Cities and towns of Turkey

Adana

Adana, a major city and province in southern Türkiye on the Seyhan River in the Çukurova plain, settled since about 6000 BC, capital of the Ramazanoğulları beylik, home of Taşköprü, Adana kebab, and the Orange Blossom Carnival.

Adapazarı

Adapazarı, central district and seat of Sakarya Province, Turkey, on the Adapazarı Plain. District since 1837, municipality 1868; province renamed Sakarya in 1954; heavily damaged by the 1999 Mw 7.4 Kocaeli earthquake.

Adıyaman (city)

Adıyaman, formerly Hısn-ı Mansur, is the capital of Adıyaman Province in southeastern Turkey, a base for Mount Nemrut and Commagene sites such as Perre; its center was heavily damaged in the February 2023 earthquakes and is being rebuilt.

Afyonkarahisar (city)

Afyonkarahisar, a city in west-central Türkiye and capital of its province, formerly Karahisar-ı Sahib, named for opium and its black fortress; known for Karahisar Castle, thermal tourism, marble, sucuk, and the 1922 Great Offensive.

Aksaray, Aksaray

Aksaray, Aksaray: the capital city of Aksaray Province in Central Anatolia, Turkey, on the Silk Road; ancient Garsaura/Archelais, renamed by Seljuk sultan Kılıçarslan II; province population 441,136 (2025).

Alanya

Alanya (historically Alaiye) is a resort district of Antalya Province, Turkey, on a Mediterranean peninsula 137 km from Antalya city, known for its Seljuk castle, 33 m Red Tower, 70 km of beaches, and sun-and-sea tourism.

Ankara

Ankara (Ancyra, Angora), capital of Türkiye since October 13, 1923, in central Anatolia; ancient Galatian and Roman provincial capital, home of the Monumentum Ancyranum, rebuilt as a planned Republican capital under the Jansen plan.

Antalya

Antalya (Attaleia), Mediterranean city and province in southwestern Turkey, the Turkish Riviera. Founded by Attalos II around 150 BC; 2,777,677 residents in 2025, fifth largest in Turkey, defined by tourism-driven urbanization.

Aydın

Aydın: province and city in Turkey's Aegean region (Turkish: Aydın), seat Efeler, 17 districts, 1,172,107 people (2025), 8,007 km²; ancient Tralleis, first Anatolian railway (1856), figs, Kuşadası and Didim tourism.

Balıkesir (city)

Balıkesir, provincial capital in western Turkey's Marmara Region, inland plain city at 130 m elevation in ancient Mysia; center of the Karesi Beyliği, Ottoman from the 14th century, province since 1926.

Batman, Turkey

Batman, Turkey: city and province in Southeastern Anatolia, formerly the village İluh, renamed 1950; became Turkey's 72nd province in 1990 after oil discovery at Raman-1 well (1940) and the 1955 refinery.

Bodrum

Bodrum (ancient Halicarnassus) is a Turkish Aegean resort town, birthplace of Herodotus, home of the Mausoleum of Mausolus, Bodrum Castle, and a major tourism and water-scarcity case.

Bolu (city)

Bolu, city and provincial capital in Turkey's western Black Sea region at 710 m elevation; ancient Bithynium-Claudiopolis; 180,197 city-center population (2019); known for earthquakes, Abant İzzet Baysal University, and tourism.

Bornova

Bornova (Μπουρνόβας) is İzmir Province's third most populous district, Türkiye, at the foot of Mount Yamanlar; 452,479 people in 2025, home of Ege University's main campus, Levantine mansions, and Yeşilova Mound.

Bursa

Bursa, historically Broussa, is a city in northwestern Türkiye at the foot of Uludağ Mountain and the first capital of the Ottoman Empire, taken in 1326.

Çorlu

Çorlu (Tzirallum) is an industrial district of Tekirdağ Province, Turkey, in Thrace on the Istanbul-Edirne corridor; founded by Thraco-Phrygians around 1000 BC, Ottoman from 1361, population 306,939 in 2025.

Çorum (city)

Çorum, city and provincial capital in Turkey's Central Black Sea Region, elevation 801 m; province population 519,590 (2025). Home to Hattusha, Hittite capital and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and known for leblebi chickpeas, flour, eggs, and brick-tile industry.

Denizli

Denizli: province and industrial city in southwestern Anatolia, Turkey (Turkish: Denizli), gateway between Aegean and Mediterranean regions. Known for textiles, the Denizli rooster, and UNESCO-listed Hierapolis-Pamukkale; population 1,060,975 (2025).

Diyarbakır

Diyarbakır (Amed, ancient Amida), a major city in southeastern Turkey on the Tigris, with 5.8 km basalt walls and Hevsel Gardens inscribed by UNESCO in 2015; population 1,852,356.

Düzce, Düzce

Düzce, Düzce: the city and province in northwestern Türkiye, Türkiye's 81st province since December 1999, on the North Anatolian Fault, struck by the 1999 Mw 7.2 earthquake, with an EU-funded sustainable mobility plan (2023–2025).

Edirne

Edirne (Adrianople), city in Turkish Thrace; Ottoman capital 1361-1453; home of the Selimiye Mosque (1568-1575, Sinan's masterpiece, UNESCO site since 2011) and the Kırkpınar wrestling festival.

Elazığ (city)

Elazığ, a city of about 440,000 (2025) in Turkey's Eastern Anatolia Region at 1,067 m elevation, founded 1834 when the provincial center moved from ancient Harput; formerly Mamuretülaziz, renamed Elazığ in 1937.

Erzurum

Erzurum, a high-altitude city and province in northeastern Anatolia, Turkey, formerly Theodosiopolis and Karin. Known for its harsh continental climate, Palandöken ski center, 2011 Winter Universiade, and widespread earthquake risk from nearby fault junctions.

Eskişehir (city)

Eskişehir, ancient Dorylaeum, a northwestern Anatolian Turkish city; railway hub since the 1890s, high-tech industry, three universities, tram network, and the 2026 Eskişehir Year municipal program.

Gaziantep

Gaziantep, large city in southeastern Türkiye, first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in the country (2015). Known for its Iron Age culinary heritage, Zeugma mosaics, export-driven industry, large Syrian refugee population, and 2023 earthquake recovery.

Gelibolu

Gelibolu (Gallipoli, from Kallipolis) is a town and district of Çanakkale Province, Turkey, at the northern entrance of the Dardanelles; Ottoman naval base from 1354, population 33,062 (2025), mayor Ali Kamil Soyuak.

İskenderun

İskenderun (Alexandretta, Scanderoon) is a port city and district in Hatay Province, Turkey, on the Gulf of İskenderun. Founded as Alexandreia in 333 BC, it was Aleppo's Ottoman port, joined Turkey in 1939, and is a major steel and shipping center of 228,149 people (2025).