Tour app a window on Turkish venues

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

A virtual tour application prepared and supported by the Culture and Tourism Ministry is enabling visitors to discover historical and touristic sites online.

The application’s scope is rapidly expanding as more museums, palaces, mosques, churches and monasteries are included in the system.

The sites of virtual visit include Anıtkabir, Hagia Sophia, the Galata Whirling Dervish Hall (Galata Mevlevihanesi), Topkapı Palace, the Çanakkale Martyrs’ Memorial, Konya Mevlana Mosque and Hagia Irene.

The application makes it possible for visitors to explore a location with a 360-degree view; both interior and exterior parts of a place come alive online in every angle and direction. The system also facilitates shifts between images and from inside of a place to the outside. It is possible to zoom in on images and click on them to read further information about a certain section.

Among the myriad locations where virtual tours are possible, the following have attracted the most attention: Dolmabahçe Palace, Maiden’s Tower off of Üsküdar, Pierre Loti Hill, the Basilica Cistern, the Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum, Ephesus, Bursa Green Mosque, the Cappadocia Göreme Open Air Museum, the Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital.

Visitors can explore various parts of the Anıtkabir complex, including the Road of Lions, the Ceremonial Plaza, the Hall of Honor, several towers and the Atatürk Museum, which holds Atatürk’s personal items, his library and some of the gifts presented to him. On display are also panoramic paintings depicting the Battle of Gallipoli and the Turkish War of Independence. The virtual tour provides a rich spectrum of informative texts accompanying the impressive imagery.