11 UNESCO Heritage Sites to Visit in Türkiye

Türkiye is full of cultural and natural sites that are of outstanding universal value to the rest of humanity. As of 2025, 20 cultural and 2 mixed regions in Türkiye had been cited among UNESCO World Heritage sites, “mixed” meaning they contain elements of both natural and cultural significance. 79 more remain in the Tentative List, waiting to get the attention and value they absolutely deserve.

 A country with a history of thousands of years, Türkiye has been home to many cultures and religions. All these cultures and religions have essentially left behind something for domestic and international visitors to see, touch, taste, smell and listen to. As the country is lucky to have so many sites of universal historical value, your trip to Türkiye is sure to expand and enrich your knowledge on humanity’s extensive heritage. You’ll see that the country’s unmatched natural beauty has been combined with varieties of fashions as it continued to prosper under the influence of thousands of people. We’ll be listing below some of these sites of historico-cultural importance, and we do advise you get ready to fill out a whole page out of your travel bucket list.

Archaeological Site of Ani

Situated in close vicinity of Türkiye’s eastern border, on what used to be a significant trading hub, the medieval ruins of Ani carry the traces of a history that goes back thousands of years. The ancient site is located on a triangular piece of land whose climatic and geographical features make it naturally defensive. Also called the City of 1001 Churches, the site, together with its 50 churches, 33 cave churches and 20 chapels, is a must-visit region for all history enthusiasts and lovers of the early Gothic architecture.

The many temples, palaces and complementary buildings that the site accommodates are thought to have been among the most technically and artistically advanced structures in the world at the times they were first built. The area also houses the oldest surviving mosque of Anatolia, called by the name Manuchihr. The mosque was built during the rule of the Shaddadid dynasty, though its prayer hall dates from a later period (the 12th or 13th century). The complex of the mosque contains a public museum showcasing heritage assets that have been found within and around the area. This City of 1001 Churches has found itself a place among the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2016.

Hattusha: the Hittite Capital

A Near East superpower, the Hittites built their capital city in close proximity to Türkiye's Çorum Province. This archaeological site with the ruins of temples and palaces, the monumental sculptures, and the enormous fortification walls with ceremonial gates and tunnels attests to the fact that this was once the home of a great empire. Much has been learned about the religion of the empire’s people by studying the line of gods and goddesses carved on the walls of the open-air rock sanctuary at Yazilikaya. The relief of the Hittite pantheon constitutes one of the best examples of Hittite monumental relief sculpture in situ.  

Today, visitors can visit Hattusa in two parts: Yazilikaya, the open-air rock sanctuary of the Hittites, and the city itself. The Yazılıkaya rock sanctuary is unique and the biggest open-air sanctuary of this period.

Nemrut Dağ

You can see in the picture the mausoleum of Antiochus I (69-34 BCE), who built this Hierotheseion (temple-tomb) as a monument to himself. These giant limestone statues showcase not only figures of deities but also Antiochus’ paternal Persian ancestors and maternal Macedonian ancestors. They therefore bear witness to the dual origin of the kingdom’s culture enriched by Persian and Macedonian influences.

UNESCO described these statues as “one of the most ambitious constructions of the Hellenistic period,” and continued the description with the following words: “a project unequalled in the ancient world,” which we couldn’t agree more.

Ephesus

Ephesus, a captivating ancient city nestled in the breathtaking landscapes of modern-day Turkey, exudes an irresistible allure that transcends time. As a bustling hub of trade and cultural exchange in antiquity, Ephesus boasted awe-inspiring architectural marvels that continue to stand as timeless testaments to its grandeur today. Among its treasures was the majestic Temple of Artemis, a wonder that mesmerized pilgrims and earned its place among the prestigious Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Recognising its exceptional value, UNESCO has bestowed World Heritage status upon Ephesus, affirming its global significance and preserving its rich legacy for generations. Step into the ancient city of Ephesus, where the Library of Celsus, Hadrian’s Temple, the Serapeion, the Great Theatre, and the remnants of the Temple of Artemis tell stories of a once-thriving centre of culture and history. This ancient site also offers moonlit tours of its ruins, extending the allure of history into the evening hours, with night museum activities running until midnight during the summer.

Archaeological Site of Troy

With its 4,000 years of history, Troy is probably one of the most renowned archeological sites in the world. The site and the historic Siege of Troy were immortalized by Homer in the Iliad, and they’ve been depicted in many other books and films ever since. The Siege of Troy started when Helen (wife of Agamemnon of Mycenae) eloped with Paris, a prince of Troy. It lasted for years and years and was resolved by a simple trick: Achaean soldiers hid in this giant wooden horse and pretended to have left. The Trojans took the horse inside their walls and thus opened their gates to the Achaeans. Troy was burned and the population slaughtered.

Göbeklitepe

It was through the discovery of Göbeklitepe that human history was rewritten.

Located in Upper Mesopotamia, the archeological site of Göbeklitepe saw the emergence of the most ancient farming communities in the world. Offering the earliest example of human settlement, the site dates to some 12 thousand years ago. It exhibits megalithic structures that were first erected by hunter-gatherers in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic age. Of a communal gathering nature, these historico-cultural monuments have a new story to tell almost every day. They recently revealed, for example, that Neolithic people had a command of geometry.

Offering such an educational and recharging adventure to its visitors, the archeological site of Göbeklitepe is surely a must-visit site for lovers of the historic. We’ve shared a very informative article on Göbeklitepe.

Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük

Another throwback to the days of the Neolithic era awaits you in Konya (ancient Iconium). Thought to have flourished around 7,000 BCE, the site has been listed since July 2012 among UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The site overlooks the Konya Plain, which has been of considerable archeological interest after the discovery of the Neolithic Çatalhöyük area.

Çatalhöyük, in its entirety, is composed of domestic buildings, with no public facilities to have been discovered to this day. A striking feature of these assets is that they’re mostly composed of female figurines, thought to represent a female deity. Although a male deity also exists among the carved figures, statues of the female deity are said to far outnumber those.

Hierapolis-Pamukkale

Pamukkale, which literally means “the cotton castle”, offers a unique experience in the inland Aegean. The cotton-white travertines of Pamukkale are almost surreal, as hot pools form on each shelf cascading down to the ground like a fluffy waterfall from the ancient Phrygian city of Hierapolis. The extensive ruins of Hierapolis, listed as cultural and natural heritage by UNESCO together with Pamukkale, include an impressive theatre, bath complex, a gymnasium, an agora, and an Eastern Roman church. Constituting outstanding examples of architectural remains that shed light on early Christianity, such as the cathedral, baptistery, and churches, Hierapolis is home to the extraordinary octagonal Martyrium of St Philip the Apostle.

Xanthos-Letoon

Two neighboring settlements located in the boundaries of Antalya and Muğla provinces of Türkiye, Xanthos-Letoon is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site that sticks out as a remarkable archeological complex. Sources inform that Xanthos was the successive capital, and a cultural and commercial center, of the Lycian Civilization as well as the later civilizations. The region now gives out many clues about Lycian traditions as the epigraphic inscriptions there, engraved in rock or on huge stone pillars, house the most important texts in the Lycian language. Its examples of Lycian tomb architecture as well as The Xanthian Obelisk are among the places that you should definitely pay a visit.

Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire

UNESCO announced a serial of eight component sites in the City of Bursa and the nearby village of Cumalıkızık in their World Heritage List. The City of Bursa was the capital of the Ottoman Empire between 1335-1363, which endowed its streets with many historical heritages to just stroll around and see.

The city houses many monuments and buildings that display traces of both the early and late Ottoman architecture, the most renowned of which is the Grand Mosque of Bursa or Bursa Ulu Cami. The city’s commercial districts of inns (hanlar), social complexes (külliye), integrating mosques, religious schools, public baths as well as the tomb of Orhan Ghazi, founder of the Ottoman dynasty are among the places that can be seen in this city.

Located 10 km east of Bursa Province, Cumalıkızık has over the years become a tourist favorite with its Ottoman-style houses and exceptional city planning method. The town was built as part of a vakıf project, meaning that it belonged to an institution and was to provide an income for Orhan Ghazi Social Complex (Orhan Gazi Külliyesi). The site now holds 270 historical, three-story houses, all still intact and begging to be explored. If you visit the site, don’t forget to visit the Cumalıkızık Ethnography Museum which displays historical objects from the village, proving that Bursa and Cumalıkızık together provided the Ottoman Empire with the prosperity and development it necessitated in its first years of establishment.

City of Safranbolu

The city of Safranbolu is a typical Ottoman city, located in the present-day Turkish city of Karabük. It served as a trading hub after the Turkish conquest in the 11th century CE, and its traditional, wooden houses entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. The castle, Turkish baths (hamams), bazaars, inns, mosques, the old government house, and unique and civil architectural buildings are the major places of interest for the visitors. The site’s greatest architectural development is thought to have taken place during the 17th century. About 800 of the Safranbolu Houses are under legal preservation. The mansions, which are also under preservation, provide restaurant and accommodation services.

You may also want to visit Safranbolu City History Museum, a cultural unit established with the aim to collect and preserve all kinds of information, documents, objects, visual material, audio and video recordings in order to promote and present the cultural, historical and social richness of the city. Safranbolu Arasta Bazaar and Clock Tower are also around, and they remain a tourist favorite.