Property in Turkey | The plateaux of Turkey

Turkey's plateaux offer some of the most spectacular scenery of any European country thanks to Turkey's unique geographical context.

Most tourists visit Turkey's stunning and sunny beaches and adore its coastline, but this in fact has helped create a completely different geography in Turkey's interior, offering depth to any visit there.

Turkey's large central plateau is considered the heartland of the country and the capital of Ankara is located in the midst of all this. Other large cities are to be found in the central part of Turkey, as well as ancient sites from the Hittite and other empires that once swept out of this region to conquer the known world.

Owing to the shifting of tectonic plates, the central massif of Anatolia was created and later deposits have created a rough plateau in Asia Minor. Yet despite their names, the plateaux are not completely flat, with two large basins being found there, Konya Ovasi and Tuz Golu. The latter holds a large salt lake and other lakes are found in the folds of the plateaux, known as ova.

These are often drained to help feed agriculture in the arid parts of the plateaux, though the northern part of the Anatolian plateau is wet and has lush forests that have a range of wildlife well worth a visit.

Mountains along the coastline act as a barrier to a Mediterranean climate moving in, ensuring that the central plateau has distinct seasons with extreme temperatures that can vary from -30C in winter to 30C in the summer. It also keeps it dry, with May to August being the wettest period, though for northern European visitors, 300mm of annual rainfall can hardly be called soaking.

Konya Ovasi and the Malatya Ovasi are the driest regions and the plateau's extremes of temperatures means that many families still move homes during the spring and autumn. Cool summer pastures are called yaylas and are a different pace of life to the lowlands and a perfect opportunity to visit a different way of life in Turkey.

Some live in permanent homes in the summer meadows, but for many, home is a black goats hair tent stocked with everything a family needs, including clothes, furniture, bedding and cooking equipment. Although this way of life is declining or becoming more modern, many tourists can still take part in this unique piece of cultural history by holidaying in the yaylas of Anatolia's plateaux.

Other opportunities are available for visitors of the plateau, including climbing the rocky terrain, grass skiing and white water rafting down some of its rivers.

Although the plateaux offer an older way of life, there is still much to supply tourists with, from shops and bars to good transport links. Roads have been built to link the plateaux to large cities and there are public transport links there ensuring that it is convenient to reach the plateaux from anywhere in Turkey.

Visit the plateaux and many other stunning sights when you purchase your property in Turkey