Turkey

Turkey, a Eurasian country, has a landscape peppered with history, from its many castles to its historic battlegrounds. Turkey is where the Ottoman Empire sprung and where the battle for Troy took place in Homer’s Iliad. The main city, Istanbul, was once the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, and was also one of the first multicultural cities in the world. The country is a great mix of old and new, and offers rich and colourful history, food and culture.

Languages: Turkish
Currency: Turkish Lira (TRY)
Government: Parliamentary Republic

DID YOU KNOW?

• The number of archaeological excavations going on in Turkey every year is at least 150.
• The oldest known human settlement is in Catalhoyuk, Turkey (7500 BCE).
• The main city, Istanbul, is the only city in the world built on two continents.
• Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat, which is located in Eastern Turkey.

CLIMATE

Turkey’s geographical features make for a lot of variation in temperature. A mountain range runs parallel to the coasts, separating the country into several different climates: the coasts experience mild weather, while the inland plateau is hit with hot summers and cold winters. Due to the massive climate differences across the country, Turkey has been dubbed “the land of four seasons.” The Aegean and Mediterranean coasts of Turkey experience dry, hot summers and mild and wet winters.

In the summer, the coasts can see highs of 45°C, while the coldest temperature in the winter tends to be -5°C. Eastern Turkey experiences an extreme climate, with lows of -43°C and potential highs of 38°C, while central Anatolia has summer temperatures of 40°C and winter temperatures of -25°C.

• Winter: October – April
• Summer: June – September
• Spring: April – May
• Autumn: October – Early November

HISTORY

While today’s Turkey is a stable and exciting place to visit, its past has been mired in uncertainty and turmoil. In the 6th century BCE, the Persian Empire occupied the Anatolia area. Soon after, the Roman and, subsequently, the Byzantine Empires settled in the area, expanding and setting up some of the cultural roots we see today. In the 13th century, the Ottoman Turks swept through Turkey and eventually parts of Europe and Northern Africa, dominating the area for nearly 600 years. This time period was quite prosperous for the Turks, as the Ottoman Empire was one of the most powerful empires in history. This period was known for creating a great cultural outpour of Islamic art, architecture and literature.

After the 14th century and the reign of Sultan Suleyman I, the world started to see the decline of the Ottoman Empire. By the 18th century, other political powers were emerging and threatened the areas that belonged to the Ottomans, including Russia and Britain and France, resulting in several wars (the Crimean War and the Russo-Turkish War). These wars resulted in several larger parts of the Ottoman Empire braking off, fracturing the empire. By 1909, the empire was entirely weakened and a new wave of political understanding arrived, named the Young Turk movement. This movement began the process of creating the modern-day, secular Turkey you see today. Despite progressive attempts to install a liberal government and implement a constitution, the Ottomans felt further defeats in a war with Italy and in the Balkan Wars and through World War II. By the later half of the 1920s, the Ottoman Empire no longer existed.

MUST SEE

ISTANBUL’S OLD CITY
Once the capital of Christian Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire, this part of Istanbul boasts the ancient Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque and the Topakapi Palace.

WHIRLING DERVISHES
Who are the Whirling Dervishes? These men are members of the Mevlevi Order in the city of Konya or Istanbul. Catch a special ceremony of whirling dancing called the Sema.

CAPPADOCIA BALLOON FLIGHT
Take an early morning hot-air balloon journey over the beautiful Turkish landscapes of Cappadocia in central Anatolia.

BODRUM
Now home to one of the Aegean’s premier resorts, Bodrum was originally one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Bodrum is where you will find the Mausoleum of Mausolus and the Castle of St. John.

GREASE WRESTLING
No trip to Turkey is without a viewing of grease wrestling at the Kirkpinar Festival in Edirne every summer.