Do NOT miss Konya.... You are going to have to visit on way as a transport hub... But find time for the main shrine/museum
Check schedule for genuine Whirling Dervishes in Konya on some evenings.. As genuine as it is going to get... Not for tourists... Free.
Zeugma was free as, well... A quick 30 min to see the location and inside the ginormous tent.... A few more mosaics but not a patch on museum... As you say... Worthwhile to get a feel for the site where the mosaics came from and see what the lake has done to the site....

Grrr. They usually send me an e-mail when they do change it (they really do!). Will update...

nfmungard

Sat 25 December Hamburg = Izmir
The Holy Day of XMas Travel

There is no xmas or xmas holiday in Turkey. So everywhere should be open unless they are closed because of COVID. New Year Eve and January 1st are official holidays but most museums are still open on that days.

Sun 26. December 2021 Izmir => Troy=> ?
* Will take an early bus to Troy and a late bus back.
* Question: Assos (T) or Ayvalik (T) for the night?

You can take the bus to Canakkale and there are buses/minibuses to Troy. but how will you go to the assos or ayvalik from there? For this part of the itinerary hiring a car from Izmir may save you lots of time. If the aim is just Troy, consider taking bus to Ezine and take a cab from there. You need to bargain with cab to go there. Turkish economy is really fucked up right now. You pay 0.2 euros per km and opening fee is 0.3 euro. Ezine to Troy is 25 km. For Istanbul, it is 5.3 euros. But taxis are more expensive in smaller cities in Turkey and more difficult to find. You can offer 15-20 euros from Ezine to Troy for a single trip. You may not find a taxi in Troy, so consider bargaining for a round trip. Don't bargain on euro, bargain using turkish lira, otherwise they will try to charge you 10 times more compared to the locals.

Answer to your question is 100% Assos. No doubt.

Mon 27 December ? => Pergamon => Izmir

Again without a car, or a private driver this part of the trip is challenging.

Tue 28 December Izmir => Ephesos => Denizli
* Izmir (T) any good?

Izmir is an amazing city. It was, of course, far better before the islamic government but still very beautiful.

Wed 29 December Denizli <=> Pamukkale
Question: Can this be combined was a day trip with Aphrodisias by a) public transport or b) driver?
Alternative: Laodikeia (T), Seljuk Caravanserais on the route from Denizli to Dogubeyazit: Akhan (Denizli) (T)

I visited Laodikeia, Denizli, Akhan, Aphrodisias, Pamukkale and Hieropolis in a single day with a rental car. The distances between them are really close.

Thu 30 December Denizli => Aphrodisias => Denizli => Dalyan

Fri 31 December Kaunos (T)
Is Dalyan nice?

Dalyan is amazing.

Sat 01 January Dalyan => Xanthos
* What is the best town to stay at for Xanthos?
* Which location is better of the two? Will probably only do one.

Gocek, Fethiye, Oludeniz, Kalkan and Kas are all nice cities. If it was summer, I would say Gocek. But for winter I have no idea. I haven't been in this region in winter before.

Sat 02 January Xanthos => Myre => Antalya.
* Will do Lycian Civilization (T) and St Nicolas (T) in Myre. One Lycian is enough.
* Decided to cut Kekova Island. Not my cup of tea.

Limra is a very nice lycian city.

Sun 03 January Antalya => Konya <=> Çatalhöyük
* Early bus from Antalya. Will skip all the tents here. Am I missing anything?
Yes, the ancient cities in Antalya worth a visit, particularly Thermesos, Perge and Aspendos. Yivli Minare is not that interesting though.
* Half day trip to Çatalhöyük. Not into balloons.

Tue 4 January 2022 Konya => Avamos => Göreme NP => Nigde
* There seems to be a direct bus to the foot steps of Göreme in Avamos.
* Konya => Avamos (bus)
* Avamos => Nigde (cab)

Wed, 5. January 2022 Nigde => Iskenderun (train) => Antakya / Antioch => Ösmaniye
* Nigde (T). Would only visit in the morning.

Nothing interesting in Nigde and no chance for inscription.

* Tarsus (T) is around. But would rather try to get to Antakya/Antioch.

I agree.

* Antakya / Antioch (10km Syrian border) has a travel warning. Is it safe? I really want to see the place as a) I heard about it in a recent Podcast on the Crusades, b) it's one of the 5 early Christian towns and c) so lovely tucked away in corner.

It is safe.

* There is also some tunnel (T) around. Not sure if it's worth it.

It worths.

Thu, 6. January 2022 Ösmaniye => Sanliufa
Potential stops along the way in:
* The Underground Water Structures in Gaziantep; Livas and Kastels: Pişirici Mescit and Kastel (T)

You will be disappointed.

* Archeological Site of Zeugma (T)
I don't think you can find a public transport option to Zeugma.

* Harran and Sanliurfa: Sanliurfa (T)
If I was to cut Zeugma or Gaziantep, which one should go?

Gaziantep is the culinary capital of the Middle East. Very tourist friendly and modern with lots of interesting museum. Zeugma is just an ancient city and 90% of the city is below the dam waters.

Fri, 7. January 2022 Sanliufa => Göbekli Tepe => Diyarbaki

Sat, 7. January 2022 Diyarbaki

Sun, 9. January 2022 Diyarbaki
Buffer. Potentially Southern tents.

Mon,10. January 2022 Diyarbaki => Hamburg.

Mount Nemrut is not in your itinerary. It is a must, probably the best WHS in Turkey after Istanbul and Cappadocia. However, it is very difficult to go there in winter but not impossible. It depends on your adventurous soul.

@Csarica: Taxi counts as public transport to me IF it's reasonably priced. 20km in Turkey I don't even preplan ;)


On the official page, most show "open all year". :)


That was the plan. not a fan of travelling past a location.


Always dealing in local currency for sure. Will make a note to agree on return trip.


Great. Decision taken :)


As mentioned above, taxis are fine. And I assume hotels can arrange sth when in need. Will work itself out.


Curions in how they fucked it up? Will probably not have much time, but a little strolling will be done.


Will have to check what a driver would cost. Generally, I plan for Kaunos on NYE so not in a hurry here.


Will try to get as far east as possible and probably tick off Xanthos already on January 1st. Because...


Myre for St. Nicolas is a must. Heard about him in school. No way I will miss that during XMas season.


The bus connection isn't working. WIll have to go on Jan 2 in the evening. I don't think I have much time in Antalya. Anyhow, Antalya is a) tents and b) easy to get to ;)


Have to find a way off the plateau down to the coast. Adana/Antakya are really far. Easiest option would be to fly via Istanbul to Sanliufa, but that means missing Antioch. :(


Hmn... Now you are making my plans a big mess :( Technically would need a full day to do the sites. Have to check connections.


Will take a cab. Distance and cost seem fine.


Would have to be as day trip from Diyarbakir. Not sure it's feasible. Will look into it if I make it this far. Generally, winter in the mountains always a bit tricky and can be postponed to a future visit.

You can fly directly to Hatay (Antioch) from Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir or Antalya as well. It is quite cheap, around 20 euros.

For Mount Nemrut, the visitor centre is reached from the city of Adiyaman. You need to first take a shuttle then climb the stairs to the mountain for 30 minutes. In addition, the roads are mostly blocked by snow in winter. One super trick for you is that they opened a new road to the mountain from Malatya. It is 1 and half hour away from the city centre. The road is directly connected to the top of the mountain. From parking spot to mountain top is just 5-10 minutes. You can also visit Arslantepe from Malatya. One stone, two birds. From the mountain, you may continue to Diyarbakir if you hire a driver.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/pg/photo-gallery/mount-nemrut-receives-season-s-first-snowfall/0

I'm interested in this too. I remember staying in Izmir before it was listed as tentative. I think the idea is that it's a historic port town that slowly adapted over time? How would one see that exactly? The official doc lists Kadifekale but it just seems like a regular castle ruin (with good view according to Google Maps).

NB. Mount Nemrut in winter not the best idea but can still be nice. You won't be able to hike around unless you have proper boots. I remember reading about this for my last trip which was actually also in January like you. It would also take you an entire day for sure.

Summary of my trip - Part 1: Actual Itinerary.

25 Dec - Arrival Izmir
* Got a Turkcell SIM at the airport. Prices were okay. Cards sold directly at the exit.
* Took the train to town (got off one station too late and had to walk back to my hotel.

26 Dec - Izmir -> Troy -> Ayvalık
* Got an early cab to Izmir Otogar. Otogar is way outside town.
* Izmir Otogar is really big and I missed my bus as I was waiting at the arrival. Lesson learnt: Always go to the ticket booth first. Departures are on the ground floor.
* Took a cab from Ezine to Troy. I think the bus could have left me off at the junction for Troy. From there I could have walked.
* Troy is Troy. There is no WOW moment.
* I called the cabbie in Ezine to pick me up. Paid by meter. Price was okay.
* Due to running one hour late, I had to skip Assos.
* Took afternoon bus from Ezine to Ayvalik, as I wanted to cover some ground on the way to Pergamon. Ayvalik bus station is on the highway, so took another cab to take me into town. Old town has several small roads, so best to walk there.
* I had a really nice old fashioned place in Ayvalik and nice dinner.l

27 Dec Ayvalık -> Pergamon -> Izmir
* Did some early morning site seeing in Ayvalik. Not sure what the OUV of the tentative site is. Description is too drafty.
* Walked to the Otogar and took a Dolmus to Bergama.
* In Bergama did everything on foot. Unfortunately, I went left where I should have gone right (google maps had the lift misplaced), so I hiked along the road. I would strongly recommend taking the lift, the hike along the road is plain annoying.
* The site itself is in surprisingly poor state for one of Turkey's prime attractions. Signs and info panels were missing, trails not secured or marked, especially in the lower city.
* Highlight to me was the Asklepieion.
* Found a dolmus in town by coincidence that took me back to Izmir Otogar. On maps it should be where you find Metro Turizm.

28 Dec Izmir -> Ephesos -> Denizli
* Did some early morning site seeing in Izmir. The Agora is nice, but overall the city is too modern for WHS status.
* You can take bus/dolmus to Selcuk. I opted for one of the 4 daily trains. Advantage of the train was that it starts in the city (not in Otogar) and I knew where (Basmane). The train continues to Denizli.
* Site seeing in Ephesos mostly on foot. I took a dolmus on my way back from the site. For the Artemis temple ruins you will have to walk in any case.
* Ephesos was the best presented Greek ruin site in Turkey, I have seen. Under normal circumstances, visiting Samos as a day trip would be entirely possible.
* In the evening, continued by train to Denizli. All buses were booked. And regional trains do not require a reservation.
* Hotel in Denizli was just behind the bus station, in walking distance of the train station.

29 Dec Denizli: Pamukkale, Laodikeia, Seljuk Caravanserais
* Took an early morning bus from the Otogar to Pamukkale. Bus is in the basement. There are signs telling you where to go or you just ask.
* Pamukkale is pretty great. I should have brought a bag for my shoes. And my feet did hurt as the salt was really hard. And the water cold.
* The Amphitheatre (reconstructed) and the Necropolis were the highlights for me on the upper level.
* Same as in Pergamon: Sign posting in parts wasn't great. Some trails were not marked (e.g. the Basilica).
* From Pamukkale I took the dolmus back to Denizli and got off at the junction for Laodikeia from where I walked.
* Laodikeia is too similar as a greek ruin to the other sites of the region. However, I can see the early Christian component helping with an inscription. It is certainly a worthier contended than Philippi in Greece.
* From Laodikeia I walked to the Caravanserais. Google proposed two routes, one being a highway (DO NOT WALK ON THE HIGHWAY). A second route took a rural road and tunnel was perfectly fine.
* The Caravansery was nice. They were prepping for the NYE party. It is still used to welcome guests (fine with me) and if the other components are similar (or better) in quality, this would be nice (not great) addition to the list.
* From the Caravansery I took a dolmus back to town. The dolmus continued somewhere else, so I was a bit surprised when I suddenly needed to get off.

30 Dec Denizli -> Aphrodisias -> Fethiye
* Had a taxi arranged (400 TL = 30EUR?) to take me to Aphrodisias. Nice chap.
* Site itself is nice and massive. Astonishing what the Turks have up their sleeves.
* I am not fully convinced the the stadium being the largest/best preserved, though. Messene in Greece was equally great.
* We made it back in time for an earlier bus to Fethiye.
* In Fethiye, I squeezed a short visit to the rock graves in. Pretty nice, the type of site that should be inscribed (--> Kaunos).

31 Dec Fethiye: Xanthos
* I was hoping for a dolmus to Xanthos, but nope, can't do. You need to take a bus from the Otogar. And as I was getting up late, I had to wait for an hour.
* Xanthos was mhew. Deserverdly lowest ranked site of Turkey.
* I was planning to continue to Myre for St. Nicolaus. But... due to starting too late, I had to get back to Fethiye.
* There are plenty of bus connections direction Antalya/Myre from Kınık.

01 Jan Fethiye -> Kaunos -> Konya
* Correcting my previous day's mistake, I got up early and took a dolmus (from the Otogar) to Ortaca. From there I took a local bus to Dalyan.
* In Dalyan, a kid was offering rowing services, so I could cross the river. You can see the tombs from the other side of the river though, but not the archeological site. As I understood, you can't access the tombs (go to Fethiye for that).
* What is great about the archeological site is that it feels like a harbour to this date and is partially flooded. Unlike Aquileia. For me clear inscription.
* On my way back I took the same bus back to Ortaca. From Ortaca to Dalaman, another bus. And then a cab to the airport. Cabs are NOT cheap in this part of Turkey (they are everywhere else), I paid 8 EUR (?) for Dalaman to Dalaman Airport. Partially to blame, was the (at least in off season) completely oversized airport.
* I flew to Konya via Istanbul. Reality is that it would have take 6h from Antalya and getting to Antalya another 3h, so it was the easiest option.
* In Konya, I took a transfer bus (HAVAS) to the city. I think it would have been easier to take a cab seeing how cheap these are.

02 Jan Konya: Çatalhöyük
* Visited Çatalhöyük by taxi. We had a fixed price, but his meter was saying the same thing essentially.
* Visit itself was rather short. Parts of the site (2nd tent?) weren't open. Sign posting was poor and a little more guidance etc. would have been helpful. Site itself was terribly muddy.
* In Konya, did some site seeing. Rumis mosque is the highlight and it is not explicitly named in the tentative site. It may have been the weather, but Konya didn't impress me.
* The Derwish presentations in the Cultural Center (at least in off season) take place on Saturday. I came on Sunday :(
* Looking back, I should have taken a bus to Göreme that evening.

03 Jan Konya -> Nevşehir -> Derinkuyu -> Göreme
* Early bus to Nevsehir. From Nevsehir there are dolmus to Nigde which stop in Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı. These are well signposted in the station.
* Recommendation: If you are connecting between Konya and Göreme or to Nigde, the underground cities can be done this way.
* The dolmus to Nidge starts at the Nevşehir otogar but stops all over town. Best place should be on Atatürk Boulevard near the round about. Ask.
* I got off at Atatürk Boulevard and wanted to go to Uçhisar, but took the dolmus to Urgup instead. Lucky me, the driver let me off at the junction (up hill) and I walked down to Uchisar with great views.
* Original plan was to hike Pigeon canyon to Göreme, but I couldn't find the trail head (sign posting...) or found the trail head in too sorry state. Instead I followed a rural road from Pigeon canyon viewpoint with great views of the landscape.
* In Göreme, there are plenty of cave hotels. They may differ in how much off a cave you have. Personally, I couldn't care less.
* The dinner in Göreme was the last time, I could order beer or wine on my trip.

04 Jan Göreme -> Kayseri
* Did the folk museum and the extra chapel (must).
* Hiked pigeon canyon from the other side (easy to find trail head).
* Wanted to go to Kayseri next, BUT this was more complicated than expected. You can book shuttles to the airport. But there are no frequent line buses or dolmus from some reason.
* Instead I took a dolmus (on the bus stop at the road behind the Otogar in Göreme) to Avanos. And from there a bus to Kayseri.
* Kayseri bus station is (as usual) way out of town, so took another cab to the hotel.
* Kayseri has two Madrasahs and the Humi Mosque plus the castle to see.

05 Jan Kayseri -> Malatya
* Early bus to Malatya. Taxi to Arslantepe Mound.
* Arslantepe Mound was nicer than Çatalhöyük. You have to ask the guard to remove the curtains to see the paintings.
* Walked afterwards to Battalgazi, the old Malatya (Roman Melitene). There are still some Roman ruins left, but state is poor.
* From Battalgazi it was hard to catch a bus, as all bus drivers assumed, I had the Malatya card, which I didnt.
* Also: Nobody would take me to Nemrud Dag due to snow :(

Continued.

06 Jan Malatya -> {Sanli]Urfa
* Took a very early bus to Urfa. Bus came from far west and was significantly delayed.
* In Urfa, took a taxi (return) to Göbekli Tepe. The tourist bus was actually waiting in Göbekli Tepe, but cab far was low (15EUR?), so all was fine.
* Göbekli Tepe is the best of the 3 prehistoric sites I have seen. Access, presentation, ... all very good. Views are also stunning.
* Back in Urfa, went to Harran close to the Syrian border. Minibus start at Otogar, but it runs down Akcakale and stops basically everywhere. Best though to wait at a bus stop (behind the Urfa City Museum).
* Harran is really raw. The ruins are massive and not fully excavated as far as I can tell. The huts are fun. The castle is interesting as is the church and the walls. I am not sure why this would be grouped with Urfa (Edessa), though.
* Harran was also the place where I saw real poverty for the first time in Turkey. Safety was good.

07 Jan Urfa -> Mardin
* Site seeing in Urfa. The fish pont and the mosques (1 former church) are great. The castle needs upkeep. The old town with narrow cobble stone streets was also nice. Should be listed.
* The two main museums in Urfa are a must see. You have to see the mosaics and the life size figure etc. Amazing. Right now, they seem a bit empty, but seeing the amount of sites where they can dig further, I am sure the quality will increase even further.
* Note: Göbekli Tepe should be extended to include nearby Karahan Tepe based on the exposition. Urfa itself has pre historic findings, but it's a big city, so sites probably not well preserved.
* From Urfa took a bus to Mardin as I had a spare day. Mardin Otogar again is outside of town and you need a cab to get to the upper city.

08 Jan Mardin -> Nusaybin -> Mityat -> Mardin
* Had a driver for Nusaybin. Nusaybin is basically in Syria and it is considered a Kurdish center. Hotel and driver felt okay, so I went.
* Church and mosque in Nusaybin were closed, but could see ample from the outside. Not sure how much was original. The ruins were nice, I can see more early Christian sites for Turkey. It's managed by the Mardin Museum, so maybe write them before going, on how to get in.
* My driver then swayed me (45 EUR) to see Mor Gabriel and as they were closed till 13:00h (google maps times are correct), we did a stop in Mityat.
* Mityat was great (more compact and consistent than more popular Mardin).
* Mor Gabriel will be a WHS. Not up for discussion. Original Byzantine chapel from Theodora, need I say more.
* From Mor Gabriel we drove to Zafaran monastery. I found it less impressing than Mor Gabriel. It is also included in the Mardin nomination, but my guess is that the Late Antiquity churches will replace the failed Mardin nomination.
* Problem for both monasteries is that a) the monasteries are in operation, so b) you need to join a tour and can't roam freely and c) the tours are in Turkish.
* The rest of the day I visited Mardin. It's pretty popular with local tourists, but I understand why the nomination failed. The quality of individual sites did not impress me, nor the consistency of the old town.
* If you plan to do the loop, my recommendation would be to start off in Mardin monastery, go to Dara, go to Nesaybin, go to Mor Gabriel, Mityat and back.

09 Jan Mardin -> Zerzevan -> Diyarbakir
* Plan was to take a minibus and get off at Zerzevan junction (there is a bus stop with a hut).
* Reality was that the minibus did not start for the otogar, but from the other side of town and my cabbie swayed me to simply pay him to drive me to Zerzevan (20 EUR). Was good invested money as I came as the sun was rising.
* Zerzevan is a bit a Roman Macchu Picchu. It's a Roman castle town on a rock overlooking a key trading route of the past. Plenty of ruins are present. Most importantly they have a Mithraeum. Unfortunately, it's also an active excavation site, so the Mithraeum wasn't accessible. Still, signposting was top notch for Turkey. Pretty sure this will be inscribed if proposed. The Turkish authorities should consider to also include nearby Dara.
* To get to Diyarbakir I wanted to hop a minibus. Instead a Kurd stopped and took me along. He left me at the junction for the bridge. It would have been 45min walking, but then another Kurd gave me another ride.
* Diyarbakir was nice. Walls are huge, but both Avila and Lugo seemed nicer. The wall has some interruptions and gaps. Best parts are in the Southwest. In town, I liked the (former) churches best.

And that's it. Will do some more later. ;)

Application for Mardin churches, monasteries to be included in UNESCO World Heritage List
- Nine monasteries and churches were included in the temporary list last year.

Clearly the twice rejected "Mardin Cultural Landscape" has been reconfigured as a new addition to Turkey's tentative list, "Late Antique and Medieval Churches and Monasteries of Midyat and Surrounding Area (Tur ʿAbdin)". A year is not mentioned, but we can probably expect this nomination in the near future.

https://m.bianet.org/english/religion/257763-application-for-mardin-churches-monasteries-to-be-included-in-unesco-world-heritage-list

The Mardin church is the outlier. Those are Midyat Churches. And your summary follows mine on Mardin ;)

This will be a great addition.

Yeah, I did read your excellent review, it sounds like a much better nomination now.

Side Note: English name of Turkey will likely be changed to Türkiye shortly in United Nations, including UNESCO.

Expect it to happen any moment now....
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/02/1102596510/turkey-changes-name-turkiye-united-nations?t=1654236033133

Now, I don't want to be tedious by reiterating what I think of this absurdity and how much I despise such power moves and speaking of "country brand's value". Besides, an application for football scores I use has already made this change, so this evening Lithuania - Turkiye (notably, not Türkiye) was played. Anyway, since similar issues keep coming up, I just wonder why not let each country at the UN use an own official name of their choice beside a possibly different English and/or French one (I am not so sure how this is regulated now).

UNESCO also changed it today, so did I

All but the topic ;)