CAPPADOCIA

RANK #1

As if plucked from a whimsical fairy-tale and set down upon the stark Anatolian plains, Cappadocia is a geological oddity of honeycombed hills and towering boulders of otherworldly beauty. The fantastical topography is matched by the human history here. People have long utilised the region’s soft stone, seeking shelter underground and leaving the countryside scattered with fascinating cavern architecture. The fresco-adorned rock-cut churches of Göreme Open-Air Museum and the subterranean refuges of Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı are the most famous sights, while simply bedding down in one of Cappadocia’s cave hotels is an experience in 21st-century cave living.

ANZAC COVE/GALLIPOLI

RANK #2

For what’s become a rite of passage for many Australian visiting Turkey; both Gallipoli and Anzac Cove have become a hotspot for Australians and Turkish people alike. Sharing historic stories of bravery and tragedy the site of the WW1 landing by Australian and New Zealand soldiers has forever become part of the history of all countries involved. A truly emotional and interesting journey which winds around memorials, grave sites and tributes to those that gave their lives on this site in WW1.

HAGIA SOFIA

RANK #3

Hagia Sophia Often referred to as the eighth wonder of the World, The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya in Turkish) in Sultanahmet is easily one of Istanbul’s most impressive sights. The Hagia Sophia was built in AD 537 as a Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral for the Roman Empire, later then becoming part of the Byzantine Empire, with the fall of Rome. With the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 it then later became a mosque for the conquering Ottoman empire. Walk the halls
and see a multitude of artefacts and get some insight into why this engineering marvel of the ancient world has one of the most turbulent histories of any museum in the world.

THE ANCIENT CITY OF TROY

Rank # 4

Site of the heroic siege in Homer’s Iliad and the inspiration for the movie Troy (2004) starring Brad Pitt and Eric Bana, Troy (Truva in Turkish, Ilion in Greek) was excavated in the 1870s by Heinrich Schliemann. On this site Schliemann uncovered civilizations dating back 5,000 years, including preserved Roman architecture and the original walls of the once great city that held the Greek armies at bay over a 10 year siege

THE GRANDE BAZAAR

Rank #5

One of the largest and oldest covered bazaars in the world, the Grand Bazaar is 30,700 square meters with over 60 streets and alleys and 4,000 shops. The original historical core of the bazaar was completed by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1461 while Constantinople (Istanbul) was the trading capital of the world. Receiving more than a quarter-million visitors a day, the bazaar features everything from clothing to jewellery, spices, antiques and hand painted ceramics. Dating back to 1461, the Grand Bazaar was once the place where the rarest and most valuable items in the world would have been found traditionally.