Travel S Helper

Göbekli Tepe is a Neolithic ritual site in southeastern Turkey that has radically changed our understanding of prehistoric society. Literally “Potbelly Hill,” Göbekli Tepe sits atop the Germuş Mountains above Şanlıurfa and comprises a series of large circular and later rectangular megalithic enclosures. These stone structures were not the habitation of a city but communal […]

In the late 19th century, the Izmir district of Karataş was literally cut in two. A high cliff separated a bustling seaside neighborhood from the upper city, and the only connection was a steep staircase of exactly 155 steps – nicknamed the “Devidas’ın Merdiveni” (Devidas’s Ladder) by locals. For the working people of Karataş and […]

The Red Tower (Turkish Kızıl Kule) stands sentinel at the edge of Alanya’s ancient harbor, its lofty red-brick silhouette instantly recognizable as the city’s emblem. Completed in 1226–1227 under the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Kayqubad I, the octagonal tower was built to guard the port and shipyard from seaborne attack. Rising 33 meters above its rocky […]

Nestled at the tip of Istanbul’s Old City, Eminönü Square sits where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. This broad, sunlit plaza is flanked by centuries-old mosques and bustling markets. To the north it spills onto the famous Galata Bridge, which links Eminönü to the modern districts of Karaköy and […]

Perched on the fertile coastal plain of Lycia in southwestern Turkey, ancient Myra lies adjacent to the modern town of Demre. This once-mighty city is especially celebrated for its rock-cut Lycian tombs, a monumental Roman theatre, and as the 4th-century seat of St. Nicholas (the original Bishop of Myra). In fact, Turkey’s Ministry of Culture […]

Located on a rocky spur above the Xanthos River valley, the ruins of Tlos command a sweeping panorama of the Lycia region. Here, Greco-Roman stone theatres and tumulus tombs co‑exist with Ottoman castle walls, each layer of architecture speaking to different chapters of a 4,000-year history. Overlooking craggy mountains and fertile plains, the site feels […]

Kuşadası’s iconic island castle—known as Güvercinada (“Pigeon Island” in Turkish)—dominates the town’s harbor with a blend of ancient stones and sweeping sea vistas. Perched on a rocky islet connected by a narrow causeway, the fortress serves as a serene counterpoint to Kusadası’s colorful markets and beaches. It delivers a remarkably varied experience in a compact […]

Knidos crowns the rugged tip of the Datça Peninsula, poised on Cape Tekir at the junction of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. From high terraces the sharp salt breeze and the scent of pine greet visitors, blending sea and land in a scene that enchanted antiquity’s writers. Its dramatic geography – with two harbors carved […]

Perched directly above the gleaming white travertine terraces of Pamukkale, the Hierapolis Ancient Theater conveys a remarkable duality of function and symbolism. Its semicircular cavea, carved into a limestone escarpment, once hosted dramatic spectacles, religious ceremonies, and aquatic performances that underscored the city’s identity as both a cultural nexus and a revered healing sanctuary. From […]

Kaunos is a name that resonates softly in the lore of antiquity, yet the site itself offers a loud and clear invitation to the traveler. Resting at the delta of the Dalyan River in southwestern Turkey, this once-thriving Carian port city stretches across terraced hillsides and along a now-silted harbor. The ruins – a theater, […]

The Ancient City of Dara (Greek: Daras; Turkish: Dara Antik Kenti) was a fortress-city of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire in northern Mesopotamia. It occupied a strategic hilltop just north of the fertile Mesopotamian plain, near the modern village of Oğuz in Mardin Province, Turkey. The region of Dara had been contested for centuries. In […]

Rumkale (literally “Roman Castle” in Turkish) rises on a rocky promontory where the Merzimen Stream joins the Euphrates. Its sheer cliffs and tapering tongue of land create an almost otherworldly fortress, a citadel “in legend” according to one local report. Over thousands of years this remote stronghold has faced Assyrian armies, sheltered Byzantine bishops, housed […]