What To See And Do Around Turkey

By Mark Walters


Turkey is a beautiful, exciting country where east meets west and there are thousands of years' worth of history to explore. Our guide takes you through some of the attractions not to miss out on while visiting Turkey. We start with the Blue Mosque, which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful mosques in the world. It was completed in 1616 and takes its name from the famous blue tiles that line the walls, their light reflecting out through the windows of the building.

Now a national park, the Gallipoli Anzacs are also definitely worth exploring. Here, you can find a series of war memorials as well as sandy beaches and lovely pine forests that everyone is sure to love. Gallipoli was the sight of a bloody battle in the First World War. The Allies were trying to establish a supply line to Russia through the Black Sea route and fought the Turks to try and get through. There were heavy casualties on both sides, but eventually the Turks won.

You should also visit the Cappadocia region, which is in central Turkey and is considered to be one of the geological wonders of the world. There are lots of unusual valleys and cones, which were created by the eruption of two volcanoes more than 60 million years ago. You can also see more than 600 churches and other buildings cut into the rocks in the region, where you will find quite a lot of frescoes painted onto the walls. Cappadocia has been home to many cultures over the centuries.

The ancient city of Ephesus is another must see sight in Turkey. It's one of the best preserved ancient cities in the world, with over 20% of it being excavated. Its history dates back to 12BC and it used to be an important religious and trade center. It used to be home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Temple of Artemis and you can also find one of the Seven Churches of Revelation, where St. Paul lived and preached.

Finally, you should definitely pay a visit to Mount Nemrut, which is a beautiful sight. It is part of the Taurus mountain range and used to be where the small but rich Commagene Kingdom was based. You can see the famous sanctuary of Antiochos I, which he built for himself as a funerary monument. This is a massive head that is more than 50 meters tall and 150 meters in diameter. There are also huge representations of Zeus and Apollo.




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