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 Mimar Sinan 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, ISTANBUL Big 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 the valley between the two hills sit the church and 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 accessibility for visitors. In 356 BC the Greeks built the Artemesium (a colossal Ionic temple dedicated to Artemis, the fertility goddess) which was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. During the 2nd century BC, Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the eastern Roman Empire, famous for its Artemesium, the Library of Celsus and its medical school.It became the leading seaport of the region. Its wealth was proverbial.

SEFERIHISAR ,IZMIR Seferihisar is located within the borders of İzmir in the Aegean region. The oldest settlement on Seferihisar district grounds is Teos, thought to be a Carian city, established by Cretans that escaped from the Akas in 2000 B.C. Among Seferihisar’s strong points are its famous mandarins, its sun, rich geothermal and wind energy resources, and historical riches.

CITTASLOW SEFERIHISAR The term Cittaslow, derived from the Italian word 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 Cittaslow became a road map for local governments, and protects 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 for

breeding and wintering waterbirds.More than 270 species of birds have been recorded at the lake. Important bird species include White-headed Duck, Eurasian Spoonbill , Greater Flamingo , plus breeding populations of the vulnerable Dalmatian Pelican. Migrating Great White Pelicans often roost at the lake.

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 the commercial and military base of this area since the 5th century BC. In ancient times Simena was a small fishing village and was later an outpost of the Knights of Rhodes . On its northern side there are the partly sunken ruins of an ancient town which was destroyed by an earthquake during the 2nd century.

The dockyard with the ruins of a Byzantine church is at the northwest and half of the houses are submerged and staircases descended into the water. Basements of buildings and the ancient harbor are also seen below the sea.

ANI RUINS, KARS St Mary's Cathedral began to be

constructed as the cathedral of Ani in the city center in 1010 on the time of Sembat II. It was completed during Gagik I. After the conquest 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. It was 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 palaces with a central heating system.The characteristic property of the palace is its combined Ottoman, Persian, and Seljuk architectural style.

CILO MOUNTAIN,HAKKARI

The Cilo-Sat Mountains, within the southeastern Hakkari province are the eastern extension of the Toros (Taurus) mountain chain, which stretches from west to east along Turkey`s southern boundaries. At 4136 meters, the Uludoruk summit is the highest in the Cilo Mountains and the Catalkaya , which rises to 3794 meters, it is the highest peak in the Sat Mountains

The climate, geographical location and topography all synergizes to make the Cilo Sat Mountains an alluring location for mountaineers and outdoor adventure enthusiasts. The snow-clad peaks, icy glaciers and swiftly flowing rivers make a picture perfect world. The months of June, July and August are the best for summer excursions, while February and March are the most suitable months for winter climbing.