Bursa is located on the slopes of Uludag (Mount Olympus), which is one of the first reclusion sites of Christian hermit. Uludag, which is known also as Bithynian Olmypus or Hermits' Mount, has become Turkey's main winter sports center, thanks to its geomorphologic structure, natural floraand appropriateness for winter sports.Uludag, which is Turkey's major winter sports area in terms of accommodations and facilities, has an altitude of 2534 meters. Because climatic conditions are different at different altitudes of this mountain, the area enjoys a great biological diversity. Uludag is one of the few places on earht where the rare Apollo butterfly lives. Uludag is not only a center for winter sports, for its more than one hundred species of plants - of which more than thirty are primarily found here - makethis mountain a popular destination for botanists and nature lovers. Following the snow and skiing season from November to March, the mountain becomes a gigantic botanical garden, thanks to the blooming forests. In the summer, the areas known as Kirazlı Yayla and Sarıalan offer great opportunities for trekking, nature sports and camping.

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This island is bigger, with fewer beaches and greener than the Island of Avsa. You can reach this island, which is at a distance of 22 miles from Erdek and 93 miles from Istanbul, by ship or fast ferry from Istanbul, or by boat from Erdek and Tekirdag. The island has motels, pensions and restaurants. In this island, which was formerly inhabited by Greeks, there are 36 churches and monasteries. Some of these are in a very bad state today. There are five villages on the island. Cinarli (Galimi), which is the only village on the westem part of the island, is famous for its centuries old plane trees, while the village of Saraylar is famous for its marble.
The Saray village has been famous for marble extraction and statue sculpting since very ancient times. Many unfinished statues or statues that were damaged during sculpting have been collected in the Marble Working Museum (Open Air Museum).

The former Nato Road, between the main town and Saraylar, provides a good trekking itinerary as it traverses the 709 meter high Radar Hill. If you prefer using paths rather than this road that is open to car traffic, you can reach the summit in two and a half hours, with a brisk walk.

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The ancient city of Belkis Zeugma lies along the banks of the Euphrates River, in the Gaziantep province of Nizip, outside the village of Belkis. Archaeological excavations involving local and foreign experts aimed at saving what is possible from Zeugma are continuing even now, as the city stands to be engulfed underwater due to the Birecik Dam lake that is being built as part of the GAP project. Zeugma is spread over approximately a 20,000 square meter piece of land, and occupies a spot that, due to its location at the most shallow point of the Euphrates, has always been important, both militarily and trade-wise. Selevkor Nikotor, one of Alexander the Great's generals, and later a Syrian king, first founded this city along the banks of the Euphrates in the year 300 BC, naming it after himself, "Selvkos Euphrates." The city entered under the rule of the Roman Empire in the year 1 BC. With this change in rule, the name of the city was changed to "Zeugma," meaning "bridge" or "passageway." After only a short while, Zeugma's population rose to around 80,000 people, a number boosted by the fact that the Roman Empire's 4th Skitia legion Garrison was based here, and that the city's trade lies were growing. At this time, villas overlooking the banks of the Euphrates also began being built here. All this worked to make Zeugma one of the world's largest cities at the time. Overlooking the city acropolis was built a temple to the god of fate, Thyke. This temple still lies underground in Zeugma. The city was significant enough that it was one of the cities of the ancient Roman Empire which also had its own city coins produced for it. One side of the Zeugma coins showed the temple to Thyke, while the other side displayed a symbol of strength, the double-headed Roman Eagle.

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An eruption of Mount Hassan (Hasandag) spewed out lava made up primarily of basalt and andesite. When this lava cooled it formed deep cracks and declines that formed the Ihlara Valley. The waters flowing from the Melendiz Creek (called the Potamus Kapaduks -the waters of Cappadocia early ages) cut through the area, forming a wide and deep gorge. The 14 kilometer long valley starts at Ihlara and ends at Selime. The elevation in some areas of the valley reaches 100 - 150 meters. Through time, the walls of the deep gorge have been carved out into shelters, churches and tombs. Similar to the underground cities, some of these shelters and churches are interconnecting via passageways. Thanks to the geomorphic make up of the Ihlara Valley. this area became a place where monks and hermits could retreat and worship. During times of war and invasion the area also became an ideal hiding place. The frescoes in the churches of Ihlara Valley date from the 16th through the 13th centuries.

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Avanos, a large town built along the shores of the Kizilirmak (Red River) has very interesting examples of local architecture and is also famous for its handicrafts. Each August the town holds the Festival of Art and T outism. The town is most famous for its pottery workshops. When visiting these workshops, tourists are also encouraged to try out their potting skills. To the west of Avanos is an area called Golsehir that has rock engravings dating to the Hittite period. There is also a relief of Zeus carved into the rocks near Gokcetepe.

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Located ten kilometers distant from Nevsehir, Goreme is located within the Nevsehir-Urgup-Avanos triangle that is encircled by valleys. Goreme is set in the center of a valley that is full of fairy chimneys and rock cones. Some of the cafes, restaurants, and hotels here have also been hewn out of the rocks. Cavusin a town located along the road south of Goreme has the Church of St. John the Baptist and a monastery. The finest fairy chimneys are seen at Zelve. Zelve is also the site of a chapel named after St. Simeon and several rock settlements. Among the most important churches in the valley are the Balikli (fish), Uzumlu (grape) and Geyikli (deer) churches, all of which were built in the pre-Iconoclastic period.

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Iznik, the ancient name of which was Nicaea, is located on the south of Izmit. Nicaea was important Roman and then Byzantine city; in 1078 it was conquered by Seljuks and in 1331 by the Ottomans. The Four gates of city are among the structures that have survived to our days. This city was the center of glazed ceramic tile-making during the 16th and 17th centuries, and many of the best decorations of the palaces and mosques of Turkey came from here. Artifacts found during excavations in Nicaea or in its surrounding are being exhibited at the museum. The 4th century Saint Sophia Basilica, the Suleyman Pasha Medresse, the Sultan Murat II Public Bath, the Mausoleum of Abdulvahap, the bas-reliefs on the Lefke and Istanbul Gates, and the old Nicaea houses are some of the structures worth seeing. The findings from excavations done in the area where glazed tile and ceramics workshops were located during Ottoman times are exhibited at the Nicaea Museum. This museum, which is open every day, houses collections of Iznik ceramics, sarcophagi and column capitals.

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