The Basilica Cistern (Turkish: Yerebatan Sarnıcı – "Cistern Sinking Into Ground"), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The cistern, located 150 metres (490 ft) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
lztuzu Beach is a 4.5 km long beach near Dalyan, in the Ortaca district of the Province of Muğla in southwestern Turkey. The beach is a narrow spit of land, which forms a natural barrier between the freshwater delta of the Dalyan river and the Mediterranean. It is one of the main breeding grounds for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean and is therefore often referred to as "Turtle Beach". The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is on the IUCN Red list of endangered animals. For this reason the beach has had a protected status since 1988 and is part of the Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area.
The greatest threat to the survival of the loggerhead sea turtle is on these sandy beaches where its life begins. This has triggered an international conservation effort that began in the 1990s. The effort to protect loggerhead sea turtle eggs and to assure a safe breeding ground for this endangered species has made international headlines. This issue is one of the most critical items on Turkey's environmental agenda.
Lake Kus or Lake Manyas (Turkish: Kuş Gölü meaning Bird Lake, or, Manyas Gölü) is a lake in western Turkey, located in the Bandırma region. This is a shallow nutrient-rich freshwater lake (average depth 3 m) fed by groundwater and four streams. Small deltas have formed where the latter enter the lake, comprising extensive marshes and tree-lined riverbanks. Narrow belts of reed Phragmites fringe much of the lake. Water is abstracted for factory use and for irrigation. Cattle- and sheep-grazing is common along the lake shores.
The Derinkuyu underground city is an ancient multi-level underground city in the Derinkuyu district in Nevşehir Province, Turkey. Extending to a depth of approximately 60 metres (200 ft), it is large enough to have sheltered as many as 20,000 people together with their livestock and food stores. It is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey and is one of several underground complexes found across Cappadocia.
A fragment of a Neanderthal cranium discovered and dated confirms human habitation since the early Paleolithic age between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago. Researchers documented the continuity of human presence in the cave for a period of more than 25,000 years, from the Mesolithic, through the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic, to the Bronze Age. It is assumed that during the time of Greek colonization of Asia Minor (Iron Age), the cave had a religious function, as Greek inscriptions and decorations suggest, that are carved into the rock in front of the entrance. The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations hosts an extensive collection of Karain artifacts.
The canyon is 300 m (980 ft) deep and 18 km (11 mi) long, being one of the deepest in the world. It was formed through abrasion of the rocks by flowing waters over thousands of years. As the level of water rises during winter months, visitors can enter the canyon all year around only the deeper parts in the summer. 4 km (2.5 mi) of the canyon are walkable after April, when most of the snow in the Taurus Mountains has melted and passed through on its way to the Mediterranean Sea. Saklıkent means "hidden city" in Turkish. The full length of 16km is only possible to discover with professional equipment and knowledge of advanced canyoning. Some adventure centers offer guided tours with an overnight Biwak camp and about 30 waterfalls to rappel.
The canyon is 400 m (1,300 ft) deep in some places and stretches for 14 km (8.7 mi) along the Köprü River. There are fish restaurants at the rest area; fresh trout is a specialty. The Roman Oluklu Bridge (Olukluköprü) over a tributary gorge and the Bugrum Bridge over the Kocadere stream were engineering feats of their time.
