All Turkey

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Turkey

145 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Turkey

Updated October 5, 2026
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Cities

Top Cities
All Cities
  1. Adalar
  2. Afyonkarahisar
  3. Ankara
  4. Antalya
  5. Çanakkale
  6. Demre
  7. Fethiye
  8. Gaziantep
  9. Istanbul
  10. İzmir
  11. Kaleüçağız Köyü
  12. Kuşadası
  13. Ocaklı Köyü
  14. Şehzadeler
  15. Selçuk

Unusual Attractions in Turkey

Places

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See All 145 Things To Do in Turkey

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Turkey

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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Turkey

Architecture 31
Ruins 19
Ancient 15
Architectural Oddities 15
Sacred Spaces 14
History & Culture 11
History 11
Restaurants 10

Turkey Leaderboard

Recent Turkey Activity

Stories About Turkey

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AO Mailbag: Which Places Just Aren’t Worth Visiting?

We look for wonder everywhere we go. But today, let’s talk about the trips that aren’t worth it.
by The Podcast Team, Atlas Obscura

Podcast: Burj Al Babas

This perplexing abandoned housing development is part ghost town, part fairy tale.
by The Podcast Team, Atlas Obscura
Sweet salep has ancient roots.

Turkey's Endangered Orchids Are Disappearing, One Sip at a Time

Salep, a sweet drink with ancient roots, is often made with illegally foraged bulbs.
by Vittoria Traverso, Atlas Obscura
For perhaps thousands of years, local Cappadocians retreated underground when enemies approached. Their subterranean city, illustrated here, was rediscovered by accident.

The Mysterious Underground City Found in a Man’s Basement

How a renovation project in Turkey led to the discovery of a lifetime—a lost city that once housed 20,000 people.
by Frank Jacobs, Atlas Obscura
Nardane Kuşçu in her storage room at Narköy.

The Educator Stockpiling—and Sharing—Turkey's Heritage Seeds

You don't save agricultural traditions without swapping some seeds.
by Katie Nadworny, Atlas Obscura
In a false-color satellite image, the winding Büyük Menderes is a dark ribbon snaking through the Turkish countryside, with many oxbow lakes—created when the river changed course—visible.

The Curious Past and Uncertain Future of the Original 'Meander'

In southwestern Turkey, the winding Büyük Menderes River shaped human history. Now, it's humans who will carve its future course.
by Gemma Tarlach, Atlas Obscura
Burj Al Babas today is composed of hundreds of unfinished castle-like villas.

The Story Behind Turkey's Pricey, Fairy-Tale Ghost Town

Burj Al Babas may one day be full of wealthy vacationers, but for now it's a strange sight.
by Inka Piegsa-Quischotte, Atlas Obscura
Long, narrow plots of land in Turkey’s Taurus Mountains are home to small, intergenerational farming families.

In Turkey's Taurus Mountains, Farms Look Like Modern Art

Despite challenging terrain, these narrow plots produce tons of grain, nuts, fruits, and flowers each year.
by Gemma Tarlach, Atlas Obscura

Lists Featuring Turkey

Latrines.
The public toilets could get quite crowded.
The abbey ruins.
The stone latrines in the baths at Dougga.

6 Old Latrines Worth a Visit, Even If You Can't Use Them

March your tuchus to these historic bathrooms to see how people used to take care of business.

6

Including Latrine Poems at Museo de la Natividad, The Public Toilets of Ephesus , and Egglestone Abbey

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
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