Turkey

Çatalhöyük

A Neolithic settlement in central Anatolia occupied from around 7500–5700 BCE — approximately 9,000 years ago. One of the first known urban settlements in human history, with densely packed mud-brick houses and an organized social structure archaeologists are still mapping.

Karahantepe

A site in southeastern Turkey near Göbekli Tepe, currently under active excavation, that appears to be a peer site to Göbekli Tepe and possibly older. The carvings include realistic human figures unlike anything previously seen at sites of this age. Follow the digs — this is where history is being rewritten.

Sagalassos

A Greek-Roman city on a mountain in the Taurus range at 1,700 meters elevation, abandoned in the 7th century CE and largely intact because no one built on top of it. The theater, baths, and agora survive. Almost no other tourists.

Ephesus

One of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world, with a library facade that photographs dramatically. Two million visitors a year — go early morning to get anything approaching the real experience.

Cappadocia

A volcanic landscape carved over millennia into fairy chimneys and underground cities. The hot air balloon flights at sunrise are expensive and entirely worth it. The underground city of Derinkuyu descends 18 stories.

Istanbul

The only city in the world that spans two continents. The Hagia Sophia, built in 537 CE, was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years. The Grand Bazaar has been operating continuously since 1461.

Best Time to Visit

April–June or September–October — coastal summers are hot, interior Anatolia gets extremes

Currency

Turkish Lira (TRY)

Language

Turkish