Places in Turkey where time stands still: ideas for an interesting vacation

Turkey is a real treasure trove for history and archeology enthusiasts. From the ruins of ancient Greek and Roman cities to Neolithic settlements and places of worship, this country holds traces of numerous civilizations, both legendary and little-known. Its coasts, forests and mountains are filled with history, making each of these places unique and worth seeing.

Lonely Planet has published a rating of the best places to visit in Turkey. These ancient places are a kind of time travel, allowing you to feel the greatness of past civilizations and touch history.

Ephesus: the majestic city of antiquity

The ruins of Ephesus are one of the most famous attractions in Turkey. This well-preserved city impresses with its scale and architecture. Here you can see a majestic 25,000-seat theater, luxurious terraced houses, marble streets, and the remains of what was once the third largest library in the world.

Pergamum: a city on a hilltop

Pergamum, with its hilltop acropolis and theater built into the steep slopes, was known in ancient times for its medical center, temples, and monumental altar. The friezes of the altar are now in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin.

Göbekli Tepe: the oldest place of worship

The city, with its massive stone pillars dating back to about 10,000 BC, is considered the world's first place of worship. The discovery of this place changed the way we think about the development of human civilization.

Çatalhöyük: one of the oldest cities in the world

About 9500 years ago, thousands of people lived in Çatalhöyük. They entered their homes from the roofs and buried the dead under the floor. A modern visitor center helps bring the history of this mysterious place to life.

Hattusa: the capital of the Hittite Kingdom

In the Bronze Age, Hattusa was the capital of the powerful Hittite Kingdom. Today you can see the ruins of the city with impressive defensive walls decorated with statues of sphinxes and lions.

Vespasian Titus Tunnel: a Roman engineering masterpiece

This 1380-meter-long tunnel was carved into the rock by order of the Roman emperors in the first century. It is located at the foot of the Nur Mountains, near the modern village of Chevlik, 7 km northwest of the center of Samandag.

The tunnel is part of a drainage system. Its construction was initiated by the Roman Emperor Vespasian (reigned 69-79 AD) to divert flood waters flowing down the mountain and threatening the harbor. It was built by digging out stones using only labor. Construction began under Vespasian and continued under his son Titus (79-81 AD) and his successors. It was completed in the 2nd century under Antony Pius.

Nemrut Dag: giant heads of the gods

On the top of Nemrut-Dag Mountain stand giant stone heads of gods, torn from their bodies by earthquakes. They were created by order of King Antiochus I in the first century BC.

Aphrodisia: the center of marble sculpture

In ancient times, Aphrodisia was known for its skillful marble sculptures. Today, many of these impressive works can be seen in a museum on the ruins.

Sagalassos: a city in the mountains

Sagalassos impresses with its well-preserved monumental fountain Antonine Nymphaeum. This is a monumental fountain (nymphaeum) of the Roman period, which was built in the II century AD, during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161 AD). This fountain served not only as a water reservoir but also as an important public place for gatherings and recreation. The building is decorated with niches, columns, sculptures of gods and mythological figures.

Dara: a combination of past and present

The ruins of the sixth-century Roman city of Dara are located among a modern village. Here you can see underground cisterns, tombs carved into the rocks and an ancient water supply system.

Located in Mardin and one of the oldest settlements in Mesopotamia, the ancient city of Dara receives tens of thousands of tourists every year. In 507 AD, Emperor Anastasius I founded Dara, although previously there was a small border town on this site. Many battles between the Romans and Persians took place in Dara centuries ago until the 13th century, when it was completely abandoned. In the late 1700s, the village was re-established by Kurdish tribesmen who still live in the village among its ruins.

Rock Tombs of Myra in Lycia

The Rock Tombs of Myra is an ancient Lycian necropolis. It is located near the ancient city of Myra, which is located on the territory of modern Turkey, near the city of Demre.

The tombs date back to the IV-II centuries B.C. They belong to the culture of the Lycians, an ancient people of Asia Minor known for their unique funerary traditions.

These tombs are carved into limestone cliffs at a considerable height. The facades of the tombs are decorated in the form of residential buildings or temples with columns and bas-reliefs. Many of them contain inscriptions with the names of the deceased and scenes from their lives.

The Lycians believed that the dead needed the help of mythical creatures to pass to the afterlife. Therefore, they built tombs at a height.

Today, the rock tombs of Myra are well preserved. They are a popular tourist attraction in the Antalya region. The tombs of Mira are one of the most striking examples of the Lycian civilization and its funerary traditions.

Olympos: a city by the sea

Olympos is an ancient Hellenic settlement that later became a pirate port. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, in the Cirali Bay, on the territory of modern Turkey.

The city is about 70 km from Antalya. In ancient times, Olympos was one of the important centers of Lycia. Later, it became a refuge for sea pirates operating in the region.

Today the ruins of Olympos are part of the national park and attract tourists with their history and natural beauty.

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