There is evidence that the bed of the Black Sea was once an inhabited plain, before it was flooded in prehistoric times by rising sea levels. The biblical flood may be an account of this event. Mount Agri, at 5,165 m, is the country's highest point and the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, lies in the mountains on the far eastern edge of the country.
Turkey was created in 1923 from the Turkish remnants of the Ottoman Empire. Soon thereafter the country instituted secular laws to replace traditional religious fiats. In 1945 Turkey joined the UN, and in 1952 it became a member of NATO.
ATTRACTIONS OF TURKEY: Ancient Aphrodisias,
Ancient Ephesus,
Temple of Artemis,
Aphrodisias was a town in Caria, now part of modern Turkey, about 230 km (142.5 miles) from Izmir, located near the modern village of Geyre. As its name implies, it was named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of Love. According to the Suda, before being known as Aphrodisias, the city had three previous names: Lelegon Polis (city of the Leleges), Megale Polis, and Nino. The city was later renamed Stauropolis (city of the cross) in the Christian era.
The city was built near a marble quarry, which was extensively exploited in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, and sculptors in marble from Aphrodisias became famous in the Roman world. Many examples of statuary have been unearthed in Aphrodisias, and some also survive from other parts of the Roman world.
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Ephesus was one of the great cities of the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor, located in Lydia where the Cayster River (Kk Menderes) flows into the Aegean Sea (in modern day Turkey). It was founded by colonists principally from Athens.
The ruins of Ephesus are favourite domestic and international tourism attractions, due to easy accessibility via Izmir ADB airport and via the port of Kusadasi. Ephesus hosted one of the seven churches of Asia, addressed in the Book of Revelation.
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The Temple of Artemis, also known as the Temple of Diana, was a temple dedicated to Artemis completed around 550 BC at Ephesus (in present-day Turkey) under the Achaemenid dynasty of the Persian Empire. Nothing remains of the original temple, which was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The temple was a 120-year project started by Croesus of Lydia.
Pliny the Elder describes the temple as 377 feet (115 meters) long and 180 feet (55 meters) wide, made almost entirely of marble. The Temple consists of 127 Ionic-styled columns, each 60 feet (18 meters) in height.
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Check your Midnight Express stereotypes at the door - Turkey is a rapidly modernizing country with one foot in Europe and one in the Middle East. It's not all oriental splendor, mystery, intrigue and whirling dervishes but it is a spicy maelstrom of history knocking up against a fast-paced present.
The Turkish people have an unrivalled reputation for hospitality, the cuisine is to die for, the coastline is a dream, and many Turkish cities are dotted with spectacular mosques and castles. And while costs are rising, Turkey remains one of the Mediterranean's bargain-basement destinations.
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Attractions: ANCIENT APHRODISIAS
Attractions: ANCIENT EPHESUS
Attractions: TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS
TURKEY TOURS, TRAVEL & ACTIVITIES
