Despite more the 40 years of active debate, consensus interpretations of the late Palaeozoic-early Mesozoic tectonic-related geology of the northern periphery of Gondwana, including central and western Turkey, the south Aegean, the southern Balkans and Sicily remain elusive. Recent plate tectonic reconstructions differ drastically for this region. Utilising published information this paper summarises, interprets and discusses a large body of multidisciplinary geological evidence related to the transition from Palaeotethys to Neotethys, mainly during late Carboniferous to early Jurassic time. Key geological information is outlined, discussed, and then used to test alternative plate tectonic models: none are entirely convincing. During the Carboniferous, the developing Varsican orogen of central Europe passed eastwards into a marine gulf, then into Palaeotethys. Plate convergence and continental collision constructed the Varsican orogen in central Europe by end-early Carboniferous (c. 320 Ma), whereas subduction continued farther east. Variscan continental collision in central and western Europe was followed by late Carboniferous-Permian orogenic collapse, extension/transtension and widespread right-lateral strike-slip displacements that are also likely to have affected the Balkan-Aegean and Anatolian regions. In the South Aegean, the Balkans (e.g. Albania, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia) and Sicily, Permian-early Triassic basin development, including volcanism, relates to crustal extension/transtension adjacent to the northern margin of Gondwana. Palaeogeography played an important role in Permian-Triassic clastic sediment deposition (e.g. detrital zircons), in addition to plate tectonic setting. In central and western Turkey, much evidence links the Afyon zone (Anatolides) to adjacent north Gondwana, rather than supporting an origin as an exotic Eurasian terrane that collided with the Tauride continent during latest Triassic time. Evidence from the Eurasian periphery (Bulgaria; N Turkey; Armenia; Georgia; Iran) favours overall northward subduction of Palaeotethys. However, the evidence of upper Carboniferous accretionary complexes in central and western Turkey (Konya Complex, Teke Dere Unit) and the eastern Aegean (Karaburun melange in Turkey; Chios melange in Greece), coupled with upper Carboniferous calc-alkaline granitic magmatism in the Afyon zone, suggests a short-lived southward subduction event along the N margin of Gondwana (i.e. bivergent subduction). During the Triassic, northward subduction persisted along the Eurasian margin, whereas the opposing North Gondwana margin rifted, associated with late Triassic opening of the both the S Neotethys (=Mesogea) and the N Neotethys (=İzmir-Ankara-Erzincan ocean). Interpretations involving a Triassic relict Palaeotethys, followed by continent-continent collision in the south Aegean (e.g. Crete; Peloponnese) are problematic. Instead, pulsed continental extension appears to have culminated in rifting of ‘Cimmeria' from N Africa (Apulia) during the Triassic and opening of both the S Neotethys to the south and the Pindos ocean to the north (in present co-ordinates). Regional plate tectonic reconstructions remain disparate because the Africa-Eurasia plate framework is poorly constrained prior to the early Jurassic, evidence is concealed beneath the sea or land, or was lost during later subduction/collision. Large-plate tectonics have limited applicability in relatively narrow oceanic areas involving microcontinents, rifts, small ocean basins and strike-slip displacements. Additional field-based studies of key exposures are a priority.