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Exclusive Travel Turkey |
by:
jasmin Dogan |
Exclusive Travel Turkey The legacies of the Hittites, Greeks, Romans, Christian apostles, Byzantines, Ottoman Turks, & the other civilizations that have called this land home have made Turkey into a vast outdoor museum full of beautiful, intriguing sites. Highlights of Turkey's many treasures include the spectacular Byzantine churches & beautiful mosques of Istanbul; the ruins of the fabled city of Pergamum on its windswept hilltop; the holy city of Konya where Dervishes still whirl; the extraordinary landscape & cave dwellings of Cappadocia; the great theatre of ancient Ephesus; the magnificent beaches of the Aegean & Mediterranean with signs of ancient civilizations at every turn. Visit one of the most amazing cities in the world. Istanbul the uninterrupted capital for the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires for 1900 years.
Earliest records of the Turkish people show that their ancestors in Central Asia date back to some time before 2000 BC. The word ‘Turk’ comes from Chinese and the Great Wall was built to keep out Turkish tribes. Roaming widely throughout Asia and Europe, the Turks established vast empires throughout these continents.
By the 10th century, most Turks had adopted the religion of Islam. Some Turks travelled southwest to Anatolia (Asia Minor) considered to be the cradle of civilisation because it has embraced more than 20 cultures and civilizations. These civilizations included the Hittites, Assyrians, Lydians, Greeks, Persians, Macedonians, lonians, Romans, Byzantines and Turks. In AD 1071, the Turks fought a crucial war with the Byzantine Empire. Settling in Anatolia (which today covers most of Turkey), they established many small feudal states and some empires. The Ottoman Turks unified these separate units, which eventually became the largest empire in recent history, the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans ruled for more than six centuries (1281 - 1922), in part because their system of government allowed flexibility in the practice of diverse religions, languages and cultures. By the end of World War I, the Ottoman Empire had collapsed completely.
Historical events of recent years including the War on Terror, the Gulf War, the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union (which gave independence to Turkish republics in Central Asia) have increased Turkey's importance as a power for peace and stability in the region.
Turkey is an element of stability in an otherwise turbulent part of the world. As a modern, secular democracy with a free market economy, Turkey will continue to expand its role as a commercial, political and cultural link between the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Balkans and the West.
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