Updated August 12, 2020.

It’s Faraway Friday, and this week it’s all about beautiful Adana in Turkey! This is one of the most beautiful and surprising areas of the world I’ve ever visited, and for those reasons, it’s one of the most memorable. Here are 10 reasons you should start planning your visit!

10. Beautiful Architecture

We went straight to Adana from Istanbul, and I found the architecture to be distinctly Turkish, but also with more of an Asian influence as well. It is unique and beautiful!

More here: How to Respectfully Visit a Mosque

9.The Queen of the Snakes

This is called the Fountain of Shahmeran, the Queen of the Snakes! Legend has it that wise snakes worship this queen. There was more to the story, but I wasn’t quite sure what the person telling me about it was saying!

Keep reading: How to get an Impossible Visa

8. Beautiful and Tasty Food

The food in Turkey was not the friendliest for my tummy, but we had an incredible meal in Adana that was tasty, beautiful, and helped me feel really good and keep going.

Still hungry? Read What to Eat in Turkey!

7. A Beautiful Oasis

Much of Turkey was a hot desert. There’s really no other way to put it! But beautiful, tropical Adana provided a rest from both the desert and the hustle and bustle of busy Istanbul. It was like a piece of tropical Heaven on Earth!

6. To Try a Turkish Toilet

In the more rural areas in Turkey (including those around Adana), you will find more opportunities to try a Turkish toilet! It’s true, this is a ladies’ room toilet, sort of like a urinal in the ground for girls. Interested in more toilets of the world? Check out Potties of the World!

Fascinated? Potties of the World

5. Roman Road

There are Roman roads all throughout Turkey and the former Roman empire. It’s interesting to think of former great Empires and see their ruins now. It’s humbling for sure, but it’s also an opportunity to reflect and learn some lessons from them.

4. Roadside Ruins

I love that there are ruins just everywhere, and you can explore them at your own risk! We had a blast exploring them all along the way on our road trip through Adana. Some of these ruins were over 2000 years old!

More here: Ruined: Beauty in the Broken Places

3. The Med

This is what the locals call the Mediterranean Sea. It’s every bit as beautiful as you expect it to be. When in or near Adana, definitely take the short road trip to visit this beautiful place!

Keep reading: What to Pack for the Middle East

2. Kizkalesi

This is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. There are two castle here, one on the land, and one in the Mediterranean Sea. The one in the Med was built on an island by a king to protect his daughter from being poisoned by a snake–something a fortune teller told the king. But a snake stowed away in a basket of fruit sent to the princess, and she perished anyway. Sad story, but a beautiful place! And only a short road trip from Adana. The friend we stayed with in Adana was really excited to show us this place!

Related: Epic Landscapes of the World

1. Paul’s Home in Tarsus

Okay, so it might not be his real home, but the apostle Paul was from Tarsus, and these are the remnants from a typical home of the time. Like in Ephesus, this is a place that made the Bible become even more real to me.

Want more on Turkey? Check out all the posts on my Turkey Page!

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