Turkey: Did you know........?

These interesting facts are pulled from Turkey's official tourism website: www.goturkey.com

The only city in the world located on two continents is Istanbul, which has been the capital of three great empires, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman for more than 2,000 years.

The world’s oldest known settlement is in Catalhoyuk in central Anatolia, Turkey, and dates back to 6,500 BC

The word "turquoise" derives from the French word for Turkish (Turquois), the beautiful colour of waters of the Mediterranean Sea on the southern Turkish coast.

St Nicolas – the original Santa Claus – was born in Patara in Turkey and has a church dedicated to him in Demre. 

Julius Caesar proclaimed his celebrated words “Veni. Vedi, Vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered) in Turkey when he defeated Pontus, a formidable Kingdom in the Black Sea Region of Turkey

Aesop – famous for his fables and parables – was born in Anatolia.

Homer (Homeros) was born in Izmir on the west coast of Turkey and he depicted Troy, which is north of Izmir, in his Epic the Iliad

Part of Turkey’s south western shore was a wedding gift from Mark Antony to Cleopatra.   

Many Biblical scholars believe that after the withdrawal of the waters, Noah's Ark landed on Mount Ağrı (Ararat) in eastern Anatolia.