Xanthos-Letoon

This site, which was the capital of Lycia, illustrates the blending of Lycian traditions and Hellenic influence, especially in its funerary art. The epigraphic inscriptions are crucial for our understanding of the history of the Lycian people and their Indo-European language.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/484

Xanthos-Letoon is an archeological site consisting of two separate locations that represent the Lycian civilization. Their art work is well known, e.g. the monumental tombs that were taken to the British Museum, the most famous being the Nereid Monument, the Harpy Monument and the Payava Sarcophagus.

Xanthos was the name of a city in ancient Lycia. It was a center of culture and commerce for the Lycians. The archeological excavations at Xanthos have yielded many texts in Lycian and Greek, including several bilingual texts that are useful in the decipherment of Lycian.

The sanctuary of Leto called the Letoon near Xanthos, was one of the most important religious centers of the Lycian region. The foundations of the Hellenistic temple dedicated to Leto, and her children, Artemis and Apollo, have been excavated. Archaeologists have excavated much of the ruins; discoveries include the Letoon trilingual, bearing inscriptions in Greek, Lycian and Aramaic, which has provided crucial keys in the deciphering of the Lycian language. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/xanthosletoon.html

Nemrut Dağ

The mausoleum of Antiochus I (69–34 B.C.), who reigned over Commagene, a kingdom founded north of Syria and the Euphrates after the breakup of Alexander's empire, is one of the most ambitious constructions of the Hellenistic period. The syncretism of its pantheon, and the lineage of its kings, which can be traced back through two sets of legends, Greek and Persian, is evidence of the dual origin of this kingdom's culture.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/448

Nemrut Dag comprises the Hellenistic mausoleum of Antiochus. In the first century BC, the Roman-Persian king Antiochus I of Commagene (a kingdom north of Syria and the Euphrates) ordered to build a grave and temples on this site. On two sides of the mountaintop terraces were set up for meters high statues of the gods and himself. The statues represent a.o. Apollo, Fortuna, Heracles and Zeus. 

The heads of the statues have tumbled down in the course of years, and have been erected again on the place they fell. They are all about 2 meters high. 

It is suspected that the grave of Antiochus himself is hidden under the mountaintop, beneath a heavy layer of debris. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/nemrutdag.html

Historic Areas of Istanbul

With its strategic location on the Bosphorus peninsula between the Balkans and Anatolia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, Istanbul has been associated with major political, religious and artistic events for more than 2,000 years. Its masterpieces include the ancient Hippodrome of Constantine, the 6th-century Hagia Sophia and the 16th-century Süleymaniye Mosque, all now under threat from population pressure, industrial pollution and uncontrolled urbanization.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/356

The Historic Areas of Istanbul hold unique monuments from the Byzantine and Ottoman civilizations.

Istanbul's history is a very long one: already in 395 (then named Constantinopel) the city was made capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Hagia Sophia dates from this Christian era: it was constructed by Emperor Justinianus. 

The Blue Mosque is located just across the street from the Hagia Sophia. It was built during the 17th century. On the outside its main characteristics are the 6 minarets. Inside it is decorated with blue tiles and numerous carpets. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/istanbul.html

Hierapolis-Pamukkale

Deriving from springs in a cliff almost 200 m high overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have created at Pamukkale (Cotton Palace) an unreal landscape, made up of mineral forests, petrified waterfalls and a series of terraced basins. At the end of the 2nd century B.C. the dynasty of the Attalids, the kings of Pergamon, established the thermal spa of Hierapolis. The ruins of the baths, temples and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/485

Hierapolis-Pamukkale was an ancient spa: the hot springs here have been used as a spa since the 2nd century BC. Under Hellenistic and Roman rule, it became a healing centre where doctors used the hot thermal springs as a treatment for their patients.

Significant ancient structures that remain:

- Theatre

- Temple of Apollo

- Sanctuary to Pluto

- Shrine of the Nymphs

- Necropolis

And from the Christian period:

- St. Philip Martyrium 

The designated area also includes the natural sight Pamukkale, located in the same town. Pamukkale consists of a landscape of white terraces with travertines (terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water). 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/hierapolispamukkale.html

Hattusha: the Hittite Capital

The archaeological site of Hattusha, former capital of the Hittite Empire, is notable for its urban organization, the types of construction that have been preserved (temples, royal residences, fortifications), the rich ornamentation of the Lions' Gate and the Royal Gate, and the ensemble of rock art at Yazilikaya. The city enjoyed considerable influence in Anatolia and northern Syria in the 2nd millennium B.C.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/377

Hattusha is the old capital of the Hittites, a people that lived during the period of the Egyptian pharaohs. Its heydays were from 1375 to 1200 BC. The WHC named as reasons for the inscription: its urban organization, the types of construction that have been preserved (temples, royal residences, fortifications), the rich ornamentation of the Lions Gate and the Royal Gate, and the ensemble of rock art of Yazilikaya. 

The Hittites built their capital on a site that could be well defended. It was surrounded by a wall, to fortify it even more. The wall was decorated with two gates, the Kings Gate in the southeast and the Lions Gate in the southwest.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/hattusha.html

Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia

In a spectacular landscape, entirely sculpted by erosion, the Göreme valley and its surroundings contain rock-hewn sanctuaries that provide unique evidence of Byzantine art in the post-Iconoclastic period. Dwellings, troglodyte villages and underground towns – the remains of a traditional human habitat dating back to the 4th century – can also be seen there.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/357

Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia consists of an eroded landscape dotted with rock-hewn sanctuaries. It lies in the mid-western part of Turkey. 

The extraordinary landscape was formed millions of years ago, the combined work of lava spitting vulcanoes, wind and water. 

The inhabitants of the area hew rooms, chapels, even whole villages out of the rocks. Religious Byzantine paintings can be found on the walls of the churches and monasteries. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/cappadocia.html

Ephesus

Located within what was once the estuary of the River Kaystros, Ephesus comprises successive Hellenistic and Roman settlements founded on new locations, which followed the coastline as it retreated westward. Excavations have revealed grand monuments of the Roman Imperial period including the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. Little remains of the famous Temple of Artemis, one of the “Seven Wonders of the World,” which drew pilgrims from all around the Mediterranean. Since the 5th century, the House of the Virgin Mary, a domed cruciform chapel seven kilometres from Ephesus, became a major place of Christian pilgrimage. The Ancient City of Ephesus is an outstanding example of a Roman port city, with sea channel and harbour basin.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1018

Ephesus contains successive settlements from the Neolithic, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Selçuk and Ottoman periods. The property is located at the Aegean Coast of Turkey.

This site comprises 4 locations:

- Cukurici Mound

- Ancient City of Ephesus

- Ayasuluk Hill, the Artemision and the Medieval Settlement

- The ‘House of Virgin Mary’ 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/ephesus.html

City of Safranbolu

From the 13th century to the advent of the railway in the early 20th century, Safranbolu was an important caravan station on the main East–West trade route. The Old Mosque, Old Bath and Süleyman Pasha Medrese were built in 1322. During its apogee in the 17th century, Safranbolu's architecture influenced urban development throughout much of the Ottoman Empire.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/614

The City of Safranbolu is an example of a typical Ottoman trade town. 

It has played a key role in the caravan trade on the main route between Europe and the Orient.

The Old Town preserves many old buildings, with 1008 registered historical artifacts. These are: 1 private museum, 25 mosques, 5 tombs, 8 historical fountains, 5 Turkish baths, 3 caravanserais, 1 historical clock tower, 1 sundial and hundreds of houses and mansions. Also there are mounds of ancient settlements, rock tombs and historical bridges. The Old Town is situated in a deep ravine in a fairly dry area in the rain shadow of the mountains. 

The name of the town derives from saffron, since Safranbolu was a trading place and a center for growing saffron. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/safranbolu.html

Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire

This property is a serial nomination of eight component sites in the City of Bursa and the nearby village of Cumalıkızık, in the southern Marmara region. The site illustrates the creation of an urban and rural system establishing the Ottoman Empire in the early 14th century. The property embodies the key functions of the social and economic organization of the new capital which evolved around a civic centre. These include commercial districts of khans, kulliyes (religious institutions) integrating mosques, religious schools, public baths and a kitchen for the poor, as well as the tomb of Orhan Ghazi, founder of the Ottoman dynasty. One component outside the historic centre of Bursa is the village of Cumalıkızık, the only rural village of this system to show the provision of hinterland support for the capital.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1452

Bursa and Cumalikizik: The Birth of the Ottoman Empire comprises the empire's first capital and its emerging functions. The reign of the Ottomans started here in 1326, with the surrender of Bursa to Osman Bey by the Byzantines. His son Orhan Ghazi is seen as the founder of the Ottoman dynasty. The tombs of both father and son are located in Bursa. Later (in 1413) the capital moved to Edirne and in 1453 to Istanbul. Bursa remained the most important Anatolian administrative and commercial center until the mid-15th century.

This is a serial nomination of 8 components: 7 in Bursa, plus Cumalikizik. Cumalikizik is a town 8km east of Bursa, representing an Ottoman village with rural land schemes. The monuments in Bursa include 4 kulliye complexes, which combine religious and social functions such as mosques, madrasah, public kitchens and public baths. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/bursa.html

Archaeological Site of Troy

Troy, with its 4,000 years of history, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. The first excavations at the site were undertaken by the famous archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann in 1870. In scientific terms, its extensive remains are the most significant demonstration of the first contact between the civilizations of Anatolia and the Mediterranean world. Moreover, the siege of Troy by Spartan and Achaean warriors from Greece in the 13th or 12th century B.C., immortalized by Homer in the Iliad, has inspired great creative artists throughout the world ever since.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/849

The Archaeological Site of Troy is the traditional location of Homeric Troy. In the 1870s Heinrich Schliemann, excavated the area. Later excavations revealed several cities built in succession to each other. One of the earlier cities (Troy VII) is often identified with Homeric Troy.

Troy is a legendary city and center of the Trojan War, as described in the Epic Cycle, and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/troy.html