Did you know about Turkey? |
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The world’s oldest known settlement is
in Catalhoyuk in central Anatolia, Turkey, and dates back to 6,500 BC
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St Nicolas – the original Santa Claus –was
born in Patara in Turkey and has a church dedicated to him in Demre.
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Virgin Mary spent her last days in Selcuk, Izmir,
near the ancient city of Ephesus.
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Leonardo da Vinci drew designs for a bridge
over the Golden Horn, an inlet at the mouth of the Bosphorus. However
the bridge was never built.
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Julius Caesar proclaimed his celebrated words “Veni. Vedi, Vici”(I
came, I saw, I conquered) in Turkey when he defeated Pontus, a formidable
Kingdom in the Black Sea Region of Turkey.
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Aesop – famous for his fables and parables –was
born in Anatolia.
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The first known University in history is in
Harran, Southeast Turkey.
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Homer (Homeros) was born in Izmir on the west coast of Turkey and he depicted Troy, which is north of Izmir, in his Epic the Iliad.
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The smallpox vaccination was
introduced to England and Europe from Turkey by Lady Montague in the early
19th century (after Turkish physicians saved her son’s life).
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Part of Turkey’s south western shore
was a wedding gift from Mark Antony to Cleopatra.
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A famous Trojan Wars took place in western Turkey,
around the site where a wooden model of the Trojan Horse has been erected at the site.
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One of the seven wonders, The Temple of Artemis
at Ephesus (today only base ruins remained in Selcuk, Izmir)
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One of the seven wonders, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
today only base ruins remained in Bodrum, Mugla
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The word "turquoise" derives
from the French word for Turkish (Turquois), the beautiful colour of waters of the Mediterranean Sea on the southern Turkish coast.
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The first coins ever minted were done so at Sardis, near Izmir, the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Lycia, at the end of the seventh century B.C.
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According to the Legend of Great Flood, after
the withdrawal of the waters, Noah's Ark landed on Mount Agri in eastern Anatolia.
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Anatolia is the birthplace of many historical
figures such as the Phrygian King Midas, the father of history Herodotus and St Paul.
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One of the first most accurate world maps were
drawn by the well-known Turkish cartographer and navigator Piri Reis in 16th century.
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Contrary to popular opinion, tulip originated
not in Holland but on the Asian steppes. The Turks first gave the Dutch
their famous tulips that started the craze for the flower in England and
the Netherlands. There is a period of elegance and amusement in 18th century
is named "The Tulip Age" in Ottoman Empire.
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The Seven Churches referred in the Book of Revelation are all found in Turkey: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
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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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The first man ever to fly was Turkish. Using two wings, Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi flew from the Galata Tower over the Bosphorus to land in Uskudar in the 17th century.
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Gobekli Tepe /Sanliurfa is the oldest human-made
place of worship yet discovered.Dated to 7500 - 6000 BC.
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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.
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The Amazons originated in Turkey's Northeastern
region
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Anatolia is the location of the first known
beauty contest, judged by Paris, with Aphrodite, Hera and Athena as leading
participants
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World's first known bank is at the Temple of
Sard Artemis located at Salihli/Manisa. Banking task were fulfilled by
the priests of temple.
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The oldest known shipwreck in the world was
excavated in Kas. The shipwreck is on display now in Bodrum Underwater
Archaeology Museum.
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Alexander the Great conquered a large territory
in what is now Turkey and cut the Gordion Knot in the Phrygian capital
(Gordium) not far from Turkey's present-day capital (Ankara).
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The number of archaeological excavations going
on in Turkey every year is at least 150
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