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Turkey, Turkei, Türkiye
The Cradle of Civilizations
Presented by:
 Deniz Cakir,
 Ferhat Zengul, President, Cultural Diversity Club
Geographical Position:
Longitude : 36°N to 42°N
Latitude : 26°E to 45°E
Total Area :
814,578 square kilometers
790,200 are in Asia
24,378 are located in Europe
Anatolia;
a land with plenty of natural beauties and historical wealth with rich cultural
heritage
Historical Background:
Geographical Regions :
•Hittites (2000-1000 BC)
•Marmara Region
•Phrygians, and Lydian's (1000-550 BC) •Black Sea Region
•Hellenistic period (800-130 BC)
•Aegean Region
•Romans (130 BC- 395 AD)
•Central Anatolia Region
•Byzantine era (395-1453 AD)
•East Anatolia Region
•Anatolian Seljuks (1071-1299 AD)
•Mediterranean Region
•Ottoman Empire (1299-1923 AD)
•Southeast Anatolia Region
Basic Info
 Capital: Ankara
 Official Language: Turkish
A,B,C,Ç,D,E,F,G,Ğ,H,I,İ,J,K,L,M,N,O,Ö,P,R,S,Ş,T,U,Ü,V,Y,Z
Population: 71,517,100 (2008)
 Largest city: Istanbul (Population: 12,500,000)
GDP 2008 estimate
 Total $937.143 billion (15th largest GDP)
 Per capita $13,447
Currency Turkish lira
 1 USD ≈ 1.7 Turkish lira
Turkey is classified as a developed country by the CIA and as a
regional power by political scientists and economists worldwide
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Who are Turks
 They are the descendants of Turkic nomads
from Central Asia and the many ethnic
groups that inhabited the former Ottoman
Empire.
 Turks are the heirs to the cultural traditions of
the Ottoman Empire as well as the
democratic ideas of Ataturk and the West
Atatürk the Founder of Republic of
Türkiye
•
Following the defeat of
the Ottoman Empire in
World War I, he led the
Turkish War of
Independence
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The first president of
the Turkish Republic
Did you know?
 Since 1952, Turkey has been a member of NATO (the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Turkey is getting
closer to European Union membership every passing day
Women granted the right to vote in the local
elections
Women granted the right to vote in the national
elections
*In the election in 1937 the number of women
that were members in the Turkish Parliament
was 18, which meant 4.5 % of all.
 The only city in the world located on two continents is Istanbul, which
has been the capital of three great empires, Roman, Byzantine and
Ottoman for more than 2,000 years.
 The world’s oldest known settlement is in Catalhoyuk in
central Anatolia, Turkey, and dates back to 6,500 BC.
 St Nicolas – the original Santa Claus – was born in
Patara in Turkey and has a church dedicated to him in
Demre.
 The Virgin Mary spent her last days in Selcuk,
İzmir, near the ancient city of Ephesus.
 Two of the seven wonders, are located in Turkey The
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, and Mausoleum of
Halicarnassus
 The Seven Churches referred in the Book of Revelation are
all found in Turkey: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira,
Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
 The Nicean Creed was established in the 4th centry A.D. by an
Ecumenical Council held in what is now the Turkish town of
Iznik
 Noah’s ark landed on Agri dagi, (Mount
Ararat) in eastern Turkey
Turkey and Other Turkic Nations
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The most valuable silk carpet in the world is in the Mevlana Museum in Konya,
Turkey. Marco Polo's journeys in the thirteenth centuries took him here, and he
remarked that the "best and handsomest of rugs" were to be found in Turkey.
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Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, the great sufi, poet and philosopher lived in Konya
Turkey.
 A Haven for Sephardic Jews.
 Immanual Aboab attributes to Bayazid II the famous remark that "the
Catholic monarch Ferdinand was wrongly considered as wise, since he
impoverished Spain by the expulsion of the Jews, and enriched
Turkey".
Jews from many countries have been invited to
take refuge in the Ottoman Empire and the
Turkish Republic:
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In 1376 from Hungary
In 1394 from France
In 1420 from Venice
In 1492 from Spain
In 1527 from Hungary
In 1537 from Italy
In 1542 from Bohemia
In 1881 and 1917 from Russia
In 1933 from Germany
 The rich tradition of
Turkish cuisine is popular
throughout the world
Among The Greatest Cuisines, Turkish Is A Delight (August 1, 2010)-Bonny Wolf
Many in the food world believe the three great cuisines are French, Chinese and
Turkish. (www.npr.org)
 Under the Vine and Fig Tree: 500 years of
Turkish-Jewish history
Birmingham International Center (BIC),
Birmingham, AL
October 31 – November 10, 2010
Reception on October 31 at 3:00 pm (BIC)