Turkey, read site by site.
Twelve plain-spoken guides to the places that hold the country’s memory: Byzantine domes, rock-cut churches, Lycian tombs and the kitchen that feeds them all. Written for a first visit, by people who keep going back.
The twelve sheets
Sheet no. · region · what it coversIstanbul
Capital of two empires for sixteen centuries. This sheet walks the historic peninsula from the land walls to the Bosphorus and shows how to fit it into three days.
02IstanbulHagia Sophia
Built in five years and standing for fifteen centuries. This sheet covers the building, the mosaics and the four lives it has led as cathedral, mosque, museum and mosque again.
03IstanbulTopkapı Palace & the Harem
Four courts on the tip of the old city, home to the sultans from 1478 to 1856. This sheet explains what each court was for, how the Harem actually ran, and which collections are worth your time.
04Central AnatoliaCappadocia
A plateau of soft volcanic rock that people have been carving for two thousand years: churches, dovecotes, whole towns underground. This sheet covers Göreme, Ihlara and Soğanlı, and how to move between them.
05MediterraneanLycia & the Turquoise Coast
A mountain coast where the sea comes right up to the pines. The Lycians left their tombs in the cliffs, the Romans left theaters, and a wooden gulet is still the best way to see both.
06AegeanEphesus, Troy & the Aegean
The marble city of Ephesus is the reason most people come. Troy's nine layers, the acropolis of Pergamon and the castle at Bodrum make it a week.
07Inner AnatoliaKonya, Pamukkale & Inner Anatolia
Five places that sit off the coastal circuit and reward the detour: Seljuk Konya, the travertines of Pamukkale, the first Ottoman capitals at Bursa and İznik, and the Armenian church on Lake Van.
08ReferenceA Short History of Anatolia
Eight eras, each with the dates that matter and the place where you can still stand inside it. Read this once and every ruin on the coast starts to make sense.
09KitchenTurkish Cuisine
Turkey eats by region, and the regions disagree. This sheet maps the table from the olive-oil Aegean to the pepper-heavy Southeast, then explains the coffee and tea that close every meal.
10KitchenBaklava
Forty sheets of dough thin enough to read through, Gaziantep pistachio, clarified butter and sugar syrup. This sheet explains where baklava comes from, how it is made and how to buy the real thing.
11KitchenTurkish Delight
Lokum is sugar and starch cooked for hours into a soft, chewy cube, dusted and cut by hand. This sheet covers its Istanbul history, the varieties that matter and what to look for in a box.
12AboutAbout Explore Turkey
An independent guide to Turkey's historic places and its kitchen, written by a small editorial team in Istanbul. No tours, no bookings, no paid placements.
Start with History
Every site on this chart sits on three or four earlier ones. Twelve minutes of chronology makes the rest legible.
Istanbul to Cappadocia: 730 km
One hour by air, ten by road. Ephesus and Pamukkale pair naturally; Lycia is its own week.
April to June, September to October
Cappadocia’s balloons fly in still dawn air; the Lycian coast is swimmable from May to late October.