Sultanahmet Cami - Kilim and Carpet Museum - Aya Sofia

Sultanahmet Cami, known to the west as the Blue Mosque, stands next to the ancient hippodrome on the site of the Byzantine palace. It was built in 1609-17 by the architect Mehmet Aga, and was the last and largest of the imperial mosques to be built during the Ottoman era. It is one of the few mosques in the world with 6 minarets, and it has a 22.5m (74ft) diameter dome that nearly equals that of Aya Sofia in size. The dome, which is 43m (141ft) high, is supported by four large fluted columns each measuring 5m (16ft) across.

The main entrance is reached through a spacious courtyard surrounded by granite columns with a hexagonal wrought-iron ablutions fountain at the centre. Visitors, however, should use the side entrance and keep within the partitioned area so as not to disturb worshippers. Head-scarfs and coverings are issued at the door.

Turkey - History and Monuments

Turkey has a long and illustrious history well marked by historical monuments and ancient remains. The earliest traces of humans are found in the neolithic caves along the south coast. The oldest civilized settlements are in the south-east close to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers on the fringes of Mesopotamia and date from the seventh millennium BC. The best remains of early civilisation are from the time of the Hittites, an influential people whose capital city was at Hattusas, east of Ankara. The well-preserved city ruins and temple comploxes date from the second millennium BC.

At the start of the first millennium BC the Aegean and Mediterranean coast was colonised by a wave of Greek migrants who built cities and established small kingdoms. In 546BC the colonies fell into the hands of the Persians who retained power up until334BC when Alexander the Great conquered Anatolia and freed the Greek cities from Persian rule. After Alexander's death in 323BC his kingdom was divided between his generals. Lysimachus took Anatolia and founded one of the most powerful dynasties in the classical world. The capital city was at Pergamum which remains one of the most impressive ancient sites on the Aegean coast.

Ephesus is the best preserved Roman city in mediterranean region

Ephesus is the best-preserved Roman city in the Mediterranean region, and Turkey's top sight after Istanbul, but the Ephesus archeological site is not the only reason to visit this region.

You can easily spend two, three or four nights in this area, staying overnight in the beautiful hill town of Şirince, the town of Selçuk or the Aegean resort of Kuşadası, visiting the ancient cities of Priene, Miletus and Didyma on a day excursion, or Aphrodisias on an overnight excursion to the hot mineral water spa of Pamukkale, shopping in the large weekly market at Tire, going windsurfing or just relaxing in charming Alaçatı, taking a day-trip or overnight excursion via Euromos to Bodrum, and even getting in some beach time at Pamucak or Altınkum.

Selçuk, the town 3 km (2 miles) east of the Ephesus archeological site, lies at the foot of Ayasoluk Hill, topped by a Byzantine-Ottoman fortress. On the slope are the St John Basilica and İsa Bey Mosque, both worth a visit.

History of Alanya

(Coracesium-Kolonoros-Alaiye)

The inhabitancy of Alanya goes back to the dark ages. This was proved by the explorations and investigations carried out by Prof. Kylyc Kokten in 1957 who found human skeletons and fossils in the Kadiini Cave located between the villages of Bademagacy and Oba in the northeast directions of the center of the province. Alanya, which has such a rich and deep historical inheritance, sometimes became a part of Kilikia and sometimes was a part of Pamphylia. Heredot the father of history writes about this region "It is known that the people that lived in this region received clans that came after the Troy war (1820 B.C.)". Evidence is seen that the Hittites came here in the first half of the XIV Th. century B.C. and killed about six thousand people and included Kilikia and Pamphylia into their dominion. Pamphylia is a word meaning "multiracial, multikind".