SOME MAJOR RELIGIOUS SITES IN
TURKEY
EDIRNE: Located on Turkish-Greek
and Bulgarian Border, Edirne is full of magnificent Ottoman Monuments.
Captured by Murat I in 1361, Bursa became second great capital of the
Ottoman Empire. Even after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Edirne stayed
as a favorite retreat place for the Ottoman Dynasty.
ISTANBUL: Istanbul houses the
most famous mosques of the Muslim world. Among these, one can mention the
Blue Mosque, famous because of its tiles; Suleymaniye Mosque, masterpiece of
architect Sinan the Great.
HOLY RELICS: Topkapi Palace,
besides its fascinating Crown Jewels, houses the most sacred Relics of the
Muslim Faith. Among these objects, one can admire a hair from Mohammed's
beard, his footprint, his seal, soil from his grave, his coat. In the same
section Holy Flag of Muslim Faith, the casket of the Holy Black Stone of
Kaaba are displayed.
EYUP DISTRICT OF ISTANBUL:
Located towards the end of the Golden Horn harbor, Eyup district is
considered one of the most sacred areas in Istanbul. Eyup al-Ansari, a
friend of Prophet Mohammed and standard bearer of the Muslim Army, was
killed by an arrow during the Arabic siege of Constantinople. Buried by his
friends, Eyup's tomb was re-discovered by the Mehmet the Conqueror and his teacher
after the fall of Constantinople. In the following centuries, Eyup District
became one of the greatest cemeteries of the Orient.
BURSA: Located in the south of
Istanbul, Bursa houses magnificent early Ottoman buildings. Captured by the
Ottoman Turks after a long siege, Bursa became the first capital of the
Ottoman Empire. Besides its early Ottoman monuments, Bursa has "royal
burial grounds" where tombs of founders of the Empire are located.
PERGAMON: Pergamon, the capital
city of Pergamon Kingdom, was one of the Seven Churches of the Revelation.
It was in Pergamon letter, Saint John mentions "the seat of Satan"
SARDIS: Sardis, the capital city
of the Lydian Kingdom, was the site of Artemis temple and ancient Synagogue.
The city was also one of the Seven Churches.
EPHESUS: Ephesus which is the
most preserved archaeological site of Turkey was also the site of Artemis
Temple, one of the seven wonders of the world. St. Paul, St. John and Virgin
Mary visited the city in the Roman times. Ephesus church was addressed by
John as one of the Seven Churches of the Revelation.
ANKARA HACI BAYRAM VELI CAMII
AND TOMB: Located in the old city near the Temple of Augustus, Haci Bayram
Veli Mosque and the tomb of Bayram Veli are sacred places for Muslim people.
YAZILIKAYA/HATTUSAS: Hattusas,
the capital of Hittites, is home of fascinating monuments of this great
empire. Yazilikaya which was the open-air sanctuary of Hittites offer the
carving of Great Hittites Pantheon.
KONYA: Konya houses sacred
shrine of Whirling Dervishes, and tomb of Mevlana, great religious figure,
philosopher whose son, Sultan Veled, established the famous order of
Whirling Dervishes.
CAPPADOCIA: Cappadocia which is
one of the geological wonders of the world has the most fascinating
monuments of Hittite, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman times. Cappadocia's rock
cut churches, monasteries, underground cities attract great number of
visitors to the region.
KAYSERI: Kayseri, which was one
of the major cities on the silk Road, was the capital city of Cappadocia.
The city houses great monuments of Seljuk and Ottoman times.
HACI BEKTAS VELI: Located in the
Central Anatolia in Kirßehir, Hacibektas is birth place of Haci Bektas Veli,
the founder of the Bektasi order who venerate a trinity of God, Mohammed and
Ali.
ERZURUM: Erzurum, which houses
great number of Seljuk monuments, is one of the major cities of the East
Anatolia. Two theological schools with elaborate stone carvings place
Erzurum among the most attractive towns worth visiting.
SIVAS: Sivas which was a major
city on the former trade roads houses great number of Seljuk mosques and
theological schools.
DIYARBAKIR: Diyarbakir is one of
the oldest continuously occupied cities of the Middle East. The city rivals
Istanbul with its great number of mosques.
DIVRIGI ULU CAMI
The Ulu Camii of Divrigi which
was built in the 13th century, is one of the most factinating monuments of
Turkey.
NEMRUD DAGI: Nemrud Dag, located
in the south-east Anatolia, attracts great number of visitors to the tomb of
Antiochus where colossal statues of Gods, Kings and sacred animals stare
sightlessly on a mountain reaching to 2100 meters high.
HARRAN: Harran is was Abraham's
home when he heard the God's call. He is venerated by the Jews, the
Christians and the Muslims as the father of many nations.
TARSUS: Tarsus where Paul was
born has still some monuments named after the Apostle.
ANTAKYA: Antioch where the
followers of Christ are called "Christians" first time was also
starting place for Paul's Missionary trips. St. Peter also stayed in
Antioch.
TRABZON: Trabzon which became
the late capital of Byzantine Empire has fascinating monuments of Byzantine
and Turkish Times. St Sophia church and Sumela monastery are famous
monuments of the city.
VAN/ AHTAMAR: Historically, Van
was the centre of the former Urartian Kingdom. The church of Holy Cross on
the Ahtamar island is one of the most beautiful churches of the area.
MOUNT ARARAT: M. Ararat where
the Noah's ark rested after the deluge towers over the Turkish-Iranian
border.
