Turkey's UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Complete List and Visitor Guide 2026

Turkey's UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Complete List and Visitor Guide 2026

Do you know how many UNESCO World Heritage Sites Turkey has? As of 2026, Turkey has 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites — one of the richest countries in Europe and the Middle East for recognised heritage. Some are world-famous icons; others are hidden treasures that very few visitors have heard of.

This guide lists all of them by region with practical visit information.

Turkey's UNESCO World Heritage Sites — Complete List

1. Historic Areas of Istanbul (1985)
Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, Grand Bazaar and all the Ottoman-era monuments of the historic peninsula.

• 📍 Istanbul, European side
• 🚇 Metro or tram to Sultanahmet

2. Göreme National Park and Cappadocia Rock Sites (1985)
Fairy chimneys, underground cities and rock-carved churches.

• 📍 Nevşehir, Central Anatolia
• ✈️ Kayseri or Nevşehir airport

👉 Our Cappadocia tour: AlaTourqo Tours

3. Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital (1985)
13th-century masterpiece of Anatolian stone craftsmanship.

• 📍 Sivas

4. Hattusha — Hittite Capital (1986)
Capital of the Hittite Empire, dating to the 2nd millennium BC.

• 📍 Çorum, Boğazköy

5. Mount Nemrut (1987)
Giant stone heads atop a 1st-century BC royal tomb.

• 📍 Adıyaman, Southeast Anatolia
• 🌅 Sunrise or sunset visit essential

👉 Our Nemrut tour: Southeast Anatolia Tour

6. Xanthos-Letoon (1988)
Capital of the Lycian League and its sacred sanctuary.

• 📍 Muğla/Antalya border, Southwest Turkey

7. Hierapolis-Pamukkale (1988)
Ancient Roman city and natural calcium carbonate terraces.

• 📍 Denizli, Western Anatolia

👉 Our Pamukkale tour: Western Anatolia Tour

8. Troy (1998)
The ancient city of Homer's Iliad.

• 📍 Çanakkale, Northwest Turkey

9. Selimiye Mosque and Complex (2011)
Mimar Sinan's masterpiece — the pinnacle of 16th-century Ottoman architecture.

• 📍 Edirne

10. Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük (2012)
One of the world's earliest examples of urban settlement, dating to 7500 BC.

• 📍 Konya

11. Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire (2014)
The first Ottoman capital and a perfectly preserved Ottoman village.

• 📍 Bursa, Marmara

12. Ephesus (2015)
The best-preserved ancient city of the Roman period.

• 📍 İzmir/Selçuk, Aegean

13. Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens (2015)
Black basalt walls and historic gardens along the Tigris River.

• 📍 Diyarbakır, Southeast Anatolia

👉 Our Diyarbakır tour: Southeast Anatolia Tour

14. Aphrodisias (2017)
Ancient city dedicated to Aphrodite — remarkable museum and sculptures.

• 📍 Aydın, Aegean

15. Göbeklitepe (2018)
12,000-year-old, the world's oldest known temple. The discovery that changed human history.

• 📍 Şanlıurfa, Southeast Anatolia

👉 Our Göbeklitepe tour: Southeast Anatolia Tour

16. Arslantepe Mound (2021)
The world's oldest known palace complex, dating to the 4th millennium BC.

• 📍 Malatya, East Anatolia

17. Wooden Hypostyle Mosques in Anatolia (2023)
Eight Seljuk mosques with unique wooden columns across Central Anatolia.

• 📍 Afyonkarahisar, Ankara, Aydın, Eskişehir and others

18. Ani Archaeological Site (2016)
A major medieval trading city — today on the Armenian border near Kars.

• 📍 Kars, Northeast Turkey

👉 Ani is included in our tour: East Anatolia Tour

19. Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape (2014)
Ancient Pergamon — Temple of Zeus, ancient theatre, Asclepion health centre.

• 📍 İzmir/Bergama, Aegean

20. City of Safranbolu (1994)
Perfectly preserved Ottoman wooden mansions and historic city fabric.

• 📍 Karabük, Western Black Sea

👉 Our Safranbolu tour: Western Black Sea Tour

Practical Information for Visiting UNESCO Sites

Which UNESCO sites accept the Museum Card?
The vast majority of state-owned sites accept the Museum Card — Ephesus, Pamukkale, Nemrut, Göbeklitepe, Aphrodisias, Çatalhöyük and more.

Museum Card price 2026: ~200 TL (~€4) — absolutely get one.

Which UNESCO Sites Are on AlaTourqo Tours?

Want to visit Turkey's UNESCO sites on a guided tour? Click the WhatsApp button in the bottom right corner of our website — we reply within 24 hours.