TURKEYWONDERS OF OUR

COUNTRY

SELIMIYE MOSQUE,EDİRNE

The Selimiye Mosque is an Ottoman mosque in the city of

Edirne, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Sultan Selim II and was built by architect MimarSinan between 1569 and 1575.

It was considered by Sinan to be his masterpiece and is one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture

BIG ISLAND, ISTANBULBig island consists of two peaks. The one

nearest to the iskele (ferry landing), İsa Tepesi (meaning Jesus Hill in Turkish) is topped by the former Greek orphanage, a huge wooden building now in decay. In thevalley between the two hills sit the churchand monastery of Agios Nikolaos.

Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid was born in

1901 on the island. For the first half of the

20th century, the island was popular

among prosperous Greeks, Jews,

Armenians and Turks.The population of the

island today is about 7,000 people. As on

the other eight islands, motorized vehicles

– except service vehicles – are forbidden,

so visitors explore the island by foot,

bicycle, in horse-drawn carriages, or by

riding donkeys.

EPHESUS, IZMIR• Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a

major Roman city , on the west coast Selcuk, a province of Izmir,. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era. In the Roman period, it was for many years the second largest city of the Roman Empire; ranking behind Rome, the empire's capital. Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation. The Gospel of John may have been written here. The city was the site of several 5th century Christian Councils. It is also the site of a large gladiators' graveyard. Archaeological remains at Ephesus elegantly

reconciles historic conservation with accessibilityfor visitors. In 356 BC the Greeks built theArtemesium (a colossal Ionic temple dedicated toArtemis, the fertility goddess) which was one of theSeven Wonders of the ancient world. During the2nd century BC, Ephesus was the fourth largest cityin the eastern Roman Empire, famous for itsArtemesium, the Library of Celsus and its medicalschool.It became the leading seaport of the region. Its wealth was proverbial.

SEFERIHISAR ,IZMIRSeferihisar is located within the borders of

İzmir in the Aegean region. The oldestsettlement on Seferihisar district grounds is Teos, thought to be a Carian city, establishedby Cretans that escaped from the Akas in 2000 B.C. Among Seferihisar’s strong points are itsfamous mandarins, its sun, rich geothermaland wind energy resources, and historicalriches.

CITTASLOW SEFERIHISAR

The term Cittaslow, derived from the Italianword Citta (city) and the English word Slow, means calm city. Seferihisar is the first town in Turkey that has become the member of Cittaslow association. The concept of Cittaslowbecame a road map for local governments, andprotects the future of the towns.

MANYAS LAKE, BALIKESIR• Lake Manyas which is also called Bird

Lake is a lake in western Turkey, located in the Bandırma region. An estimated 255 species of birds visit Bird Paradise National park at the edge of Kuş Gölü,the lake formerly known as Manyas Gölü located on the great migratory paths between Europe and Asia, the park is a happy combination of plant cover,reed beds and a lake that supports at least 20 species of fish.

Manyas Lake is an important site forbreeding and wintering waterbirds.Morethan 270 species of birds have beenrecorded at the lake. Important birdspecies include White-headed Duck, Eurasian Spoonbill , Greater Flamingo , plus breeding populations of thevulnerable Dalmatian Pelican. MigratingGreat White Pelicans often roost at thelake.

DOLMABAHÇE PALACE• Dolmabahçe Palace located in Istanbul,

Turkey, on the European coastline of the Bosphorus strait, served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922, apart from a 22-year interval in which Yıldız Palace was used. Dolmabahçe Palace was ordered by the Empire's 31st Sultan, Abdülmecid I, and built between the years 1843 and 1856.

Dolmabahçe Palace was home to six sultans from 1856, when it was first inhabited, up until the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924. The last royal to live here was Caliph Abdülmecid Efendi. A law that went into effect on March 3, 1924 transferred the ownership of the palace to the national heritage of the new Turkish Republic. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey, used the palace as a presidential residence during the summers and enacted some of his most important works here. Atatürk spent the last days of his medical treatment in this palace, where he died on November 10, 1938

KEKOVA-SIMENA, ANTALYAKekova is a small island near Kaş ,a district of

Antalya province.Simena is a popular Lycian site,

situated upon one of the most attractive spots of

the Turkish coast. Kekova means "plain of thyme"

and describes the region encompassing the island

of Kekova, the villages of Kaleköy and Üçağiz and

the three ancient towns of Simena, Teimussa and

shipyard, as its bay was the site of an ancient

shipyard, with mostly Byzantine ruins. Both

Simena and Teimussa have a large

necropolis. Teimussa is now the village of Üçağiz,

where boats set off for tours of the area.

The Kekova region was declared a Specially

Protected Area in 1990 to protect the natural,

cultural and geographic richness of Kekova

Island and surrounding coast. Kekova-Simena

is an enjoyable place to visit for its great

beauty and charm. It is a peaceful place of

history, gorgeous turquoise water, sun,

islands, unspoilt nature .

The city is a charming mix of ancient, medieval and modern history making it interesting. It had been used as thecommercial and military base of this areasince the 5th century BC. In ancient timesSimena was a small fishing village and waslater an outpost of the Knights of Rhodes . On its northern side there are the partlysunken ruins of an ancient town which wasdestroyed by an earthquake during the 2nd century.

The dockyard with the ruins of a Byzantinechurch is at the northwest and half of thehouses are submerged and staircasesdescended into the water. Basements of buildings and the ancient harbor are also seenbelow the sea.

ANI RUINS, KARSSt Mary's Cathedral began to be

constructed as the cathedral of Ani in the city center in 1010 on the time of Sembat II. Itwas completed during Gagik I. After theconquest of Ani by Alpaslan in 1064 was used as a mosque.It was damaged by the earthquake in 1319 and was restored by architect Tiridot. This building is among the best preserved structures in this area.

Church of the Apostles on the south slope of the Kars Castle church is in the Old City neighborhood well-preserved to this day. Itwas built between the years 932-937 by King Abbas Bagrat who built the capital city of Kars. After a long time been used as a church building turned into a mosque by Seljuks in 1064. It was used as a church again until 1878. In 1890 the church was built next to the bell tower was demolished in 1918.

ISHAK PASHA PALACE, AGRI• Ishak Pasha Palace is a semi-ruined palace

and administrative complex located in the

Doğubeyazıt district of Ağrı province of

eastern Turkey. The Ishak Pasha palace is

an Ottoman-period palace whose

construction was started in 1685 by Colak

Abdi Pasha, the bey of Beyazit province.

According to the inscription on its door, the

Harem Section of the palace was completed

by his grandson Ishak Pasha in 1784. The

Palace is more of a complex than a palace;

it is the second administrative campus after

the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul and the most

famous of the palaces built in recent

decades.

The palace is built on a hill at the side of a mountain 5 km east of Doğubeyazıt. It was the last large monumental structure in the Ottoman Empire from the "Lale Devri" period. It is one of the most distinguished and magnificent examples of the 18th century Ottoman architecture and is very valuable in terms of art history.As the ground building sits on is a valley slope, it is rocky and hard.The İshak Pasha Palace is a rare example of the historical Turkish palaceswith a central heating system.The characteristic property of the palace is its combined Ottoman, Persian, and Seljuk architectural style.

CILO MOUNTAIN,HAKKARIThe Cilo-Sat Mountains, within the southeasternHakkari province are the eastern extension of theToros (Taurus) mountain chain, which stretchesfrom west to east along Turkey`s southernboundaries. At 4136 meters, the Uludoruk summitis the highest in the Cilo Mountains and theCatalkaya , which rises to 3794 meters, it is thehighest peak in the Sat Mountains

The climate, geographical location andtopography all synergizes to make the CiloSat Mountains an alluring location formountaineers and outdoor adventureenthusiasts. The snow-clad peaks, icyglaciers and swiftly flowing rivers make a picture perfect world. The months of June, July and August are the best for summerexcursions, while February and March arethe most suitable months for winterclimbing.