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TURKEY & ISTANBUL
Because of its location, Turkey was a region through which
ancient Asian Turkish culture moved into Europe, and also a window
of Western culture opening to meet the east. Turkey is surrounded by
the Mediterranean Aegean and Black Sea which connects the country to
the whole world. Three of the four - Black, Aegean and Mediterranean
Sea – flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The Sea of Marmara, between the
Black Sea and the Aegean, is within the borders of Turkey. Because
of these long coastal borders and the bridge between Asia & Europe, Turkey has been the centre of major commercial and migration
routes.
Turkey is considered a high-altitude country, as the mountains
cover the majority of the land, there is a significant area which is
made up of plains, plateaus and sediment areas. These geographical
variations mean that the climate is also varied, and affects the
location of settlements and economic conditions.
Turkey is separated into seven major geographic regions according
to climate, natural plantation and distribution of the agricultural
activities.
TURKEY
- is the only country in the world that stands on two continents
- Asia & Europe.
- has a secular, democratic and parliamentary government type.
- is a fusion of cultures, a vast and varied land full of
splendid cultural achievements as a bridge from east to west.
- has a young & dynamic population of 65 million with the
mean age of 27.
- is a member of United Nations since 1945 and a member of NATO
since 1952.
- is one of the 10 emerging markets in the world.
- houses the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
- is the location of Homer' s Troy , where the Trojan War took
place
- is where Alexander the Great cut the Gordian knot near Ankara
- is the home of the two of the Seven Wonders of The Ancient
World; Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and The Temple of Artemis at
Ephesus .
- is the birthplace of St. Paul and St. Nicholas
- has historical treasures from 13 civilizations, hosted
Hittites, Greeks, Persians, Romans, Seljuk and Ottoman Turks.
ISTANBUL - LETS MEET WHERE THE TWO CONTINENTS
MEET
There, God and human, nature and art are together, they have
created such a perfect place that it is valuable to see."
Lamartine's famous poetic lines reveal his love for Istanbul,
describing the embracing of two continents, with one arm reaching
out to Asia and the other to Europe. Istanbul's beauty lies in its
ability to embrace its contradictions. Ancient and modern, religious
and secular, Asian and European, mystical and earthly all co-exist
here.
ISTANBUL
- creates an impressive setting at the point where two
continents meet with the strait of Bosphorus which separates
Europe from Asia and divides the city.
- is the leading industrial, commercial and cultural centre of
Turkey .
- is the former capital of 3 empires (Roman, Byzantine & Ottoman) with extraordinary monuments that cover two millenniums.
- offers a wide selection of cuisine, gourmet restaurants, a
lively nightlife.
Did You Know That..?
Turks are the descendants of nomads from central Asia and the refugees from the Balkans and the Caucasus, brought together in the Turkish Republic. Most of the Turks are Muslims, following the prayers of Islam, but living in a secular state. They are also the inheritors of the Ottoman Empire and the democracy of Ataturk and the West...
Geographically, Anatolia is Asian Turkey while Thrace is European.
The only city on the world located on two continents is Istanbul, which has been the capital of three great empires, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman for more that 2000 years.
The number of archeological excavations going on in Turkey every year is at least 150.
The oldest known human settlement is in Çatalhöyük, Turkey (7500 BC).
Temple of Artemis (Ephesus) and the Mausoleum of Halcarnassus (Bodrum), two of the Seven Wonders of the ancient World, are in Turkey.
According to legend, Noah's Ark landed on Ağrı Dağı (Mount Ararat) in eastern Turkey.
The last meal on Noah's Ark, a pudding with nearly 20 ingredients, is still served throuhout Turkey known as "Aşure".
Abraham was born in Şanlıurfa in southeastern Turkey.
Anatolia is the birthplace of historic legends, such as Omer (the poet), King Midas (he who turned everything to gold), Herodotus (the father of history), and St. Paul the Apostle.
Homer was born in Izmir, on the west coast of Turkey, and he depicted Troy in his epic "The Iliad".
The famous Trojan wars took place in western Turkey, around the site where a wooden statue of the Trojan Horse rests today.
The Amazons originated in Turkey's northeastern region.
Aesop, famous for his fables and parables, was born in Anatolia, Turkey.
Anatolia is the home of the first known beauty contest, judged by Paris, with Aphrodite, Hera and Athena as leading participants.
Anatolia was producing wine as early as 4,000 B.C.
Alexander the Great conquered a large territory in what is now Turkey, and cut the Gordian knot in the Phrygian capital Gordium, not far from Turkey's present-day capital Ankara.
Anatolia is the origin of the names of Paris, Philadelphia and Europe.
Julius Caesar proclaimed his celebrated words "Veni, Vidi, Vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered) in Amasya, Turkey when he defeated the Pontus, a formidable kingdom in the Black Sea region of Turkey.
Part of Turkey's southwestern shore was a wedding gift that Mark Anthony gave to Cleopatra.
The first church built by man (St. Peter's Church) is in Antioch (Antakya), Turkey.
St. John, St. Nicholas, St. Paul and St. Peter have all lived and prayed in Southern Turkey.
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