Almost eight millennia have passed since the first humans settled in Adana. First there were the Hittites and then there were the Byzantines, followed by the Arabs and the Ottoman Turks. All had a hand in forging the living, breathing cityscape seen today between the scrub-dressed hills of the Mediterranean region. The result is an immersive and interesting place, where Adana tour guides can reveal excellent ethnographic museums and archaeological collections that testify to their town's long, long story. Hopping across the Seyhan River to wonder at the minarets and glimmering domes of the Sabanci Central Mosque from afar is also a good idea, just before you slip into the well-heeled northern part of town. That's where plazas bearing the name of Ataturk rub shoulders with barista-led coffee shops, yuppie cafes throbbing with chatter and American-style waffle joints on the corners. South of that is the headier, more authentically Turkish side of the city, with its covered shopping arcades and sizzling kebap joints.