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A land steeped in history, Turkey offers unforgettable cuisine, breathtaking landscapes from sun-kissed beaches to rugged mountains, and the vibrant city of Istanbul at its heart.

1. Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

Standing proudly at the crossroads of empires, the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, or Aya Sofya, is one of the greatest architectural marvels of the Byzantine world. Located in the historic heart of Istanbul, this legendary structure has witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations — from Byzantine church to Ottoman mosque, museum, and now once again a place of worship.

A Journey Through Time

Commissioned by Emperor Justinian and completed in 537 AD, Hagia Sophia was originally consecrated as the Church of Divine Wisdom. When Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror captured Constantinople in 1453, it was converted into a mosque. In 1935, it became a museum under Atatürk, and in 2020, it was reconverted into a mosque.

Each transformation of Aya Sofya reflects Istanbul’s layered past — from imperial Byzantium to Ottoman grandeur to modern-day Turkey.

Inside the Aya Sofya

Byzantine Treasures in the Narthex

  • Enter through the Beautiful Gate, a bronze doorway believed to date back to the 2nd century BCE.

  • Look above the southwest vestibule to spot a 10th-century mosaic of the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child, flanked by Emperors Justinian and Constantine.

  • The Imperial Door — once used only by the emperor — leads into the prayer hall. Above it, a dazzling mosaic from the 9th century shows Christ enthroned with Emperor Leo VI kneeling at His feet.

A Sacred Blend of Faiths

Step into the prayer hall and experience the scale and serenity of Justinian’s vision. A vast dome, 56 meters high and 33 meters across, floats above you, supported by ingenious pendentives — a revolutionary feat in 6th-century architecture.

  • The walls are adorned with giant calligraphic medallions bearing the names of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, and the first four caliphs.

  • Marvel at the mihrab, pointing toward Mecca, and the stained-glass windows above it.

  • Don’t miss the Weeping Column, believed by some to have healing powers.

The floor is now carpeted in rich teal, though the omphalion — the spot where emperors were crowned — remains exposed, a mosaic of red porphyry and green stone circles.

Heavenly Watchers

Four seraphim (six-winged angels) guard the dome from its corners — two are original mosaics, two were added during 19th-century restorations. Legend has it they protect Istanbul from harm.

Access and Etiquette

  • Entry: Free, as it is now a functioning mosque.

  • Dress code: Modest attire required. Women should wear a headscarf, and all visitors must remove shoes before entering the prayer hall.

  • Best time to visit: Between 9am and 11:30am, outside of prayer times. Afternoon visits tend to be less crowded.

  • Tours: Official guides are available at the entrance and typically charge by the hour.

Nearby Attractions

You’re surrounded by Istanbul’s iconic sites:

  • Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Cami) – 300m south across Sultanahmet Park.

  • Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnıcı) – just 40m west.

  • Topkapı Palace and İstanbul Archaeological Museum – just north, inside Gülhane Park.

2. Topkapı Palace

Topkapı Palace, once the vibrant heart of the Ottoman Empire, is steeped in centuries of intrigue, opulence, and history. From the 15th to the 19th century, it was home to sultans, concubines, courtiers, and eunuchs—each leaving behind a legacy of fascinating stories.

Built by Mehmet the Conqueror shortly after 1453, the palace evolved into a sprawling complex of pavilions, courtyards, kitchens, and imperial halls. Highlights include the ornate Imperial Council Chamber, vast Chinese porcelain collections, and the jewel-filled Treasury.

A must-see is the Harem, where over 300 concubines lived under strict traditions and elaborate hierarchies. Governed by the powerful valide sultan (queen mother) and guarded by black eunuchs, the Harem reveals the private, political side of palace life. Lavish rooms such as the Privy Chamber of Murat III, Twin Apartments of the Crown Prince, and the Courtyard of the Favourites showcase rich İznik tiles, stained glass, and Ottoman craftsmanship at its finest.

In the Third Court, the Gate of Felicity leads to the sultan’s inner sanctum, including the Audience Chamber, the Library of Ahmet III, and the Sacred Safekeeping Rooms housing Islamic relics. The Imperial Treasury, once used as reception halls, dazzles with priceless artifacts like the Sword of Süleyman the Magnificent and the Throne of Ahmed I.

From the tulip-adorned Fountain of Sultan Ahmet III at the entrance to the majestic halls within, Topkapı offers an unforgettable journey into the grandeur and complexity of Ottoman imperial life.

3. Göreme Open-Air Museum

A must-visit UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of Cappadocia, the Göreme Open-Air Museum is just 1 km uphill from Göreme town centre. Once a Byzantine monastic settlement and later a pilgrimage site, it features a remarkable cluster of rock-cut churches, chapels, and monasteries carved into soft volcanic rock.

Top Highlights

  • Dark Church (Karanlık Kilise): Famous for its well-preserved, vividly coloured frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Christ. Entry requires an extra ticket.

  • Chapel of St Basil: Features 11th-century depictions of St Basil, St George, and St Theodore.

  • Chapel of St Barbara: Home to red ochre motifs and early Christian symbolism.

  • Apple Church (Elmalı Kilise): Renowned for colourful biblical frescoes and its unique nine-dome design.

  • Snake Church: Named after a misinterpreted dragon fresco, with depictions of saints including St Onuphrius and St George.

  • Sandal Church: Contains footprint marks symbolising Christ’s Ascension and vibrant gospel scenes.

  • Buckle Church (Tokalı Kilise): Located just across the road, this is the largest church in the area with stunning narrative frescoes and an underground chapel.

Other Sites

Explore the Pantocrator Chapel, Nameless Chapel, cave kitchens, and the Rahibeler Monastery, believed to have housed nuns during the 11th century.

Tip: The museum closes by 4:30 PM in winter (October–April), and photography is not allowed inside any churches.

4. Kariye Mosque

Tucked away near Istanbul’s ancient land walls, the Chora Mosque (Kariye Mosque) is one of the city’s most exquisite examples of late Byzantine art. Originally built as the Church of the Holy Saviour Outside the Walls, the current structure dates largely to the 11th–14th centuries, with stunning mosaics and frescoes added around 1320 under the patronage of Byzantine official Theodore Metochites.

Though less visited than Aya Sofya, Chora’s richly detailed interior rivals it in beauty. The inner and outer narthexes, nave, side chapel (parecclesion), and upper galleries are adorned with vibrant mosaics depicting the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Highlights include the Genealogy of Christ in the dome, and the Dormition of the Virgin above the main entrance. The parecclesion’s frescoes focus on themes of resurrection and the afterlife, including the powerful Anastasis, showing Christ lifting Adam and Eve from their tombs.

While the mosque has been undergoing staged renovations since 2013, many sections, including the nave and northern annexes, have reopened. Photography is not allowed inside.

Getting There: Take the Golden Horn ferry from Karaköy to Ayvansaray and follow a scenic walk past Theodosius II’s land walls.

Tip: Check the official website for up-to-date opening details, as restoration work continues.

5. Mevlâna Museum

The Mevlâna Museum is Konya’s spiritual heart and one of Turkey’s most important pilgrimage sites. Formerly a lodge for the whirling dervishes, it houses the tomb of Celaleddin Rumi, the 13th-century Sufi mystic known as Mevlâna, who inspired the Mevlevi order and their world-famous whirling rituals. The museum’s turquoise-tiled dome is one of Turkey’s most iconic landmarks.

More than 1.5 million visitors—mostly Turkish pilgrims—come here each year. Upon entry, guests must wear plastic shoe covers; women should cover their heads, and modest dress is expected. Through the Dervişan Kapısı (Gate of the Dervishes) and garden courtyard lies the mausoleum, where Rumi rests alongside his son Sultan Veled and other dervish leaders, their tombs draped in velvet with gold-embroidered turbans.

Inside, don’t miss:

  • The April Bowl (Nisan tası), once filled with sacred rainwater.

  • The semahane, once used for whirling rituals, now displaying artifacts like Rumi’s garments, a 9th-century Christian manuscript on gazelle skin, and a casket containing hairs of Prophet Muhammad.

  • The matbah (kitchen) and dervish cells, where exhibits recreate the daily lives of Mevlevi dervishes using mannequins and authentic relics, including items from Rumi’s companion, Şems of Tabriz.

While the site can be crowded, especially on weekends, visiting early on a weekday allows for a more peaceful experience. For a dose of spiritual energy and Turkish cultural history, Mevlâna Museum is a must-see.

Nearby: The Selimiye Mosque, just beside the museum, is also worth a visit.

6. Priene

Set dramatically below Mt Mykale, the ancient city of Priene offers a peaceful, pine-shaded escape into the Greco-Roman past. Once a bustling port with two harbours, its fate changed as the Büyük Menderes River silted up the coastline. Today, Priene sits quietly above patchwork plains, its elevated perch offering spectacular views and a calm far from the tourist crowds.

Flourishing from 300 BC to 45 BC, Priene was known for its shipbuilding legacy and hosted key Ionian festivals. Despite its importance, it remained smaller than nearby Miletus, and limited Roman influence preserved its distinct Hellenistic character. The city was abandoned by the 2nd century AD, with remnants of a tiny Greek village (Samson) lingering until the population exchange of 1923.

What to See:

  • Temple of Athena Polias: Designed by Pytheos, who also built the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, this 4th-century BC temple was funded by Alexander the Great. Its five restored columns give a glimpse into classical Ionic architecture.

  • Theatre: One of the best-preserved Hellenistic theatres (seating 6,500). Try the acoustics and admire the lion-paw carvings on the VIP seats.

  • City Planning: Priene follows Hippodamus’ grid system with intersecting right-angled streets, complete with marble paving and anti-slip notches.

  • Byzantine Basilica & Roman Baths: Explore a 5th-century church and multi-roomed Roman bathhouse.

  • Bouleuterion & Asclepion: Discover the city council hall and what was once thought to be a temple to Zeus, now believed to be a medical centre.

  • Synagogue, Gymnasium & Agora: These ruins highlight the city’s diverse cultural and communal life.

  • City Walls: Follow the impressive 2.5km-long fortifications with 16 towers back to the East Gate.

Tips for Visitors:

  • Grab a free visitor map at the entrance.

  • Best explored in the morning or off-season to avoid heat and enjoy the serenity.

  • Toilets available near the car park and in nearby Güllübahçe.

  • Getting there: Take a dolmuş from Söke to Güllübahçe (₺4, 20 minutes; every 20 mins in summer, hourly in winter). The site is a 250m walk from the drop-off point near the Byzantine aqueduct.

Priene is a perfect day trip for those seeking ancient ruins with a sense of discovery and solitude.

7. İstanbul Archaeology Museums

Located near Topkapı Palace, the İstanbul Archaeology Museums comprise three main buildings: the Museum of the Ancient Orient, the Archaeology Museum, and the Tiled Pavilion. Together, they hold one of the world’s richest collections of artifacts from across the ancient Near East, classical antiquity, and Ottoman periods. The complex was founded in the late 19th century by Osman Hamdi Bey, an artist, archaeologist, and museum director.

Current Status

The main building is undergoing extensive renovations, so visitors can currently explore only the Tiled Pavilion, Museum of the Ancient Orient, and the Ancient Age Sculpture section of the Archaeology Museum, where the famous sarcophagi are displayed. Full reopening is expected soon.

Museum of the Ancient Orient

This building, dating from 1883, houses pre-Islamic artifacts from the Ottoman Empire’s vast territories. Highlights include an 8th-century BC Hittite relief of the storm god Tarhunza and colorful glazed-brick panels from Babylon’s Ishtar Gate, featuring lions, dragons, and bulls.

Archaeology Museum

Opposite the Museum of the Ancient Orient, this imposing neoclassical building contains extensive collections of classical statues, sarcophagi, and exhibits covering İstanbul’s ancient, Byzantine, and Ottoman history. Among the treasures are the sarcophagi from the Royal Necropolis of Sidon, discovered by Osman Hamdi Bey in 1887. Don’t miss the remarkable Alexander Sarcophagus and Mourning Women Sarcophagus.

The northern wing features sarcophagi from Syria, Lebanon, Thessalonica, and Ephesus, including detailed anthropoid sarcophagi and the Sidamara Sarcophagus from Konya, adorned with horses’ legs and cherubs. Roman mosaics and Anatolian architectural pieces are also displayed here.

Tiled Pavilion

Built in 1472 under Mehmet the Conqueror, with its marble-columned portico added in the late 18th century, this pavilion displays exquisite Seljuk, Anatolian, and Ottoman tiles and ceramics from the 12th to early 20th centuries. The collection boasts İznik tiles from the 14th to 17th centuries, considered among the finest in the world. A standout piece is the beautiful mihrab from the İbrahim Bey İmâret in Karaman, dating to 1432.

Visitor Information

The complex is easily accessible on foot from Topkapı Palace or Gülhane Park. A joint ticket covering Topkapı Palace (excluding the Harem), Aya Sofya, and the Archaeology Museums costs ₺135.

8. Hierapolis

Perched atop the famous travertine terraces of Pamukkale, Hierapolis is an ancient spa city founded around 190 BC by Eumenes II of Pergamum. It flourished during Roman and Byzantine times, hosting significant Jewish and Orthodox Christian communities. Repeated earthquakes caused severe damage, and the city was finally abandoned after a major tremor in AD 1334.

Key Highlights

  • Byzantine Gate & Gymnasium: Enter through the 5th-century Byzantine gate made from travertine and marble, then explore the ruins of the 1st-century gymnasium, once a health centre destroyed in a 7th-century earthquake.

  • Temple of Apollo & Plutonium: Visit the foundations of the Temple of Apollo, famous for its oracle tended by eunuch priests. Nearby is the Plutonium, a toxic spring linked to underworld god Pluto, where poisonous gases killed small animals and birds.

  • Roman Theatre: Built by emperors Hadrian and Septimius Severus, this large theatre seats over 12,000 spectators. Its stage and VIP seats remain largely intact.

  • Martyrium of St Philip the Apostle: An octagonal structure marking the site where St Philip was reportedly martyred, located uphill from the theatre.

  • Hellenistic Theatre & Agora: The massive Hellenistic theatre lies above the 2nd-century agora, which was bordered by marble porticoes and a basilica.

  • Frontinus Street: The city’s main commercial street, still showing original paving and columns, bounded by monumental arches such as the Arch of Domitian and featuring a large latrine building.

  • Necropolis: Beyond the Roman Baths and north gate lies an extensive necropolis with tombs ranging from tumulus-style mounds to ornate double-storey sarcophagi.

Visitor Information

Tickets are available until 5pm from mid-October to March.

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