C A P P A D O C I A  This landscape, fashioned by nature and embroidered by man, is unlike anywhere else in the world. 50 meter rock cones have been carved out to make houses, churches and monasteries. The Cappadocians used the environment to their advantage and literally went underground, carving out multistoried cities and venturing out only for essentials and to tend their fields.

P E R G A M U M   By far the grandest of the Aegean sites, the ruins of Pergamum are extensive and impressive. The sight of the steep Acropolis and its magnificent Theater will not be easily forgotten. This is the ancient city, claimed by St. Paul, to be 'the seat of Satan'.

T R O Y  As the mighty city of Ilion in Homer's 'Iliad', Troy was discovered by Schliemann in 1870. Troy is not an easy site for the untrained eye as there are numerous cities superimposed, one upon another.

E P H E S U S   Situated in the fertile Ionian landscape and famous throughout history for its Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Ephesus is considered to be the showpiece among all the antique cities of the world.

H O U S E   O F  V I R G I N   M A R Y   Virgin Mary accompanied by St. John the Evangelist came to Ephesus, spent her last years and died in a small house high on a hill, among a forest of olive and pine trees near Ephesus. A visit is considered to be a pilgrimage by the Vatican.

I Z M I R  Homer's hometown, ancient Smyrna, is Turkey's third largest city... a pleasant cosmopolitan port situated around a beautiful and vast bay. Izmir is a gateway to the most important historical sights of Western Anatolia.

S A R D E S   This famous city of antiquity reached its height of glory and wealth during the reign of Croesus. Minted coins were invented here around the end of the 7th century B.C.

A P H R O D I S I A S   This site, near Pamukkale, was inhabited from the beginning of the Bronze Age in 3000 B.C. Aphrodisias is a rare antique city whose remains are among the best preserved.

P A M U K K A L E  Ancient Hierapolis, a famous Spa where calcerous hot springs descending over hundreds of meters have created fascinating travertines in the form of white terraces and basins.

A N K A R A  The present day capital of Turkey is situated in the strategic heartland of Central Anatolia. The site was chosen by the founder of modern Turkey, Atatürk. Her origin, however, dates back to the 2nd millenium B.C. The city is very close to Hattusas, the capital of the Hittites and Gordion, the site of the fabled knot.

A N T A L Y A   The well-known city of Antalya has proximity to such sites of antiquity as Perge, Termessus, Side and Aspendus. Considered to be the capital of the Turkish Riviera of Turkey, Antalya rests between the Taurus mountain range and the turquoise Mediterranean.

B U R S A  Situated at the foot of the Mysian Mt. Olympus of history, Bursa offers a lot of sights for the visitor. Being the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, this is where Ottoman architecture developed its imperial traditions.