Erzurum is a historic city at 1,890 metres elevation in northeastern Turkey, commanding the high plateau where ancient Silk Road caravans once crossed. The city holds one of Turkey's finest concentrations of Seljuk and Mongol architecture — the Çifte Minareli Medrese, Yakutiye Medresesi and Üç Kümbetler tombs stand beside an Ottoman castle with sweeping panoramas. Fifteen kilometres from the centre, Palandöken mountain hosts one of the Middle East's premier ski resorts. Erzurum is the birthplace of cağ kebabı, the horizontally-spit-roasted lamb unique to the region, and the origin of oltu taşı jet-stone jewellery.
Historical sites
Places where Erzurum's past comes alive.
Çifte Minareli Medrese
Where: Cumhuriyet Caddesi, Erzurum
Admission: 40 TRY / ~$1.20
Yakutiye Medresesi
Where: Yakutiye Mahallesi, Erzurum
Admission: 40 TRY / ~$1.20
Erzurum Castle (Kale)
Where: Kale Mahallesi, Erzurum
Admission: 30 TRY / ~$0.90
Üç Kümbetler (Three Tombs)
Where: Cumhuriyet Caddesi, Erzurum
Admission: Free
Atatürk Congress and Ethnography Museum
Where: Kongre Caddesi, Erzurum
Admission: 30 TRY / ~$0.90
Ulu Cami (Great Mosque)
Where: Taşhan Mahallesi, Erzurum
Admission: Free
Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque
Where: Lalapaşa Mahallesi, Erzurum
Admission: Free
Rustem Pasha Caravanserai (Taşhan)
Where: Taşhan district, Erzurum
Admission: Free