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You will
get acquainted with ancient Anatolian,
Prehistoric, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk,
Ottoman civilizations...You will encounter
unmatched natural beauty...You will be welcomed
with the hospitality of the Turkish people...You
will have the opportunity to do interesting
shopping...You will enjoy the original
entertainment activities... You will be able to
taste the specialties of the world famous Turkish
cuisine...
Turkey
is a land of tales with her nature, culture and
history. One can follow the traces of the old
civilizations, feel the warmth of the sun and can
experience the interesting cultural mosaic of the
country. One can meet Homer, Mevlana, Marcus
Anthony and Cleopatra, Noah and the Virgin Mary.
It is possible for one recall Aphrodite while
swimming in the same waters where she supposedly
swam and to remember Dionysos while sipping a
tasteful wine...Two of the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis and the
Mausoleum of Halicarnassos are in
Anatolia...Cappadoccia with its fairy chimneys or
white Pamukkale, turquoise bays, the waterfalls,
lakes and mountains, the unbelievable sunrise in
Nemrut mountain will stay in memories of visitors
for a lifetime...One will never forget the beauty
of this dream country...
Geography:
Modern Turkey is a country of 780,576 square
kilometers, somewhat larger than the state of
Texas or France and Great Britain combined. The
Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas border it. In
clockwise order, Turkey shares borders with
Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq and
Syria. About three percent of the country is in
Europe. South and east of the Dardanelle, the Sea
of Marmara and the Bosphorus stretches the
peninsula known as Asia Minor or Anatolia.
History:
Turkey has been called "the cradle of
civilization" and by traveling through this
historic land, tourists will discover exactly what
is meant by these pharoses. The world's first
town, a Neolithic city at Catalhoyuk, dates back
to 6,500 B.C. From the days of Catalhoyuk up to
the present, Turkey boasts a rich culture that
through the centuries has made a lasting
impression on modern civilization. The heir to
many centuries of cultures makes Turkey a paradise
of information and cultural wealth. Hattis,
Hittites, Phrygians, Urartians, Lycians, Lydians,
Ionians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans,
Byzantines, Seljuk’s, and Ottomans have all made
important contributions to Turkish history, and
ancient sites and ruins scattered throughout the
country give proof of each civilization’s unique
distinction.
Turkey also has a very fascinating recent
history. Upon the decline of the Ottoman Empire, a
young man named Mustafa Kemal, who was a soldier
by occupation but in character, a great visionary,
took the defeat of World War I and turned it into
a shining victory by liberating Turkey of al
foreign invaders. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded
the Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923.
Population: According to a 2000 census, Turkey has 65 million
inhabitants, 35% of whom live in the countryside.
The major cities are: istanbul, Ankara ( the
capital ), Izmir, Adana, Antalya.
Language: The Turkish language belongs to the Ural-Altaic
group and has an affinity with the finno-Hungarian
languages. Turkish is written in the Latin
alphabet and is spoken by some 150 million (it
supposed 600 million with dialects) people around
the world.
Religion: While Turkey
is a secular state, about 98% of the people are
Muslims; their faith is that of Islam. The holy
book of Islam is the Koran. The non-Muslim
minority people are concentrated in Istanbul.
There are Sephardic Jews and Christians of several
backgrounds: Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox,
Greek Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, a few Protestants
and some others.
Political
structure: The Turkish Republic is based on a secular democratic,
pluralist and parliamentary system. The National
Assembly is elected by popular vote and the nation
is governed by the Council of Ministers headed by
the Prime Minister. Turkey is a founding member of
OECD, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
Organization, a member of NATO, the European
Council and the European Parliament, and a member
of the European Union.
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