Ankara

780,580 km²
(19x the Netherlands)

UTC +3

Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic

Agri Dagi (Ararat) - 5,139 m

The current flag is derived from the Ottoman navy flag bearing an 8 pointed star. This flag was adopted in 1844 and remained in use until the end of the Ottoman Empire. After independence in 1923, the contours of the moon and star were slightly adjusted.

The Ottoman Lira was replaced in 1923 by the first Turkish Lira which in turn was replaced in 2005 by the second Turkish Lira with a large number of zeros disappearing from the banknote. Depicted on the banknote is Mustafa Kemal Pasha who was named Atatürk (father of the Turks) since 1934. From 1923 until his death in 1938 he was the first president of the Turkish republic.

There are a large number of frescoes to be found in Turkey. The Aya Sofia in Trabzon is one of the most romantic remnants from the Byzantine Empire. Emperor Manuel I Komnenos built it between 1238 and 1263. Frescoes from the beginning of the Byzantine era can be found in the Sumela monastery. It is located against a steep rock at 300 meters above the Altindere valley. Sumela is the Pontic-Greek corruption of Panayia tou Melas or virgin of the black Rock. She has been honored in this place since the year 385. At Göreme in Cappadocia, there's an open air museum, a monastic settlement with more than 30 churches covered with frescoes which are among the most interesting in the area. The frescoes were painted from the second half of the 9th century to the end of the 11th century. The best known are the three pillar churches: the Elmali Kilise (Apple Church), Karanlik Kilise (Dark Church) and the Carikli Kilise (Sandals Church). The frescoes in these three churches, especially of the Elmali Kilise, are of remarkably high quality but it is not allowed to take pictures or make movies inside.

The Museum of the Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara is highly recommended. There are a lot of finds of the nations and cultures of Anatolia from the late Stone Age to the classical period: Hittite, Phrygian, Urartic and Roman.

At the summit of the Nemrut Dagi is a beautiful, secluded sanctuary. The huge heads at the temple and tomb of king Antiochus are one of the most famous sights in Eastern Turkey. The large tomb and temple complex were built by King Antiochus I Epifanes (64-38 BC), son of Mithridates I Callinicus, founder of the kingdom of Commagene. It was a separation from the Seleucid Empire and covered only a small area: from modern Adiyaman to Gaziantep. The area is only known because Antiochus built the temple here as colossal monument to himself. A 60 meters high tumulus covers the tomb of Antiochus at the summit.

The geological history of Cappadocia starts with three volcanoes: the Erciyes, Hasan and Melendiz. Eruptions dating 30 million years ago covered the former Urgüp plateau with mud and ash, the basic material for tuff. Tuff is a soft type of stone created by compression of volcanic ash. The bizarre shapes were created by erosion of the landscape. The conical chimneys were created at places where the tuff was mixed with harder stone like basalt. Göreme serves as a base for hikes in the valleys around the city.

Not far from the south bank of Lake Van on the island of Akdamar stands the beautiful 10th century Armenian Akdamar Kilisesi (church of the holy cross). It was recently restored at the expense of the Turkish government. The church was built between 915 and 921 by order of Gagik Artsruni, ruler of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan. The facade is beautifully decorated.

Ani was the capital of Armenia under the Bagratids. It is located on a triangular plateau separated from Armenia by the river Ahuryan. The city experienced a period of bloom for three generations At it's peak it had a population of 100,000. More than Baghdad and Constantinople. The Byzantines conquered the city in 1045. The Seljuks conquered Ani in 1064 without much resistance. The Armenians returned after the fall of the Seljuks and the Pahlavuni and Zakhariad clans ruled the area for another two centuries. The Mongol raids in the 13th century, a devastating earthquake in 1319 and new trade routes were the death blow for Ani. The walls at the entrance to the complex are impressive. A number of buildings in the complex remained fairly intact. Hidden behind a path with steps near a wall with a view over the river you'll find the monastery church of St Gregory the Illuminator (Tigran Honents). This church is the best preserved monument of Ani and one of the three churches dedicated to the saint who brought Christianity to Armenia in the 4th century. Construction was the pious initiative of a merchant / nobleman in 1215. It has the only surviving frescoes in Ani.

Ishak Pasa Sarayi is a beautiful romantic palace on a rock above the town of Dogubeyazit. Colak Abdi Pasa was a local chief who started the construction of the palace in 1685. His son Ishak completed it in 1784. By 1875 it had fallen into disrepair. The Turkish army used it as army barracks. Once, it had a beautiful entrance gate with gilded doors but these were stolen by the Russians in 1917 during the withdrawal from Anatolia. They are on display at the Hermitage in St Petersburg.

Diyarbakir is beautifully situated on a steep bank above a bend in the Tigris and is hidden behind enormous medieval city walls of black basalt. The town is a maze of cobblestone streets and alleys. The 6 km long city wall has four huge main gates and several smaller ones and 72 defense towers. The most beautiful mosques and churches within the walls have been restored. The history of the city dates back to about 3000 BC. After the city was successively subdued by the Urarteers, Assyrians and Persians, it was conquered by Alexander the Great and his successors, the Seleucids in the late 4th century. The Romans arrived in 115. Over the next few centuries they and their successors, the Byzantines, fought a fierce battle for the city with the Sassanid Persians. The Romans who knew Diyarbakir as Amida built the first ramparts in 297. The ramparts you see today are the result of Byzantine and Arab renovation. In 638 the Arab Bakr tribe arrived who renamed the city ??Diyar Bakr (Place of the Bakr).