Famous landmarks in Türkiye

Türkiye, also known as Turkey, is a country that sits on two continents. Most of it lies in Asia on the Anatolian peninsula, and a small part, East Thrace, is in Europe. The two are separated by the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles. Its capital is Ankara, and its largest city, Istanbul, spreads across both continents.

Türkiye is known for its layers of history, from the world's oldest temples to grand mosques and palaces. On the globe you can find Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern, Galata Tower and Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, Göbekli Tepe, the Derinkuyu underground city, Pamukkale's white terraces and the Library of Celsus at Ephesus.

Geography and nature

Türkiye has coasts on the Black Sea, the Aegean and the Mediterranean. The centre is a high, dry plateau, while mountains line the north and south. In the far east rises Mount Ararat, at about 5,137 metres the country's highest peak. In Cappadocia, wind and rain have carved soft volcanic rock into cones called fairy chimneys. At Pamukkale, warm, mineral-rich springs have built shining white terraces. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers both begin in eastern Türkiye.

People, languages and culture

People speak Turkish, written in the Latin alphabet since 1928, and there is also a large Kurdish-speaking community. Most people are Muslim. Turkish tea, served in small tulip-shaped glasses, is drunk all day, and Turkish coffee is listed by UNESCO as cultural heritage. Famous foods include kebabs, baklava, simit, a sesame bread ring, and Turkish delight. Bazaars such as Istanbul's Grand Bazaar sell carpets, lamps and spices. Tulips were grown in Ottoman gardens before they became famous in the Netherlands.

History in a nutshell

Göbekli Tepe, built about 11,000 years ago, is one of the oldest known monumental sites. Later came the Hittites, Greek cities such as Ephesus, and the Romans. In 330 CE Constantinople, now Istanbul, became the capital of the Roman Empire in the east, and Hagia Sophia was finished in 537. The Ottoman Turks captured the city in 1453 and ruled a vast empire for centuries. After the First World War, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded the Republic of Türkiye on 29 October 1923.