TURKEY’S NATURAL BEAUTIES

1. TURKEY’S NATURAL BEAUTIES

2. Darawas an important East Roman fortress city in northern Mesopotamia on the border with the Sassanid Empire.

3. Because of its great strategic importance, it featured prominently in theRoman-Persian conflicts of the 6th century, with the famous Battle of Dara taking place before its walls in 530.

4. Today the Turkish village of Oğuz, Mardin Provinceoccupies its location.

5. ZinciriyeMedrese (Sultan Isa Medrese) - constructed in 1385 by Najm ad-din Isa.

6. . The madrasa is part of a complez that includes a mosque and the tomb of Najm ad-din Isa

7. Kasımiye is a former medrese in Mardin, Turkey. Medreses were traditional seminaries, Islamic schools prior to Republican era

8. The medrese is in the urban fabric of Mardin, located southwest of city centre. The altitude of Kasımiye is about 975 metres.

9. The Monastery of St. Ananias, is an important SyriacOrthodoxmonastery

10. The monastery has 365 rooms - one for each day of the year.

11. Dayro d-Mor Gabrielalso known as Deyrulumur, is the oldest surviving SyriacOrthodoxmonastery in the world

12. It is located on the TurAbdin plateau near Midyat in the Mardin Province in southeastern Turkey

13. Karaca Cave is a network of caves located near the town of TorulinGümüşhane Province, Turkey.

14. The cave of Karaca is rich in formation dripstones. These dripstones are in different shapes and colours. Inside the cave, there are dripstone stalactites, stalagmites, and travertines. There are also many cave roses located on some travertines and stalagmites.

15. The lake is at a distance of 99 km from Trabzon's city center, and 19 km from Çaykara's district center..

16. It was formed by a landslide, which transformed the stream bed into a natural dam, in the valley of the Haldizen Stream.

17. The monastery was founded in AD 386 during the reign of the EmperorTheodosius I (375 - 395)

18. it was during the reign of AlexiosIII(1349 - 1390) that Sumela received its most important largess: according to legend, the young Alexios was saved from a storm by the Virgin, and was bidden by her to restore the monastery

19. Ayder is a yayla in Rize Province, Turkey.

20. Ayder at  is a typical yayla with no settled population; it hosts visitors during summers.

21. A hoodoo (also called a tent rock, fairy chimney, and earth pyramid) is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland.

22. Hoodoos, which may range from 1.5 to 45 metrestypically consist of relatively soft rock topped by harder, less easily eroded stone that protects each column from the elements.

23. Ihlara Valley, which is a 16 km (10 mi) long gorge cut into volcanic rock in the southern part of Cappadocia, following several eruptions of Mount Erciyes

24. Inthe Ihlara Valleytherearehundreds of oldchurches in thevolcanicrockcaves. ThemostknownchurchesareAğaçaltıChurchwithcross plan, Sümbüllü Church, PürenlisekiChurch, Kokar Church, YilanliChurch, KaragedikChurch, KirkdamatliChurch, Direkli Church, Ala Church, Kemerli ChurchandEgritasChurch.

25. Düden Waterfalls are a group of waterfalls in the province of Antalya, Turkey. The waterfalls, formed by the Düden River (one of the major rivers in southern Anatolia), are located 12 kilometresnorth-east of Antalya.

26. They end where the waters of the Lower Düden Falls drop off a rocky cliff directly into the Mediterranean Sea.

27. Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site inDenizliProvincein southwestern Turkey.

28. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderesvalley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.

29. Ephesuswasan ancientGreekcity on thecoast of Ionia, threekilometressouthwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province,Turkey.

30.  It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of the formerArzawancapitalby Attic and Ionian Greek colonists.

31. TheHouse of theVirginMaryis a CatholicandMuslimshrinelocated on Mt. Koressosin thevicinity of Ephesus, 7 kilometresfrom Selçuk in Turkey.

32. Catholicpilgrims visit the house based on the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by Saint Johnand lived there until her Assumption (according to Catholicdoctrine) orDormition (according to Orthodox belief).

33. TheMevlâna Museum, located in Konya, Turkey, is the mausoleum of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, a Persian Sufi mystic also known as Mevlâna or Rumi

34. It was also the dervish lodge (tekke) of the Mevlevi order, better known as the whirling dervishes.

35. Nemrut or Nemrudis a 2,134 mhigh mountain in southeastern Turkey, notable for the summit where a number of large statues are erected around what is assumed to be a royal tomb from the 1st century BC.

36. In 1987, Mount Nemrut was made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Tourists typically visit Nemrut during April through October.

37. The pool is a special place for practicing Muslims because of the importance of Ibrahim. He was the same prophet who was prepared to sacrifice his son for Allah.

38. Hasankeyf is an ancienttownanddistrictlocatedalongtheTigrisRiver in the Batman Province in southeasternTurkey.Itwasdeclared a naturalconservationareabyTurkey in 1981

39. Most of the villages were submerged in the 1990s under the waters behind the dam on the Euphrates at Birecik.The town was therefore removed to the village of Karaotlak, the building of the new town is now complete.

40. Anıtkabiris the mausoleum of Mustafa KemalAtatürkthe leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. It is located inAnkara.

41. Ballıca Cave is a small cave situated at 6 km (3.7 mi) southeast of Pazar, Tokat Province, Turkey. The cave is 600 m (2,000 ft) southeast of the village Ballıca.

42. The Tortum Waterfall is the largest waterfall in Turkey.The lake, 8 km (5.0 mi) long and 1 km (0.62 mi) wide, was formed as the result of a landslide, which blocked the valley though which the Tortum River flowed.

43. Lake Abantis a freshwater lake in Turkey's Bolu Province in northwest Anatoliaformed as a result of a great landslide. The lake lies at an altitude of 1,328 ) at a distance of 32 km (20 mi) from the provincial seat of Bolu city.

44. The Selimiye Mosqueis an Ottoman imperial mosque ,which is located in the city of Edirne, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Sultan Selim II and was built by architect MimarSinanbetween 1569 and 1575. It was considered by Sinan to be his masterpiece and is one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture

45. TheSüleymaniye Mosqueis an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of IstanbulTurkeyIt is the largest mosque in the city, and one of the best-known sights of Istanbul.

46. Safranboluis a town and district of KarabükProvincein the Black Searegion of Turkey .Safranboluwas added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1994 due to its well-preserved Ottoman era houses and architecture.

47. Mount Ararats a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat, the highest peak in Turkey.

48. IshakPashaPalaceis a semi-ruinedpalaceandadministrativecomplexlocated in theDoğubeyazıtdistrict of Ağrı province of easternTurkey.

49. Insuyu cave is obviously the most interesting natural attraction of Burdur. Being the second largest on earth, Insuyu cave is 597 meters long, and has 9 lakes of various sizes.

50. Amasrais a small Black Sea port town in the Bartın Province, Turkey. The town is today much appreciated for its beaches and natural setting, which has made tourism the most important activity for its inhabitants.