# List of national parks of Turkey

The following is a list of national parks in Turkey.

## History

The concept of a national park was introduced for the first time in Turkey by Selahattin İnal, who argued that "nature reserves should have the status of a national park and they should be determined according to natural beauty and touristic potential criteria." The concept was included in the 25th article of the Forest Law adopted on 31 August 1956, and was included in the legal plane for the first time. The General Directorate of Forestry, which is given the responsibility of the national parks by law, is authorized to declare a national park for the purpose of using it as a scientific and public sports and recreation area, provided that the fauna and flora of the forested areas are preserved. Until 1983, only areas that had forest cover fell within the category of national parks, but the National Parks Law, which was adopted on 8 August 1983, new protection statuses such as nature parks, nature preserve areas, and nature monuments were established and areas with historical, touristic or cultural values could now be declared as national parks even if they were not covered by forests. According to the current version of the law, the declaration of a new national park falls within the powers of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which takes the advice of the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning on zoning, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on historical and touristic matters.
In the cases where the area set to become a national park consists of lands belonging to the public as well as fields belonging to the individuals, the area is taken under the control of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which can use measures such as expropriation, transfer, allocation or donation under the Expropriation Law. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has the right to organize, manage, or operate national parks. The right to operate is valid only for national parks not covered by the state forests, and the right to operate the state forests cannot be transferred in accordance with article 169 of the constitution. The management of the national parks is directly done by the Directorate of National Parks, a subbranch of the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, which itself is controlled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Yozgat Pine Grove National Park, one of the remaining ruins of the ancient forests in Central Anatolia, was declared Turkey's first national park on 5 February 1958. Antalya has the highest number of national parks among the provinces by having five national parks within its boundaries. With a height of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) and an area of 88,015 hectares (217,490 acres), Mount Ararat National Park is Turkey's largest and highest national park. The last area to be declared a national park was Botan Valley National Park, which was listed on 15 August 2019. Turkey has a total of 44 national parks, which cover an area of 853,383 hectares (2,108,760 acres).

## National parks

| National parks | Location | Listing date | Area | Image |
| Mount Ararat National Park | Ağrı, Iğdır | 17 November 2004 | 88,015 hectares (880.15 km$^2$) | |
| Anti-Taurus Mountains National Park | Adana, Kayseri, Niğde | 21 April 1995 | 55,064 hectares (550.64 km$^2$) | |
| Altınbeşik Cave National Park | Antalya | 31 August 1994 | 1,147 hectares (11.47 km$^2$) | |
| Altındere Valley National Park | Trabzon | 9 September 1987 | 4,468 hectares (44.68 km$^2$) | |
| Commander-in-Chief National Historic Park | Afyon, Kütahya, Uşak | 8 November 1981 | 34,834 hectares (348.34 km$^2$) | |
| Beydağları Coastal National Park | Antalya | 16 March 1972 | 31,166 hectares (311.66 km$^2$) | |
| Derebucak Çamlık Caves National Park | Konya | 7 June 2022 | 1,147 hectares (11.47 km$^2$) | |
| Lake Abant National Park | Bolu | 10 June 2022 | 127 hectares (1.27 km$^2$) | |
| Lake Beyşehir National Park | Konya | 11 January 1993 | 86,855 hectares (868.55 km$^2$) | |
| Boğazköy-Alacahöyük National Park | Çorum | 21 September 1988 | 2,600 hectares (26 km$^2$) | |
| Botan Valley National Park | Siirt | 15 August 2019 | 11,384 hectares (113.84 km$^2$) | |
| Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park | Aydın | 19 May 1966 | 27,598 hectares (275.98 km$^2$) | |
| Hakkari Cilo-Sat Mountains National Park | Hakkâri | 26 September 2020 | 27,500 hectares (275 km$^2$) | |
| Lake Gala National Park | Edirne | 5 March 2005 | 6,087 hectares (60.87 km$^2$) | |
| Mount Güllük-Termessos National Park | Antalya | 3 November 1970 | 6,700 hectares (67 km$^2$) | |
| Hatila Valley National Park | Artvin | 31 August 1994 | 16,944 hectares (169.44 km$^2$) | |
| Mount Honaz National Park | Denizli | 21 April 1995 | 9,429 hectares (94.29 km$^2$) | |
| Mount Ilgaz National Park | Çankırı, Kastamonu | 2 June 1976 | 1,118 hectares (11.18 km$^2$) | |
| Mount Sarıçalı National Park | Ankara | 21 October 2021 | 1,024 hectares (10.24 km$^2$) | |
| İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park | Kırklareli | 13 November 2007 | 3,155 hectares (31.55 km$^2$) | |
| Independence Path National Historic Park | Ankara, Çankırı, Kastamonu | 2 November 2018 | 235 hectares (2.35 km$^2$) | Not available |
| Kaçkar Mountains National Park | Artvin, Erzurum, Rize | 31 August 1994 | 52,970 hectares (529.7 km$^2$) | |
| Karagöl-Sahara National Park | Artvin | 31 August 1994 | 3,251 hectares (32.51 km$^2$) | |
| Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park | Osmaniye | 29 May 1958 | 4,143 hectares (41.43 km$^2$) | |
| Kazdağı National Park | Balıkesir | 17 April 1994 | 20,935 hectares (209.35 km$^2$) | |
| Kızıldağ National Park | Isparta | 9 May 1969 | 55,106 hectares (551.06 km$^2$) | |
| Mount Kop Defense National Historic Park | Bayburt, Erzurum | 15 November 2016 | 6,335 hectares (63.35 km$^2$) | |
| Lake Kovada National Park | Isparta | 3 November 1970 | 6,551 hectares (65.51 km$^2$) | |
| Köprülü Canyon National Park | Antalya | 12 December 1973 | 35,719 hectares (357.19 km$^2$) | |
| Kuşcenneti National Park | Balıkesir | 27 July 1959 | 17,058 hectares (170.58 km$^2$) | |
| Küre Mountains National Park | Bartın, Kastamonu | 7 July 2000 | 37,753 hectares (377.53 km$^2$) | |
| Battle of Manzikert National Historic Park | Muş | 5 February 2018 | 238 hectares (2.38 km$^2$) | Not available |
| Marmaris National Park | Muğla | 8 March 1996 | 29,206 hectares (292.06 km$^2$) | |
| Munzur Valley National Park | Tunceli | 21 December 1971 | 42,674 hectares (426.74 km$^2$) | |
| Mount Nemrut National Park | Adıyaman, Malatya | 7 December 1988 | 13,827 hectares (138.27 km$^2$) | |
| Nene Hatun National Historic Park | Erzurum | 6 June 2009 | 387 hectares (3.87 km$^2$) | Not available |
| Battle of Sakarya National Historic Park | Ankara | 8 February 2015 | 13,850 hectares (138.5 km$^2$) | |
| Saklıkent National Park | Antalya, Muğla | 6 June 1996 | 1,643 hectares (16.43 km$^2$) | |
| Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains National Park | Erzurum, Kars | 19 October 2004 | 22,520 hectares (225.2 km$^2$) | |
| Soğuksu National Park | Ankara | 19 February 1959 | 1,186 hectares (11.86 km$^2$) | |
| Mount Sipylus National Park | İzmir, Manisa | 22 April 1968 | 6,801 hectares (68.01 km$^2$) | |
| Sultan Reedy National Park | Kayseri | 17 March 2006 | 24,358 hectares (243.58 km$^2$) | |
| Tek Tek Mountains National Park | Şanlıurfa | 29 May 2007 | 19,335 hectares (193.35 km$^2$) | |
| Ancient Troy National Park | Çanakkale | 7 November 1996 | 13,517 hectares (135.17 km$^2$) | |
| Uludağ National Park | Bursa | 20 September 1961 | 13,024 hectares (130.24 km$^2$) | |
| Yedigöller National Park | Bolu | 29 April 1965 | 1,623 hectares (16.23 km$^2$) | |
| Yozgat Pine Grove National Park | Yozgat | 5 February 1958 | 267 hectares (2.67 km$^2$) | Not available |
| Yumurtalık Lagoon National Park | Adana | 6 December 2008 | 16,980 hectares (169.8 km$^2$) | |

## National parks by province

| Province | No. | National parks |
| Antalya | 5 | Altınbeşik Cave National Park, Beydağları Coastal National Park, Mount Güllük-Termessos National Park, Köprülü Canyon National Park, Saklıkent National Park |
| Ankara | 4 | Independence Path National Historic Park, Battle of Sakarya National Historic Park, Soğuksu National Park, Mount Sarıçalı National Park |
| Artvin | 3 | Hatila Valley National Park, Kaçkar Mountains National Park, Karagöl-Sahara National Park |
| Erzurum | 4 | Kaçkar Mountains National Park, Mount Kop Defensive National Historic Park, Nene Hatun National Historic Park, Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains National Park |
| Hakkâri | 1 | Hakkari Cilo-Sat Mountains National Park |
| Kastamonu | 3 | Mount Ilgaz National Park, Independence Path National Historic Park, Küre Mountains National Park |
| Adana | 2 | Anti-Taurus Mountains National Park, Yumurtalık Lagoon National Park |
| Balıkesir | 2 | Kazdağı National Park, Kuşcenneti National Park |
| Çankırı | 2 | Mount Ilgaz National Park, Independence Path National Historic Park |
| Isparta | 2 | Kızıldağ National Park, Lake Kovada National Park |
| Kayseri | 2 | Anti-Taurus Mountains National Park, Sultan Reedy National Park |
| Muğla | 2 | Marmaris National Park, Saklıkent National Park |
| Adıyaman | 1 | Mount Nemrut National Park |
| Afyon | 1 | Commander-in-Chief National Historic Park |
| Ağrı | 1 | Mount Ararat National Park |
| Aydın | 1 | Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park |
| Bartın | 1 | Küre Mountains National Park |
| Bayburt | 1 | Mount Kop Defensive National Historic Park |
| Bolu | 2 | Yedigöller National Park, Lake Abant National Park |
| Bursa | 1 | Uludağ National Park |
| Çanakkale | 1 | Ancient Troy National Park |
| Çorum | 1 | Boğazköy-Alacahöyük National Park |
| Denizli | 1 | Mount Honaz National Park |
| Edirne | 1 | Lake Gala National Park |
| Iğdır | 1 | Mount Ararat National Park |
| İzmir | 1 | Mount Sipylus National Park |
| Kars | 1 | Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains National Park |
| Kırklareli | 1 | İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park |
| Konya | 2 | Lake Beyşehir National Park, Derebucak Çamlık Caves National Park |
| Kütahya | 1 | Commander-in-Chief National Historic Park |
| Malatya | 1 | Mount Nemrut National Park |
| Manisa | 1 | Mount Sipylus National Park |
| Muş | 1 | Battle of Manzikert National Historic Park |
| Niğde | 1 | Anti-Taurus Mountains National Park |
| Osmaniye | 1 | Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park |
| Rize | 1 | Kaçkar Mountains National Park |
| Siirt | 1 | Botan Valley National Park |
| Şanlıurfa | 1 | Tek Tek Mountains National Park |
| Trabzon | 1 | Altındere Valley National Park |
| Tunceli | 1 | Munzur Valley National Park |
| Uşak | 1 | Commander-in-Chief National Historic Park |
| Yozgat | 1 | Yozgat Pine Grove National Park |

## Former national parks

| Name | Province | Listing date | Delisting date | Area | Location | Reference(s) | Image | Notes |
| Gallipoli Peninsula National Historic Park | Çanakkale | 26 May 1973 | 28 June 2014 | 334.39 km$^2$ | | | | Status changed to special administration under "Gallipoli War Historical Site Directorate". |
| Göreme National Park | Nevşehir | 25 November 1986 | 22 October 2019 | 96.14 km$^2$ | | | | Status changed to special administration under "Cappadocia Area Administration". |