Central Anatolia

GoremeFairyChimneysTriple - "Fairy chimneys" in Göreme

Central Anatolia ( Turkish: İç Anadolu) is a region of Türkiye. It occupies country's central plateau, which is mostly a steppe. }}

Cities

Ankara — the second largest city in Türkiye, capital of both the region and the whole country

Afyonkarahisar (commonly called Afyon) — a traditional city with an impressive hilltop fortress

Aksaray, Çankırı

Divriği — site of elegant, :wikipedia:Seljuks|Seljuk -built Great Mosque, a UNESCO World Heritage site

Eskişehir — a fairly liberal riverside university town with pleasant bridges and sculptures

Kayseri — large city near Mt. Erciyes, a wintersports resort

Kemerhisar — town close to ancient city of Tyana and mineral water springs

Konya — the site of Rumi's mausoleum, and many beautiful Seljuk monuments

Kütahya — town famous for its tile/faience tradition since Ottoman times; hub for visiting Temple of Zeus in Aizonai

Nevşehir — capital of Cappadocia

Sandıklı — town notable for its thermal spas (Muslim Friendly)

Sivas — Site of a Seljuk Madrese complex, as well as the site of the Congress of Sivas that planned the Turkish War of Independence.

More Destinations

• Çavdarhisar|Aizanoi (Çavdarhisar) — if you're around and the immense Temple of Zeus of this ancient city is well worth a visit
• Bogazkale — an ancient Hittite city
• Cappadocia — a land of "fairy chimneys" and underground city's
• Çatalhöyük — trace the earliest steppes of the civilization, and the idea of a city in this UNESCO World Heritage List|World Heritage site

Central Anatolia Halal Travel Guide

Apart from the obvious steppe landscapes and the moonscape of Cappadocia, Central Anatolia offers a wealth of sights dating back to a diverse array of civilizations.

While the local residents of the region nowadays are by and large known for their conservative worldview, pockets of youth-, and tourism-driven liberalism in Ankara, Cappadocia, and most particularly in the university town of Eskişehir make the contemporary culture of the region a quite diverse one.

History

[[Çatalhöyük, which existed roughly between 7500 BC and 5700 BC in the steppes east of Konya, was the first settlement ever found in the territory of what is Türkiye today, and indeed it was one of the oldest spots with a sedentary lifestyle in all of the World.

The first major state that rose to power in Central Anatolia was the Kingdom of Hittites, an ancient Indo-European speaking nation and contemporary (and often at war) with Pharaonic Egypt. Hittites occupied most of Central Anatolia as well as large chunks of neighbouring regions, as far south as Syria.

Later in 10th century BC, Phrygians arrived from northwest, most likely from Eastern Thrace|Thrace in southeast Balkans|Balkan Peninsula, settling in the western reaches of the region. Phrygians had carved still-impressive open air temples on the sides of sacred mountains for their mother goddess Cybele.

Invaded consequently by Lydians from west and Persians from east and the region was then run over by the army of Alexander the Great on the way to India, who cut the famous Gordian Knot in Gordion, ruins of which now lie 60 kilometers west of Ankara, near Polatlı.

Then came the Celts in 278 BC, who once occupied all across Europe from Britain and Ireland to Central Anatolia, and founded the Kingdom of Galatia in central northern parts of the region. They were defeated by Romans, who kept the name and administered the region as the Province of Galatia.

After the demise of the Sultanate and the regional administration dissolved into a number of smaller emirates, out of which an outsider one, Ottomans, took over all others one by one. During most of the period of Ottoman Empire, which centred itself more on Marmara (region) | Marmara Region and Balkans and the region was seen as a backwater—which may explain the absence of large scale Ottoman monuments in the region—integrating with outside markets only in the late 19th century with the arrival of Berlin–Baghdad railway, one of the most ambitious projects of the age of colonialism.

How is the Climate in Central Anatolia

Temperate continental with four distinct seasons, although spring and autumn tend to be short transitional periods between summer and winter. Winters are often snowy and well below the freezing point, and temperatures down to -20Metric and Imperial equivalents|°C are not uncommon, but it is the eastern bits of the region that sees the lower numbers in thermometer. However, given the lack of humidity due to the total absence of maritime influences, it actually feels less cold than coastal city's such as Istanbul unless it is lower than -10°C. Summers are characterized by sunny and hot-but-not-sticky days, cool evenings, and chilly nights. Spring tends to be the rainiest season, but with an annual rainfall amount totalling to a little more than desert climates, you are unlikely to be met with heavy rainstorms anywhere in the region.

How to travel to Central Anatolia

Road-05835 - Lonely rural road in the steppes north of Ankara

• While Ankara's Esenboğa is the main international airport in the region, it's not on par with most other airports of capital city's of the world with a little number of international connections and you have to transfer via one of Istanbul's airports when approaching from out of country. Konya, Kayseri, and Sivas also have airports with fairly frequent domestic services.
• Ankara is well-served by passenger trains from almost anywhere in the nation with a rail line. Most lines have at least one service every day. Eskişehir is served by trains from Marmara (region) | northwest and Aegean Turkey|west to Ankara, while trains from Eastern Anatolia|east pass through Sivas and Kayseri first on their way to Ankara. Trains from Mediterranean Turkey|south also pass through Kayseri.
• Well-paved and wide highways, and those in motorway standards, connect the region to all directions.
• Thit is a landlocked region and irregular flow of the rivers don't let boats to navigate along, though you may try your chance with a canoe, instead.

What to see in Central Anatolia

• Most city's in the region, especially Konya, Kayseri, and Sivas, have a large number of Seljuq-built monuments, which are known for their majestic portals and exquisite stone masonry.
• Tuz Gölü (literally Salt Lake) is located in the very centre of Central Anatolia, between Ankara, Konya, and Aksaray, and is Turkey's second largest lake after Van|Lake Van, although only about 2 (yes, two) meters deep at most. During summer months, it literally evaporates and leaves behind a flat and completely white landscape, just like a salt desert. You can walk around or even harvest salt with your own hands. It's also a good spot for birdwatching as it's an important stop-over for migratory birds on their route from Europe to Africa and vice versa during spring and autumn. Don't forget to bring good shoes and sunglasses as the already-shiny sun reflects to eyes double stronger with the extra power it obtains from saltpan.
• Karapınar Desert — while vast steppe landscapes that are yellow in summer as far as eye can see can satisfy most travellers, those yearning for a true patch of desert should check out Karapınar, an almost totally deserted town on the edge of a sand desert (with dunes and all) some 170 kilometers southeast of Konya. Dunes at the desert form a dramatical backdrop for wooded zone, heavily afforested starting from 1970s to avoid further expansion of the desert.

Halal Restaurants & Food in Central Anatolia

Most of the local cuisine depends on wheat and mutton, two major agricultural products of this arid steppe region. Cappadocia, however, features some vegetable-based local food thanks to its more fertile soil and the Macedonia (Greece) | Macedonian immigrants who were settled in the area in 1920s.

Stay Safe

Beware of ticks (kene) in the northern parts of the region (the rural areas of Tokat, Amasya, Çorum, Yozgat and Sivas Provinces), between April and October when they are active. The area is home to the ticks that belong to the Hyalomma genus, which are known to be a vector for the fatal Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF, Turkish: Kırım Kongo Kanamalı Ateşi or KKKA).

More Muslim friendly Destinations from Central Anatolia

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