A Central Anatolian route from Ankara via Kırşehir to the fairy chimneys and underground cities of Cappadocia, then through Kayseri, Niğde and Aksaray, home of the Ihlara Valley, to Konya.
Best time: April–June and September–October. Summer days are hot; winters are snowy and cold.
Anıtkabir — The mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, designed by Emin Onat and Orhan Arda and built on Rasattepe between 1944 and 1953. The…
Museum of Anatolian Civilisations — Housed in the Mahmud Paşa Bedesten and Kurşunlu Han, the museum began at Atatürk's wish as a 'Hittite Museum' and today displays…
Ankara Castle — The exact date the castle in Altındağ was built is unknown; it is known that the Roman emperor Caracalla had its walls repaired…
Arslanhane (Ahi Şerafeddin) Mosque — A Seljuk mosque at the southern end of the castle, dating from the 13th century, with wooden columns and a wooden ceiling; it is…
Hamamönü — This district takes its name from the Karacabey Hammam in the complex of Karaca Bey, the Beylerbey of Anatolia, in the 1430s. It…
Temple of Augustus — The temple beside the Hacı Bayram Mosque was built in the name of the emperor Augustus in about 25–20 BC. Its walls bear the Res…
Local food
🍲 Ankara Tavası (Ankara oven-baked meat and rice) 🥯 Ankara Simidi (Ankara sesame bread ring) 🍪 Beypazarı Kurusu (Beypazarı dry biscuit) 🌰 Beypazarı Cevizli Tatlı Sucuk (walnut sweet sausage) 🥒 Çubuk Turşusu (Çubuk pickles)
Cacabey Madrasa — A Seljuk madrasa built in 1272 by Nureddin Cibril bin Cacabey, governor of Kırşehir; it was also used as an observatory where…
Kaman Kalehöyük — A mound 3 km east of Kaman, 280 metres across and 16 metres high, excavated since 1986 by the Japanese Institute of Anatolian…
Ahi Evran Complex — The tomb and mosque of Ahi Evran (1171–1261), founder of the Ahi guild organisation; as the spiritual centre of the Ahi…
Âşık Paşa Tomb — The tomb of Âşık Paşa, the 14th-century poet and mystic born in Kırşehir; the author of the Garipnâme, he is one of the first…
Lake Seyfe Bird Sanctuary — A shallow, salty tectonic lake of about 15 km², 35 km east of Kırşehir; it is an important wetland where flamingos and many…
Hirfanlı Dam — Built on the Kızılırmak between 1953 and 1959, with a lake of about 263 km², it is one of the large dam lakes of Türkiye; people…
Göreme Open-Air Museum — An open-air museum made up of rock-cut monasteries and churches, famous for its Byzantine frescoes of the 10th to 12th…
Uçhisar Castle — A natural fortress at Uçhisar with hundreds of rooms carved into the rock; it is one of the highest points in Cappadocia, and…
Derinkuyu Underground City — A multi-storey underground city carved into the rock, 30 km from Nevşehir, with ventilation shafts, stables, wine workshops…
Kaymaklı Underground City — An underground city at Kaymaklı thought to have eight storeys, four of which are open to visitors; it has been open to visitors…
Zelve Open-Air Museum — An abandoned rock village spread across three valleys on the slopes of Aktepe, 5 km from Avanos; it was an important monastic…
Paşabağ (Monks Valley) — On the road to Zelve, one of the most photogenic spots in Cappadocia, with mushroom-shaped, multi-headed fairy chimneys.
Mount Erciyes and Ski Resort — An extinct volcano 25 km south of the city and, at 3,916 metres, the highest mountain in Central Anatolia; its ski resort…
Kültepe (Kaniş-Karum) — The ancient city of Kaniş, 20 km north-east of the city, where Assyrian merchants had their trading colony in the early 2nd…
Gevher Nesibe Hospital (Darüşşifa) — The "Twin Madrasa" (Çifte Medrese), consisting of a hospital and a medical madrasa, built in 1206 at the bequest of Gevher…
Hunat Hatun Complex — A complex of mosque, madrasa, hammam and tomb built in 1238 by Mahperi Hunat Hatun, wife of Alaeddin Keykubad I; it is one of…
Kayseri Castle — A castle of black basalt in the city centre, begun in the Roman period and repaired under the Seljuks and Ottomans; inside are…
Döner Tomb — A twelve-sided tomb (kümbet) on the Talas road, built in 1276 for Şah Cihan Hatun, daughter of Alaeddin Keykubad I; its reliefs…
Local food
🥟 Kayseri Mantısı (Kayseri dumplings) 🫓 Kayseri Yağlaması (layered yufka with mince) 🍰 Kayseri Nevzinesi (tahini and walnut dessert) 🍖 Kayseri Fırın Ağzı Kebabı (oven-mouth kebab) 🍯 Kayseri Gül Baklavası (rose baklava)
Local products to buy
Kayseri Pastırması (Kayseri pastırma)Kayseri Sucuğu (Kayseri spiced sausage)Develi Cıvıklısı (Develi cıvıklı cheese)Bünyan El Halısı (Bünyan hand-woven carpet)
Mevlana Museum and Mausoleum — The mausoleum and dervish lodge of Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî, a museum since 1926. With the tomb known as the Green Dome, the…
Çatalhöyük — A Neolithic city in Çumra, inhabited for about two thousand years from around 7400 BC. With its adjoining houses entered through…
Karatay Madrasa (Museum of Tile Works) — A madrasa built in 1251 by Emir Celaleddin Karatay; its dome, covered in turquoise and navy-blue tiles, is a masterpiece of…
İnce Minareli Madrasa — A darülhadis (hadith school) built in 1264 by the vizier Sahip Ata, with Kölük bin Abdullah as its architect; it is famous for…
Alaeddin Hill and Mosque — On the hill in the city centre, the Alaeddin Mosque, which houses the tombs of the Seljuk sultans, and the remains of the…
Sille — A village 8 km north-west of the city where Greeks and Turks lived together for centuries; it is known for the Aya Eleni Church…
Local food
🫓 Konya Etliekmek (meat-topped flatbread) 🍖 Konya Fırın Kebabı (oven-roasted lamb) 🥣 Konya Bamya Çorbası (okra soup) 🍯 Konya Sac Arası (syrupy pastry) 🥘 Konya Tiridi (bread and meat dish) 🍚 Konya Etli Düğün Pilavı (wedding rice with meat)
