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In this neighborhood are the remarkable underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli, where layers of tunnels and an intricate system of caves hid generations of settlers and sheltered early Christians fleeing from Roman persecution. The Ihlara Canyon is another religious hideaway with more than 100 painted churches and about 4,000 dwellings carved into the rock walls or concealed within the cliffs; its river bed and lush vegetation stand in stark contrast to the dusty, seemingly barren land above. In Central Anatolia, 200 km away from Ankara is the "City of a Thousand Gods", Hattusha, former capital of the Great Hittie Empire. The archaeological site of Hattusha is notable for its urban organization, the types of construction that have been preserved (temples, royal residences, fortifications), the rich ornamentation of the Lions' Gate and the Royal Gate, and the ensemble of rock art at Yazilikaya. The Great Hittie Empire, for nearly five hundred years, from the middle of the 17 Century B.C. to the very end of the 13th, dominated Anatolia and rivaled Egypt, Assyria and Babylon in Bronze Age power politics. The earliest known parity peace-treaty, Kadesh, had been signed between the Hittite King Hattusilis III and the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II in 1269 B.C. Hattusha has been designated a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO in 1986. In the midst of evergreen forests of the Black Sea Region, echoing to the splash of chill mountain streams comes the Sumela Monastery ("Our Lady of the Black Mountain" in the legends). With its alpine setting at 1200m, this monastery is truly an eagle's nest, perched on a wall-like cliff. It was founded in 385 AC by two monks named Barnabas and Sophronius which then was looted in the 7th century. After being rebuilt, it was richly endowed by the Empire of Trebizond and later by Ottoman sultans. Its present form dates largely from the 19th century, when numerous monks entertained throngs of pilgrims, both Christians and Muslims.
We end our brief tour of Turkish gems in the south west of the country, at the extremity of Datca Peninsula. There comes the ancient city of Knidos, "a city that was built for the most beautiful of goddesses, Aphrodite, on the most beautiful of peninsulas" as described by Strabo. Famous as a center of art and culture in the 4th century B.C. the city had two harbors: one on the Aegean and the other on the Mediterranean. The remains of a circular temple dedicated to the goddess of love overlook the two harbors; the arcaded way was built of white marble, heart shaped columns. The legendary statue of Aphrodite made by Praxiteles, greatest of the Attic sculptors of the time, once graced this temple. The statue may long be gone now but the presence of the goddess of love can still be felt while admiring a sunset in this romantic setting.. EVALUATION OF THE YEAR 2003 In 2003; world tourism, especially air travel has been affected negatively after the terrorist attack in Sept. 11th, 2001. As a result, the number of low price airlines and e-booking have arisen which tourists prefer. Other than being shaken by such a disaster, world tourism has also been affected by some other factors such as the continuation of global and European economic stagnation in 2003, the SARS epidemic in Asia-Pacific countries and the Iraq war. Regarding tourism in Turkey, the number of foreigners visiting in 2003 was 14 029 558 with an increase of 5.84 % compared to the previous year. According to the list of countries, Germany which has sent the highest number of visitors, took the first place with 3 332 451 visitors (its share in the total number of visitors was 23.75 %) and this was followed by the Federation of Russia with 1 281 407 visitors (9.13 %) and by the United Kingdom with 1 091 404 visitors (7.78 %). The United Kingdom was followed by Bulgaria, Netherlands, Iran, France, Greece, Austria, Israel, Belgium and Ukraine. An increase of 27.70 % occurred in the number of visitors from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) who formed 55.87 % of the total visitors in 2003.Amongst the countries of the CIS, the highest increases are visitors from Kazakhstan, Kırgızistan and Federation of Russia by 48.64 %, 32.92 % and 35.38 % respectively. 71.85 % of the foreigners visiting Turkey in 2003 preferred travelling by airways while 20.63 % highways, 0.45 % railways and 7.07 % seaways. The number of Turkish citizens going abroad in 2003 was 5 928 454 with an increase of 15.54 % compared to the previous year. The number of tourists travelling throughout the world was 694 million in 2003, which indicates 1.2 % decrease compared to the previous year. The share of Turkey in global tourism is 2 %. Turkish tourism in 2003 is in good shape with an increase of 5.84 % despite the Iraq war. The tourism revenues in Turkey in 2003 reached $ 13 203.1 million with an increase of 10.94 % compared to last year's figure. The tourism revenue also include $ 3 526.5 million which is spent by Turkish visitors residing abroad during their visit in Turkey. The total tourism revenues in the world in 2002 reached $ 474 billion with an increase of 3.2 % compared to the previous year. The share of Turkish tourism revenues in the world total is 2.8 %. According to the results of the surveys of "Foreign visitors" and "Turkish visitors residing abroad", the average spending per foreigner was $ 702.5 and average spending per Turkish citizens residing abroad was $ 356.5.