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Did You Know |
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only city in the world located on two continents is Istanbul, the capital of
two empires for nearly 2000 years - Byzantine and Ottoman.
...according to a Turkish tradition a stranger at one’s doorstep is
considered “A Guest of God” and is most welcome.
...the number of archaeological excavations going on in Turkey every year is
at least 150.
...according to the legend, Noah’s Ark landed on A€r› Da€› (Mount Ararat) in
eastern Turkey.
...the last meal on Noah’s Ark, a pudding with nearly 20 ingredients, is
still served throughout Turkey.
...Anatolia is the location for the first known beauty contest, judged by
Paris, with Aphrodite, Hera and Athena as leading participants.
...Anatolia was producing wine as early as 4000 BC and is known as the home
of God Dionysus.
...the oldest known human settlement is in Çatalhöyük, Turkey (7500 BC).
...Anatolia is the birthplace of historic legends, such as Homer (the poet)
King Midas, Herodotus (father of history) and St. Paul the Apostle.
...Homer was born in ‹zmir, on the west coast of Turkey and he depicted Troy
in his epic, the Illiad.
...one of the oldest synagogues dating from 220 BC is located in Sardes,
near ‹zmir.
...the Temple of Artemis and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus - two of the
seven wonders of the ancient world - were in Turkey.
...part of Turkey’s southwestern shore was a wedding gift Marcus Antonius
gave to Cleopatra.
...Abraham was born in Sanliurfa in southeast of Turkey.
...the famous Trojan Wars took place in western Turkey, around the site
where a wooden statue of the Trojan stands today.
...Aesop - famous for his fables and parables - was born in Anatolia.
...The first Ecumenical Council was held in Nicea (‹znik).
...St. Nicholas, who became popular as Santa Claus, was born in Myra (Demre)
on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
...St.John, St.Nicholas, St. Paul and and St. Peter have all lived and
prayed in southern Anatolia.
...Julius Caesar proclaimed his celebrated words “Veni, Vidi, Vici” (I came,
I saw, I conquered) in Turkey when he defeated the Pontus, a formidable
kingdom in the Black Sea region of Turkey.
...the last home of Virgin Mary is believed to be near Ephesus.
...early Christians escaping the Roman persecution nearly 2000 years ago
sheltered in Cappadocia in central Anatolia.
...the first church built by man (St. Peter’s Church) is in Antioch
(Antakya).
...Anatolia is the location of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor.
...all the recognized Seven Ecumenical Councils were held in Asia Minor.
...Alexander the Great conquered a large territory in what is now Turkey and
cut the Gordian Knot in the Phrygian capital (Gordian), not far from
Turkey’s present day capital, Ankara.
...‹stanbul has a 540-year-old covered shopping mall with 64 streets, 4000
shops, 22 entrances, and 25000 workers - the famous Grand Bazaar.
...Turks gave the Dutch their famous tulips.
...the color turquoise originates from the blue waters surrounding Turkey.
...Turks introduced coffee to Europe.
...Leonardo da Vinci drew designs for a bridge over the Bosphorus, the
strait that flows through Europe and Asia. However, a bridge was not built
until 1972.
...Hazerfan Ahmed Çelebi was the man who made the first attempt to fly a
significant distance using wings across the Bosphorus.
...Suleyman the Magnificent (the famous Ottoman Sultan) was a poet who wrote
over 3000 poems, some of them criticizing the greed of mankind.
...Turkey is the homeland of the whirling dervishes, a Muslim sect of great
tolerance.
...the most valuable silk carpet in the world is in the Mevlana Museum in
Konya, with 144 knots per sq. cm., of the 13th century. Marco Polo wrote
“the best and the most handsome of rugs are woven here, and also of silks of
crimson and other rich colors”
...‹stanbul’s Robert College (established in 1863) is the oldest American
school outside the United States.
...Turkey is a long-time member of the NATO (since 1952) and an ally of the
USA.
...Turkey provides 70% of the world’s hazelnuts - probably the nut in your
chocolate bar was grown in Turkey.
...the Turkish cuisine is one of the richest in the world along with the
French and Chinese. Ottoman Palaces had more than 200 recipes to cook
eggplant, many of them still in use...but I’ve only encountered one.
...Turkey hosts children from around the world every year on the 23rd of
April to “honor and cherish the freedom and independence of all people.”
...today’s Turkey is a secular modern state and the only country in the
world, where the majority of its population is Muslim and the country is a
democratic state, founded by Atatürk with a parliament in 1923.
Some More Stats about Turkey
Turkey was the first to:
• Host an international war (Trojan)
• Use traveler cheques (Ephesus, Sardis)
• Strike from work
• Trade in stock (Ephesus-grain)
• Host a carpet institute (Denizli)
• Build a university (2000 B.C.-Harran)
• Produce a world map
Turkey has/had the biggest:
• Orthodox church (Haigha Sofia)
• Porcelain collection (Topkapi Palace)
• And first sculpture schools of the ancient world
(Bergama & Aphrodisias)
• Underground cisterns in the world (Yerebatan, Binbirdirek)
Turkey also plays host to:
• Steepest theater (Pergamum)
• One of the seven obelisks which has an Egyptian origin
erected all over the world (Sultanahmet)
• The heaviest chandelier (Dolmabahçe Palace, 4.5 tons)
• Seven sleepers legend (Efes, Afsin, Tarsus)
• Grave of St. Jean (Selcuk)
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