15 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Turkey

Turkey is one of the richest lands in the world in both culture and heritage. The country has a total of 15 wonderful cultural and natural sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Turkey first entered the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1985 with five outstanding sites: Göreme National Park, Rock Sites of Cappadocia, the Great Mosque & Hospital of Divriği and the historic areas of Istanbul.

Renowned for its monumental architecture and traditional Anatolian stone carving decorations, this masterpiece, with its two-domed mosque, hospital and tomb, was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.

Built by Hürrem Shah of Ahlat in 1288, the Great Mosque of Divriği is the most splendid example of the mosques built during the Seljuk Period in Anatolia.

The Göreme National Park and Cappadocia were placed on the World Heritage List in 1985 as 7 parts: Göreme National Park, Derinkuyu Underground City, Kaymaklı Underground City, Karlı Church, Theodore Church, Karain Güvercinlikleri (Karain Columbaries) and Soğanlı Archaeological Site.

These sites are a unique design of nature with slopes full of fairy-chimneys, rich water resources at the base of the valley, abundant flora, and numerous rock cut, frescoed churches.

Cappadocia was sculpted out of the tuff of the Erciyes and Hasan mountains, through millions of years by sand and water erosion, and became the seat of several civilizations; it bears silent witness to the cultural history of Anatolia.

Cappadocia also covers underground cities that were used as sanctuaries for long periods and recently renovated and made accessible to visitors.

The Historical Areas of Istanbul, situated on a peninsula surrounded by the Sea of Marmara, Bosphorus, and Golden Horn, were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.

The masterpieces of Istanbul include the ancient Hippodrome of Constantine, the 6th-centrury Hagia Sophia and the 16th-centruy Süleymaniye Mosque are include in the Heritage list under the Historical areas in Istanbul.

UNESCO recognizes four distinct zones in Istanbul:

a. Archaeological Park, including: the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace, the Hippodrome of Constantine, and historic churches dating to the 6th century AD

b. Süleymaniye Quarter, including: the grand Sehzade and Süleymaniye mosques, and the Valens Aqueduct

c. Zeyrek Quarter, including: the Pantocrator Monastery

d. Zone of the Ramparts, including: the remains of fortifications constructed by Theodosius II, Byzantine Emperor of the early to mid-400s

The Hittite capital Hattuşa was added to the list in 1986. From approximately 1600 to 1180 BC, the Hittites established and expanded an empire that at its height covered most of modern-day Turkey, along with slices of Mesopotamia and the Levant.

Their capital was Hattusha, near what is today Boğazkale in the Black Sea region. The ancient imperial city sat atop a rocky hillock and featured a series of protective walls and elaborately carved stone gates — the Lion Gate, seen above, is the best preserved.

The Mount Nemrut in Adıyaman has been a World Heritage Site since1987. The 7,000-ft Mount Nemrut, part of the Eastern Taurus mountain range, stands in southeastern Turkey near the modern city of Adıyaman and is accessible by road during the summer months.

At its summit is a tumulus mound of stones, artificial terraces, and abundant statuary — all suggesting the presence of a royal tomb from the 1st century BC. The heads of the statues have tumbled from their original perches to a lower terrace, but apart from that the work is quite well preserved.

The Hierapolis-Pamukkale in Denizli was added the list in 1988. The seep of hot-spring water over millennia has created a “white castle" of terraced travertine pools in Pamukkale.

The place has served as a spa site for at least 2,200 years. The Greco-Roman town of Hierapolis was established in the second century above the pools, and its ruins — temples, bathhouses, a theater, and more — remain.

The ancient city of Xanthos-Letoon between Muğla and Fethiye has been a world heritage site since 1988. In 540 BC, it fell to the Persians, and was subsequently overtaken by the Greeks and the Romans. A sanctuary dedicated to the mythological figure Leto — mother of Apollo and Artemis — called the Letoon is located nearby.

In 1994, the city of Safranbolu was approved as a World Heritage Site. The city saw its fortunes rise in the 13th century, when it became a key stop on a major east-west Ottoman trade route. Many of the fine structures built over the next few hundred years are well preserved today: mosques, a bathhouse, a historic inn, and religious education facilities. The city also was widely known for its locally grown saffron (hence the name), and production of the spice continues on a small scale today. A heritage of artisan crafts and hospitality also remains in modern Safranbolu.

The archaeological site of Troy was added to the list in 1998. What is known is that the Archaeological Site of Troy tells of 4,000 years of human history.

In recent year, Edirne's Selimiye Mosque and its social complex were added to the list in 2011. The Selimiye Mosque is the focal point of this UNESCO site in Edirne, an ancient city in far western Turkey, near the borders with Greece and Bulgaria.

Constructed between 1569 and 1575, the mosque is the creation of renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan — he considered it his finest work — and features exquisite interior design. Its four slender minarets reach over 270 feet high and dominate the skyline of Edirne to this day. A surrounding complex of schools, a covered market, and a library complete the sit

Çatalhöyük is one of the earlies Neolithic sites in the world yet found. Located near Konya in southern Turkey, it appears to have comprised mainly domestic residences, arranged in a honeycomb-like structure. The population is estimated to have reached 10,000 — an unprecedented metropolis by the standards of the time. The site has been a UNESCO world heritage list since 2012.

The Cumalıkızık village in Bursa, which witnessed the birth of the Ottoman Empire, entered the list in 2014. It's here that Orhan Ghazi, founder of the Ottoman Dynasty, is entombed. And in smaller villages of this broad river valley, especially in Cumalıkızık, the tradition of early Ottoman life is still practiced with cobblestone lanes and preserved architectural styles.

Izmir's ancient city of Pergamon and its multi-layered cultural landscape have been on the list of World Heritage Sites since 2014. Pergamon is the most prominent example of Turkey's ties to Greco-Roman history.

The city was ruled off and on by both Greeks and Persians in antiquity; its heyday came in the Hellenistic period, when it served as the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon under the Attalids.

The site was added in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015. Sitting on the banks of the Upper Tigris River, today's Diyarbakır surrounds the sprawling site of the old city and fortress, with its preserved walls and watchtowers, ruins, and elevated views out over the river basin. The Hevsel Gardens form a green corridor that connects the city to the Tigris and once provided food and water for those living within the walls.

Diyarbakır's strategic location between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers places it in the Fertile Crescent, a region that's regarded by historians as “the cradle of civilization." This is one of the country's newest World Heritage Sites.

Ephesus is another site in Turkey that recently added to the World heritage list. Serving as a capital of the Kingdom of Arzawa as early as 1500 BC and later falling under Greek control, many of the structures that remain today date to the Roman period starting in 129 BC.

The status of Ephesus in antiquity was legendary — it was one of the 12 cities of the Ionian League under the Greeks; the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; and was one the largest cities in the Roman Empire. It was also home to the Apostles Paul and John and features in early Christian texts.

Today, the main sites at Ephesus include the Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre, the Basilica of St. John, and the nearby Ephesus Archaeological Museum.