5 Hidden Destinations in Asia
Turkey
Destinations
Turkey · Şanlıurfa Province
Millennia before the first cities, a profound and enigmatic society carved monumental pillars and human forms into the Anatolian bedrock, challenging everything we thought we knew about early human civilization.
Still undergoing excavation, Karahan Tepe is an archaeological marvel even older than its more famous (but still ancient) counterpart, Göbek...
Turkey · Antalya Province
Perched precariously atop a mountain within a national park, this ancient city of the 'Solymi' defied Alexander the Great and now sits largely reclaimed by nature, offering a ghost of a civilization lost to time.
Termessos is one of Turkey's best-preserved ancient cities, yet it remains remarkably obscure, nestled high in the Taurus Mountains. Its dra...
Turkey · Denizli Province
Step into a real-life portal to the underworld, where ancient priests once sacrificed animals and inhaled deadly fumes to prophesy.
This ancient Greco-Roman cult site was believed to be a literal gateway to the afterlife, emitting noxious carbon dioxide from a deep geolog...
Turkey · Central Anatolia
Wake up to a sky dotted with hundreds of hot air balloons rising over an otherworldly landscape of 'fairy chimneys' and ancient cave dwellings.
Cappadocia's unique geological formations, known as 'fairy chimneys,' were sculpted by volcanic eruptions and erosion over millions of years...
Turkey · Nevşehir Province (Cappadocia)
Descend into Derinkuyu, an astonishing ancient city meticulously carved eight stories deep beneath the earth, capable of housing 20,000 people and their livestock for months.
This massive subterranean metropolis, dating back to the Phrygians and expanded by early Christians, served as a sophisticated refuge from i...