You can even stay in a caravanserai, for several have been restored into luxury hotels. In addition to the historic edificies proudly displayed at the main archeological sites such as Troy, Pergamon, Ephesus, miletus, Priene, Didyma, Aphrodisias, Heraclia, Caunos, Perge and Aspendos, many coastal villages and toens are blessed with their very own Anatolian ruins on the outskirts. This is usually an amphitheater commanding a spectacular view of the beach where, the villagers will tell you, Cleopatra often swam. You don't have to look far for the agora either. The hillsides are covered with broken pieces of ancient pottery, contemorary walls often have corner stones which may date back to antiquity.
Children play and sheep graze amidst fragile remains.
Until very recently, God's Caves in Cappadocia were used by villagers as cold storage or wine cellars. The very richness of the landscape poses grave challenges for historic preservation in Turkey. Good progress has been made in safeguarding thje integrity of the most important sites, and work is ongoing to excavate, catalogue and preserve the country's tremendous legacy.