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  • Europe
    • Introduction
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  • Turkey
    Overview
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    Explore
    • İstanbul and around
    • Around the Sea of Marmara
    • The North Aegean
    • The central and southern Aegean
    • The Turquoise Coast
    • The Mediterranean coast and the Hatay
      • South Central Anatolia
      • North Central Anatolia
      • The Black Sea coast
      • Northeastern Anatolia
      • The Euphrates and Tigris basin
      • Lake Van and the southeast
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  • Things not to miss
The largest and best-preserved Classical theatre in Anatolia – if you can, visit during the summertime opera and ballet festival held here. This mountain-top temple-tomb complex, its megalomania sharply at odds with the harsh surroundings, is the outlandish legacy of an obscure, first-century BC kingdom. Moving and unexpectedly beautiful legacy of one of the fiercest campaigns of World War I. Housing finds of all native cultures from the Stone Age to about 700 BC, this superb museum is the capital’s one must. Pergamon was one of the chief Roman cities of Anatolia, and extensive ruins remain; shown here is the restored Trajan temple. A lighter-than-air float gives you an unrivalled perspective on the “fairy chimneys” and other aspects of the landscape. Medieval Armenian capital in a superb setting at the border of modern Turkey, scattered with fine churches and monasteries. About 150 of Cappadocia’s rock-hewn churches contain fine examples of early Christian frescoes, mostly from the tenth and eleventh centuries. This sixteenth-century mosque is the masterwork of the greatest Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan. The deeply indented coastline between Bodrum and Finike is the venue for multi-day cruises on a gulet, or traditional wooden motor-schooner. The seemingly unsupported dome of Aya Sofya, built during the sixth century as a Byzantine church, is one of the architectural marvels of the world. This marked, well-documented path passes through some of the most scenic portions of the Turquoise Coast, with sections suitable for all abilities. Dramatically built into the side of the Pontic mountains, this Byzantine monastery harbours excellent if damaged frescoes. Although a popular sport across Turkey, the best time to see olive-oil-coated contestants get to grips with each other is during Edirne’s K?rkp?nar Festival. This unspoilt beach, one of the longest in the Mediterranean, is the perfect coda to a visit of the nearby, eponymous ancient city. This ancient city where Saint Paul addressed one of his epistles, is the best preserved of its kind in the Eastern Mediterranean. You may not get the bargain of a lifetime but you can’t beat the banter and the range of products, especially at Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. Arguably the finest collection of mosaics and frescoes in Turkey, adorning a late-Byzantine church. Medieval houses, historic mosques, Syrian Orthodox churches and boutique hotels mingle in the hilltop eyrie of Mardin, high above the sweeping Mesopotamian plain. A delicious snack of paper-thin dough stuffed with everything from spinach and sheep’s cheese to lamb; watching their concoction is part of the fun. The Ottomans introduced the concept of dining alfresco to Europe, and outdoor restaurants or meyhanes do a roaring trade in warmer weather. One of the traditional sensual comforts of Turkey, hamams are a wonderfully relaxing (and cleansing) way to round off a day’s sightseeing. Admirably preserved Ottoman town of exquisite half-timbered mansions and restored public buildings nestled in a ravine. The cobalt blue expanse of Lake Van, Turkey’s largest, is most scenic in late spring or early summer. Strategically astride the Silk Route, this architecturally eclectic seventeenth-century palace is one of eastern Turkey’s most emblematic sites. A fabulous collection of mosaics from ancient Zeugma, a Hellenistic/Roman frontier city now under the waters of a reservoir on the nearby Euphrates. Members of a sect founded by the Konya-based Sufi mystic Celaleddin Rumi conduct “turning” ceremonies to effect union with God.