One of the more unknown regions is Central Anatolia (İç Anadolu), the actual historical heartland of the Turks. In terms of landscape, Central Anatolia is characterized not only by some wooded low mountain ranges, the Taurus Mountains in the southern part and the tuff landscapes of Cappadocia, but also by dry steppe areas of the inner Anatolian plateau. Central Anatolia is known for its hot summers (cold nights!) and frosty winters.
Worth seeing and of historical importance are the two former parliament buildings from the early republican period, which now serve as museums, and the old citadel in the city centre. The “Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi)”, known as the “Hittite Museum”, enjoys an international reputation as one of the most important archaeological museums in the world. Near the old town, in the Kocatepe district, rises the mighty Kocatepe Mochee, inaugurated in 1987.
A good 200 km south of the capital Ankara, the city of Konya is located on a plateau flanked by mountains up to 2,300 m high. The place, which was already populated in pre-Christian times, was the residence of the powerful Rum Seljuk sultans in the Middle Ages. Today Konya is known as a centre of conservative Islamic movements.
Eskişehir, surrounded by mountains and forests, is culturally influenced by its two major universities. The city, known for its meerschaum tradition (“Stone of Eskişehir”), boasts excellent cultural offerings such as opera performances, concerts and the annual “International Eskişehir Festival” as well as the “Kent Park” adventure park.
Until recently, the area's residents used the softness of the rock to build apartments, Christian religious buildings, storerooms and stables, as well as hiding places from marauding strangers. Over time, entire settlement complexes with up to 10,000 inhabitants emerged, some of which were connected by corridors. One of the most famous of these cave cities is Göreme, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and is located near Nevşehir.
Anyone who walks through Niğde Museum of Art History with open eyes will certainly come across the name Tyana several times, an ancient metropolis that has so far been little known from a tourist point of view.
Like so many before us, we are on our way to an increasingly popular destination: the Tinaztepe Caves, because a trip to the Tinaztepe Cave (Tinaztepe Mağarsı) is worthwhile just because of the drive through the wild and romantic mountains of the Taurus Mountains.
Since the current wind conditions on Karadag were not suitable for paragliding, we decided at short notice to take a day trip from Karaman to the Aladağlar Mountains.
Sivrihisar, called Justianapolis in Roman times, is an Anatolian city near the motorway from Eskişehir to Ankara at the junction to Afyonkarahisar and on to Izmir.
The city, like the Çankırı district of the same name, is located about 140 kilometers northeast of Ankara in a wide valley at about 800 meters above sea level.
The Güney waterfall, called Güney Şelalesi in Turkish, is a waterfall in the Denizli province in western Turkey not far from the city of Aydin.
The caves, rock houses and grand stone formations in Turkey's Cappadocia region draw tourists from around the world. Nestled among these natural wonders, however, lies a village where the earth is believed to deliver death rather than rewards.