued food, sunbeds, and basic rooms are all available.

Steps—considerably fewer than the 1,000 claimed in local tourist handouts—ascend to Van Kalesi, the sprawling Urartian fortress on the outskirts of town. A path branches right to Urartian tombs in the sheer south rock face; an impressive cuneiform inscription here honors King Xerxes, whose Persian troops occupied the fortress early in the 5th century BC (look for the red metal fence on the southeast side).You may need to pay a local a tip to show you these. The crumbling ramparts are still impressive (more so than the parts that have been heavily restored), but as is often true in these parts, it's the view—sweeping across the lake and mountains—that makes the steep climb worthwhile. A taxi from the new town should cost no more than 30 TL one way. Cheaper dolmuş (shared taxis) depart regularly from the north end of Cumhuriyet Caddesi and are marked "Kale."

A dominant feature of the Istanbul skyline, thanks to its prime spot on the Eminönü waterfront, the "new mosque" is known as much for its history as its architecture. Its location, rising out of the Golden Horn, presented formidable engineering challenges to the former apprentice to Sinan, who laid the waterlogged foundations in 1597. Due to sultans' deaths and complicated harem politics, the project wasn’t completed until 1663 by the queen mother at the time, Turhan Hatice. The entrance to the courtyard from the main square offers a marvelous view of the small domes and semidomes that appear to cascade down around the main dome, flanked by two minarets. Inside, almost every square inch of the interior is decorated—from the elaborate, multicolored İznik tiles to the intricately painted domes and gilded minbar—while numerous windows, including in the wall of the mihrab, fill the mosque with light. Note that during the restoration work that was underway at this writing, the mosque wasn't open to the public.

The Green Tomb, built in 1421, is the final resting place of Mehmet I Çelebi. It's actually covered in blue tiles, added after an earthquake damaged the originals in the 1800s, but inside are incredible original İznik tiles, including those—many of which are green and turquoise—sheathing Mehmet's immense sarcophagus. The surrounding tombs belong to Mehmet's children.

East of Adana, across the Çukurova Plain, there are many ancient remains, including several castles, mostly dating back to Armenian rulers of the 12th to 14th century AD. The easiest to reach, Yılan Kalesi (Castle of the Snake), sits conspicuously beside the old highway, some 50 km (31 miles) east of town. There isn't a lot to see, but the walls are well preserved and the views of the fertile Çukurova Plain from the top are impressive.

About 40 km (25 miles) farther east, just before Osmaniye and the turnoff to İskenderun, is a second Armenian castle, Toprakkale. Kozan, 60 km (37 miles) north of Yılan Kalesi, is another fine castle that was an important residence of the Armenian rulers of Cilicia.

The wooded slopes of Yıldız Parkı once formed part of the great forest that covered the European shore of the Bosphorus from the Golden Horn to the Black Sea. In the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, the park was the private garden of the nearby Çırağan and Yıldız palaces, and the women of the harem would occasionally be allowed to visit, secluded from prying eyes as they wandered among acacias, maples, and cypresses. Today the park is still beautiful, particularly in spring when the tulips and other flowers bloom, and in fall when the leaves of the deciduous trees change color.

At the top of the park (a 15- to 20-minute walk from the entrance) is the relatively modest (by Ottoman standards) Yıldız Şale (Yıldız Chalet), where the despotic Sultan Abdülhamid II (ruled 1876–1909) spent most of his time. It also served as a guesthouse for visiting heads of state, from Kaiser Wilhelm II to Charles de Gaulle and Margaret Thatcher. Also in the park is the Malta Köşkü, a late 19th-century Ottoman pavilion that now houses a restaurant with period decor and views of the Bosphorus.

A few dark blue and turquoise tiles still decorate the Yivli Minare (Fluted Minaret), a graceful,13th-century cylinder erected by the Seljuk sultan Alaaddin Keykubat I; the imam once climbed its narrow steps five times daily to give the call to prayer. The adjoining mosque was converted from a Byzantine church, and the remains (displayed under glass) of an 800-year-old water channel can be seen if you step inside. Within the pretty complex are two türbes (tombs) and an 18th-century tekke (lodge), which once housed a community of whirling dervishes and is now a small free museum devoted to the traditions of their Mevlevi Order. The old medrese (theological school) adjacent to the minaret has been covered under an unattractive bus-station-style roof and is a tourist-oriented shopping center. It sells standard Turkish knickknacks (think pottery, copper work, carpets, and tiles), but prices are better than at most other resorts along the coast.

Although the prizes at Göreme are the fresco-decorated churches, the outdoor museum at Zelve provides a fascinating look at how people lived in fairy-chimney communities. Zelve was a center of Christian monastic life from the 9th through 13th century, and the town was inhabited until the early 1950s, when erosion and cracking caused slabs of rock to fall, forcing villagers to move out. The site is only about 2,145 feet long, but there's plenty to explore. The valley is made up of several uneven, naturally carved rows of fairy chimneys. These—and just about every spare rock face—shelter hundreds of dwellings that vary in size. Some are just simple cavelike openings, and others are multistory houses with rooms on several floors linked by stairs carved deep inside the rocks. There's also a rock-cut mosque and several small churches. Certain structures have collapsed, leaving giant pieces of carved ceiling upside down on the ground. You can probably see the whole place in a little over an hour but could easily linger longer.

Across the river from the citadel is another spot worth visiting, Zeynelbey Türbesi, a mausoleum built for a prince who died in battle in 1473. The stylized structure has an onion-dome top and is decorated with still-vivid turquoise-color tiles set in calligraphy-like geometric patterns, more reminiscent of Iran and Central Asia than Turkey.

Built in 1385 by Artukid Sultan İsa, this medrese (Islamic school) sits up just above the rest of the city, and its crenulated dome forms a Mardin landmark. The compound includes a courtyard (now a tea garden), a mosque, and a tomb intended for the sultan. Head up to the upper terrace for one of the best views of the city.