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Mount Ararat (highest mountain
in Turkey at ~17,000 ft) is where many archeologists and Biblical scholars
believe Noah’s Ark came to rest.
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Prophet Abraham spent several
years of his life in Harran, a city in southeastern Turkey.
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Two of the Seven Wonders of
the Ancient World stood on Turkey’s Aegean coast: The Temple of Artemis in
Ephesus, and The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in Bodrum.
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Tradition has it that St. John
brought Virgin Mary to Ephesus after the death of Jesus Christ. Both St.
Paul and St. John preached in Ephesus.
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The Seven Churches mentioned
in the Book of Revelation are all found in Turkey.
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A cave where Apostle Peter
preached in Antioch, a southern city in Turkey, was designated in 1963 by
the papacy as a site of pilgrimage and recognized as the world’s first
cathedral.
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Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus,
as we know him) was born and lived in Demre (Myra), a southern town in
Turkey.
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Turkey is a land full of
historic treasures from 13 successive civilizations spanning 10,000
years.
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Anatolia is the birthplace of
many historic figures and legends: The poet Homer, King Midas, Heredotus
(the father of history), Apostle Paul, ….
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The oldest known human
settlement in the world is located in Catalhoyuk, Turkey, dating back to
6500 B.C.
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Troy, the legendary city of
the Trojan Horse, is in western Anatolia, close to Gallipoli.
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Pergamon, an ancient city in
western Turkey, had more than 200,000 books in its celebrated library,
second only to that in Alexandria, Egypt.
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Mark Anthony presented part of
Turkey’s southwestern shore to Cleopatra as a wedding gift.
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Turks settled in Anatolia more
than 1000 years ago.
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Center of the Eastern Orthodox
Church is in Istanbul, where it has been for nearly 17 centuries.
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Ottomans provided the only
shelter to Jews during the Inquisition over 500 years ago.
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Istanbul is the only city in
the world located on two continents, Europe and Asia, and its name changed
from Constantinople in 1453, about 550 years ago.
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Dolmabahce Palace has the
world’s largest chandelier weighing approximately 4.5 tons.
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The most valuable silk carpet
in the world is in Konya, Turkey.
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“Young Turk” refers to a group
of intellectuals who opposed the Ottoman ruling class in late 1800’s and
demanded a parliament to voice and enforce the will of the people.
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Turks introduced the following
to the world:
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The break-up of the Ottoman
Empire, through the previous century, resulted in over 24 new states,
representing three major religions and cultures.
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Turkish is the 6th most widely
spoken language, and is gender-free.
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Anatolia or, as ancients
called it, Asia Minor is surrounded by water on three sides but the
average altitude is over 5,000 ft!
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Ataturk Dam, as a part of one
of the largest public projects in the World, irrigates an area in
southeastern Turkey large enough to feed all of Middle East.
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About 10% of Turkey is in
continental Europe, rest in Asia. Currently two giant bridges connect the
two continents across the Bosphorus.
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Ahmet Ertegun, the
Turkish-American owner of Atlantic Records, is the largest contributor to
the Rock’n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Turkey is designated as one of
the ten “Big Emerging Markets” for 21st century by the U.S. Department of
Commerce.
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Turkey is among the 20
biggest economies in the world in terms of purchasing power parity,
according to current World Bank listings.
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Turkey was one of the pioneers
for women’s rights and equality (full suffrage 1934). Turkey had the
first female Prime Minister in 1993. Recent statistics indicate that 50%
of tenured professors and 30% of medical doctors in Turkey are women. On
% basis, Turkish women in some professions relative to the U.S.:
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5 times more dentists
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3 times more architects
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50% more engineers
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50% more lawyers
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Over 10 million tourists make
Turkey their destination every year, many of them Americans.
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The following are the UNESCO
World Heritage Sites of Turkey:
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Historic Areas of Istanbul
(1985)
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Goreme National Park and the
Rock Sites of Cappadocia (1985)
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Great Mosque and Hospital of
Divrigi (1985)
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Hattusas (1986)
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Nemrut Mountain (1987)
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Xanthos-Letoon (1988)
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Hierapolis-Pamukkale (1988)
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City of Safranbolu (1994)
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Archeological Site of Troy
(1998)
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“Yogurt” is a Turkish word and
an invention with Central Asian origin.
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Here are some words in English
with Turkish origins:
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Yogurt, pilaf, coffee,
baklava, shish kebob, pita, kilim, sherbet, caviar, kielbasa, musakka, ….
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The word “turquoise” was
derived from the beautiful color of the Mediterranean Sea on the southern
Turkish coast.
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The word ‘croissant’ is
inspired by the crescent on the Turkish flag, when Ottoman Turks
introduced coffee to Vienna in 17th century.
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Soccer is the most popular
sport in Turkey. Turkey took the 3rd place after Brazil and Germany in
World Cup Soccer in June 2002! Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup in Europe in
2000.
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Turkish basketball team placed
2nd in the European Championship behind Yugoslavia in 2001, played in the
World Championship held in Indianapolis in 2002 and took the 9th place.