Anatolia, the Asian part of Türkiye, is often called the largest open-air museum in the world. Hittites, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans all left their mark on this land. Here are 10 ancient cities of Anatolia that will stay with you long after you have left.
1. Ephesus
The jewel in the crown. The Library of Celsus, the Great Theatre with its 25,000 seats and the Terrace Houses with their mosaics make it one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the Mediterranean. Read the complete guide to Ephesus.
2. Troy
Homer’s city: nine cities built one on top of another over 4,000 years of history. Here you will find the replica Trojan Horse and the great trench left by Heinrich Schliemann’s excavations. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
3. Pergamon (Bergama)
The capital of a Hellenistic kingdom that rivalled Alexandria. Its Acropolis has a dizzyingly steep theatre cut into the hillside, with views across the valley. The Pergamon Altar, now in Berlin, was one of the masterpieces of the ancient world.
4. Aphrodisias
A city dedicated to Aphrodite, with one of the best-preserved stadiums of the Roman world (it held 30,000 spectators). Its school of sculpture produced works that were exported all over the empire. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017.
5. Hierapolis (Pamukkale)
The spa town set above the travertine terraces. A spectacular theatre, one of the largest necropolises in Anatolia and the mysterious cave of the Ploutonion.
6. Aspendos
Near Antalya, its Roman theatre is probably the best preserved in the world. Estimates of how many spectators it held vary, with the highest at around 15,000. It is still used for concerts, opera and ballet, and the acoustics are superb.
7. Perge
Also near Antalya: colonnaded streets, Roman baths, a stadium and one of the most impressive city gates of the ancient world.
8. Ani
The “city of 1,001 churches”, near Kars, right on the Armenian border. Once the medieval capital of an Armenian kingdom, it has cathedrals, mosques and city walls scattered across a bleak and deeply moving landscape. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
9. Hattusa (Hattuşa)
The capital of the Hittite Empire (1600–1200 BC), whose kings were contemporaries of the Egyptian pharaohs. Look out for the Lion Gate, the Sphinx Gate and the site of the royal archives of cuneiform clay tablets. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
10. Göbekli Tepe
The oldest known temple in the world, near Şanlıurfa: around 12,000 years old, some 7,000 years older than Stonehenge. It has changed our understanding of human history: here, temples came before farming. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How to visit them
Many of these sites are included in our tours of Türkiye. With a private English-speaking guide, every stone comes to life. Plan your own tailor-made archaeology trip.