Turkey | Istanbul, Cappadocia & Ephesus

Turkey Overview

Turkey, also referred to as Anatolia, Asia Minor or "Lesser Asia" by the ancient Romans, and one of the most significant crossroads of ancient civilizations, blending Asian, Middle Eastern, Persian, and European cultures. Anatolia is a land of conquest, with a rich history that dates back over 3,500 years, to the Akkadian Empire under Sargon in the 24th century BCE.

The name Anatolia comes from the Greek word "Anatoli," meaning "land of the sunrise," and the Byzantine Greek term Anatolikon, meaning the "Eastern One" or land to the East of Europe.

After the fall of Mesopotamia's Akkadian Empire and Gutian dynasty in around 1,800 BC, the Hittites civilization ruled Anatolia, and at their zenith in around 1,400 BC their culture rivaled that of ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia's Babylonian/Sumerian civilizations.

During the "Neo-Hittite" period (1180-700 BC) the culture collapsed and was replaced by the Sea Peoples to the north-west, and by the Assyrians and the city-state of Ashur in the central and easter part of the Anatolian plateau.

In around 800 BC the Greeks began to colonize the Mediterranean coast of Anatolia, laying siege to the city-state of Troy during the Trojan War. In 660 BC the Ionian Greeks under Croesus established the new kingdom of Lydia (named after King Lydus) in the western region of Anatolia, in present-day Manisa and Izmir.

In 667 BC the Greek city of Byzantium (modern day Istanbul) was established, founded by Byzas from Megara, who consulted the Oracle at Delphi as to where to establish the city.

According to the Greek historian Herodotus, the Lydians were the first people to use gold and silver coins as currency, around 660 BC. Lydia did not last long, and by 561 BC Croesus was overthrown by Persian ruler Cyrus the Great.

The persians held Anatolia for a few hundred years, until Byzantium was retaken by the Greeks in 340 BC, under King Philip II of Macedon and a 16-year-old Alexander the Great.

Byzantium was in Greek hands for a brief period, until it was conquered by Emperor Constantine of Rome in 330 AD, when it was renamed "Nova Roma." Upon Emperor Constantine's death the city was again renamed "Constantinople."

Constantinople's unique geographical location made it a natural crossing point between the continents of Europe and Asia, giving the city significant commercial, cultural, diplomatic, and strategic importance. Additionally, Constantinople was the only transit-point between the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

Constantinople was a focal-point for Christianity during the Byzantine Empire of the Middle Ages, but as the power of the Byzantine Empire declined, the Arabs and Mongols overran the region. On May 29, 1453 the Ottoman Turks conquered the peninsula and made Istanbul their new capital.

The Ottoman Empire lasted until 1922, when Asia Minor became part of the Turkish Republic under Kemal Atatürk, who established Ankara as the new capital of Turkey. The city of Constantinople was renamed " Istanbul" by the Turks in 1930.

Central Anatolia & Cappadocia