30 Fun Facts About Turkey
Did you know these interesting facts about Turkey?
Here are some interesting facts about Turkey, the craddle of civilizations located in Asia Minor and Thrace:
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Interesting Fun Facts About Turkey
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Agriculture began and the seeds of agriculture were first sown in Turkey.
Anatolia is the birth place of historic legends, such as Homer, King Midas, Herodotus and St. Paul. the Apostle.
Cappadocia became a refuge for early Christinas during the Roman and Byzantine times and flourished here in the hidden underground cities.
Cherry was first introduced to Europe from Giresun, Northern Turkey.
First coinage in history was invented by the Lydians in the 7th century BC, in Turkey.
Istanbul’s Grandbazaar is one of the oldest shopping malls in the world and has 64 streets and 4.000 shops.
Istanbul is the only city in the world built on two continents.
Leonardo da Vinci once designed a bridge across the Golden Horn in Istanbul.
Noah’s Ark is believed to be located in Turkey.
Parchment paper was invented on the western coast of Turkey in an ancient city known as Pergamon.
St. Paul was born in Tarsus, southern part of Turkey and undertook most of his missionary journeys in Turkey.
St. Nicholas, aslo known as Santa Claus, was born in Patara and became the bishop of Demre on Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast.
The first church dedicated to Virgin Mary is in Ephesus.
The First Ecumenical Council was held in Iznik, Turkey.
The first ever Christian church was St. Peter’s Church and it was located in Antakya, Turkey.
The first Neolithic paintings found on man-made walls are in Çatalhöyük in Central Anatolia.
The Greek Orthodox church is still located in Istanbul.
The last meal on Noah’s Ark, a pudding of sweet and sour taste (Aşure) is still served throughout Turkey.
Julius Caesar proclaimed his celebrated words «Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)» in Turkey when he defeated the Pontus, a formidable kingdom in the Black Sea region.
The Lycian federal system of government with proportional representation was used as a model by the authors of the United States constitution.
The oldest known human settlements are in Göbeklitepe (10th Millenium BC) and Çatalhöyük (7th Millenium BC).
The oldest known shipwreck on Earth was found and excavated in Uluburun near Kaş, Antalya.
The Seven Churches of Revelation are all located in Turkey; Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelpia and Laodicea.
Tulips were introduced to Holland from Anatolia by Ogier Ghiselinde Busbecq.
The world’s first female fighter pilot was Turkish. Her name was Sabiha Gökçen and she was the adopted daughter of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Turkey is home to 18 UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites including two mixed sites and 16 cultural sites, such as the archaeological site of Troy.
Turkey is noted for having one of the three most famous and distinctive traditional cuisines in the world.
Turkey is the birthplace of important historical figures including Aesop, Heredotus and St. Paul the Apostle.
The famous Trojan Wars took place near Çanakkale in Western Turkey.
Two of the seven wonders of the world are in Turkey; 1) The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in Izmir 2) The Mausoleum at Halicarnasus in Bodrum.
Turkey is the only secular Muslim country among all the Muslim countries in the world.
Turkish women received the rights to vote and to be elected to office in 1934, earlier than Swiss, Greek, Italian and French women.
Tünel (tunnel) in Istanbul is the world’s second oldest underground railway.
Turkey is the largest producer of hazelnuts in the world.
Turkey uses the Latin Alphabet and Gregorian Calendar.
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