has a tradition, that a stranger at one’s doorstep is considered "a guest from God" for a minimum of three days

borders three major seas : the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea

was known as Asia Minor; the Asian side of Turkey is known as Anatolia

is where Noah's Ark landed at Mount Agri (Ararat), Eastern Turkey

was producing wine as early as 4000BC

has more ancient sites than any other country

gave the English language many words such as turquoise, parchment, yogurt, meander, angora..

has a 650-year old covered shopping mall of 64 streets, 3500 shops, 22 entrances and 25000 workers : the famous Grand Bazaar

has a city, Mardin, which is one of the few places where you can hear the native language of Jesus Christ - Aramaic. The final home of Virgin Mary, to which she travelled with St. John, is located nearby

is one of the safest countries in the world according to comparative statistics

is the birthplace of historic legends such as Kind Midas, Homer, Herodotus, Strabo and Thales

is the location of the city of Troy in the west of the country, where the Trojan War was fought

has the first temple built ever (Urfa - between 9000 and 8500BC) and the first church built ever (St Peter's in Antioch)

was the first to produce and use coins 2700 years ago

is the location of the Seven Churches of Revelation

reputedly has one of the world's 3 greatest cuisines

is where Alexander the Great cut the intricate Gordian Knot; literally a phrase used for shortcut to Solving Difficult Problems

is uniquely in two continents : Europe and Asia

was the centre of two of the major empires in history : the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires

provides 70% of the world's hazelnuts

is said to have provided the water for the Garden of Eden from its 2 great rivers : the Euphrates and the Tigris

has historical relics pertaining to three of the world's major religions : Christianity, Judaism and Islam

is the birthplace of St. Paul (Tarsus)

had the world's first female Supreme court Judge and gave women the right to vote in 1934

has two of the Seven Wonders of the World, Ephesus and Halicarnassus

is the location of the first known beauty contest, with Aphrodite, Hera and Athena as leading participants

is the origin of the names of Paris, Philadelphia and Europe

has the most valuable silk carpet in the world in the Mevlana Museum (Konya) : 144 knots per sq. Cm - 13th century

is the birthplace of St. Nicholas, popularly known as Santa Claus

first introduced tulips to Holland and today still supplies tulips to the world

is the fourth largest producer of honey in the world, and produces many different kinds. Honey made by bees from the nectar of specific flowers and tree blossoms, such as linden, mint, ash and orange are valued for their distinctive flavours and properties

has a modern cigar factory in Istanbul which uses a blend of the famous Havana, Java and home grown cigar tobaccos and produces five types of cigar, all up to world standards

is located on a major geothermal belt and is among the top seven countries in the world in terms of thermal springs

has the oldest known human settlement in the world at Catalhoyuk, (7500 BC)

has the 2nd and 3rd largest libraries of the ancient world located in the cities of Pergamum and Ephesus

is the resting place of Noah's Arc - Mt. Ararat located in Eastern Turkey

conducts at least 150 archaeological excavations every year

has the only city in the world which is located on two continents - Istanbul!

is known as the Cradle of Civilization. In fact, many civilizations were already here as far as 9000 B.C.

is a shoppers paradise - leather goods, carpets, jewellery (silver & gold) all designer labels and fabrics are all very good value for money. You will find many of these in the local bazaars and markets. This is where most of the haggling and bargaining is done and can be great fun-despite the language barrier. This is the true "Turkish" style shopping. In Soke, the cotton area of Turkey, outlet stores offer terrific value for money on all designer labels. The prices are fixed and bargaining does not apply in these stores