The Best Drone Videos of Turkey

Get a bird's eye tour of Turkey in this compilation video, which was created using some of the best footage from the AirVuz Turkey drone video collections.  You'll soar over the mosques of Istanbul, the beaches of the Turkish Riviera, natural wonders like the Pontic and Taurus Mountains, and more.  

Interested in sponsoring the Turkey collection?  As part of the sponsorship package, this compilation video will be re-branded with the sponsor's name, and will be available for use on the sponsor's website and social media pages.  

Top contributor ugurevin recorded this heartbreaking aerial footage from Turkey in the wake of a pair of powerful earthquakes which caused devastation across the southeastern part of the country as well as in neighboring Syria.  The quakes, which hit within nine hours of each other on February 6, 2023, killed at least 44,000 people as of February 16, a figure which was expected to continue to rise.  The main quake, which struck near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, was one of the stongest ever recorded in the Middle East.  

When releasing the new DJI Mavic 3, DJI collaborated with Timelab.pro, one of the world's leading aerial videographers.  The resulting video is absolutely spectacular.  The first part of the video was shot over Turkey: first the "fairy tale" chimneys and hot-air balloons of Cappadocia, followed by the mighty city of Istanbul, where you'll glimpse its famous mosques and bridges.  Then the action shifts several thousand mi/km to the east: to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, which is famous for its volcanoes and its whale-watching.  

Top contributor Fabio Knoll was nominated as a finalist for the first annual Drone Video Awards for this magnificent piece from Turkey.  The video opens with some magnificent aerial footage of Istanbul, including the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (aka the Blue Mosque), the Golden Horn, Galata Tower, Rumeli Fortress, the Bosphorus bridges, and other sights from Turkey's largest city.  Most of the latter part of the video was filmed around the famous "fairy tale" chimneys of the Cappadocia area in the central part of the country.    

Take an aerial tour of Turkey in this marvelous piece by AirVuz contributor outdoor studios nl.  Shot with a DJI Mavic Pro, the video will take you all over this fascinating and ancient land.  Some of the highlights include the Knidos Lighthouse near the southwestern town of Datça (at the :15 mark); a stunning church in Ani, near the (northeastern) Armenian border (:30); Ishak Pasha Palace, in the shadow of Mt. Ararat (1:50); Deriner Dam in the northeastern Artvin Province (2:30); and more.  

Award-winning contributor Timelab.pro does it again with this fantastic drone video from Istanbul, Turkey.  The video opens with shots of the Golden Horn inlet and  a ship on the Bosphorus Strait, then takes you to the magnificent Hagia Sophia; now a museum, it was once the world's largest building.  At the :48 mark, you'll see the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, and at the :58 mark you'll see the giant, modern Çamlıca Mosque.  Other highlights include the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (1:10), Galata Tower (2:10), and much more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Johnny and the Beautiful Destinations team traveled to Cappadocia, Turkey to capture this area often filmed by influencers and camera drone pilots, but rarely by FPV. The film features the region's most recognizable visuals: hot air balloons, the 'fairy tale' rock formations, wild horses, and stone-built towns. While there, they experienced high temps, snow, and rain, giving the impression this was filmed over months, not days. This incredible video won in the Landscape category of the 6th Annual NYCDFF.

In one of the more remarkable "dronies" we've seen on AirVuz, top content creator and pilot jesus_tr brings us this fantastic drone selfie shot from a giant "field" of rugs and carpets somewhere in Turkey.  Watch how he was able to position himself in the center of this rectangular array of hundreds of brilliant colored carpets.  The video brings out the essence of the drone selfie as an art form, where the pull-out provides a gradual "reveal" of the surroundings, all in a single and continuous shot.  This video earned a nomination in the Dronie category at the 6th Annual NYCDFF.

Top AirVuz contributor and pilto jesus_tr put together this remarkable aerial collage of Turkey as its was under a virtual national quarantine to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the Spring of 2020.  The video features footag from the following locations: Afyan, Antalya, Aydin, Baliksir, Bursa, Canakkale, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gazlan, Hatay, Kyseri, Konya, Manisa, Mardin, Samsun, Izmir, Ankara, and Istanbul.  The video concludes with an extended shot over a nearly abandoned beach in Muğla, a province in the southwestern corner of the country.  

Top contributor jesus_tr brings us this stunning collection of wintertime views from across Turkey.  Featured locations include the Kıbledağı Mosque in the province of Rize; Lake Uzungöl in the Trabzon Province; the mountains of the Hakkâri Province in southeastern Turkey; the Sumela Monastery in Trabzon; the village of Gölcük in the Bolu Province; the Ilgaz Mountains in the province of Kastamanu; the Eastern Express Train in the eastern province of Kars; Lake Abant in the Golu Province; and more.

This outstanding reel from Turkey by ugurevin features a mix of landscape, urban, and action shots from across Turkey, shot with a DJI Inspire drone.  It opens with a shot from Istanbul's Çamlıca Hill looking west towards the First Bosphorus Bridge.  Then it's on to the Cappadocia region of Central Anatolia and its famous "fairy tale" chimneys.  At about the :10 mark, you'll see the famous clock tower of Ismir.  Other featured locations include the Sazova Park in Eskişehir, the Second and Third Bosphorus Bridges, and more. 

Check out these brilliant 4k aerial views of southern Turkey, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and drone pilot dronesantana007.  The video features footage from across several provinces of the country's Mediterranean region, including the Antalya, Isparta, and Burdur Provinces.  Specific featured locations include Kleopatra Beach, Tazı Canyon, Köprülü Canyon, the beach town of Kalkan, the Kas Peninsula, Lavanta Kokulu Köy, Lake Salda (a crater lake in the Turkish Lakes Region), and more.  

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.

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist andrii_lutsyk brings us this marvelous travel video from Turkey.  Shot over the course of a monthlong trip and mixing drone and ground camera footage, the video opens with a great shot of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (aka the Blue Mosque) in Istanbul.  Then it's on to the famous hot air balloons of the Cappadocia region in the middle of the country.  Other shots will take you over the Kaçkar Mountains in the northeastern corner of the country, as well as the country's Mediterranean coastline.  

Check out this beautiful drone video from central Turkey, compliments of content creator and pilot impalos.  It was filmed in the town and surrounding district of Kahramankazan, in the province of Ankara.  Kahramankazan is a popular getaway for residents of the city of Ankara (Turkey's national capital and second-largest city), which lies to its southeast.  This beautifully edited video, set in the heart of the Central Anatolia region, was selected as a Finalist for the Drone Video of the Week in September, 2019.

Check out this stunning drone video compilation of many of the most famous castles in Turkey, compliments of top contributor and pilot jesus_tr.  THe video includes epic shots of Kars Castle, Afyan Castle, Van Castle, Kadifekale Castle in Ismir, Rumeli Fortress in Istanbul, Erzurum Castle, Selçuk Castle, Mardin Castle, Alanya Castle, Kuşadası Castle on the Aegean coast, Bergama Castle in the İzmir Province, Ushisar Castle in Cappadocia, Adana Castle (Yılankale), and Diyarbakır.

Top AirVuz contributor jesus_tr was a finalist for the Sixth Annual New York City Drone Film Festival for his dronie shot from over a "field" of rugs in a Turkish market. The skilled drone pilot does it again with this incredible thirty-second reel of the magnificent country of Turkey. The video features footage from top sights such as the ancient city of Ephesus, the fabled "fairy tale castles" of Cappadocia, Istanbul, and Ölüdeniz.  This video earned a Drone Video of the Week Finalist spot in March of 2021.  

Check out these magnificent drone views of southwestern Turkey, compliments of brand-new AirVuz contributor serhatctnr.  Shot over the course of all four seasons, the video features outstanding aerial footage of some of the most beautiful scenery in this large Middle Eastern country.    Featured locations include the seaside town of Göcek in the Muğla Province on the Aegean Sea, the marvelous town and lake of Eğirdir in the inland province of Isparta, the famous lavendar fields of Kuyucak (also in Isparta), the Taurus Mountains, and more.  

Prepare to be blown away by this whirwind aerial tour of the great nation of Turkey, compliments of yusufozluk.  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 content creator and pilot 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.

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, which lie primarily in the Artvin province.  

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 and Aegean Seas features ancient ruins, a wide range of resorts, and beautiful beaches.  The heart of the Torquoise Coast is in the provinces of  Antalya and Muğla, towards the western end of the Mediterranean coastline. The video includes footage of Selimiye, Akyaka, Dalyan, Fethiye, and Kabak.

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.  

Although it goes by several different names, Turkey's Karanlık Kanyon 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.  Top contributor and pilot Alp Karagule filmed this marvel by drone.  When you're watching this aerial video, you will appreciate the meaning of its name, which translates to "Dark Canyon".

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.  

Izmir is the largest city in Turkey's Aegean region and the third largest city in the country overall.   Among other roles, Izmir has emerged as the center of Turkey's sailing scene, which is one of the largest and most important in the world.  Contributor and pilot Burak BÜYÜKBAYRAKT used a drone to film the Arkas sailing race, which is held off the city's coastline every year.  It's a major event in the sailing world, and his video does an outstanding job of capturing the excitement which surrounds the competition.

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.  

Istanbul is a major hub in Turkey, originally because of its location - straddling Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. The modern, massive skyscrapers belie the ancient history this city carries with it. From Egyptian obelisks, to the Roman-era Hippodrome, and iconic Byzantine structures like Hagia Sophia, its history is broad. One such historic site is the Yedikule Fortress, built right after the fall on Constantinople, that can be seen in this incredible, DVOW nominated video.

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

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.  

Top contributor jesus_tr created this stunning drone video of one of Turkey's great 20th century landmarks: the Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.  Completed in 1953, it's located in the capital city of Ankara.  Atatürk was the Ottoman Empire's greatest military commander in World War I, and went on to lead the Turkish National Movement in the civil war which erupted afterwards.  He became the first President when the Republic was declared in 1923.   

Here's a fantastic aerial view of one of the most important ancient ruins sights in Turkey, compliments of top contributor jesus_tr.  It's from the ruins of the ancient city of Sardis in Manisa, one of the (inland) provinces which makes up the Aegean Region of western Turkey.  Sardis was said to be founded by the sons of Hercules.  Later it was the capital of the kingdom of Lydia, one of the most important of the Antiquity.  Still later, the great city earned frequent mention in the New Testament.  

Top content creator and pilot jesus_tr created this moving aerial video to the monuments commemorating the World War I Battle of Gallipoli.  The battle was joined in March, 1915 with an Allied naval bombardment of the Dardanelles Strait followed by landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula, in an attempt to  knock Turkey out of the war.  The invading forces were not able to take the commanding heights above the beaches, where Turkish forces under future leader Kemal Ataturk held fast over months of attacks.  

Antalya is one of the most important (and largest) provinces which make up Turkey's Mediterranean (southern) region.  In this spectacular drone video by former Drone Video of the Week Winner iskenderfilm, you'll get an aerial tour of some of the provinces most beautiful spots, outside of the provincial capital city Antalya.  The video features footage of the following locations: Termessos, Eurymedon Bridge, Köprülü Canyon, Çıralı Village, Güver Valley, Tazı Canyon, and the Lighthouse of Gelidonya.

Take a wintertime aerial tour of Turkey's Kars province, compliments of contributor and drone pilot jesus_tr.  Kars is one of the provinces in the northeastern part of Turkey (a region known as Northeast Anatolia), a mountainous area which borders Armenia and which is home to some of the best ski slopes in Turkey.  The video was shot as part of a trip on the Doğu Ekspresi, a train which runs about 1.3k km (around 800 mi.) from the Turkish capital Ankara to the city of Kars, the province's capital.  

Find relaxation and inspiration in this beautiful video of Turkey's Lake Bafa Nature Park by contributor and drone pilot tntrmedia. Lake Bafa is a lake and nature reserve in southwestern Turkey; centuries ago the lake was a gulf of the Aegean Sea until the passage was gradually closed. The southern shore is near a highway that can take travelers from town to town, while the northern shore of the lake is bordered by steep slopes covered with wild olive trees. This video was a DVOW finalist in October, 2019.

Contributor Atamer.Medya brings us this excellent drone video of the city of Bursa, Turkey.  The country's fourth-largest city, Bursa is located on the banks of the Nilüfer River, north of Mt. Uludağ and south of the Sea of Maramara in the northwestern part of Asian Turkey.  Shot during the winter, the video opens with shots along the city's riverfront.   You'll also be treated to some great footage of one of the city's most recognizable modern landmarks: the green Crocodile (Timsah) Arena, a football stadium which seats about 44k fans.  

Take a tour of northern Turkey in this piece by Atamer.medya, which covers the following spots in the country's Marmara and Black Sea Regions: the Black Sea towns of Amasya and Bartin, the city of Bursa, Catak Canyon, Gideros Bay, the town of Gölyazı on Lake Ulubat, the Canyon of Tokatli, Eskikaraağaç (another town on Lake Ulubat), the Ilıca Şelalesi nature preserve, the İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park, the Osman Gazi Bridge, the town of Tirilye in the Bursa Province, the Black Sea town of Safranbolu, and more.

Check out this DVOW Finalist of a beautiful spot in northern Turkey, compliments of contributor Burak Arslan. It's a district called Akçakoca, one of eight which make up the Düzce Province in East Marmara, the region which covers the areas to the east and south of Istanbul.  Situated along the Black Sea coast, the district is roughly equidistant from Istanbul and the Turkish capital city of Ankara. The video features footage of the district's namesake town, its stunning beaches and coastline, and its mountainous interior.   

Turkey has, by far, the largest share of the coastline of the Black Sea.  Most of the country's Black Sea (Karadeniz in Turkish) coastline sits within the country's Black Sea region and the remainder in the Marmara region. In this beautiful drone video by contributor jesus_tr, you will be treated to aerial views of the following spots: Ayder Plateau, Mençuna Waterfall, Sümela Monastery, Atatürk Mansion, Uzungöl Lake, Zil Castle, Çamlıhemşin, Ardeşen, Fırtına Stream, Potuk Plateau, and more.  

Turkey's Mediterranean Region is a bit of a misnomer; while it covers the country's long Mediterranean coastline it also extends well inland (ie, to the north).  Its natural boundary with the Central Anatolia region is the Taurus Mountains, which run in a line roughly parallel to the coastline, all the way east into Iraq and Iran.  In this drone video by AirVuz contributor sololola, you'll get a nice view of the contrasts between the region's mountainous north and the more familiar southern coastline.  

.Former Drone Video of the Week winner Nelstill put together this excellent captioned video of his favorite spots in Turkey.  Featured locations include the ancient city of Pergamon, the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul, the Pigeon Valley of the Cappadocia region of Central Anatolia, the ancient ruins of Ephesus, the city of Konya, the ancient theater of Hierapolis and St. Philip's Martyrium in Pamukkale, the Bosphorus Straits in Istanbul, the town of Ürgüp in Central Anatolia, and more.  

Check out the sights and sounds of Turkey from a first person view (FPV) perspective) in this excellent piece by AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot beecopter.  Opening with a shot flying through a yawning canyon, the action then transitions to an indoor fly-through of a factory, a shot of a paraglider, and a flyby of one of the great mosques of Istanbul.   Other shots will take you through a construction site, under an old viaduct, and around other spots in Istanbul.  This video made the FPV Pilots to Watch list in May, 2021.  

Explore the beauty of Turkey by drone in this excellent 2022 showreel by AirVuz contributor and pilot ali_kargi.  Most of the footage is from Istanbul, with some great shots of Maiden's Tower (first seen at the :11 mark), the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge (:20), the Galata Tower (:30), and the giant six-minaret Çamlıca Mosque (1:50).  You'll also see a number of other Turkish cities such as Eskişehir, in the northwestern part of the country (1:20), the Aegean Sea port city of İzmir (1:30), and more.