9 notable sites ranked among the world's top 100
Turkey sits on one of the richest archaeological landscapes in the world — the crossroads of Anatolian, Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, and Seljuk civilisations. This page focuses on the ancient ruins of Turkey, the most famous of which is Ephesus, one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman cities in existence. At its peak in the 1st century CE, Ephesus had a population of perhaps 200,000 and was the most important commercial city in Roman Asia Minor. The Library of Celsus, whose restored facade stands two storeys high, was the third-largest library in the ancient world; the Great Theatre could seat 25,000. Troy — the legendary city of Homer's Iliad — is in Turkey's Çanakkale province, nine occupation layers deep representing 4,000 years of continuous settlement. The site confirmed the historicity of at least the geographic setting of the Trojan War when excavated by Heinrich Schliemann from 1871 onward. The oldest site in Turkey — and the oldest monumental site on earth — is Göbekli Tepe in Şanlıurfa Province, dated to around 10,000 BCE, over 6,000 years before the Egyptian pyramids. Its carved stone pillars of T-shaped limestone represent the first known stone carvings by anatomically modern humans, assembled by hunter-gatherers before the invention of writing, pottery, or agriculture.
One of the best-preserved ancient cities, featuring the Library of Celsus, Great Theatre (25,000 capacity), and remains of the Temple of Artemis.
UNESCO World Heritage, one of the best-preserved Greek-Roman cities.
Troia / Truva
Troy (Troia in Turkish) is one of the most important and famous archaeological sites in the world — the legendary city of Homer's Iliad, where the decade-long Trojan War was fought over the beautiful Helen. Located near Hisarlık in Çanakkale province in northwest Turkey, about 30 km from the Dardanelles strait, the site was excavated by Heinrich Schliemann from 1871. Excavations revealed 9 distinct superimposed cities built on top of each other over 4,000 years. Troy VI–VII (c. 1750–1180 BCE) is the period most archaeologists associate with the Homeric Troy. The site includes ruins of walls, towers, a theatre, a sanctuary of Athena, and a large wooden Trojan Horse replica for photographs. Troy is located 30 km from the ferry town of Çanakkale, making it a convenient day trip. Museum on-site opened 2019.
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Homer's legendary city of the Trojan War. Is Troy in Turkey? Yes — the ruins are in Çanakkale province, northwestern Turkey.
The world's oldest known temple complex, predating Stonehenge by 6,000 years. Massive T-shaped pillars carved with animals, built by hunter-gatherers.
UNESCO World Heritage, oldest temple, rewrote human history.
A powerful ancient Greek kingdom with a dramatic hilltop acropolis, the steepest theater in the world (10,000 seats), and famous library.
UNESCO World Heritage, steepest ancient theater.
An ancient Greek city at the tip of a peninsula, famous for its Aphrodite statue by Praxiteles — the first life-size female nude.
Home of first life-size female nude sculpture.
The capital of the Hittite Empire with massive stone walls, the Lion Gate, and thousands of cuneiform tablets.
UNESCO World Heritage, Hittite capital, cuneiform archives.
Capital of ancient Lydia, where the first coins in history were minted. King Croesus' legendary wealth originated here.
Birthplace of coinage, Croesus' legendary wealth.
An ancient Greco-Roman city built above the calcium travertine terraces of Pamukkale. Contains a massive necropolis of 1,200+ tombs.
UNESCO World Heritage, 1,200-tomb necropolis.
The largest excavated underground city in Turkey, extending 60 meters deep with 18 levels capable of sheltering 20,000 people.
Largest underground city, 18 levels deep.