Although first settled in Roman times, Ankara has only come into its own since 1923 when Ataturk proclaimed it the capital of the newly-created, secular, western-looking Turkish Republic. Ankara has swelled from a sleepy town of 30,000 in 1923 to a major city of nearly three million.

With its broad boulevards and modern town-planning, Ankara is representative of the image that Turkey wishes to present to the rest of the world. In turning his back on the vibrant, somewhat-chaotic former capital of Istanbul, Ataturk was trying to create a modern capital for the republic he was forging.

Of all Ankara's monuments and museums, two are particularly outstanding: one brings to life the distant past and the other sheds great light on the present.

The first is the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, housed in a restored 15th century monument. It is one of the world’s finest museums of archaeology. It houses impressive collections from a vast array of civilizations which have all left their mark upon Anatolia: Stone Age and Bronze Age peoples, Assyrians, Hittites, Phrygians, Urartians, Greeks and Romans.

The second is a monument of our own century: the huge Mausoleum of Ataturk: the war hero (he routed Churchill’s forces at the famous Battle of Galipoli) who founded the Turkish Republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Ataturk is nearly-universally beloved by Turks from all walks of life and political beliefs. To understand modern Turkey, one must understand the central importance of Ataturk, whose photograph is found in almost every public building and store and in many private homes.

His monumental shrine, perched atop Ankara’s most prominent hill, was designed by the winner of an international architectural competition. It is elegant and austere, featuring a large open plaza with commanding views of Ankara. It is always full of schoolchildren and adults coming to pay homage to the revered man. Take the time to watch the reaction of Turks as they visit his tomb.

Outside of Ankara are a number of sites of interest. The first is Hattusas - the sprawling ruins of the former capital of the Hittite Empire - a powerful kingdom that controlled a large part of the Ancient world.

On the road to Cappadoccia is the 13th century Sultanhan caravansary (public inn) built by the Selcuks, the Central Asian people who ruled Anatolia before the Ottoman conquest.

Northwest of Ankara is the romantic, old-world town of Safranbolu, nestled within a ravine. Safranbolu has an unrivaled and well-preserved collection of traditional Ottoman wooden houses along sloping, cobblestoned streets. For those with a fascination for architecture and willing to go a bit out of the way, Safranbolu is a must.

Northeast of Ankara is the remarkable little town of Amasya, sandwiched between the Yesilmak (Iris) river and the bluffs above. Traditional houses overhang the banks of the river and the town is chocked full of well-preserved Selcuk and Ottoman architecture, including many mosques, minarets and a large citadel overlooking the city. Most fascinating are the series of brilliantly-sited Mount Rushmore-like monumental tombs carved into the soft stone of the bluff above. These were tombs of the Pontic kings, built over 2,000 years ago.

Slightly north of Amasya, along the Black Sea coast, is a string of cities that developed along the old trading routes to the Far East: Samsun, Ordu and legendary Trabzon. Trabzon was described by Marco Polo as a bustling and monumental city famous even in his own day for its great wealth and exotic eastern culture.

Trabzon, the seat of the medieval Trebizond kingdom, is filled with rewards for the adventurous traveler, including some of the finest Byzantine mosaics in the world at the 13th century church of Aya Sofia, set on a bluff overlooking the Black Sea.

The greatest reward of all is at Sumela, a short drive from Trabzon. Here the 13th century monastery of The Virgin of the Black Rock clings precipitously to the face of a cliff 1,000 feet above the Altindere Valley.

The site of this monastery has been venerated since 385 for its icon of the Virgin, painted by Saint Luke and believed to be the source of many miracles. So important was the icon (no longer kept at Sumela), that not only were the kings of Trebizond coronated at Sumela rather than at their capital of Trabzon, but even Muslim sultans made pilgrimages to this important Christian site to seek the blessings of the Virgin.