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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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East Anatolia
With its high mountain ranges, remote plateaus, lakes and river beds
splashed with colour, plus some of the best Turkish architecture
anywhere, this region of Anatolia brings history to life. Sivas,
Divriği, Erzurum, Battalgazi, Harput, and Ahlat, allcities in this
region, were important centres of Seljuk art. In Eastern Anatolia are
the cities of Ağrı, Bingöl, Bitlis, Elazığ, Erzincan, Erzurum, Hakkari,
Kars, Malatya, Muş, Tunceli, Van, Ardahan and Iğdır, while in the
southeast are the largercities of Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep,
Mardin, Siirt, Şanlıurfa, Batman, Şırnak and Kilis. Travelling around
the east is more challenging, with huge distances between towns,
extremes of climate and fewer facilities, but this is amply compensated
bythe remote beauty, relatively unspoilt scenery and of course
hospitality of the people.
The city of Erzurum is located on a large plane at an altitude of 1950
metres, and contains many religious schools, tombs and mosques from both
the Seljuk and Ottoman period. Kars, in the far northeast, is famous for
its castle, and nearby Ocaklı (Ani)is a historical city with rich
architecture from the 10th and 11th centuries. Mount Ararat (Agri Dagi),
whose peak soars up to 5165 metres, is significant to different
religions. It is believed that after the Flood, in which all humanity
was destroyed, Noah’s ark came to rest on Mount Ararat and as the waters
receded, Noah andhis family settled on the nearby plane of Igdir. As
their numbers increased, they eventually spread along the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers to other parts of Anatolia.
Accordingly, Igdir is seen as the centre from which the second
generation of humanitymultiplied and again spread over the world.The
magnificent palace complex of İshak Paşa, which looks down onto
Dogubeyazit, was built in the late 17th century by the Ottoman governor
Ishak Pasa. The location and appearance of the castle is stunning, and
is made up of a kitchen unit, a mosqueand separate womens and mens
quarters.Lake Van is one of the highlights of the country and a tour of
the entire lake should be made in order to experience the full range of
beauty, including beautiful mountain silhouettes, bays, beaches, islands
and important centres of Turkish culture andart. The city of Van, on the
southeast of the lake, was the capital city of the Urartu empire and Van
Castle, built around 1000 BC, is a marvellous example of that age.
South of Van, the city of Edremit is a poplar vacation spot famous for
its beaches, campsites and restaurants. On the island of Akdamar is a
museum which was originally a 10th century church. As the Tigris and
Euphrates flow towards the planesof Mesopotamia, they pass through an
important region of Anatolia which contains the cities of Diyarbakir,
Mardin, Adıyaman, Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep, which is the oldest cultural
settlement centre in Anatolia. North of Diyarbakır is Çayonu, the
mostimportant neolithic settlement of the area. The basalt walls of
Diyarbakır, which are more than 5km long, are the longest city walls in
the country.Mardin is one of the few cities in the country that has
preserved its traditional aesthetic architecture, and is unique also
because of its unusual location on top of a hill.
The prophet Abraham, who is the father of three different religions,is
believed to have lived in Şanlıurfa and Harran and so are considered to
be sacred places.The Atatürk Dam, built in Bozova near Şanlıurfa, is the
biggest in Turkey and the fourth largest in the world, and the area
around Harran will be the most productive agricultural region of the
country. Gaziantep is the most important industrial andagricultural area
in southeastern Anatolia, and best known for its special varieties of
kebap, lahmacun and baklava, and its Antep pistachios.Northeast of
Adıyaman, on top of Mount Nemrut (Nemrut Dag) is the mausoleum made for
the Commagene King, Antiochus I. On the east and west of the memorial
grave site are the terraces where rituals were carried out, and of
course the world famous hugestatues of the gods, which are best
experienced at sunrise or sunset. Malatya is an important industrial and
agricultural region on the lower Euphrates, famous for its apricots and
the 13th century Ulu Cami mosque in Battalgazi with its beautiful glazed
tiles.
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