The Best Drone Videos of Turkey

Turkey is a country filled with history and culture that date back to ancient Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Brazilian digital producer and travel photographer, Fabio Knoll, who was nominated for the AirVuz Drone Video Awards in 2017, captured some remarkable aerial views of this nation,  The video includes epic aerial views of Cappadocia in Central Anatolia and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, better known as the Blue Mosque.

In Istanbul, the Golden Horn is a natural peninsula which separates the area known as Old Istanbul from the rest of the greater city.  To best appreciate this historically and geographically significant area (as well as the stunning red roofs, mosque spires, and busy Bosphorus Strait), one simply can watch this beautiful Drone Video of the Week nominee by content creator impalos.   With modern skyscrapers in the backdrop, these aerial views reflect of the city’s storied history and beautiful architecture.

Prepare to be blown away by this whirwind aerial tour of the great nation of Turkey.  The first 1:40 of the video is shot in the center of the country; you'll see the balloons, fairytale rock chimneys, and broad steppes of Cappadocia; the steppes of the Anatolian Plain; and some truly epic bird's eye views of Ankara, the great capital city.  Then the video transitions to the country's coastlines, and you'll see some of it most amazing stretches on the Black, Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.    

Top contributor Hamza Mujtaba treats us to a drone's eye view of Istanbul, Turkey.  While the Turkish city has long been one of the world's most well known, in recent decades its recognition has been boosted by appearing in numerous James Bond movies.  Its first appearance was as a primary shooting location for the 1963 hit From Russia with Love; the opening scene of the film (the second in the series) takes place around Hagia Sophia mosque, captured in the opening of this video.

Contributor and drone pilot jesus_tr created this epic aerial collage of Turkey as it celebrated Republic Day, the celebration of the declaration of the Turkish Republic by its founder Ataturk in 1923.  He stitches together footage from many of the country's greatest cities in the weeks leading up to its greatest national holiday in 2018: Samsun, Amasya, Erzurum, Sivas, Ankara, Adana, Ordu, Rize, Kayseri, Antalya, Bodrum, Hatay, Afyon, Balekesir, Manisa, Izmir, Istanbul, and more.

Turkish aerial videographer and contributor Alp Karagulle brought his drone to the ancient Greek city of Ephesus which is located a few km inland from Turkey's Aegean Sea coast, in the İzmir Province. The city, which was built in the 10th century BC, is one of the world's most well-preserved ancient metropolises.  One of the top tourist destinations in Turkey's Aegean Region, Ephesus is particularly known for being the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  

Capadoccia is a major city and tourist destination in Turkey's Central Anatolia region.  It is known around the world for its "Fairy Tale" rock formations.  These are giant pillars of rock formed by unusual deposition and erosion patterns; they exist across five provinces in the region, southeast of the Turkish capital Ankar .  In this video, contributor Turkey Home treats us to an incredibe aerial tour of Cappadocia and its amazing geology, unlike any other in the world.  

Zilkale Castle lies in Turkey's Rize province in the northeastern part of the country, in its Black Sea region.  The medieval castle, which has a storied history involving multiple kingdoms, sits on a giant cliff overlooking a small river.  It's a prime tourist attraction in this part of Turkey.  Contributor Skaty was able to fly his drone over this magnificent 15th century structure on a day when it was enshrouded in mist. As you'll see from the video, the results are simply spectacular.  

The ancient city of Perga lies in the Anatolia region of southern Turkey, just northeast of the regional capital Antalya.  The city is mentioned in the Bible (New Testament) as being the home of St. Paul at one time.  Contributor Turkey Home created an amazing drone video of this ancient Turkish city, which is situated between two important rivers in Anatolia.  The bird's eye views will show you why Perga is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Turkey's Mediterranean Region.  

Aizanoi is an ancient city in the Kütahya province of western Turkey.  It was built by the Greeks and continued to be an important administrative center into Roman times.  Due to its well preserved ruins of a temple and a stadium complex, the city has been submitted to UNESCO for designation as a World Heritage site.  In this Drone Video of the Week nominee, contributor Iskenderfilm gives us a bird's eye view of this ancient city, which sits on the Penkalas River.

Antalya (Anatolia) is the capital of the Turkish province of the same name.  It is the largest city on Turkey's Mediterranean Sea coastline, and the eighth most populous city in the country as a whole.  It is the center of an ancient region, one which featured prominently in the Antiquity and is frequently mentioned in the Bible.  Contributor Pascha used a drone to create a marvelous aerial look at this amazing city, which is believed to have been inhabited in the second or third century BC.

Contributor jesus_tr used a DJI Spark drone to create this stunning aerial video of Mardin, a city in southeastern Turkey.  Mardin is the capital of the province of the same name, in Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia region.  The city lies just a short distance north of the Syrian border.  The city has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and was part of two different Assyrian empires.  Most of its prominent architecture dates to its time under a Turkmen dynasty in the 11th-12th centuries.

Lake Meke is a crater lake that was formed in south central Turkey when a volcano erupted 4 million years ago.  The inner crater of the lake was formed from a much more recent eruption about 9,000 years ago.  Now a registered natural monument of Turkey, it is situated in the Konya province of the country's Central Anatolia region.  This drone video by Orhan Karaman provides a clear view of the famous copper volcanic cone island and the two surrounding lakes.

Hosap Castle was an important element of rule of eastern Anatolia by Istanbul under the Ottoman Empire.  It is situated in Van province, southeast of the provincial capital city of Van which lies on the eastern shore of Lake Van.  Hosap Castle was built in the 17th century by an Ottoman governor who was responsible for this region of the great empire.  FlyONE used a drone to create this amazing aerial view of this impressive looking and formidable medieval castle.  

Northern Turkey contains some of the country's most spectacular mountain scenery.  The Pontic Mountains extend along virtually the entire Black Sea coastline, with peaks as high as almost 4k meters (about 13k ft.).  The tallest mountains in this range are the Kaçkar Mountains, which is a subrange towards the eastern end of the main Pontic range.  This video submitted by Turkey Home will give you an aerial tour of these amazing mountains of northeastern Turkey.

This drone video by Agrippa907th shows us the glistening blue waters of Turkey’s famed Turquoise Coast in the southern part of the country. Also known as the Turkish Riviera, this stretch along the Mediterranean features ancient ruins, modest resorts and beautiful beaches.  The heart of the Torquoise Coast is in the provinces of  Antalya and Muğla, towards the western end of the coastline. The video includes footage of Selimiye, Akyaka, Dalyan, Fethiye, and Kabak.

Turkey Home submitted this beautiful drone videos of one of the most iconic sites in eastern Turkey.  Çifte Minareli Medrese is a 13th century school in the city of Ezurum, which is the capital of the province of the same name.  It lies towards the northeastern corner of the Eastern Anatolian region, just west of the province of Kars.  The school, which is associated with the daughter of a Sultan, is well recognized for its dual "minarets" which dominate its facade. 

Wide Angle Flycam gives us an aerial view of the Düden Şelalesi waterfalls on the country's Mediterranean coast.  Located in the Antalya province, the waterfalls are actually created by a water recycling station.  The Düden Şelalesi is actually a system of two separate falls, the last of which discharges into the Mediterranean Sea.  They are located near the city of Antalya, which is the provincial capital and the country's fifth largest metropolitan area.

Contributor IlkerCagatayAsik used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 to create this marvelous aerial tour of a snow covered Ankara, Turkey.  While it is the country's second largest city, Ankara was a relative backwater until it became the capital of modern Turkey in 1920.  As a result, its cityscape is much more modern looking compared to Turkey's other big cities.  Video highlights include epic shots of the Atakule observation tower and the Radisson Ankara, the tallest structure in Central Anatolia for 15 years.  

Among the more amazing natural sights in Turkey's Central Anatolia region is Lake Tuz.  It's the second largest lake in Turkey (after Lake Van) and one of the largest salt lakes in the world.  Located roughly between the cities of Konya and Ankara, the lake covers about 1.6k square km (a bit over 600 square mi).  It is home to one of the world's largest bird sanctuaries.  Alp Karaguelle created this epic drone selfie flying over this amazing salt lake on the great Central Anatolian Plain.

Although it goes by different names, Turkey's Kemalye Canyon is definitely on the top five lists of many of the world's canyon-rankers.  Carved out by a major subsidiary of the Euphrates River (one of the ancient world's most important waterways), the canyon runs through a portion of Turkey's Eastern Anatolia region.  Alp Karagule filmed this marvel by drone.  When you watching this aerial video, you will appreciate the meaning of its name, which translates to "Dark Canyon".

Izmir is the largest city in Turkey's Aegean region and the third largest city in the country overall.   Among other roles, it is the epicenter of the world of Turkish sailing, which is one of the largest in the world.  Contributor Burak BÜYÜKBAYRAKT used a drone to film the Arkas sailing race, which is held off the city's coastline.  It's a major event in the sailing world, and his video does an outstanding job of capturing the excitement which surrounds the competition.

Contributor Ezgierol used a DJI Phantom 4 drone to create this magnificent video of one of the most important lakes in Turkey.  The lake is part of the Bafa Lake Nature Preserve, which straddles the Muğla and Aydin Provinces of southwestern Turkey.  Prior to the Classical Period, the lake was actually part of a gulf of the Aegean Sea.  You'll also see some epic aerial footage of the ruins of Herakleia, an ancient city which is an important cultural landmark of the region.

Here is an aerial view of the Mamak district of Turkey's capital city Ankara, compliments of Drone Turkiye.  Situated in the Central Anatolia region of the country, Ankara has been the capital of Turkey since the establishment of the Turkish Republic in the early 1920's.  With a metropolitan population of nearly 5 million, Ankara is Turkey's second largest city.  While humans have inhabited the area since the Bronze Age, Ankara was a small city before becoming the Turkish capital.  

Contributor and drone pilot Skaty created this epic aerial video of the ancient town of Olba, in southern Turkey.  Olba was an important city in the Roman province of Isauria.  It is located in the present day province of Mersin, one of the easternmost of the provinces in Turkey's Mediterranean (southern) region.  The ruins you see in the video are approximately 2,000 years old.  Olba is included in the Catholic Church's list of "dead diocese".  

Check out this magnificent video of one of Turkey's most famous monasteries, compliments of contributor and drone pilot enghasanali.  Sumela is a Greek Orthodox monastery built into a mountain in Trabzon, one of the provinces of Turkey's Black Sea region.  Its "host" Melá Mountain is part of the Pontic range which runs parallel to the coastline.   The original structure dates to the 4th century AD, and it took its present form in the 13th century.   It's associated with a famous icon of the Virgin Mary.  

Of all the magnificent sights of Turkey, one of the best is undoubtedly in its far eastern reaches, in the Ağrı Province.  Here lies the Ishak Pasha Palace, an Ottoman era landmark constructed during the 17th and 18th centuries.  Not only is the palace itself an incredible sight, but it lies in the shadow of Mt. Ararat, Turkey's highest mountain at 5.1k meters (around 16.9k ft.).  You can see this spectacular area of Eastern Anatolia in this amazing drone video by top contributor iskanderfilms.  

Contributor and drone pilot IlkerCagatayAsik used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this beautiful aerial of the area around Mt. Uludağ in northwestern Turkey.  The mountain is part of Turkey's Uludağ National Park, which is situated just south of Bursa, the largest city in Turkey's Marmara Region south of the Sea of Marmara and the country's fourth largest city overall.   Mt. Uludağ is called Mt. Olympos in Greek and is of considerable significance to the Eastern Orthodox religion which once prevailed here.  

Contributor Ezgierol used a DJI Phantom drone to create this stunning aerial video of Turkey's Kaçkar Mountains.  These are the easternmost of the Pontic Mountains which run along much of Turkey's northern Black Sea coastline.  The video includes shots of Kaçkar Daği, the highest mountain in the entire Pontic range, which has an altitude of about 4k meters (just under 13k ft.) above sea level.  Most of the range lies within the province of Artvin.

Let’s take a drone flight through Turkey! The team at AirVūz compiled one video that features the top destinations in Turkey. Click to watch stunning aerials of Istanbul, Kalkan, Ankara, Cappadocia and more!  All while learning a bit more about each location through text laid over the video.