Gaziantep
This small museum provides both information and inspiration for exploring Gaziantep's unique culinary traditions. English-language translations are key…
Must-see attractions in Southeastern Anatolia
Şanlıurfa
On Vali Fuat Caddesi, which leads up from behind Gölbaşı, is this enormous, beautifully restored mosque. It was once St John's Church, as evidenced by the…
Southeastern Anatolia
If you have your own wheels, you can stop off at this small waterfall about 7km from Darende in the village of Günpınar (signposted off the Kayseri road)…
Mardin
One of the best examples of Mardin's early-20th-century architecture can still be seen while walking down 1 Caddesi. Built in 1909, the Şahkulubey Mansion…
Gaziantep
This central park is a shady green haven for picnicking families and courting 20-somethings. If you're travelling with wee ones, there's decent playground…
Şanlıurfa
According to local lore, this mosque, dating to the 13th century, is built upon the spot where Abraham fell safely back to ground after God saved him from…
Şanlıurfa
Urfa's Syrian-style Ulu Cami dates from the period 1170–75. Its 13 eyvans (vaulted halls) open onto a spacious forecourt with a tall tower topped by a…
Southeastern Anatolia
About 6km east of the Bazda Caves are the remains of the Seljuk Han el Ba'rur, a caravanserai built in 1128 to service the local trade caravans.
Şanlıurfa
To admire some typical local architecture, pop into the Şurkav, a local government building near the entrance to Hotel Edessa, where the courtyard is…
Gaziantep
This 15th-century mosque has been finely restored. Of particular note, it has an interesting baroque-style mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca…
Southeastern Anatolia
This twin-minaret, very late Ottoman mosque (1912–13) sits right in the heart of the city, just south of the bazaar.
Gaziantep Defence & Heroism Panoramic Museum
Gaziantep
This small museum, tucked into the walls of the castle, remembers the 1920 defence of the city against the French.
Şanlıurfa
The eastern entrance to the Gölbaşı area is marked by this mosque, which was built in the 15th century.
Southeastern Anatolia
About 20km east of town, the impressive Bazda Caves (signed 'Bazda Mağaları') are supposed to have been used to build the walls of Harran.
Şanlıurfa
This finely restored mosque was once the Armenian Church of the Twelve Apostles.
Şanlıurfa
Urfa's backstreets have many distinctive limestone houses with protruding bays supported on stone corbels. This is one of the best restored examples of…
Southeastern Anatolia
The little museum in the Somuncu Baba complex displays a collection of costumes, weapons, samovars (decorated tea urns) and other objects from traditional…
Southeastern Anatolia
The crumbling stone city walls were once 4km long and studded with 187 towers and four gates. Of these, only the overly restored Aleppo Gate, near the new…
Şanlıurfa
This little mosque, with its entrance squeezed between market stalls, was built in the mid-18th century.
Southeastern Anatolia
The Valiliği (provincial governor's building) is a prominent landmark in central Malatya.
Şanlıurfa
Urfa's town hall is a good landmark in the modern section of the city centre.
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakýr's single most conspicuous feature is its great circuit of basalt walls, probably dating from Roman times, although the present walls date from…
Diyarbakır
Predominantly owned by Armenian families, Diyarbakır houses were made of black basalt and decorated with stone stencilling. They were divided into summer…
Diyarbakır
Fortunately, the most easily accessible stretch of walls is also the most interesting in terms of inscriptions and decoration. Start near the Mardin…
Diyarbakır
About 1km south of the Mardin Kapısı, the fine Gazi Köşkü is the sort of Diyarbakır house to which wealthier citizens would retire during summer. The…
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır's Archaeology Museum was closed at the time of writing, and scheduled to reopen in 2015 inside an old prison in İç Kale. Ask at the tourist…
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır's most impressive mosque is the Ulu Cami, built in 1091 by a Seljuk sultan. Incorporating elements from an earlier Byzantine church on the site…
Diyarbakır
Fortunately, the most easily accessible stretch of walls is also the most interesting in terms of inscriptions and decoration. Start near the Mardin…
Diyarbakır
Fortunately, the most easily accessible stretch of walls is also the most interesting in terms of inscriptions and decoration. Start near the Mardin…
Diyarbakır
The population of Diyarbakır once included many Christians, mainly Armenians and Chaldeans, but most of them were pushed out or perished during the…
Diyarbakır
This Armenian church has been reopened after a wonderful restoration. Highlights include a superb wooden ceiling, and the church's cloisters showcase…
Diyarbakır
At the main intersection of Gazi and İzzet Paşa/İnönü Caddesis, is Nebi Camii, featuring a detached minaret sporting a stunning combination of black-and…
Diyarbakır
The poet Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı (1910–56) was born in this two-storey black basalt house built in 1820 in a side street about 50m north of the Ulu Cami. It…
Diyarbakır
The Şeyh Mutahhar Camii is famous for its minaret, but its engineering is even more interesting – the tower stands on four slender pillars about 2m high,…
Diyarbakır
The beautiful grey-and-white-striped Esma Ocak Evi was built in 1899 by the Armenian Şakarer family and restored in 1996 by the female writer, Esma Ocak…
