Turkey
History
· Settlement of Turkey dated back to 6500 B.C.
· Catalhoyuk is the first location in Turkey to be settled.
· Turkey's history goes back to the earliest known human settlement.
· Many civilizations have risen and fallen on the Anatolian peninsula, such as the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, and others.
· It is the birthplace of legends such as the Trojan Horse and King Midas.
· Continuing in historic paths, Turkey is working to become a member of the European Union, but due to recent economy issues and misgivings within the European Union about its “European” nature, its efforts have not made much headway.
· Turkey was often the center of some of the first international disputes. It was the gateway to Europe and the riches of the Middle East.
· In 1993 they had their first female Prime Minister.
· Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the republic and the economy was liberalized in the 1980s leading to great growth.
Geography
· Turkey sits on the juncture of the European and Asian continents.
Culture
· The Turkey of today is a vibrant country with a unique perspective on the world.
· It is not uncommon for men to greet each other with a kiss but yet it is considered very inappropriate for couples to display affection in public.
· In Turkey, eight years of primary education is free. The classes are not segregated by sex but are coeducational. Almost all of the students complete the primary education and a good amount finish high school.
· Where you go to college is determined by how well a student does on an entrance exam.
· A foreign language is required.
· Housing ownership is viewed as a sign of success in Turkey and well-to-do families buy homes for their children as an inheritance.
· The way to tell how wealthy a family is was to look at the interior design
· Theater is often a popular pastime and both contemporary and traditional shows are available for viewing.
· Dancing is also a common thing during festivals and important events.
· Turkey also provides the majority of the world’s hazelnuts.
· Every fit Turkish male is required to serve some amount of time in the military.
· St. Peter’s Church, the first church built by man is located in Turkey along with the Trojan horse from the Trojan Wars which also took place in Turkey.
· There are over 9,000 species of flowers found in Turkey and approximately one-third of these species are native to Turkey; this is where the Dutch got their tulips from.
· Turkey still has arranged marriages and often time chaperons are required.
· Turkey is home of the first international treaty in the world, the Treaty of Kadesh
· Turkey is home to the oldest shipwreck in Uluburun, Turkey.
· Turks consider a good sense of humor a sign of intelligence
Religion
· While Islam is the predominant religion (about 97 percent of Turks), the country has largely been Westernized.
· Turkey is a site of Biblical importance as Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat in Eastern Turkey and the last meal on Noah’s Ark – a pudding – is still served throughout Turkey.
Climate
· Turkey obviously has a Mediterranean climate, but can also have an oceanic climate towards the north.
· The summers, especially in Istanbul, has a very hot and humid climate, and have very little rainfall.
· The winters in the country Turkey is very cold and very snowy.
· July is typically the driest month in Turkey. The temperatures have reported to be over 110 degrees Fahrenheit on the hotter days of summer in Turkey.
Cuisine
· Turkish food. In particular: Dondurma (local ice cream), Kumpir (baked potato filled with cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, sweet corn, sausage slices, carrots, mushrooms, and potato salad), and Simit (fresh bread).
Istanbul
History
· Istanbul, once Constantinople, has been the capital of several important empires, such as Rome, Byzantine and the Ottoman and the center of the Orthodox Church.
· Istanbul has had many different names, most notably, Constantinople, Byzantium, and Stamboul.
· It’s location, incomparable for trade and transport, made the city extremely desirable to King Byzas (who founded it) but its location also caused multiple attacks for control
· Constantine, the last emperor of Rome, named the city “New Rome”, but the name Constantinople stuck.
· Eventually Constantine became of the capital of the eastern Roman Empire after Rome had been sacked by the Visigoths.
· As time passed by, Constantinople eventually became the biggest and the wealthiest city in the world.
· Unfortunately, it was sacked in the 13th century and its thriving population of 500,000 dropped to 40,000.
Information
· Istanbul is the only city in the world that sits on two continents.
· Istanbul has numerous historic shopping centers, such as the Grand Bazaar (1461), Mahmutpaşa Bazaar (1462) and the Egyptian Bazaar (1660).
· The first modern shopping mall in Turkey was Galleria Ataköy (1987), which was followed by dozens of others in the later decades, such as Akmerkez (1993), which is the only mall to win both "Europe's Best" and "World's Best" awards by the ICSC; Metrocity (2003); Cevahir Mall (2005), which is the largest mall in Europe; and Kanyon Mall (2006), which won the 2006 Cityscape Architectural Review Award for its interesting design.
· While the Ottoman Empire was in reign, there were over 1,400 public toilets in Istanbul while there were none in other European cities.
· Istanbul has one of the largest populations in the world with over 13 million people.
· The ‘Galata’ area of Istanbul is the more European side of the city, it was established as a western Latin & Catholic colony and sometimes sided with Istanbul’s enemies.
· The Turks wear Western-style clothing, European fashions, Muslim women wear headscarves, etc.
· Its oldest university was founded in 1453.
· Today it is the second largest city in the world
Hagia Sophia
· It is allegedly one of the oldest churches in Turkey and it was once a Mosque (in 1453 it was captured and converted by Muslims and converted into a Mosque). To avoid controversy between Muslims and the Orthadox church it is now a museum.
· Hagia Sofia is Greek for “Holy Wisdom” and was the principle church in Constantinople.
· It was destroyed twice but Emperor Justinian decided to rebuild it using the plans of two architects that combined the longitude shape of the Roman Basilica with the basilica (columned side aisles and the gallery for female worshipers in the triforium space above arches) with a domed central plan. It used a new technique of using a triangular masonry device that carried the weight of the dome on massive piers rather than straight down from the drum which gives the dome an oval appearance.
· Light streams through the windows and refracts off the rich mosaics and colored marbles that covered the interior. Light is the key element as the symbol of divine wisdom in the philosophy of Plato and in the New Testament and also the eternity of god and his illumination of mortals and demonstrated the ambience of heaven.
· Tourists can climb up to the mezzanine level to get a better view of it.
· This building was formerly erected by Constantine as a church as a start of the Christian movement.
· Being so large, the building boasted the largest cathedral in the world for almost a thousand years until St. Peter’s Basilica was erected in Rome.
The Blue Mosque
· Given its name due to the 20,000 of blue- green tiles inside.
· The mosque was created in just eight years under the direction of Sultan Ahmed I from 1609 to 1616 in an attempt to outdoing the magnificence of the Hagia Sophia.
· The exterior is also impressive; it has numerous turrets and domes with a court that is surrounded by a vaulted arcade.
· This mosque has over 200 stained glass windows and thousands of Iznik tiles.
· This mosque uses byzantine architectural designs.
Hippodrome
· The hippodrome was once the sporting center of Constantinople where chariot races were commonly held.
· The hippodrome was looted during the fourth crusade and it never was fully rebuilt.
· Today all that remains of the hippodrome is the basic shape, the Egyptian Obelisk (the Dikilitas), the Column of Constantinos (Orme Sutun) and the Serpentine Column (Yilanli Sutun)
· The hippodrome is filled with hundreds of peddlers selling postcards, nuts and souvenirs.
Topkapi Palace
· The topkapi palace was the home of many Sultans and their harems as well as the official location for state occasions and royal affairs.
· The palace was built in the 1450’s and it was used by the Sultans until the middle of the 19th century.
· Although the original structure of the palace was built in 1450 many sultans afterwards after added many other additions to the palace until it had four courtyards, and rooms for its estimated 5,000 residents.
Grand Bazaar
· It is one of the largest outdoor covered markets in the world. Think of a huge swap meet, but with cooler things and less expensive.
· There are up to half a million visitors to this bazaar daily.
· It is the largest and oldest shopping mall in the world with over 4,000 shops and 64 streets.
· The market looks so colorful and so different than shopping centers in the United States and typically they are not as expensive.
· The market also has marble drinking fountains
· Practice bargaining skills before going into the Grand Bazaar because the selling merchants increase their prices to trap tourists.
Basilica Cistern
· The Basilica Cistern is a huge decorated water basin
Ephesus
History
· Ephesus has served as both a Greek and a Roman city, and its architecture reflects highlights from both eras.
· Ephesus was widely known for the Temple of Artemis, until it was destroyed by a Christian mob in 401 AD.
· Gladiators were common in Ephesus.
· Quoted in Revelations, the people of Ephesus were touched by Jesus’ life on earth.
· Ephesus is a city with a lot of action and violence. It was taken over by Alexander the Great.
· Ephesus is a coastal city which was the second largest city during the Roman Empire but was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 17 and then rebuilt.
· In about 470 BC Ephesus was already somewhat modern in their social relations. They allowed strangers to integrate, valued education, and even became a center for women’s rights
· Ephesus was first an ancient Greek city, then a major Roman city and now a Turkish city
· Name of the city thought to have been derived from “Apasas” and meaning the “city of the Mother Goddess”
Information
· Today Ephesus is home to a large collection of Roman ruins which are still under excavation.
· The Gospel of John may have been written in Ephesus.
· Ephesus’s ties with Christianity began when Paul lived in Ephesus and 1st Corinthians documents his feelings on idol worship in Ephesus.
· Ephesus is also home the house of the Virgin Mary where it is said that Mary lived for her last years. It is where it is said that Virgin Mary may have spent her last days and they have a shrine dedicated to her
· The city contains the largest collection of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean.
· Of the seven churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelations, Ephesus is one of them.
· Ephesus and Halicarnasus are places of the two of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.
Temple of Artemis
· As one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Temple of Artemis was built in honor of the Greek goddess Artemis (the goddess of animals) and the temple was rebuilt three times before it was finally destroyed in 401 by Christians. Today only the foundation of the temple remains.
· The Temple of Artemis was destroyed four times throughout history. All that remains is a single column of constructed fragments discovered on the temple grounds.
· Paul wrote/gave Acts 19:23-41 at the temple of Artemis as well as 1 Corinthians in a tower by the harbor around 53 to 57 AD.
The Library of Celsus
· The Library of Celsus was built in 135 AD by Gauis Julius Aquila in memory of his father, Tibeius Julius Celsus Polmaeanus. The library was built to hold 12,000 scrolls as well as the body of Gaius’s father. The front of the library faces east so that there would be adequate light in the mornings.
· Built in 110 AD, is now one of the finest buildings in Ephesus. It contained over 12,000 hand-written books, one of the largest library collections of its time.
Other Sites
· The Fortress of Mamure, an old fortress along the coast of the Mediterranean. This was a formidable defensive position for the Romans, Byzantines, Turks and Ottomans. It has 39 towers that surround three large courtyards. There is a mosque inside the walls built by the ancient Turks that has been renovated and is still open to Islamic worshippers today.
· The “Seven Sleepers” cave. This story/legend tells of seven Christians trying to escape persecution from the Romans in 250AD. Instead of denouncing their faith, they chose run away and found shelter in a cave. The Roman emperor sealed this cave, hoping to kill the Christians. Many years later, a new Roman emperor re-opened the cave, curious as to what was inside. Instead of dying, the seven Christians slept for hundreds of years and were reawakened when the cave was opened. They rejoiced because Christianity had become the state religion for the Roman Empire.
