TOURS IN THE TURKIC STATES
At the center of the map, at the start of the story
Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, with Hungary, Turkmenistan and the TRNC as observers. Here the first monumental stone circles rose, before writing existed, and steppe riders later crossed the continent.
Where the story starts
Göbeklitepe
In southeastern Türkiye, giant T-shaped stone pillars were raised more than 11,000 years ago by hunter-gatherers, before pottery, metal tools or writing. UNESCO listed the site in 2018.
Çatalhöyük and early towns
Near Konya, Çatalhöyük is one of the world's earliest large settlements, about 9,000 years old, and a UNESCO site since 2012.
Steppe, rock art and early writing
Petroglyphs at Tamgaly in Kazakhstan, listed by UNESCO in 2004, record ancient ritual. The Orkhon inscriptions of the 8th century are the oldest known Turkic writing.
Erciyes and Palandöken in Türkiye, Shahdag in Azerbaijan, Shymbulak in Kazakhstan, Karakol in Kyrgyzstan and Amirsoy in Uzbekistan.
Trek the Kaçkar and Tien Shan mountains, ride across the steppe or sleep in a yurt.
Wrestling is a shared tradition, from Turkish yağlı güreş to Uzbek kurash.
Formula 1 on the Baku street circuit and the Istanbul Park circuit.
Visit stadiums in Istanbul, Baku and Almaty, and the World Nomad Games, a festival of traditional sports held in the region.
Basketball and volleyball draw big arena crowds in Türkiye.
Watch the region
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