When a site is added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, it means its value is outstanding not just for one country but for all of humanity. Türkiye is one of the countries with the most sites on the list. In our video we brought together the 21 Turkish sites on the list at the time of filming. In this guide we group the same sites by region to make trip planning easier. Since the list grows from time to time, we recommend checking the current count on UNESCO’s official website.
Marmara and Thrace
Historic Areas of Istanbul: Covering Sultanahmet, Süleymaniye, Zeyrek and the land walls, this was one of Türkiye’s first entries on the list. Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace and the Blue Mosque are its best-known monuments. For a detailed plan, see our Istanbul guide.
Selimiye Mosque and Its Social Complex, Edirne: The mosque that the great architect Mimar Sinan called his “masterpiece” is considered the pinnacle of Ottoman architecture. It can be visited on a day trip or overnight trip from Istanbul.
Bursa and Cumalıkızık: Telling the story of the birth of the Ottoman Empire, this site comprises Bursa’s mosque complexes, bazaars and caravanserais, plus the nearby historic village of Cumalıkızık.
Archaeological Site of Troy (Çanakkale): The layers of the city made famous by Homer’s epics reveal thousands of years of settlement. The nearby Troy Museum rounds out the visit.
The Aegean
Ephesus (Izmir): With the Library of Celsus, the Great Theater and the Terrace Houses, one of the most impressive ancient cities of the Mediterranean world.
Pergamon (Izmir): One of the cultural centers of antiquity, with its acropolis, theater and Asklepion.
Hierapolis-Pamukkale (Denizli): Listed by UNESCO for both its natural and cultural value, with white travertines and an ancient city, it’s one of Türkiye’s most recognizable landscapes.
Aphrodisias (Aydın): An ancient city known for its marble work and school of sculpture.
The Mediterranean
Xanthos-Letoon (on the Antalya–Muğla border): Xanthos, the capital of Lycian civilization, and Letoon, its religious center; with rock tombs and inscriptions, they’re the most important sites for understanding Lycian culture.
Central Anatolia
Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia: With fairy chimneys, rock-cut churches, underground cities and valleys, one of Türkiye’s most famous UNESCO sites. For hot-air balloon flights, valley hikes and guided tours in Cappadocia, you can compare options among Cappadocia tours on Viator.
Hattusa (Çorum): The capital of the Hittite Empire; impressive with its Lion Gate and the nearby open-air sanctuary of Yazılıkaya.
Çatalhöyük (Konya): One of the oldest known settlements in the world, offering unique insight into how people lived in the Neolithic period.
Safranbolu (Karabük): A historic town of well-preserved Ottoman mansions. Technically in the Black Sea region, it’s easy to reach from Ankara.
Gordion (Ankara–Polatlı): The Phrygian capital, known for its burial mounds and the legend of King Midas.
Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia: This serial site of wooden-columned mosques in Afyonkarahisar, Ankara, Eskişehir, Kastamonu and Konya brings together outstanding examples of medieval Anatolian woodwork.
Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia
Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği (Sivas): With extraordinary ornamentation on its stone portals, one of the masterpieces of Anatolian Seljuk art.
Mount Nemrut (Adıyaman): A tumulus surrounded by giant statues erected by King Antiochus of Commagene; visited especially at sunrise and sunset.
Diyarbakır Fortress and the Hevsel Gardens: City walls stretching for miles and historic gardens on the banks of the Tigris.
Archaeological Site of Ani (Kars): The ruins of one of the great medieval cities; for details, see our Eastern Anatolia guide.
Göbeklitepe (Şanlıurfa): A Neolithic site, roughly 12,000 years old, that changed what we know about human history.
Arslantepe Mound (Malatya): A mound whose thousands of years of continuous settlement layers shed light on early state organization.
Trip planning tips
You can’t see every UNESCO site in one trip, but regional routes let you combine several in the same journey:
- Marmara tour: Istanbul, Edirne, Bursa and Cumalıkızık, Troy.
- Aegean tour: Ephesus, Pergamon, Pamukkale and Aphrodisias.
- Central Anatolia tour: Cappadocia, Hattusa, Çatalhöyük, Gordion.
- Southeast tour: Göbeklitepe, Nemrut, Diyarbakır.
To compare flights between regions: domestic flights in Türkiye. For places to stay along the route: hotels along the UNESCO route.
Visiting tips
- A museum pass (the Museum Pass Türkiye for visitors, the Müzekart for residents) can save money at many sites and museums run by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Coverage changes, so check the current list.
- Most archaeological sites have very little shade; in summer, go early in the morning.
- Parts of some sites may be temporarily closed for excavation or restoration.
- Plan transportation in advance for remote sites like Mount Nemrut and Göbeklitepe.
Sites on the tentative list
Besides UNESCO’s permanent list, Türkiye’s tentative list includes dozens more sites that are candidates for future inscription. Visiting them on your travels means seeing tomorrow’s World Heritage sites today. UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list also includes many Turkish traditions, among them ebru (paper marbling), Turkish coffee culture and Nowruz.
Final word
Our video lets you see Türkiye’s World Heritage sites in a single journey; this guide is a starting point for making that journey real. How many have you seen, and which ones are on your list? Why not plan your next trip around these treasures?
