Turkey Regions

Regions of Turkey

• Marmara
• Aegean
• Mediterranean
• Black Sea
• Central Anatolia
• Eastern Anatolia
• South Eastern Anatolia

Turkey is divided into seven regions based upon, climate, agriculture, transportation, etc. This division was undertaken at a meeting in Ankara in June 1941. Below is a description of each region but i have only included brief information on each of the regions, based mainly toward the tourist aspect.

Marmara

This region encapsulates the European and Asian areas of Turkey. This is truly where the East meets West. Mamara region takes in areas such as Edirne,Istanbul,Iznik,Bursa,Troya and Assos.
As with all regions in Turkey, Marmara region has it's fair share of tourist sites for you to visit.
Such sites include the many mosques that are in abundance in Istanbul, to the legendary 'Wooden Horse' situated in Troy.

Aegean

This region is what i would regard as Turkey's main tourist region. As you will see from the included list of areas within this region,many of you who have visited Turkey will recognise some of tthe place names.
The area covers, Pergamon, Sadis, Izmir, Cesme, Ephesus, Kusadasi, Priene, Miletos, Didyma, Aphrodisias, Pamukkale, Hierapolis, Bodrum, Knidos and Marmaris.
This region has to be one of the best areas in which to plan a holiday,especially if you are interested in ancient archeology. Ephesus is a great place to visit for this. Stand or sit yourself still just in front of the Celsus Library, and it's not hard to imagine that you have been taken back through time, and you begin to feel how this city used to feel all those years ago.

Mediterranean

Now we start to enter the hotter, tourist area of Turkey. The Med is synonimous with good weather within an area of its flow and Turkey is no different.

This area covers Kaunos (Dalyan), Fethiye, Olu Deniz, Xanthos, Letoon (Patara), Kas,Myra (Demre), Antalya, Perge, Aspendos, Side, Alanya, Anemurium, Uzuncaburc, Tarsus,Adana, Antakya.
A stay in this region is a dreamfor anyone who likes it hot. There are plenty of places to visit within this region.

Why not spend a day relaxing at Olu Deniz, a fantastic lagoon near Fethiye or take a boat trip to Dalyan and see the rock tombs carved into the hillside. If you are staying in Alanya then you will be spoilt by the golden sands of Cleopatra's Beach.

Central Anatolia

As the name suggests this region is in the centre area of Turkey.
This region covers Cappadocia, Kayseri, Sivas, Konya, Ankara, Gordion, Bogazkoy, Yazilikaya, and Alacahoyuk.
Although i would not regard this region so much for the average tourist it would still be a great area to explore. As you can see, from the list, this area is home to Turkey's capital city, Ankara, as with most countries people visit, some like to vist the country's capital. Also in this region is Cappadocia. An extremely rare and awe inspiring feeling comes over you when you visit this place. What i can only describe as fairytale castles grasp you as you walk around the area, taking your mind right back to the bedtime stories you may have been read as a child. Cappodocia has to be on your list of places to visit whilst you are in Turkey. Venture the area by foot and explore the underground city, or for a more over view insight to the size of Cappodocia, take a tranquil trip in a hot air balloon and see what you couldn't see on foot.

Black Sea

This region covers the areas of Amasya, Trabzon and the Sumela Monastery.
Amasya is situated on the banks of Yesilirmak (Green River). The city is built between two steep mountains. It is recorded that finds dating back to the Chalkolithic Age (5500-3500 BC) have been found here (along with a few other areas of Turkey).
Trabzon has a fortress area made up of three sections and is 7km long. Trabzon is home to many Churches, Monasterie's, Basilica's.

The Sumela Monastery is carved in to a steep sided cliff. Sumela, itself, is on a very steep montain slope which is approximately 18km south east of Trabzon's district of Macka.

East Anatolia

The region covers the following areas Erzurum, Ani, Agri Dagi (Mt. Ararat), Ishak Pasha Palace, Van, Hosab Fortress, Akdamar Island.

Ezurum is a dream for people interested in Islamic buildings, as this area is quite rich in these. Ani is situated on the West bank of the Arpacay river within the district of Kars.
Agri Dagi (Agri Mountain) has a summit that reaches a height of approximately 5,137 metres and is Turkey's highest mountain. The city of Agri itself, is situated on the eastern border of Turkey and in history has served as a passage as well as a stopping point for migrants from Asia coming to settle in Anatolia. Today the road passing through Dogubayezit continues on through the border post at Gurbulak and onto Iran.
Van is situated in the South of Turkey on Lake Van. The fortress at Van is a magnificent structure which was built in the 9th Century BC by the Urartian King , Sarduri I.
Lake Van is Turkey's biggest lake with an approximate surface area of 3,713 sq.km
Van is also home to the famous 'Van Cat'. These cats are white with long hair, nothing strange about that? you say, maybe not, but what does set these cats apart from others is the fact that they have, one blue eye and one yellow eye. Another interesting fact about these cats is , apparently they are the only member of the cat family that is quite at home in water and love to swim and play in it.

South Eastern Anatolia

This region covers the following areas Diyarbakir, Sanli urfa, Harran, Nemrut.
The first settlements in the region date back to the 7000's BC.
Probably the most famous area within this region, for westerner's at least, is Nemrut. Nemrut is pictured in almost all brochures for tourist travel to Turkey. Nemrut's mount is approximately 2,206 metres high. What is the biggest attraction for tourists are the many tombs and statues of mythical gods that can be found here. Nemrut has been qualified as the 8th wonder of the world.


So there you have it, that is my brief introduction to the Regions of Turkey and what can be found in the areas within the individual regions. Obviously more information and a more indepth look at each region can be found by doing a simple search on the internet, but my intention was only to give a brief cover of what can be found in Turkey and where in Turkey it can be found.

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