Turkey

Turkey is a geographically diverse country with snow capped mountains and broad rivers in the east to green coasts and rich agricultural valleys in the west, to a lush, rainy, temperate climate in the north and a hot, dry climate in the south. Stretching from the nation's border with Greece to its frontier with Syria, the Turkish Coast is a coastal strip that has thousands of miles of unspoiled sandy beaches and coves fringed by pine forests, hundreds of pristine fishing villages and market towns, and a wealth of ancient ruins found nowhere else in the world.

The nation is one of the largest in Europe and is about the size of Britain and France combined. The population of Turkey is approximately 70 million.

The country is unique in that 97% of it is in Asia and 3% is in Europe. The Asian side is known as Anatolia and the European side, Thrace. The two are separated by the Dardanelles (Canakkale) and by the Bosphorous Straights in Istanbul. Istanbul is Turkey's largest and most famous city and its capital is Ankara.

From April to October, most places in Turkey have an ideal climate that is perfect for relaxing on sandy beaches or enjoying the tranquility of mountains and lakes.

Culture

Although Turkey is 99% Moslem, it is a secular state that guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Moslems.

Turkish people have an unrivalled reputation for hospitality; a guest is someone to be treated with utmost respect. You will find that they are very friendly and ready to help with anything, neighbours will look after each other and children around Turkey will be doted on. Statistically Turkey has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. 43% of the working population in Turkey is women. In the rural areas, the rate of working women, especially in agriculture, is very high. However, women work in this sector as an extension of their housework and not to make a living. In urban areas, women hold important posts in public and the private sector, the arts and sciences. Today, Turkish women hold down jobs such as bank managers, doctors, lawyers, judges, journalists, pilots, diplomats, police officers, army officers and in fact Turkey’s first woman prime minister Tansu Ciller came to power in June 1993 until 1995. A lot of people have a vision of women wearing veils etc., when you visit Turkey you will find that this is not really the case.

Politics

Political structure: The Turkish Republic is based on a secular democratic and parliamentary system. The National Assembly is elected by popular vote and the nation is governed by the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. Turkey is a founding member of OECD, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation, a member of NATO since 1952, the European Council and the European Parliament, and a candidate member for the European Union.

History

There is a wealth of Biblical history that has occurred in Turkey, it is often referred to as the "second holy land” and many of the Old and New Testament stories happened throughout Turkey. It is said that Noah's Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat in Eastern Turkey. The Apostle St Paul probably spent two and a half years in Ephesus during his third missionary journey, until a riot forced him to leave the city rapidly. Some authorities believe that St. Paul was imprisoned in the so-called Prison of St. Paul in Ephesus.

At his crucifixion Jesus asked his beloved disciple, John, to look after his mother. John took the Virgin Mary to Ephesus between 42 and 48 AD and lived there. The house where the Virgin Mary lived and died was officially declared a shrine of the Roman Catholic Church in 1896, and since then it has become a popular place of pilgrimage. Pope Paul VI visited the shrine in 1967.

We all believe that Santa Claus comes from the North Pole; in fact Saint Nicholas was born in the third century in Patara (City west of Myra, now known as Demre, Turkey).

The Ottoman Empire began as the joining together of late 13th century Turkish warriors fleeing the Mongols. By 1453 the Ottomans under Mehmet the Conqueror were strong enough to take Constantinople (now known as Istanbul). Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (1520-66) oversaw the summit of the Empire: beautifying Constantinople, rebuilding Jerusalem and expanding the Ottoman to the gates of Vienna.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (the liberator of Turkey) came into power in 1919, when he took the lead in upsetting the victorious Allies' plan to partition the Turkish core of the Ottoman Empire. He divided the Allies, defeated the last Sultan and secured the territory of the Turkish national state, becoming the first president of the new republic in 1923. Mustafa Kemal undertook the job of completely remaking Turkish society. By the time he died in 1938, a constitution had been adopted; polygamy together with the fez was abolished. Islam was removed as the state religion, Constantinople became Istanbul and women obtained the right to vote. So admired is he that the Turkish Parliament even voted to give him the name, Ataturk which means father of the Turks.

Time Zones

Turkish Standard Time is seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

Electricity

Electricity in Turkey is 220 volts. The speed for electronics is fifty cycles. Two-round prongs are the standard plugs for normal appliances.