Facts About Turkiye

Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents, Europe and Asia. It has been the capital of 3 empires: Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman.

The world's oldest known human settlement is Catalhoyuk (Turkish font: Çatalhöyük) dating to 6,500 BC. The earliest known landscape painting was found on the wall of a house in Catalhoyuk depicting the volcanic eruption of nearby Hasandag (Turkish font: Hasandağ).

2 of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World were located in Turkey.

Turks introduced coffee to Europe.

The first coins ever minted were done so at Sardis, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, at the end of the 7th century B.C.

The word "turquoise" comes from "Turk" meaning Turkish and was derived from the colour of the Mediterranean Sea on the southern Turkish coast.

Turks introduced tulips to the Dutch.

The most valuable valuable silk carpet in the world is in the Mevlevi Museum in Konya, Turkey.
St. John and St. Paul lived and prayed in southern Anatolia. Legend has it St. John brought Virgin Mary to Ephesus after the Crucifixion, where she spent her days in a small stone house. It remains a popular pilgrimage site for Christians.

Many archaeologists and biblical scholars believe Noah's Ark landed on Mount Ararat (Turkish font: Ağrı) in eastern Turkey.

The 7 churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation are all found in Turkey: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.

A cave known today as the Grotto of St. Peter is believed to be where the Apostle Peter preached when he visited Antioch (Antakya) in southern Turkey). It is widely considered to be one of the earliest Christian houses of worship.

Anatolia is the birthplace of many historic figures and legends such as the poet Homer, King Midas, Herodotus (the father of history) and St. Paul the Apostle.

St. Nicholas, known today as Santa Claus, was born and lived in Demre (Myra) on Turkey's Mediterranean coast. The village contains the Church of St. Nicholas with the sarcophagus believed to be his tomb.

The first man ever to fly was Turkish. Using two wings, Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi (Çelebi) flew from the Galata Tower over the Bosphorus to land in Uskudar (Üsküdar) in the 17th century.