10 Iconic Archaeological Sites In Türkiye You Need To Visit

TroyaTroya (or Troy) is several settlements built on top of one another, dating from the early Bronze Age to the Greco-Roman period. Thanks to Homer’s “Iliad,” it is one of Türkiye’s most famous ancient highlights.YenikapıYenikapı is notable for the ongoing excavations on its Byzantine port, first discovered in 2004. Archaeologists have unearthed more than 35,000 objects and 36 ships dating from the seventh to the 11th centuries.ÇatalhöyükThis is a mounded accretion due to long-term human settlement of a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-city in southern Anatolia, which existed from approximately 7500 BCE to 5600 BCE.HattuşaOnce the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age, Hattuşa’s ruins lie near modern Boğazkale. The earliest traces of settlement here are from the sixth millennium BCE during the Chalcolithic period.Göbekli TepeThis site in the Southeastern Anatolia region is famous for its large circular structures that contain massive stone pillars—among the world's oldest known megaliths. PergeOriginally an ancient Lycian settlement that later became a Greek city, Perge used to be the capital of the Roman province of Pamphylia Secunda. Its ruins lie 15 kilometres east of Antalya.Nemrut DağıMount Nemrut is home to a collection of colossal statues on a remote mountain 2,150 metres high that adorn the temple and tomb of King Antiochus. Archaeological work began in 1953 to uncover its history.EfesBuilt in the 10th century BCE, this city (also known as Ephesus) was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis, which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.DidymaDidyma is home to a Hellenistic temple that was dedicated to Apollo, the main deity. However, the site also has temples dedicated to Artemis, as well as a Greek theatre.AphrodisiasAphrodisias was named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. During excavations, the Aphrodite Temple, several buildings, a central public space called an agora, and city baths were revealed.Çatalhöyük In Türkiye: Discovering One Of The World's Oldest CitiesRead more