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Marmara Region
Balikesir
Bilecik
Bursa
Canakkale
Edirne
Kocaeli-izmit
Kirklareli
Sakarya
Tekirdag
Yalova
Istanbul
Aegean Region
Afyon
Aydin
Denizli
Kutahya
Manisa
Mugla
Usak
Izmir
Black Sea Region
Amasya
Artvin
Bartin
Bayburt
Bolu
Cankiri
Duzce
Giresun
Gumushane
Karabuk
Kastamonu
Ordu
Rize
Samsun
Sinop
Tokat
Trabzon
Zonguldak
The Mediterranean
Adana
Antalya
Burdur
Hatay
Isparta
Kahramanmaras
Osmaniye
Icel
Central Anatolia
Aksaray
Ankara
Corum
Eskisehir
Karaman
Kayseri
Konya
Kirikkale
Kirsehir
Nevsehir
Nigde
Sivas
Yozgat
East Anatolia
Agri
Ardahan
Bingol
Bitlis
Elazig
Erzincan
Erzurum
Hakkari
Igdir
Kars
Malatya
Mus
Tunceli
Van
South East Anatolia
Adiyaman
Batman
Diyarbakir
Gaziantep
Kilis
Mardin
Sanliurfa
Siirt
Sirnak
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Central Anatolia
This central region is now the heart of modern Turkey's political life,
and has been the centre of many significant societies and civilisations
throughout history. The main cities in this region are Ankara, Cankiri,
Eskisehir, Kayseri, Kirsehir,Konya, Nevsehir, Nigde, Sivas, Yozgat,
Aksaray, Karaman and Kirikkale.
Ankara, the modern-day capital, is located squarely in the middle of
Central Anatolia and has been planned and developed for a contemporary
society. The most visually impressive structure here is the Anitkabir
mausoleum built for Ataturk, who foundedthe modern Republic of Turkey by
winning the War for Independence and then made Ankara its capital.
The Museum of Anatolian Civilisations is among the best museums in the
country, and has exhibits from Anatolian dating from 50,000 BC to the
2nd centuryAD.In the surrounding areas, there are important settlements
from early Anatolian civilisations. The Hittites migrated to the
Anatolian plateau from the Caucus Mountains and set up the first kingdom
in history to encompass the whole of Anatolia, from theBlack Sea to the
Mediterranean and from the Aegean Sea stretching east. The capital of
the Hittite Empire Hattushash, with massive walls and full of temples,
(now Bogazkale) and the second largest city Shapinuva are both located
northeast of Ankara in the province of Corum. Reliefs of all of the
Hittite gods and goddessescan be seen in the open air temple in nearby
Yazilikaya, which was an important pantheon of the Hittites.
Alacahoyuk is another important settlement, and is known for the
sphinxes which can be seen at the city gates.Around the time of 1200 BC,
the Phrygians came to the Anatolian Plateau from Europe and established
their capital, Gordion, near Polatli west of Ankara. Alexander the Great
was supposed to have become the ruler of Asia by virtue of 'undoing'
Gordion'sknot with his sword. The tomb of the Phrygian king Midas, who
according to legend turned everything he touched into gold, is located
near Gordion. Near Eskisehir and Afyon there are a number of Phrygian
cities and places of worship.South of the vast fertile Konya plane on
the northern slopes of the Toros Mountains, Catalhoyuk is one of the
world’s oldest cities. Dating back to the Neolithic Era, it was an
important cultural centre with many temples decorated with frescoes
bycity artisans.
Konya and the surrounding regions would later be ruled during the
Chalcolithic, Bronze, Hittite, Phrygian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and
Byzantine eras. It became the capital city of the Seljuk Empire in the
12th century andconsequently experienced the most important Renaissance
period of its long history. In the 13th century, Konya was completely
transformed with Selcuk architecture.The great Turkish philosopher
Mevlana, who believed in human love and said that mystical unity with
God could be reached by the Sema, a whirling dance to music performed by
the dervishes, lived in Konya and established a following here.Every
year in December, Konya holds a Mevlana Week which includes performances
of the Sema. Mevlana is buried with his father Bahaeddin Veled in the
Green Tomb (Yesil Turbe), which has become the symbol of the city. The
Dervish Lodge and MevlanaMuseum adjacent to the tomb are open to the
public.
Southwest of Konya is Beysehir Lake, a relatively undiscovered paradise
full of natural beauty, and nearby Kubad Abad has the summer home of the
Seljuk rulers, and a castle on Kizkalesi Island. The Esrefoglu Mosque
and Tomb, in Beysehir, are importantexamples of the wooden architecture
of the Selcuk.Northwest towards Aksehir is the home of Nasreddin Hoca,
the famous 13th century folk philosopher whose brilliant wit, quick
retorts and stories with subtle meanings is renowned far beyond the
borders of Turkey. This much-loved icon died in 1284 andhis tomb in
Aksehir is the symbol of the city.
In the Eskisehir region, the great poet Yunus Emre is buried in the
village named after him. He was considered to be an eminent pioneer of
Turkish poetry, who used language, idioms and concepts of the ordinary
man in an unpretentious fashion to conveydivine justice, love and
friendship. Many people pay respects to his work by visiting his grave.
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CITIES
