Zoe Profile

My rubric for each site:

  • 1 star: I personally could not see the value of the sight -- I don't think I have rated any site this so far! Perhaps if the site is closed to the public it would receive 1 star from me.
  • 2 stars: There are some major draws to visiting, perhaps there is no signage, or the sight itself is not accessible to see. Maybe I personally don't enjoy the site but I could see why it was made a WHS.
  • 3 stars: Average WHS. There should hopefully be some signage, and some indication of the importance of the site. It is interesting and enjoyable to visit, but maybe not worth an entire detour for.
  • 4 stars: Memorable! With some tweaks, it would be 5 stars. Maybe better facilities, renovations, etc.
  • 5 stars: What makes a WHS my favorite is when I feel the experience speaks for itself; even without researching about the site before hand, I can clearly see its importance through the infrastructure, design, and signage.

Countries so far: United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Thailand, Germany, Turkey, Georgia, Belgium, Luxembourg

United States Last Update 28.05.25 43 WHS Visited 11 Reviews 43 WHS Rated 19 TWHS Visited

Visited Sites Zoe

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Legend

  • ●● Cultural
  • ●● Natural
  • ●● Mixed

Recent Reviews Zoe

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia

Zoe United States - 12-May-25

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia

I recently visited Aslanhane Mosque (in Turkish, Arslanhane Camisi) in Ankara as I was already in the city for the day due to a flight connection. This Seljuk mosque, built in 1290 CE, seems to be a lot smaller and less interesting than the other locations of this WHS. Thus, I wouldn't recommend it as a stop to anyone besides WHS travelers. I have seen a lot of Seljuk mosques/madrasahs, of comparable age, that are more stunning and visually intriguing during my time in Turkey (the Çifte Minareli Madrasah in Erzurum, built 1265 CE, if you want a rec)! However, what makes these hypostyle mosques interesting are the wooden beams inside, thought to have originated from the Mongol invasions half a century prior, according to UNESCO

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Çatalhöyük

Zoe United States - 12-May-25

Çatalhöyük

I visited this site in May 2025. As mentioned, there is a brand new museum that is really well-done. There's interactive screens and buttons you can press to learn about the different reasons Çatalhöyük is important. For instance, Çatalhöyük showed evidence of a egalitarian society, with no difference in the treatment of men and women. No one home unit was more elaborate or larger than another, also seen as evidence towards this point. There is, additionally, a replica of the houses on site (pictured) that you can freely walk into and get a feel for what it might have been like thousands of years ago. Other facilities on site: cafe, bathrooms, gift shop, and lookout tower. I was a big fan of the museum and found it to be really interesting

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Göbekli Tepe

Zoe United States - 24-Apr-25

Göbekli Tepe

I visited Göbekli Tepe back in March 2025. As mentioned, you can take the bus from the stop outside the archeology museum. The archeology museum itself is a must-see; but you need to budget at least a couple hours for it. It's giant and covers a wide range of history in the region -- including, of course, Göbekli Tepe. Once you finish the museum, you can head outside for the bus, which leaves on the 45 of the hour (sharp, too, so don't get outside at 9:47 or you'll miss it!). The bus only takes contactless credit card or Urfa Kart, so don't bring cash. It's about 1 USD

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Ani

Zoe United States - 06-Apr-25

Ani

I visited Ani in April 2025 so I thought I would give an update on the site now :)

Getting to Ani was very easy. There is a small bus that will take tourists to the site everyday at 9am starting at Gazi Ahmet Muhtar Paşa Konağı. The shuttle stays at Ani until 12:45, when it departs back to the same location. Here is the site that lists the updated minibus times, in case they change in the future. The drive is about 50 minutes, and you can pay with credit card or cash -- 100 tl per person. I found the ~2.5 hours at the site more than enough to explore everything and take in the beauty of the natural landscape. Ani accepts MuzeKart if you have it; otherwise, the foreigner price is 8 euros.

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Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens

Zoe United States - 30-Mar-25

Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens

This site covers a lot of ground and is hard to get a feel for on your own — just the walls of the city themselves are the 2nd widest and longest complete defensive walls (after only the Great Wall of China)! However, I found that visiting the Diyarbakir Archeology Museum first gave great contextualization for the rest of the city. Price is 3 euros for foreigners in Spring 2025.

Across from the museum, you can walk along a portion of the wall by climbing some steep stairs to reach the top. You can also get a view of the Hevsel gardens in the distance

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Profile Data

Name
Zoe
Country
United States
Ranking
1326

Recently Visited WHS

Update 28.05.25
  • Hierapolis-Pamukkale

    • 10 Best Missing

    1. Rapa Nui
    2. Galapagos Islands
    3. Angkor
    4. Machu Picchu
    5. Petra
    6. Victoria Falls
    7. Tikal National Park
    8. Bagan
    9. Rome
    10. Serengeti

    1 Countries Complete

    Luxembourg .

    Rating Stats

    Reviewed TWHS