2. THE NATURAL BEAUTIES AND HISTORICAL PLACES OF TURKEY

3. Bird Island, KUŞADASI Pigeon Island, with its gleaming image, really deserves to be symbol of Kusadasi. The eye-catching view of the island, uniting with the panoramic colors of sunset attract every visitors. As the island was much-frequented place of birds during the seasonal migrations, it was named as Bird Island.

4. Pamukkale (Hierapolis), DENİZLİ The travertine terraces at Pamukkale are one of the most spectacular natural wonders from various mineral springs in a vast white cliff side, about 200 m overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have dripped down over a series of terraced levels and created a fairyland of bizarre solidified cascades and shell-shaped basins. It looks like creations from snow or like balls from cotton, which gave the scenery the Turkish name Pamukkale (cotton castle): “pamuk” for cotton and “kale” for castle

5. Troy, ÇANAKKALE The Trojan Horse was a tale from the Trojan War, as told in Virgil's Latin epic poem The Aeneid. The events in this story from the Bronze Age took place after Homer's Iliad, and before Homer's Odyssey. It was the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict.Trojan WarVirgilLatinepic poem The AeneidBronze AgeHomer IliadOdysseyTroy

6. Lake Abant, BOLU Lake Abant is a freshwater lake in Turkey's Bolu Province in northwest Anatolia, formed as a result of a great landslide. The lake lies at an altitude of 1,328 m at a distance of 32 km from the provincial seat of Bolu city. It is a favorite vacation and excursion spot for both Turkish and foreign travellers thanks to the natural beauty of its surroundings, which are covered with dense forests.lakeTurkeyBolu ProvinceAnatolialandslideprovincialBolu

7. Dalyan, ORTACA, MUĞLA Dalyan is a town in Muğla Province located between the well-known districts of Marmaris and Fethiye on the south-west coast of Turkey. The south of Dalyan on the Mediterranean coast, lies İztuzu Beach. Iztuzu, Dalyan's turtle beach, was voted the best beach in the world in 1995. The beach is well known for the Caretta Caretta (Loggerhead Sea Turtles) which have existed for 95 million years.The beach is closed during the period of time that the Turtles lay their eggs. Life in Dalyan revolves around the Dalyan Çayı River which flows past the town. The boats that ply up and down the river, navigating the maze of reeds, are the preferred means of transport to all the local sites.Above the river's sheer cliffs are the weathered façades of Lycian tombs cut from rock, circa 400 BC. The ruins of the ancient trading city of Kaunos are a short boat trip across the river.Muğla ProvinceMarmarisFethiyeTurkeyİztuzu BeachLoggerhead Sea TurtlesTurtlesLycianKaunos

8. The Clock Tower, İZMİR The clock tower is designed by the Levantine French architect Raymond Charles Pere. This monument is built in 1901 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Abdul Hamid II's accession to the throne. The clock itself was a gift of William II, German Emperor. It is decorated in an elaborate, Ottoman architecture. The tower itself is 25 meters high.

9. Fethiye, MUĞLA Fethiye is a city and district of Muğla Province in the Aegean region of Turkey with about 68,000 inhabitants (2008). Modern day Fethiye is located on the site of the ancient city of Telmessos, the ruins of which can be seen in the city, e.g. the Hellenistic theatre by the main quay. It is one of Turkey's well-known tourist centres and is especially prized during the summer.citydistrictMuğla ProvinceAegeanregionTurkeyinhabitantsTelmessos Hellenistictheatrequaytourist

10. Ölüdeniz, FETHİYE Ölüdeniz is a small resort village in the Muğla Province on the South West coast of Turkey on the Aegean Sea to the south and the high, steep sided Babadağ Mountain, 14 km (9 mi) south of Fethiye. The town is a beach resort. Muğla ProvinceTurkeyAegean Sea Babadağ MountainFethiye Ölüdeniz remains one of the most photographed beaches on the Mediterranean. It has a secluded sandy bay at the mouth of Ölüdeniz, on a blue lagoon.The lagoon is a national nature reserve and building is strictly prohibited. Ölüdeniz is famous for its shades of turquoise and aquamarine, and is an official blue flag beach, and is frequently rated among the top 5 beaches in the world by Travelers and Tourism Journals alike.Mediterranean

11. Ekincik, MUĞLA Ekincik an unspoiled nature conservation area of breathtaking beauty. Uncrowded, pretty and tranquil, with a nice little beach nearby. The coastal road there is gorgeous and it's also a good base for boat trips and walking tours. Ekincik lies in the south-west of Turkey in a quiet bay enclosed by hills, and only 45 minutes drive from Dalaman airport. There is a unspoiled 2 kilometres long gravel beach and a small harbour from which the boats departs to Dalyan.

12. Sümela Monastery, TRABZON The Sümela Monastery stands at the foot of a steep cliff facing the Altındere valley in the region of Maçka in Trabzon Province, Turkey. Trabzon, historically known as Trapezus and Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province.MaçkaTrabzon ProvinceTurkeyBlack SeaTurkeyTrabzon Province

13. Phaselis, ANTALYA Phaselis is an ancient Lycian city in the province of Antalya in Turkey. It is located between the Bey Mountains and the forests of Olympos National Park, 16 km west of the touristic town of Kemer and on the 57th kilometre of the Antalya–Kumluca highway. Phaselis and other ancient towns around the shore can also be accessed from the sea by daily yacht tours.Lycian provinceAntalyaTurkeyOlympos National ParkKemer

14. Uzungöl, TRABZON Uzungöl is a lake situated to the south of the city of Trabzon in Turkey. It was formed by landslide making the stream bed to become a natural dam in the valley of Haldizen Stream.lakeTrabzonTurkeyHaldizen

15. Maiden’s Tower, İSTANBUL The Maiden's Tower, also known in the ancient Greek and medieval Byzantine periods as Leander's Tower (Tower of Leandros), sits on a small islet located in the Bosphorus strait off the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul, Turkey.ancient GreekByzantineBosphorusÜsküdarIstanbulTurkey

16. Bosphorus, İSTANBUL The Bosphorus or Bosporus, also known as the Istanbul Strait, is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. The world's narrowest strait used for international navigation, it connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. straitinternational navigationBlack SeaSea of Marmara

17. Atatürk Dam, Şanlıurfa The Atatürk Dam, originally the Karababa Dam, is a zoned rock-fill dam with a central core on the Euphrates River on the border of Adıyaman Province and Şanlıurfa Province in Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. Built both to generate electricity and to irrigate the plains in the region, it is later renamed after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881– 1938), the founder of the Turkish Republic, to honor him with its very large scale.zoned rock-fill dam with a central coreEuphratesAdıyaman ProvinceŞanlıurfa ProvinceSoutheastern Anatolia RegionTurkeyMustafa Kemal AtatürkTurkish Republic

18. Manavgat, ANTALYA Manavgat is a town and district of the Antalya Province in Turkey, 72 km from the city of Antalya. The Manavgat River has a waterfall near the town.Antalya ProvinceTurkeyAntalyaManavgat Riverwaterfall

19. Maiden’s Tower, SİLİFKE,MERSİN Kız Kalesi (Maiden’s Tower), named Korikos in old times is a small town 60 kms west of Mersin. The silhouette of the city is formed by the two castles from the Middle Ages, namely the Korkos Castle and Kız kalesi. It has been erected on a small island 200 meters from the land. Remnants of a bridge stretching from the castle to Korikos can be seen under the water.

20. Mosaic Museum, ANTAKYA The Hatay Archaeological Museum or Antakya Archaeological Museum is an excellent museum of ancient art in Antakya, Turkey. Its collections include most of the Roman mosaics from ancient Antioch that were discovered in 1932-39, and is thus sometimes known as the Antakya Mosaic Museum.Antakya

21. Kurşunlu Waterfall, ANTALYA The Kurşunlu Waterfall is located 19 km from Antalya, Turkey at the end of a 7 km road branching off to the north of the Antalya-Serik-Alanya highway at a point 12 km from Antalya. It is reduced to a mere trickle in the summer months.The waterfall is on one of the tributaries of the Aksu River and its situation in the midst of a pine forest is of quite exceptional beauty.AntalyaTurkeySerikAlanyawaterfallAksu River

22. Aspendos, ANTALYA Aspendos or Aspendus was an ancient Greco-Roman city in Antalya province of Turkey. It was situated on the Eurymedon River about 10 miles (16 km) inland from the Mediterranean Sea; it shared a border with, and was hostile to, Side.ancientGreco-RomanAntalya province TurkeyEurymedon RiverMediterranean SeaSide

23. Alanya Castle, ALANYA Alanya Castle is a medieval castle in the southern Turkish city of Alanya. Most of the castle was built in the 13th century under the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm following the city's conquest in 1220 by Alaeddin Keykubad I as part of a building campaign that included the Kızıl Kule. This castle was built on the remnants of earlier Byzantine era and Roman era fortifications. The castle is located 250 meters high on a rocky peninsula jutting into the Mediterranean Sea, which protects it from three sides.medievalcastleTurkishAlanyaSeljukSultanate of RûmAlaeddin Keykubad IKızıl KuleByzantine era Roman eraMediterranean Sea

24. Rock Tombs, Myra, ANTALYA Myra is an ancient town in Lycia, where the small town of Kale (Demre) is situated today in present day Antalya Province of Turkey. It was located on the river Myros (Demre Çay), in the fertile alluvial plain between Alaca Dağ, the Massikytos range and the Aegean Sea.LyciaDemreAntalya ProvinceTurkeyalluvial plainAegean Sea

25. Temple of Apollo, SİDE, ANTALYA The ruins of the Apollo Temple are located in or near to the harbor of Side, which is located in the province of Antalya, Turkey.

26. Bartın, AMASRA The city with a population of 51640 is situated 14 kilometers inland on the Bartın River (Bartın Çayı) which is navigable for vessels between the city and the Black Sea coast. With its rich architectural heritage, Bartın is a member of the Norwich-based European Association of Historic Towns and Regions (EAHTR)Bartın RiverBlack SeaNorwich European Association of Historic Towns and Regions

27. Ephesus, İZMİR Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the west coast of Anatolia, near present- day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era. In the Roman period, it was for many years the second largest city of the Roman Empire; ranking behind Rome, the empire's capital.AnatoliaSelçukIzmir ProvinceTurkeyIonian LeagueClassical GreekRoman EmpireRome The city's importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Cayster River (Küçük Menderes).Cayster River

28. Hasankeyf, MARDİN Hasankeyf is an ancient town and district located along the Tigris River in the Batman Province in southeastern Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981.TigrisBatmanProvince Turkey conservation area Much of the city and its archeological sites are at risk of being flooded with the completion of the Ilisu Dam.Ilisu Dam

29. Balıklıgöl, ŞANLIURFA Urfa is situated on a plain under big open skies, about eighty kilometres east of the Euphrates River. According to legend, Nimrod had Abraham immolated on a funeral pyre, but God turned the fire into water and the burning coals into fish. Euphrates RiverNimrodAbraham The pool of sacred fish remains to this day.

30. Lake Hazar, ELAZIĞ Lake Hazar is a lake in the Taurus Mountains, southeast of Elazig, notable as the source of the Tigris.lakeTaurus MountainsElazigTigris

31. Cappadocia, NEVŞEHİR The name was traditionally used in Christian sources throughout history and is still widely used as an international tourism concept to define a region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage. The term, as used in tourism, roughly corresponds to present- day Nevşehir Province. Christian tourismfairy chimneyshistorical culturalNevşehir Province