INTERESTING FACTS
ABOUT TURKEY
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Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents, Europe and Asia. During its 25,000 years old history, it has been the capital of Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empire. - Two of the Seven Wonders of Ancient World stood in Turkey – The temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Bodrum.
- St. Nicolas, known as Santa Claus today, was born and lived in Demre (Myra) on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. The village contains the famous church of St. Nicolas, which contains the sarcophagus believed to be his tomb.
- The first man ever to fly was Turkish. Using two wings, Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi flew from the Galata Tower over the Bosphorus to land in Üsküdar at the 17th century.
- Many archeologists and biblical scholars believe Noah’s Ark landed on Agrı Dagı (Mount Ararat) in eastern Turkey.
- The famous Trojan War took place in western Turkey, around the site where a wooden statue of the Trojan horse rests today.
- Turks introduce coffee to Europe.
- Tulips are originated from Turkey.
- According to Turkish tradition, a stranger at one’s doorstep is considered “a guest from god”, and should be accommodated accordingly.
- Julius Caesar issued his celebrated proclamation, “Veni, Vidi, Vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”), in Turkey upon defeating the Pontus, a formidable kingdom in Black Sea region of Turkey.
- Alexander the Great conquered a large territory in what is now Turkey, and also cut the Gordion Knot in the Phrygian capital (Gordium), not far from Turkey’s present day capital (Ankara).
- Aesop – famous all over the world for his fables and parables – was born in Anatolia.
- Homer was born in Izmir on the west coast of Turkey. He depicted Troy in his epic Iliad.
- Part of Turkey’s southwestern shore was a wedding gift from Julius Caesar to Cleopatra.
- The number of archaeological excavations going on in turkey every year is at least 150.
- Writing was first used by people in ancient Anatolia. The first clay tables, in ruins of Assyrian Karum (a merchant colony), date back to 1950 B.C.
- The last home of Virgin mart is in Selçuk, Turkey.
- Leonardo da Vinci drew designs for a bridge over the Bosphorus, the straight that flows through Europe and Asia. (Although da Vinci’s bridge was never built, there are now two bridges over the Bosphorus)
- Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is a 540 year old, covered shopping mall of 64 streets, 4000 shops, 22 entrances, and 25000 workers.
- The most valuable silk carpet in the world is in the Mevlana Museum, Konya with 144 knots per square centimeter. In the 13th century, Marco Polo wrote “the best and handsomest of rugs are woven here, and also silks of crimson and other rich colors”.
- Dolmabahçe Palace was believed to be the location where the legendary sail ship “Argos” of the Argonauts, who were in search of Golden Hide, had anchored. Built in 1856 by then famous Ottoman architects Karabet and Nikogos Balyan, the palace accommodates 285 rooms, 46 banquet lounges, 6 hamams (Turkish Bath) 68 bathrooms.
- Legend has it that Anatolia (Asia Minor) was the location of the first beauty contest, judged by Paris with the goddesses Aphrodite, Hera, Athena as leading participants.
- One of the biggest and best-preserved theatres of antiquity seating 15,000 is Aspendos on the southern coast of Turkey where international music festivals are held each year.
- The GNP of the metropol city of Istanbul is larger than the GNP of the country Hungarian.
- Turkey was started official negotiations for EU membership.
- More than 3 million Turks live in West Europe.
- Women in Turkey were given the right to vote and be elected to public office in 1934, well before these rights were granted to Swiss women.
- Turkey is the first and only country to establish a “Children’s Day”. Turkey receives children from around the world each year on 23rd April to ”Honor and cherish the freedom and independence of all people”.
- According to a survey of the Dutch University of Leiden, there are more than 180 million Turkish-speaking people (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, etc…)
- Turkey is geo-strategic alliance of the NATO.
- More then 20 million tourists have visited Turkey in 2005.
ISTANBUL, SAFRANBOLU, MOUNTAIN NEMRUT, TROY, PAMUKKALE AND CAPPADOCIA ARE REGISTERED ON THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST TO HELP PRESERVE THEM FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
