Turkey has a European side, Thrace but most of its land is in Asia and known as Anatolia. The further you get from the European side the more interesting and exotic the towns seem. Ankara and Konya are both Anatolian.

We visited Anitkabir, the huge hilltop mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk, modern Turkey’s first president.  He declared Ankara the capital in 1923 when Turkey became a republic. There is a museum displaying personal items and medals. Outside the Peace Park contains 50,000 trees and shrubs and flowers donated by many countries.           The museum of Anatolian Civilisations is also worth a visit. Its full of statues and historical items and even coins  to take you through Turkish history.

Konya

This city is one of the most religious in Turkey. Its famous for carpets, whirling dervishes, and the Mevlana museum. The museum  is the mausoleum of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, a Persian Sufi mystic. The beautiful green conical dome is above his tomb.

Just outside Konya on the road to Aksaray is the largest medieval caravanserai in Turkey. The Sultan Hani, it was first built in 1229 is one of the best examples of Seljuk architecture in the country.

Troy

Everyone has heard of Troy because of the horse. The story is that the Greeks hid soldiers inside a giant wooden horse and pretended to leave. The Trojans pulled the abandoned giant horse into their city. In the middle of the night the Greeks climbed out of the horse and opened the city gates allowing the rest of the Greek army in.

Ephesus

This Roman port city is huge and there is a lot to see. Its the most complete classical city. The most famous part  is  the Library of Celsus. Also a  small unimpressive and reconstituted  house said to be where the virgin Mary lived in old age. Next to it is message prayer wall.