When doing field work in Turkey, we frequently come across archeological sites, including Neotlithic, Hittite, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, Crusader, and Ottoman sites.

In addition to the obvious wonders of Istanbul (Aya Sofia, Topkapi Palace, cisterns, Blue Mosque, Galata Tower, Grand Bazaar, Spice Market, and many other mosques and markets and museums and random amazing places), I am very fond of these obelisks (left) in the old Hippodrome next to the Blue Mosque. I use pictures of these when I teach introductory geology because they are a nice example of how different rocks weather differently. The pristine obelisk in the foreground is granite and the pitted one in the back is limestone.

The photo on the right is an old haman (bath) next to the Empress Zoe hotel in the Sultanahmet.

The above photo is of a Neolithic drawing on a rock near Bafa Lake, western Turkey (photo by Seth Kruckenberg).

The photos above are all from the Lake Bafa area, including a Byzantine monastery and paintings on/in a rock, and a temple of Zeus.

The Hittite site at Hattusas, near Yozgat (between Ankara and Sivas). The Lion Gate. The site is in the Ankara melange, a Neotethyan suture zone.

I also like this Hittite solider from the same site

This Hittite symbol is on a boulevard in Ankara.

Ephesus amphitheater (photo by S. Kruckenberg, 2005)

Ephesus, library

Bodrum (Crusader castle, near the ruins of Halicarnassus)

Church near Goreme, Cappadocia

Castle in Nigde

Excavation of the Neotlithic site at Catal Hoyuk (a.k.a. Catal Huyuk)