Samsun

Launched in Paisley in 1878, this small freighter-cum-ferry plied the Med, and took its best-known name (for a Marmara sea port) in 1910. In 1919 it conveyed Mustafa Kemal Pasha here to supervise the disbanding of defeated Ottoman troops; but instead he rallied the troops and began the war for Turkish independence. The ship retired in 1924 and was scrapped, but a full-scale replica was built, and opened in 2006 as a museum of those days. There isn't much English, so be ready with your translator.

Shambolic museum of the independence struggle, in which nothing works. Where's a strong capable leader when you need one?

This was a hotel when Atatürk stayed, and it later served as accommodation for railway construction workers. In 2011 it became a museum of city history.

"Gazi" also translates as "heroes", and this documents Atatürk's activities in Samsun, with old photos, maps and personal items.

Odd museum in a former railway station, including a macabre collection of foetuses.

Old toys of all kinds, mostly dolls.

Looking like an Alpine chalet, this remarkable wooden mosque was built in 1206 AD, intricately fitted with not a single nail.

This hill would make a great tourist attraction, and the city probably thought so too many years ago, as the abandoned concrete structures imply. At 140m with no obstructions, you get a far better view of the city than you get from the actually developed Amisos hill. In fact, it's probably the best natural view you'll get over a city anywhere in Turkey.