Turkey Top Ancient Sites

10 Ancient Sites In Turkey

It is time to explore Turkey’s natural beauties as well as its historical and cultural beauties.

Ephesus Ancient City

The ancient city of Ephesus is the most important ancient city in Turkey and is one of the best preserved and restored ancient cities to this day. You can wander its streets for hours, passing temples, theaters, libraries, houses and statues.

The impressive library of Celsus, the theatre, The Temple of Hadrian, the magnificent temple of Artemis, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the world, are important ruins where you can see large public buildings in the ancient city of Ephesus.
The ruins also include public toilets and even most of them dating back to the 4th century BC. there is even a century-old brothel.

Ruins of Ani

The ruins of Ani are located on a secluded plateau in northeastern Turkey, overlooking a valley that forms a natural border with Armenia. This medieval city of Kars combines residential, religious and military structures that are characteristic of medieval urbanism, built over the centuries by Christian and later Muslim dynasties.These ruins, 7 AD. and 13. it provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of medieval architecture through examples of almost all the different architectural innovations of the region over the centuries.

Gobeklitepe

Göbeklitepe, which is recorded as the First Temple in the world, is one of the most important archaeological sites. Neolithic archaeological remains were first unearthed in the 60s. Architecture was far ahead of its time.
21. there are significant reasons to claim that Göbeklitepe was the most important archaeological discovery of the century. First of all, this ancient city dates back 12 thousand years. In other words, it is about 8 thousand years older than the pyramids and 7 thousand years older than Stonehenge. Moreover, it is even older than man’s transition to settled life. Thus, contrary to popular opinion, prior to the establishment of the first cities, this city proves the existence of religious beliefs.

The findings of researchers in Göbeklitepe show that even at such an early age, a religious class existed, the division of society into social classes took place long before widely accepted dates, and perhaps the first agricultural activity in the region may have been carried out.
Göbeklitepe, for his contributions to human history

Hattusas

The archaeological site of Hattusha, the ancient capital of the Hittite Empire, its urban organization, protected types of construction (temples, royal residences, fortifications), the rich decoration of The Lion Gate and the Royal Gate fascinate those who see it.

Also known as the rock art community in yazilikaya, you can witness the life of the people in this region thousands of years ago. City, 2 BC. it had a significant influence in Anatolia and northern Syria during the Millennium.

Knidos Ancient Site

Knidos is one of the largest ancient cities in southwestern Turkey. The ancient city of Knidos, famous for its statues of Dionysus, Athena and Aphrodite, is located 35 km west of the Datça District of Muğla.
M.He. 13. dating back to the century, Knidos is located on the border of the Aegean and the Mediterranean. It’s like an open-air museum.

The ancient city of Knidos, one of the most important historical sites of the region, was famous in antiquity for its many large amphitheatres. At the same time, the Temple of Aphrodite, where there is a beautiful statue of the goddess carved by Praxiteles, one of the most famous artists of antiquity, is among the most beautiful ruins.

Milet (Miletos) Ancient Site

The ancient city of Miletus was an ancient port in Caria, Western Asia Minor. At the settlement of the Aegean (approx.He.1000) was occupied by the Greeks and became one of the principal cities of Ionia.
M.He. He pioneered colonization in the eighth century, especially in the Black Sea. The miletans were strong enough to resist the Lydian Kings and were not harassed by the Persians. In 499 BC, however, they provoked the revolt of the Ionian Greeks against the Persians; the Persians sacked the city (494 BC).

Zeugma

The ancient city of Zeugma was once an important city of the Kingdom of Commagene. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River, about 50 km from the city of Gaziantep.

It takes its name from the bridge of boats, which in ancient times connected the river banks at the site and formed one of the region’s three major river crossings.
A significant part of this archaeological site has now been lost under the waters of the Birecik Dam, and its most magnificent works – extraordinary mosaics – are now on display at the magnificent Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep.

Catalhoyuk Ancient Site

Çatalhöyük is one of the most important of the ancient cities in Turkey. It is based on two hills forming an area of 37 hectares in southern Anatolia. The longer Eastern mound contains eighteen levels of Neolithic settlement between 7400 BC and 6200 BC, including murals, reliefs, sculptures, and other symbolic and artistic features.

History of Çatalhöyük

people witness the evolution of social organization and cultural practices while adapting to a still life.
The Western mound shows the development of cultural practices during the Chalcolithic period from 6200 BC to 5200 BC. Çatalhöyük provides important evidence of the transition from established villages to urban agglomerations, which has been going on in the same place for more than 2,000 years. It has a unique layout of streetless homes clustered back-to-back with rooftop access to the buildings.

Olympos

The ancient city of Olympos is located within the borders of Kemer district of Antalya province of the Mediterranean region in Turkey. Olympos, a member of the Lycian Union, was a maritime trading city.
Let’s tell those who wonder where the ancient city of Olympos is, 70 km from Antalya, near Cirali, is located on the Sea coast.

In the ancient city of Olympos, there are many Roman and Byzantine ruins that you can visit. There are many springs with cold, drinkable water in the places where the ancient city spread. These waters have led to the area being covered with many plant species.
However, this overgrown vegetation can make you lose sight of some historic sites in the area. The ancient city of Olympos should be seen not only in terms of historical ruins, but also in terms of rich vegetation diversity.

Aphrodisias

The archaeological site of Aphrodisias and the marble quarries to the northeast of the city, the site, located in the Upper Valley of the Morsynus River, in southwestern Turkey, consists of two components.

Temple of Aphrodite

In the 3 BC. it dates from a century, and the city was built a century later. Aphrodisias ‘ wealth comes from marble quarries and art produced by his sculptors.
The city streets are organized around several large civic structures, including temples, a theater, an agora, and two bath complexes.