Central Anatolia Region

Some 477,757 people have visited Cappadocia, the historical region in Central Anatolia famous for its fairy chimneys, in May this year, a number nearly eight times higher than the same month the previous year, the Governor's Office of the province of Nevşehir has announced.

"In May 2021, the number of the visitors was 61,634," said the office in a statement on June 7.

Turkey's Eastern Express has served more than 12,000 travelers since the service resumed in late December last year.

The Eastern Express runs 1,310 kilometers between Ankara and the eastern province of Kars, a journey that takes more than 30 hours.

Sanitation workers in the Central Anatolian province of Konya, known as the "cycling city of Turkey," have started working on specially designed bikes built in the city's industrial zone.

The city has a bicycle road of 550 kilometers, the longest in Turkey and the second-longest in the world after New York, the U.S.

The Central Anatolian province of Çankırı will open its fairy chimneys that look similar to the ones in the world-renowned Cappadocia region to tourism.

The 150 fairy chimneys are located in the Orta district, some 80 kilometers from Çankırı and some 120 kilometers from the capital Ankara.

A wave of cold weather from the Balkans entered the country from the west late on Feb. 1, causing heavy precipitation in many provinces on Feb. 2.

Many roads in the southwestern province of Muğla's world-famous tourism hotspot Bodrum flooded, and the residents of the northwestern provinces of Tekirdağ, Kırklareli and Edirne had to manage heavy traffic due to the downpours.

Previous governments in Ankara were champions of the western military alliance, but times have changed

The latest evidence shows that the historical Huykesen Church in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas is one of the oldest places of worship in Anatolia.

Two settlements in Turkey have been included in the U.N.'s Best Tourism Villages list, the U.N. World Tourism Organizations (UNWTO) have said.

Mustafapaşa, a town in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir, and Taraklı, a small district in the northwestern province of Sakarya, are among the "best examples of villages embracing tourism to provide opportunity," the U.N. body said.

With the booming popularity of the Eastern Express that runs from the capital Ankara to the eastern province of Kars, authorities are encouraged to put new trains into service to meet the soaring demand of people trying to get to know the Anatolian hinterland.

Turkey's eastern and western provinces have been hit by heavy precipitation and adverse weather conditions, as meteorologists have announced a 'yellow alert' for 27 out of all 81 provinces until Nov. 29.