Portal:Turkey

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Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; and the Aegean Sea, Greece, and Bulgaria to the west. Turkey is home to over 85 million people; most are ethnic Turks, while ethnic Kurds are the largest ethnic minority. Officially a secular state, Turkey has a Muslim-majority population. Ankara is Turkey's capital and second-largest city. Istanbul is its largest city and economic center. Other major cities include İzmir, Bursa, and Antalya.

First inhabited by modern humans during the Late Paleolithic, present-day Turkey was home to various ancient peoples. The Hattians were assimilated by the Hittites and other Anatolian peoples. Classical Anatolia transitioned into cultural Hellenization after Alexander the Great's conquests, and later Romanization during the Roman and Byzantine eras. The Seljuk Turks began migrating into Anatolia in the 11th century, starting the Turkification process. The Seljuk Sultanate of Rum ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243, when it disintegrated into Turkish principalities. Beginning in 1299, the Ottomans united the principalities and expanded. Mehmed II conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in 1453. During the reigns of Selim I and Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire became a global power. From 1789 onwards, the empire saw major changes, reforms, centralization, and rising nationalism while its territory declined.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, persecution of Muslims during the Ottoman contraction and in the Russian Empire resulted in large-scale loss of life and mass migration into modern-day Turkey from the Balkans, Caucasus, and Crimea. Under the control of the Three Pashas, the Ottoman Empire entered World War I in 1914, during which the Ottoman government committed genocides against its Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian subjects. Following Ottoman defeat, the Turkish War of Independence resulted in the abolition of the sultanate and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne. Turkey emerged as a more homogenous nation state. The Republic was proclaimed on 29 October 1923, modelled on the reforms initiated by the country's first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Turkey remained neutral during most of World War II, but was involved in the Korean War. Several military interventions interfered with the transition to a multi-party system.

Turkey is an upper-middle-income and emerging country; its economy is the world's 16th-largest by nominal and 12th-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP. As the 15th-largest electricity producer in the world, Turkey aims to become a hub for regional energy transportation. It is a unitary presidential republic. Turkey is a founding member of the OECD, G20, and Organization of Turkic States. With a geopolitically significant location, Turkey is a NATO member and has its second-largest military force. It may be recognized as an emerging, a middle, and a regional power. As an EU candidate, Turkey is part of the EU Customs Union.

Turkey has coastal plains, a high central plateau, and various mountain ranges; its climate is temperate with harsher conditions in the interior. Home to three biodiversity hotspots, Turkey is prone to frequent earthquakes and is highly vulnerable to climate change. Turkey has a universal healthcare system, growing access to education, and increasing levels of innovativeness. It is a leading TV content exporter. With numerous UNESCO World Heritage sites and intangible cultural heritage inscriptions, and a rich and diverse cuisine, Turkey is the fifth most visited country in the world. (Full article...)

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A map depicting the locations of the Turkish Straits, with the Bosporus in red, and the Dardanelles in yellow. The territory of Turkey is highlighted in green.

The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait (/ˈbɒspərəs, ˈbɒsfərəs/ BOSS-pər-əs, BOSS-fər-əs; Turkish: İstanbul Boğazı, lit. 'Istanbul strait', colloquially Boğaz) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental boundaries between Asia and Europe. It also divides Turkey by separating Asia Minor from Thrace. It is the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation.

Most of the shores of the Bosporus Strait, except for the area to the north, are heavily settled, with the city of Istanbul's metropolitan population of 17 million inhabitants extending inland from both banks. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Turkey-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Karagöz and Hacivat are the lead characters of Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 2Butterfly Valley on the Turkish Riviera. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 3A view of Levent from Kanlıca across the Bosporus. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 4Sami Frashëri (1850–1904) and his wife Emine, May 1884. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 5Designed by Şekip Akalın, Ankara Central Station (1937) is a notable art deco design of its era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 6Map of the Lydian Kingdom in its final period of sovereignty under Croesus, c. 547 BC. (from History of Turkey)
Image 7Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 8Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca was one of the most prolific Turkish poets of the Turkish Republic with more than 60 collections of his poems published, laureate of the Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath Award. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 9Map of Istanbul by the miniature artist Matrakçı Nasuh (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 10Mount Erciyes near Kayseri (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 11Yalikavak Palmarina in Bodrum (2014) designed by Emre Arolat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 12Köppen climate types of Turkey (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 13Atatürk on the cover of the Time magazine, Vol. I No. 4, March 24, 1923. Title: "Mustapha Kemal Pasha" (from History of Turkey)
Image 14Istanbul University Faculty of Science and Faculty of Literature Buildings (1944–52) designed by Sedad Hakkı Eldem and Emin Onat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 15Selimiye Mosque in Edirne (1568–1574) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 16Istanbul (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 17Originally a church, later a mosque, and now a Grand mosque, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was built by the Byzantines in the 6th century. (from History of Turkey)
Image 18An oil wrestling tournament in Istanbul. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 19Kaçkar Mountains. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 20Map showing events of the first phases of the Greco-Persian Wars (from History of Turkey)
Image 21Mount Ararat (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 22Orhan Veli Kanık was the founder of the Garip Movement in Turkish poetry. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 23First Ziraat Bank Headquarters (1925–29) in Ankara designed by Giulio Mongeri is an important symbol of the First National Architectural Movement. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 24View of Beydağları Coastal National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 25Ankara Opera House, designed by Şevki Balmumcu (1933–34) and renovation by Paul Bonatz (1946–47). (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 26Lake Van (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 27The Bath-Gymnasium complex at Sardis in Turkey. (from History of Turkey)
Image 28Map of earthquakes in Turkey 1900–2023 (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 29Thrace and the Thracian Odrysian kingdom in its maximum extent under Sitalces (431-424 BC) (from History of Turkey)
Image 30The empire in 555 under Justinian the Great, at its greatest extent since the fall of the Western Roman Empire (its vassals in pink) (from History of Turkey)
Image 31View from Levent district in Istanbul. Istanbul's skyline has changed especially since the early 2000s. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 32Entrance portal of the Karatay Madrasa in Konya (c. 1251) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 33Turkish national basketball team won the silver medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 34Mehmed II enters Constantinople by Fausto Zonaro (from History of Turkey)
Image 35Namık Kemal was a prominent Turkish poet, novelist, playwright and journalist of the late-19th-century Ottoman Empire. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 36Turkish delight (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 37Mount Nemrut, Adıyaman (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 38The Ottoman Empire in 1683, at the start of the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) (from History of Turkey)
Image 39Recaizade Mahmud Ekrem (1847–1914) was another prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 40Anıtkabir designed by Emin Halid Onat and Ahmet Orhan Arda (1944–53) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 41Tevfik Fikret (1867–1915) was a prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 42Beaches and marina of Kemer near Antalya on the Turkish Riviera. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 43Antalya (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 44The sultan of the golden age, Suleiman the Magnificent. (from History of Turkey)
Image 45Ankara (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 46Map showing the Anatolian Plate, the North Anatolian Fault and East Anatolian Fault in Turkey. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 47View of Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 48The Nation's Library of the Presidency, Ankara (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 49Roosevelt, İnönü and Churchill at the Second Cairo Conference which was held between 4–6 December 1943. (from History of Turkey)
Image 50Turkish coffee (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 51Istanbul Sapphire (2006–11) is the tallest building in Turkey and 4th in Europe. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 52Night view of the Taksim Mosque (from Culture of Turkey)

Did you know - show different entries

... that women's football forward Seyhan Gündüz was capped 32 times internationally, scoring 12 goals, a rate of 0.375 a match? (January 28, 2014)
... the Ionian University of Smyrna, established in Turkey by Greece during the occupation of Smyrna, was never opened due to latter's defeat in the Greco-Turkish War? (June 18, 2011)
... that the lighthouse Rumeli Feneri was built in 1855 in order to provide safe navigation for the French and British war ships entering the Istanbul Strait from Black Sea during the Crimean War? (June 14, 2010)
... that the Vefa Kilise Mosque
(pictured) in Istanbul is one of the first examples of byzantine churches of Constantinople which were converted into mosques by the Ottomans? (July 13, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 154
... that Kieran Prendergast was the British Ambassador to Turkey before serving as United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs? (June 21, 2008) Wikipedia:Recent additions 220
... that the Battle of Bapheus in 1302 was the first major Ottoman victory, and led to their gradual conquest of Byzantine-controlled Bithynia? (April 16, 2010)
... that the Monument of Liberty in Istanbul, the gathering place for the second rally of the Republic Protests, is a memorial for the 31 March Incident that took place in 1909? (May 4, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 139

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Image 1Aydilge Sarp; Turkish singer, songwriter and novelist
Image 2Mount Nemrut
Image 3Ölüdeniz
Image 4Tünel, Istanbul
Image 5Antalya
Image 6The tughra of Mahmud II. "Mahmud Han bin Abdulhamid muzaffer daima" ("Mahmud Khan son of Abdulhamid is forever victorious").
Image 7A tram in Istanbul
Image 8An airplane with a nazar boncuğu symbol that is said to offer protection from the "evil eye".
Image 9Atatürk praying
Image 10Lake Akdoğan in Muş
Image 11Kemer
Image 12A faculty of Sakarya University
Image 13Cappadocia
Image 14Rize
Image 1518th-century Ottoman barber's apron
Image 16Tarkan with Hungarian fans
Image 17The ancient Lake Abant Nature Park in Bolu
Image 18Safranbolu
Image 19Iznik, 16th-century vase
Image 20Flag of Turkey, from flowers
Image 21The sun setting over the Golden Horn in the city of Istanbul.
Image 22Lahmacun
Image 23the Bosphorus Bridge
Image 24The Temple of Athena at Priene, an ancient site near Turunçlar in Aydın province.
Image 251. picture on portal: The prominent towers of Dayro d-Mor Gabriel; 15th December 2005
Image 26the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne
Image 27A Kocek

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Sezer in 2004

Ahmet Necdet Sezer (Turkish: [ahˈmed nedʒˈdet seˈzæɾ]; born 13 September 1941) is a Turkish statesman and judge who served as the tenth president of Turkey from 2000 to 2007. Previously, he was president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from January 1998 to May 2000. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey elected Sezer as president in 2000 after Süleyman Demirel's seven-year term expired. He was succeeded by Abdullah Gül in 2007.

Following his legal career, Sezer became a candidate for the presidency with the joint support of many political parties in Parliament. Following the 2000 presidential election, he took an ardent secularist approach on issues such as the headscarf, holding the view that secularism in Turkey was under threat. A quarrel between Sezer and Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit in 2001 led to a financial meltdown, attributed to the weakness of the coalition government as well as to the large debt owed to the International Monetary Fund. (Full article...)

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Burak Yılmaz Piri Reis Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Alp Arslan Nureddin Pasha Tuncay Şanlı İsmet İnönü Sıla (singer) Orhan Pamuk Erol Gelenbe Kemal Derviş Hande Yener Sertab Erener Said Altınordu Tarkan (singer) Junayd of Aydın Daron Acemoglu

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U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey speak to the media after the two leaders met at the White House, December 7, 2009

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Videos from Turkey on Wikimedia Commons

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“

Everything we see in the world is the creative work of women.

”

~ Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

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Turkish proverbs in Wikiquote

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Recognized content

	Alanya, Byzantine Empire, SMS Goeben, The Turk, List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul, Italian War of 1521–1526, Italian War of 1542–1546, List of battleships of the Ottoman Empire, Rhodes blood libel
	2004 Istanbul summit, 2008 Turkish Grand Prix, Battle of Manzikert, Battle of Marash, Battle of Vaslui, Church of St. Polyeuctus, First Crusade, Great Zab, Hood event, Limyra Bridge, Siege of Szigetvár, Night Attack at Târgoviște, Third Perso-Turkic War, Walls of Constantinople, Gallipoli Campaign, Battle of Lone Pine