Ah Seng Blog (Part 2): Türkiye (Turkey Xmas Trip 2023)

土耳其共和国（土耳其语：Türkiye Cumhuriyeti），通称土耳其（土耳其语：Türkiye），是横跨欧亚两洲的国家，其国土包括西亚安纳托利亚半岛、以及巴尔干半岛的东色雷斯地区；其中亚洲部分包含了约97%的领土与87%的人口。

土耳其北临黑海，南临地中海，东南与叙利亚、伊拉克接壤，西临爱琴海，并与希腊以及保加利亚接壤，东部与格鲁吉亚、亚美尼亚、阿塞拜疆、伊朗接壤。在安纳托利亚半岛和东色雷斯地区之间的，是博斯普鲁斯海峡、马尔马拉海和达达尼尔海峡，属黑海海峡，别称土耳其海峡，是连接黑海以及地中海的唯一航道。虽然伊斯坦堡是最大城市，但其首都是位处安纳托利亚高原正中央的安卡拉。其气候属温带地中海型气候，南部和西部气候温和，夏季干热，冬季多雨；黑海沿岸，凉爽湿润；内陆、东北、东南则冬季寒冷，夏季干热。

土耳其的国名来源于奥斯曼帝国末期的突厥民族认同，由于属于突厥语民族而使用意为突厥人的“土耳其”作为国名。土耳其自1980年代起就致力于加入欧盟，但是欧盟因北塞浦路斯、亚美尼亚种族大屠杀、对库尔德族的压迫、人权及新闻自由及以伊斯兰教信仰为主的社会等问题拒绝土耳其加入。土耳其于2009年起为突厥国家组织成员国。土耳其法律中有禁止侮辱土耳其的条款。

Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye (Turkish: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti [ˈtyɾcije dʒumˈhuːɾijeti] ), is a country in Southeast Europe and West Asia. It is mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in West Asia, with a small portion called East Thrace on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq to the southeast; Syria and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. Cyprus is off the south coast. Most of the country's citizens are ethnic Turks, while Kurds are the largest ethnic minority. Ankara is Turkey's capital and second-largest city, while Istanbul is its largest city and economic and financial centre, as well as the largest city in Europe.

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Who ruled Turkey before the Ottomans?

Before the Ottomans, various empires, kingdoms, and civilizations ruled the territory that is now Turkey. Some of the most notable include the Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Seljuks.

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Turkey Trip Record -

TRAVEL ROUTE IN TURKEY

Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) is the largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, cultural and historic hub. The city straddles the Bosporus Strait, lying in both Europe and Asia, and has a population of over 15 million residents, comprising 19% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is the most populous European city and the world's 15th-largest city.

Çanakkale formerly known in English as Dardanelles is a city and seaport in Turkey on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. Çanakkale is a city in northwestern Turkey in the Marmara region, on the Dardanelles Strait. It’s a gateway to the Gallipoli WWI battlefields, north of the narrow strait. On the grounds of the 15th-century Çimenlik Castle, Çanakkale Naval Museum Command contains historical artillery. The archaeological site at Troy, including an ancient theater, is southwest of the city.

Kuşadası is a beach resort town on Turkey’s western Aegean coast. A jumping-off point for visiting the classical ruins at nearby Ephesus (or Efes), it’s also a major cruise ship destination. Its seafront promenade, marina, and harbor are lined with hotels and restaurants. Just offshore on Pigeon Island is a walled Byzantine castle that once guarded the town, connected to the mainland via causeway.

Pamukkale is a town in western Turkey known for the mineral-rich thermal waters flowing down white travertine terraces on a nearby hillside. It neighbors Hierapolis, an ancient Roman spa city founded around 190 B.C. Ruins there include a well-preserved theater and a necropolis with sarcophagi that stretch for 2km. The Antique Pool is famous for its submerged Roman columns, the result of an earthquake. Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey.

Konya is a city south of Ankara in Turkey’s Central Anatolia region. It’s a pilgrimage destination for Sufis, focused on the tomb of the founder of the Mevlana order, Jelaleddin Rumi, in the Mevlana Museum. Sema whirling dervish ceremonies take place at the Mevlana Cultural Center, east of the museum. The 12th-century Alaeddin Mosque is surrounded by the green parks of Alaeddin Hill. Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province.

Cappadocia, a semi-arid region in central Turkey, is known for its distinctive “fairy chimneys,” tall, cone-shaped rock formations clustered in Monks Valley, Göreme and elsewhere. Other notables sites include Bronze Age homes carved into valley walls by troglodytes (cave dwellers) and later used as refuges by early Christians. The 100m-deep Ihlara Canyon houses numerous rock-face churches. Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde.

Ankara, Turkey’s cosmopolitan capital, sits in the country’s central Anatolia region. It’s a center for the performing arts, home to the State Opera and Ballet, the Presidential Symphony Orchestra and several national theater companies. Overlooking the city is Anitkabir, the enormous hilltop mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk, modern Turkey’s first president, who declared Ankara the capital in 1923.

Izmir is a city on Turkey’s Aegean coast. Known as Smyrna in antiquity, it was founded by the Greeks, taken over by the Romans and rebuilt by Alexander the Great before becoming part of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. Today, its expansive archaeological sites include the Roman Agora of Smyrna, now an open-air museum. The hilltop Kadifekale, or Velvet Castle, built during Alexander’s reign, overlooks the city.

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