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ANKARA: Formerly
Angora, famous for mohair, Ankara
is the capital of the Turkish
Republic. Near its great Roman citadel
is the world-famous Museum of
Anatolian Civilizations, filled
with treasures from the biblical Hittites.
ANTALYA: This
lively city has a quaint Ottoman historic
district at its center, and many
monuments from Roman times.
It's a good base for excursions to Aspendos, Olimpos, Perge, Phaselis, Side and Termessos (map).
APHRODISIAS: Settled
during the Early
Bronze Age, it later became the
home of a grand temple to Aphrodite,
the goddess of love. Its white
marble ruins stand amid fertile fields
in a green river valley.
ASPENDOS: Roman
Emperor Marcus Aurelius (1601-180
AD) ordered a great theater to
be built at Aspendos on the Mediterranean
coast. Restored at the order
of Kemal
Atatürk, it is now in excellent
condition (map).
BODRUM: Once
known as Halicarnassus, this
popular Aegean resort
and yachting port reminds many visitors
of the French Riviera hot-spot of
St Tropez. Bodrum boasts the ruins
of the Mausoleum, one of the Seven
Wonders of the World, as well
as the lofty Castle of St. Peter,
a Crusader fortress which now serves
as the world's foremost Museum
of Underwater Archeology (map).
CAPPADOCIA: Over
the centuries, wind and water have
sculpted the volcanic bedrock of
this region into weird and fanciful
shapes. Early Christians sought refuge
in homes, stables, churches and storehouses
hollowed from the soft stone. Cave
homes, churches and hotels are
the attraction here, but a hot-air
balloon ride above it all
is an unforgettable adventure (map).
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DIDYMA: The
stupendous Temple of Apollo at
Didyma, south of Ephesus,
was once the seat of an oracle which
rivaled that of Delphi. Construction
was begun in 494 BC. Over 2400 years
later it's still not finished, but
its ruins are breathtaking in their
size and beauty.
EPHESUS: Once
the capital of Roman Asia,
Ephesus is the best-preserved
Greco-Roman classical city on
the Mediterranean—a
breathtaking sight (map).
GALLIPOLI: Dominating
the Dardanelles,
Gallipoli was the scene of momentous
battles during World War I. Sir Winston
Churchill sent the British and ANZAC
forces to conquer it, and Kemal
Atatürk became a war hero
by successfully defending it.
ISTANBUL: Once
called Constantinople, this
great city has one foot in Europe,
the other in Asia. Capital of the
Eastern Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires, Istanbul once
ruled all the lands within a thousand
miles. Monuments to its glorious
past abound, from sumptuous Topkapi
Palace and ancient Hagia
Sophia to the Blue
Mosque and other great mosques
of the sultans (maps).
IZMIR: Turkey's
modern Aegean port is an attractive
city with a pretty waterfront promenade
and a fascinating bazaar. It's a
good base for visiting Ephesus and Pergamum as
well (map).
KONYA: One
of the oldest cities in Anatolia,
Konya was the capital of the Seljuk
Turkish Empire (1200s) and
the home of its great poet and mystic,
Jelaleddin Rumi, founder of
the Mevlevi
whirling dervish order.
KUSADASI: Only
20 km (12 miles) from Ephesus,
Kusadasi is a lively fishing and
cruise port and seaside resort that
can be a base for visits to the ancient
cities of Priene, Miletus,
and Didyma.
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MARMARIS: "Green
Marmaris," as it's known, is
a popular Mediterranean resort backed
by verdant mountains. It's an active
yachting
port as well (map).
MILETUS: Miletus
flourished as an important commercial
and governmental city from 700 BC
to 700 AD. Its great theater,
which rises from the the flood plain
of the Meander River, was
built to seat 15,000 spectators—and
it still can!
PAMUKKALE: Warm
calcium-laden mineral waters spring
from the earth to cascade over a
steep cliff, forming gleaming white travertine
pools. The Romans
built the health spa of Hierapolis
here. A short drive away are the
ruins of biblical Laodicea,
one of the Seven Churches of Asia,
and also Aphrodisias,
the famous City of Aphrodite.
PERGAMUM: Famed
for its great library, the
citizens of ancient Pergamum (Pergamon)
invented parchment for writing
when the supply of papyrus was cut
off. Pergamum's Aesculapium was
the most famous classical medical
center.
PERGE: This
ancient city near Antalya flourished
under Alexander the Great and the Romans.
It has a fine theater, stadium,
and towering Roman city gates (map).
PRIENE: Set
dramatically at the foot of a sheer
mountain wall, Priene overlooks the
aptly-named Meander River.
This 2500-year-old Ionian city
was among the first to be planned
with a grid system of streets.
SIDE: Cleopatra
and Marc Antony met in Side ("SEE-deh")
for a romantic tryst. Lovers and
beach-goers have been coming ever
since. Besides its beaches,
Side has some fine ancient buildings and
a good little museum (map).
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TROY: Once
believed to be only a legend, Troy,
near Çanakkale and
the Dardanelles,
was discovered over a century ago.
A replica of the Trojan horse towers
above the walls breached by cunning
in the most famous battle of ancient
times.
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