3 Best Sights in The Black Sea Coast and Lake Van, Turkey

The northern exit of the Zincirli Bedestan brings you out beside the 19th-century Alaüddevle Mosque, with its large dome. From here Hamdi Kutlar Caddesi leads past more coppersmiths, several restored 19th-century kervansarays, and the small but interesting Emine Göğüş Culinary Museum (1 TL). The street eventually arrives at the prominent kale (castle), built over the layers of the pre-Roman city by the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century and remodeled by the Seljuk Turks in the 12th and 13th centuries. It's a steep walk to the top, but the view over the bazaar district is fantastic (if it ever finally reopens—as of this writing, it was closed for renovations). For now, it's possible to visit the Defense Panorama Museum housed in the approach tunnel, which portrays the city defending itself from French and Armenian attackers in 1920. If you need some relaxation after the excursion, on the far side of the castle you'll find the recently restored Naib Hamam, dating from 1640 (23 TL). It's open to women from 9 to 5, and to men from 6 pm to midnight.

Other than to catch a glimpse of Mt. Ararat, the main reason to visit Doğubeyazit is the enchanting İshak Paşa Sarayı, in the mountains southeast of town. The fortified palace was built in the late 18th century by local potentate Çolak Abdi Paşa and his son İshak. The interior of the building features ornate stonework, a fantastic mixture of Armenian, Persian, and classical Ottoman styles, but the once gold-plated doors were carted off by Russian troops in 1917 and are now in St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum. Like Istanbul's Topkapı, the palace is divided into three areas: the first courtyard, which was open to all; the second courtyard, which holds the mosque and meeting rooms once used by the Paşa and other important personages; and the third courtyard, an inner sanctum housing the massive kitchen and the harem. Note how most rooms are small and equipped with their own hearths for the long cold winters. Visit in the morning or late afternoon, when the sun casts a deep orange glow over the palace. A renovation has placed a discordant, modern glass roof over portions of the site. You can clamber up to the fortress on a rough trail that starts next to the mosque; look for the two Uratian figures carved in the rock. Above the palace are a few Kurdish mud-brick houses. Taxis from Doğubeyazit cost around 60 TL one way, though they will also wait for an hour for an extra 20 to 30 TL.

Apart from the two prominent Roman Columns, Urfa's castle is a motley collection of upturned stones, at the top of a lot of stairs. It's impossible to detect any one architectural intent here, probably because the fortress has been razed and rebuilt at least a dozen times since the 2nd century BC. Climb to the summit for a fantastic view of the city. The stairs down are more fun, as they descend through a tunnel cut from the rock.