Turkey, the meeting point of Orient and Occident!
Turkey is a paradise of sun, sea, mountains and lakes, moreover a treasure chamber of ancient civilizations and monuments.
A generous spectrum of impressions is offered to the visitor and the people are very friendly and hospitable.
History
 The cradle of civilization, where you can visit the first town on earth at Catalhoyuk dating from 6.500 BC and a wealth of history of civilizations is offered, because Turkey is a land where countless cultures flourished among which we can mention the Hattis, the Hittites, the Phrygians, the Urartians, the Lycians, the Lydians, the Ionians, the Persians, the Macedonians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Seljuks and the ottomans.
Upon the decline of the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa Kemal ATATURK, who was an army officer with a great vision, fought the War of Independence against the invading forces after the defeat of World War I and on October 29, 1923, founded the Republic of Turkey based on parliamentary democracy and secular system.
After 1980s, a second settlement plan was put into action though not as comprehensive as the first one. Clearance of Golden Horn from industrial institutions, the launch of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror Bridge in 1988 as the second bridge over Boshporus, Tarlabaşı Boulevard, piled road in European side of Boshporus, the coast between Kadıköy and Bostancı’s being filled and turned into a highway, express tram, metro project between Taksim-Levent were the major issues of this plan. Also in these years, the migration to Istanbul increasingly gained pace. The city was surrounded by shanty towns and similar cheap cooperative houses
1980s were the ones when industrial institutions were moved out of the city. Thanks to the popularization of natural gas network and meticulous controls in unqualified coal consumption, residents of Istanbul lived a winter of tranquility last year regarding air pollution. Also, the water supply problem, one of the most troubled issue of the city, was handled for the most part as a result of the employment of new facilities of water supply and new investments on water softening and its distribution.
Population
Approximately 62.000.000 people, with 12.000.000 estimated to be living in Istanbul (the largest city and the center of the economy), 4.000.000 in Ankara (the capital city since 1923) and approximately 3.000.000 in Izmir.
 Religion
The Turkish population is 99 % Moslem. Turkey is a secular state and complete freedom of worship is guaranteed to non- Moslems.
Istanbul has hundreds of mosques, both historical and intimate. Mosques are open to visitors daily,outside of worshipping hours, which are announced by the muezzins’ call to prayer. All visitors are asked to remove their shoes and women are ecpected to cover their heads before entering. A few of the most aechitecturally interesting mosques are :
1.
Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii)
2. Eyup Mosque
3. Nuruosmaniye Mosque
4. Ortakoy Mosque
Catholic Churces
St. Esprit Cathedral
Cumhuriyet cad. No:205/B Harbiye
Buit by the same Italian architect who designed and buit the gates of the Dolmabahçe Palace. Masses are available in French and English.
Language
The Turkish language belongs to the Ural-Altaic group and has an affinity to the Finn Hungarian languages. Turkish is written in Latin alphabet.
Passport and Visa
A valid passport is required. For nationals of some countries including the USA and the UK, a visa is required, and this can be Nationals of Canada do not need a visa. |
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