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Turkey UNESCO world heritage sites

Adiyaman province [capital = Adiyaman]

Mount Nemrut in Kahta at Nemrut Dagi Yolu
Its complex design and colossal scale combined to create a project unequalled in the ancient world. A highly developed technology was used to build the colossal statues and orthostats (stelae), the equal of which has not been found anywhere else for this period. The syncretism of its pantheon and the lineage of its kings, which can be traced back through two sets of legends, Greek and Persian, is evidence of the dual origin of this kingdom's culture.

Afyonkarahisar province [capital = Afyon(karahisar)]

Ulu Mosque in Afyon(karahisar) at Mescioglu Sokak 13
A wooden beam roof covering nine naves is supported by 40 wooden columns with well-executed capitals in stalactite decoration.

Ankara province [capital = Ankara]

Aslanhane Mosque in Ankara at Kale Sk.
Built during the reign of Mesud II of the Anatolian Seljuks in 1290, the mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Turkey still standing.

Gordion Ancient City in Yassıhüyük
The key elements of this archaeological site include the Citadel Mound, the Lower Town, the Outer Town and Fortifications, and several burial mounds and tumuli with their surrounding landscape.

Antalya province [capital = Antalya]

Xanthos tombs in Kinik on Kinik Mahallesi
The rock-cut tombs, pillar tombs and pillar-mounted sarcophagi in Xanthos are unique examples of ancient funerary architecture.

Aydin province [capital = Aydin]

Aphrodisias archaeological site in Karacasu on Geyre Mahallesi + Palamutcuk Mahallesi
Located in southwestern Turkey, in the upper valley of the Morsynus River, the site consists of two components: the archaeological site of Aphrodisias and the marble quarries northeast of the city.

Bursa province [capital = Bursa]

Birth of the Ottoman Empire in Busra see detail
The site illustrates the creation of an urban and rural system establishing the Ottoman Empire in the early 14th century.

Canakkale province [capital = Canakkale]

Archaeological Site of Troy in Kalafat Koyu at Trojan Ruins
The archaeological site of Troy is of immense significance in the understanding of the development of European civilization at a critical stage in its early development. It documents an uninterrupted settlement sequence over more than 3,000 years and bears witness to the succession of civilisations.

Corum province [capital = Corum]

Archaeological Site of Hattusha in Bogazkale see detail
The archaeological site of Hattusha, former capital of the Hittite Empire, is notable for its urban organization, the types of construction that have been preserved (temples, royal residences, fortifications), the rich ornamentation of the Lions' Gate and the Royal Gate, and the ensemble of rock art at Yazilikaya.

Denizli province [capital = Denizli]

Hierapolis in Pamukkale @
Deriving from springs in a cliff almost 200 m high overlooking the plain of Cürüksu in south-west Turkey, calcite-laden waters have created an unreal landscape, made up of mineral forests, petrified waterfalls and a series of terraced basins given the name of Pamukkale (Cotton Palace). Located in the province of Denizli, this extraordinary landscape was a focus of interest for visitors to the nearby Hellenistic spa town of Hierapolis, founded by the Attalid kings of Pergamom at the end of the 2nd century B.C., at the site of an ancient cult. Its hot springs were also used for scouring and drying wool. Ceded to Rome in 133 B.C., Hierapolis flourished, reaching its peak of importance in the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D., having been destroyed by an earthquake in 60 A.D. and rebuilt. Remains of the Greco-Roman period include baths, temple ruins, a monumental arch, a nymphaeum, a necropolis and a theatre.

Diyarbakir province [capital = Diyarbakir]

Fortress and Gardens in Diyarbakir at Castle Diyarbakir + Hevsel Gardens
The property includes the impressive Diyarbakir City Walls of 5800 metres – with its many towers, gates, buttresses and 63 inscriptions from different historical periods; and the fertile Hevsel Gardens that link the city with the Tigris River and supplied the city with food and water.

Edirne province [capital = Edirne]

Selimiye Mosque in Edirne at Meydan Mahallesi, Mimar Sinan Cd.
The complex is considered to be the most harmonious expression ever achieved of the Ottoman külliye, a group of buildings constructed around a mosque and managed as a single institution.

Eskişehir province [capital = Eskişehir]

Ulu Mosque in Sivrihisar at Kubbeli Ordu Caddesi 1
The mosque is a rare example of wooden-columned architectural technique in Anatolia.

Istanbul province [capital = Istanbul]

Historic Areas in Istanbul see detail
The Outstanding Universal Value of Istanbul resides in its unique integration of architectural masterpieces that reflect the meeting of Europe and Asia over many centuries, and in its incomparable skyline formed by the creative genius of Byzantine and Ottoman architects.

Izmir province [capital = Izmir]

Ephesus in Selcuk see detail
The extensive remains of the Basilica of St. John on Ayasuluk Hill and those of the Church of Mary in Ephesus are testament of the city’s importance to Christianity. Two important Councils of the early Church were held at Ephesus in 431 and 449 CE, initiating the veneration of Mary in Christianity, which can be seen as a reflection of the earlier veneration of Artemis and the Anatolian Cybele. Ephesus was also the leading political and intellectual centre, with the second school of philosophy in the Aegean, and Ephesus as a cultural and intellectual centre had great influence on philosophy and medicine.

Pergamon in Bergama on Hamzalisuleymaniye Mahallesi
The exceptional composition of monuments includes the extremely steep theatre, the lengthy stoa, a three-terraced Gymnasium, the Great Altar of Pergamon, the tumuli, pressured water pipelines, the city walls, and the Kybele Sanctuary which was perfectly aligned with Kale Hill.

Karabuk province [capital = Karabuk]

Ottoman City of Safranbolu at Arasta Sok
Its layout demonstrates the organic growth of the town in response to economic expansion, and its buildings are representative of its evolving socio-economic structure up to the disappearance of the traditional caravan routes and beyond. Safranbolu consists of three distinct historic districts; the market place area of the inner city, known as Cukur, the area of Kirankoy, and Baglar (the Vineyards).

Kars province [capital = Kars]

Archaeological Site of Ani in Ocakli Koyu on Ocakli Koyu Yolu
The principal area of the property consists of architectural remains located in three zones: the citadel, which includes the ruins of the Kamsaragan palace, Palace church, Midjnaberd church, Sushan Pahlavuni church, the Karamadin church and the church with Six Apses; the outer citadel or walled city which includes amongst others the Fire Temple, Cathedral, Ramparts of Smbat II, Emir Ebu’l Muammeran Complex, Seljuk Palace, domestic architecture, the market, and the Silk Road Bridge; and the area outside the city walls. Rock-carved structures on the slopes of one of the valleys surrounding the city, the Bostanlar Creek, are also part of the property.

Kastamonu province [capital = Kastamonu]

Mahmut Bey Mosque in Kasaba on Kasaba Koyu Yolu
The mosque is unique in its building technique for no cement is used in the construction, except for the mihrab. The roof too was constructed without using any metal element.

Kayseri province [capital = Kayseri]

Soganli Valley in Yesilhisar on Soganli Mahallesi
The valley was inhabited by Byzantine monks from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. They are responsible for around a hundred churches that have been found in the valley and connected rock-cut houses and cloisters, most of which are now buried, ruined, or used as stables.

Konya province [capital = Konya]

Neolithic Site of Catalhoyuk in Cumra at Kucukkoy Mahallesi, Catalhoyuk Yolu
Catalhoyuk provides important evidence of the transition from settled villages to urban agglomeration, which was maintained in the same location for over 2,000 years. It features a unique streetless settlement of houses clustered back to back with roof access into the buildings.

Efeoğlu Mosque in Beyşehir at İçerişehir
After seven centuries, unlike most other Seljuk wooden buildings, this mosque survives and it is used for regular services. The wooden columns are made of cedar and according to oral tradition they were soaked in the Beyşehir lake for six months before being used in the building. At the center of the mosque there is a snow pit. Up to relatively recent times (1940s), the pit was used to be filled with snow from the nearby mountains. This snow both cooled the mosque during the summers and supplied the necessary humidity to the wooden infrastructure.

Malatya province [capital = Malatya]

Arslantepe Mound in Malatya at Orduzu
The earliest layers of the Early Uruk period are characterized by adobe houses from the first half of the 4th millennium BCE. The most prominent and flourishing period of the site was in the Late Chalcolithic period, during which the so-called palace complex was constructed. Considerable evidence also testifies to the Early Bronze Age period, most prominently identified by the Royal Tomb complex. The archaeological stratigraphy then extends to the Paleo-Assyrian and Hittite periods, including Neo-Hittite levels.

Mugla province [capital = Mugla]

Letoon sanctuary in Kumluova on Kumluova Mahallesi
In the sanctuary of Letoon, three temples are dedicated to Leto, Artemis and Apollo. In addition, the site includes the ruins of a nymphaeum dating back to Hadrian, built on a water source that was considered sacred.

Nevsehir province [capital = Nevsehir]

Rock Site in Goreme at Goreme National Park
In a spectacular landscape dramatically demonstrating erosional forces, the Göreme Valley and its surroundings provide a globally renowned and accessible display of hoodoo landforms and other erosional features, which are of great beauty, and which interact with the cultural elements of the landscape.

Rock Site in Karain at N38 35 41.00 E34 59 55.70
See above.

Rock Site in Karlik at N38 34 25.00 E34 59 53.60
See above.

Rock Site in Yesiloz at N38 33 15.80 E35 0 13.10
See above.

Subterranean city in Kaymakli at N38 28 9.00 E34 46 48.30
The houses in the village are constructed around the nearly one hundred tunnels of the underground city. The tunnels are still used today as storage areas, stables, and cellars.

Subterranean city in Derinkuyu at N38 24 20.40 E34 45 27.50
The city could accommodate up to 20,000 people and had amenities found in other underground complexes across Cappadocia, such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels. Unique to the Derinkuyu complex and located on the second floor is a spacious room with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. It has been reported that this room was used as a religious school and the rooms to the left were studies.

Sanliurfa province [capital = Sanliurfa]

Monuments in Gobekli Tepe on Dagetegi Mahallesi
Located in the Germus mountains of south-eastern Anatolia, this property presents monumental round-oval and rectangular megalithic structures erected by hunter-gatherers in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic age between 9,600 and 8,200 BCE. These monuments were probably used in connection with rituals, most likely of a funerary nature. Distinctive T-shaped pillars are carved with images of wild animals, providing insight into the way of life and beliefs of people living in Upper Mesopotamia about 11,500 years ago.

Sivas province [capital = Sivas]

Great Mosque and Hospital in Divrigi at Kemenkeş Mahallesi, Ulu Cami Cd.
In 1228–29 Emir Ahmet Shah founded a mosque, with its adjoining hospital, at Divrigi. The mosque has a single prayer room and is crowned by two cupolas. The highly sophisticated technique of vault construction, and a creative, exuberant type of decorative sculpture – particularly on the three doorways, in contrast to the unadorned walls of the interior – are the unique features of this masterpiece of Islamic architecture.