EditEge bölgesi
One of the places you will find here is the city of İzmir. İzmir is the third biggest city in Turkey, and, like İstanbul, is by the sea. Because there isn't as much industrialisation or "hustle 'n bustle" as there is in İstanbul, İzmir is actually a very nice place indeed. People in İzmir are among the nicest and most diverse people in the world. Other than Turks, you will also find many Greeks, Armenians, Jews and Afro-Turks living in the area. Sexual minorities are also quite tolerated here compared to other, more conservative parts of Turkey. The sea is to die for, too. Taking a stroll along the pier and taking in the fresh sea air is something you should most definitely put on your to-do list if you ever intend on visiting İzmir. Many festivals and events take place there a lot, too, and İzmir is currently an official candidate to host the 2015 Universal Expo.
There are many other nice places in the Ege bölge, aswell. Holiday resorts such as Bodrum, Çeşme, Dalyan, Fethiye, Kuşadası, and Ölüdeniz are extremely popular amongst tourists, Turkish and foreign. This is where British holidaymakers in particular come on vacations in Turkey, but I've also met/seen Norwegian, Australian, Russian, German and Japanese tourists in this area, too.
Tourists, however, don't just come to the Ege bölge for sun, sea and fun. Many historical sites can also be found here. Efes (what is referred to in English as "Ephesus") is one of Turkey's biggest tourist hotspots for it's historical sites. Selçuk, although not as major as Efes, also hosts some very important historical sites, too. I can't remember exactly where it was, but Mary, Mother of Jesus' grave can be found very close to Efes, and is incredibly popular.