Turkey - 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." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1 - Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia by night. Thanks to Michael of Luxembourg. Interesting round stamp used.

Postcard 2 - Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace overlooking the Bosphorus straits. Nice matching stamp. Thanks so much to Pinar of Turkey.

Postcard 3 - Multi-view of Istanbul

Different majestic views of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople). Thanks to Michael of South Africa for this great card.

Postcard 4 - Selymaniye Mosque and Galata Bridge

An older postcard. Istanbul with Suleymaniye Mosque (356-002) and Galata Bridge. Thanks to Mark.






Postcard 5 - Sultan Ahmet Mosque
This is a wonderful card of Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey (Turkiye). Behind is the Bosphorus Strait separating Europe from Asia. Big thank you to Christina and sister for sending me this great postcard.

Postcard 6

I have received these blank postcards of Instanbul inside a cover from a kind sender. Unfortunately, I have lost track of the envelope and if you send these postcards to me, please email me your name so that I can credit this contribution to my collection to you.

Turkey - Göbekli Tepe

"Located in the Germuş mountains of south-eastern Anatolia, this site presents monumental circular and rectangular megalithic structures, interpreted as enclosures, which were erected by hunter-gatherers in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic age between 9,600 and 8,200 BC. It is likely that these monuments were used in connection with rituals, probably of a funerary nature. Distinctive T-shaped pillars are carved with images of wild animals, providing insight into the way of life and beliefs of people living in Upper Mesopotamia about 11,500 years ago."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Ruins of Gobeklitepe. Thanks to Gokhan of Turkey.

Turkey - Aphrodisias

"Located in southwestern Turkey, in the upper valley of the Morsynus River, the site consists of two components: the archaeological site of Aphrodisias and the marble quarries northeast of the city. The temple of Aphrodite dates from the 3rd century BCE and the city was built one century later. The wealth of Aphrodisias came from the marble quarries and the art produced by its sculptors. The city streets are arranged around several large civic structures, which include temples, a theatre, an agora, and two bath complexes.

Source: UNESCO World Heritate Tentative List

Postcard 1
Theater of Aphrodisias, Turkey. Thanks to Marie of France who visited Turkey.




Postcard 2
Aphrodisias was a small city in Caria, on the southwest coast of Asia Minor. Its site is located near the modern village of Geyre, Turkey, about 230 km from İzmir. Thanks to Adrienne of New Zealand.

Turkey - 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." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1

Aerial view of the site of Troy which used to be next to a coast. Thanks to ctrekoza of Turkey.

Postcard 2

Archaelogical site of Troy - Truva at Ganak-kale, Turkey. Thanks to Nihan of Turkey.

Postcard 3

A replica of the Trojan Horse which is inspired by the legends of Troy. Thanks to Celal of Turkey.

Postcard 4

"Troy" Trojan Horse used in the film. Thanks to Hasti of Netherlands who visited Troy, Turkey and mailed this postcard from Greece. Received in August 2018.

Turkey - 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." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1
Multi-view of Goremme Village, Goreme - Cappadocia, Nevsehir, Turkey. Thanks to Ann of Florida.






Postcard 2
Winter view of Cappadocia. Sent by Naomi of Netherlands.






Postcard 3
View of Uchisar, Nevsehir - Cappadocia of Turkey. Thanks to Ayben of Turkey.

Postcard 4

Cavusin of Cappadocia, Turkey. Thanks to Burak of Turkey.

Turkey - Archaeological Site of Ani

"This site is located on a secluded plateau of northeast Turkey overlooking a ravine that forms a natural border with Armenia. This medieval city combines residential, religious and military structures, characteristic of a medieval urbanism built up over the centuries by Christian and then Muslim dynasties. The city flourished in the 10th and 11th centuries CE when it became the capital of the medieval Armenian kingdom of the Bagratides and profited from control of one branch of the Silk Road. Later, under Byzantine, Seljuk, and Georgian sovereignty, it maintained its status as an important crossroads for merchant caravans. The Mongol invasion and a devastating earthquake in 1319 marked the beginning of the city’s decline. The site presents a comprehensive overview of the evolution of medieval architecture through examples of almost all the different architectural innovations of the region between the 7th and 13th centuries CE."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Archaelogical site of Ani, Turkey. Thanks to Almila of Turkey.

Turkey - Neolithic Site of Catalhoyuk

"Çatalhoyuk lies on the Konya plain on the southern edge of the Anatolian Plateau at an elevation of just over 1000m above sea level; the highest point of the East mound of Çatalhöyük is 1020.3m above sea level, 16 m above the surrounding plain. Çatalhöyük lies within the village boundaries of Küçükköy, a small village of approximately 100 hundred houses located one kilometer to the north of the site. The sub-province centre of Çumra is 12km south/southwest of the site and the provincial capital of Konya is 60 kilometers away in northwestern direction..." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage 

Wall painting depicting a hunting scene, Catalhoyuk, 6000 BC. Thanks to Eray of Turkey.

Turkey - Ephesus

"The Temple of Artemis, which was considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is situated on the edge of this small town. The city which was situated at the beginning of the Persian Royal Road has survived sufficiently enough to enable us to understand the ancient way of life in Ephesus. It is one of the cities which played an impressive role in the beginnings of Christianity and during the period of its proliferation (St.John Church and the shrine of the Virgin Mary). It contains one of the most spectacular examples of religious architecture of the Seljuk Period." 

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

Postcard 1 - Aerial view of Ephesus - Efes
Thanks to Silas of USA who was visiting here.




Postcard 2 - Church of St. Mary, Ephesus
Thanks to Anna of Florida, USA who was visiting Efes.

Turkey - Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape

"Located on an escarpment of the Upper Tigres River Basin that is part of the so-called Fertile Crescent, the fortified city of Diyarbakir and the landscape around has been an important centre since the Hellenistic period, through the Roman, Sassanid, Byzantine, Islamic and Ottoman times to the present. The site encompasses the Amida Mound, known as İçkale (inner castle), the 5.8km-long city walls of Diyarbakir with their numerous towers, gates, buttresses, and 63 inscriptions from different periods, as well as Hevsel Gardens, a green link between the city and the Tigris that supplied the city with food and water."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

A multi-view of Diyarbakir showing the citadel in the top middle view. Thanks to Onder of Turkey.

Turkey - Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape

"Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape (Turkey) rises high above the Bakirçay Plain in Turkey’s Aegean region. The acropolis of Pergamon was the capital of the Hellenistic Attalid Dynasty, a major centre of learning in the ancient world. Monumental temples, theatres, stoa or porticos, gymnasium, altar and library were set into the sloping terrain surrounded by an extensive city wall. The rock-cut Kybele Sanctuary lies to the north-west on another hill visually linked to the acropolis. Later the city became capital of the Roman province of Asia known for its Asclepieion healing centre. The acropolis crowns a landscape containing burial mounds and remains of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires in and around the modern town of Bergama on the lower slopes."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage

General view of Asklepion of the ancient of Pergamon near modern Bergama. Thanks to Onder of Turkey.

Turkey - Bursa and Cumalıkızık: The Birth of the Ottoman Empire

"The Birth of the Ottoman Empire 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 illustrates key functions of the social and economic organization of the new capital which evolved around a new 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, the 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."


Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Yesil Mausoleum, Bursa, Turkey. Bursa is a tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage. It also belongs to The League of Historical Cities. Thanks to Onder of Turkey.

Turkey - Selimiye Mosque Complex at Edirne

"The square Mosque with its single great dome and four slender minarets, dominates the skyline of the former Ottoman capital of Edirne. Sinan, the most famous of Ottoman architects in the 16th century, considered the complex, which includes madrasas (Islamic schools), a covered market, clock house, outer courtyard and library, to be his best work. The interior decoration using Iznik tiles from the peak period of their production testifies to an art form that remains unsurpassed in this material. The complex is considered to be the most harmonious expression ever achieved of the Ottoman külliye, a group of buildings constructed around a mosque and managed as a single institution." 
Source: UNESCO World Heritage

Postcard 1
Interior view of Selimiye Mosque, Edirne, Turkey. Thanks to Eda of Turkey.

Postcard 2

Panaromic view of Selimiye Mosque - Bir Gorunum, Edirne, Turkiye. Postmarked Edirne September 23, 2011 and arrived in Penang on October 4, 2011.