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1. This presentation is to help achieve
“peace on earth” for this reason we
hope to build bridges of understanding
between different cultures.
THE CULTURALTHE CULTURAL
HERİTAGE OFHERİTAGE OF
TURKEYTURKEY
Presentation:Ahmet
YORDAM

2. The Best Kept
Secret In the
World.

3. Did you know that facts
about Turkey?

4. Who are Turks?Who are Turks?

5. They are the descendants of Turkish nomads from
Central Asia and the many ethnic groups that
inhabited the former Ottoman Empire .

6. Today the term “Turk” commonly refers toToday the term “Turk” commonly refers to
citizens of Turkish Rebuplic and represents acitizens of Turkish Rebuplic and represents a
national rather than an ethnic identity.national rather than an ethnic identity.

7. As Turkey is a secular country, there is no official
religion. While 99 % of the total population are
Moslems. The remaining 1 percent are of varying
religions, mostly jewish and Christian.

8. Turkish are the heirs to the cultural traditions
of the Ottoman Empire and Islam.

9. Istanbul is the only city in the
World located on two continents,
Asia and Europe.

10. Founded in 659 B.C., It was the capital of
the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) and
Ottoman Empires since 330 A.D.

11. Every year, at least 150 archeologicalEvery year, at least 150 archeological
excavations are going on in Turkey.excavations are going on in Turkey.

12. The largest neolithic human settlement with theThe largest neolithic human settlement with the
longest of continuous habitations (since 7000longest of continuous habitations (since 7000
B.C) was found in Çatalhöyük, Turkey.B.C) was found in Çatalhöyük, Turkey.

13. Two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world,
the temple of Artemis and the Mausoleum at
Halicarnasus, are in Turkey.

14. The prophet Abraham is the
thought to have been born in
Şanlıurfa in southern Turkey.

15. Well-known historical figures suh as King Midas
of the Golden touch, Herodotas, the father of
history, St Paul the Apostle, and Omar Khayyam,
the Persian Poet came from Asia Minor, the part
of Turkey now called Anatolia.

16. The first synagogue in Anatoia was built in 1324
with permission of Sultan Orhan, as an
encouragement to the Jewish Community, which
was suffering under Byzantine rule.

17. Julius Caesar uttered his famous words: “Veni,
Vidi, Vici.” (I came, I saw, I conquered) in 47 B.C.
After defeating Pharnaces II, the ruler of Pontus,
which was a north-eastern province of Asia Minor
on the southern cast of the Black sea.

18. This ancient city, founded at Gaziantep on the
shallowest part along the shores of the River
Euphrates in 300 B.C, was conquered by the Romans
in the 1st century B.C and renamed Zeugma.

19. At the time, with a population of over 80.000,
Zeugma was one of the largest cities in the
world, bigger than Pompei and Londinium
(London) and as big as Athens.

20. St. Nicholas, who became popular as santa
Claus, was born in Demre on Turkey’s
Mediterranen Coast.

21. Turks gave the Dutch their
famous tulips.

22. The last home of virgin Mary is believed to
be in Selchuk (Ephesus) Turkey.

23. According to the researches Noah’s
Ark landed on Ağrı Dağı (Mount
Ararat) in Eastern Turkey.

24. Ashure, a pudding with 20 ingredients, said to
have been the last meal on Noah’s Ark, is still
served throughout Turkey.

25. St John, St Nicholas, St Paul and St Peter all
lived and prayed in southern Anatolia.

26. Marc Anthony gave Cleopatra part of
Turkey’s southern shore as a wedding gift.

27. Homer was born in
Izmir on the west
coast of turkey. His
famous epic, the
iliada, depicts the
battles for the city
of Troy, also
located in Turkey.

28. Aesop the famed teller of fables, was
born in Anatolia too.

29. Alexander the Great conquered a large part of
what is now Turkey and cut the Gordion Knot in
the Phrygian capital of Gordium, not far from
Turkey’s present-day capital, Ankara.

30. Early Christians escaping Roman persecution
nearly 2000 years ago sheltered in the caves of
Cappadocia in Central Anatolia.

31. Legend has it that the Amazons
originated in Turkey’s northern region.

32. Jewish from many countries have been
invited to take refuge in the Ottoman Empire.

33. The city of Troy,
the site of the
ancient Trojan
wars, is located
in Western
Turkey, where a
replica of the
famous Trojan
Horse has
become a
favorite tourist
attraction.

34. Unveiled of the Topkapı palace in 1929 and drawn
by the renawned Turkish sailor Piri reis
(1457-1555), this map bewildered the world of
science, since the mountain ranges in Antarctica,

35. the nothern and southern coasts of thethe nothern and southern coasts of the
America Continents, even the mountainAmerica Continents, even the mountain
chains and their summits, only discoveredchains and their summits, only discovered
in 1952 with acoustical devices, werein 1952 with acoustical devices, were
accurately located and shown on it.accurately located and shown on it.

36. The conquerer Fatih Sultan Mehmet was the
greatest wise man in his century. He knew seven
languages. He was a perfect director and
commander.

37. Sultan Mehmet loved reading very much. He was
reading philosophical books translated from other
languages. He always protected the wise men and
their religions were not important for him.

38. The famous Ottoman
Sultan, known to the
Europans as
Suleyman the
magnificent (the
giver of law), was a
poet who wrote
hundreds of poems.

39. Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is a 540 year-old
covered shopping mall of 64 streets, 4000
shops, 22 entrances, and 25.000 workers.

40. Turkish carpets are famous in the world. Over
the world’s most valuable silk carpet is in the
Mevlana Museum in Konya. It has 144 knots per
square centimeter!

41. Marco Polo wrote
this fact a long
years ago.

42. From prehistoric man to the Hittites, Anatolian
Kingdoms of Caria, Lydia, Phrygia, and Troy, from
Homer to Saint Paul, from Alexander to Justinian,
Süleyman the Magnificent, and Atatürk,

43. Anatolia is also the land from which Turkish
civilization acquired some of its strongest roots,
and most prestigious works of art and literature.

44. Turkish civilization has a rich culture. It is alsoTurkish civilization has a rich culture. It is also
brought up very important and talented persons.brought up very important and talented persons.
Today Europan civilization’s root is based on it.Today Europan civilization’s root is based on it.

45. Islamic Art varies substantially fromIslamic Art varies substantially from
Western Art due primarily to restrictionsWestern Art due primarily to restrictions
in the Koran on depicting the human form.in the Koran on depicting the human form.

46. Rather than beingRather than being
representationalrepresentational
of the profaneof the profane
world,world,

47. the perfection of Ottoman art lies in the pure
balance of color, line and rhythm in geometric
patterns and designs. Of the Ottoman arts,
Calligraphy was the most important.

48. Turkey has a rich architectural heritage too, andTurkey has a rich architectural heritage too, and
many tourists come to see its archaeologicalmany tourists come to see its archaeological
monuments and buildings.monuments and buildings.

49. Istanbul is famous for the Blue
Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, Aya
Sofya and the Rustem Pasha Mosque.

50. Mimar Sinan is an architect who grew up in
one of the most splendid periods of the
Ottoman State,

51. and who contributed to
this era with his works.

52. The people in
Turkey are very
familiar with the
jokes and stories of
Nasreddin Hodja.
Since their
childhood, people
have been hearing
these jokes all
along. They are
part of the Turkish
culture.

53. The whole thing
began with a man
called Nasreddin
Hodja who has lived
in central Turkey, in
the small town
called Aksehir. The
jokes were part of
his daily life.

54. Mevlana was not only a great poet and
philosopher but first and foremost he was a
mystic, a spiritually touched man.

55. His mind and heart had reached for heights and
depths of the spiritual world.
The universality of his thought finds its
reflection in, for example, the famous verses
where he says:

56. Come!
Come whoever you are.
Doesn't matter if you are an unbeliever.
Doesn't matter if you have fallen a thousand
times.

57. Come!
Come whoever you are.
For this is not the door of hopelessness.
Come,
Just as you are!

58. Turkey, with this rich
cultural heritage and
potential, is prepared to
play its role in the
exciting journey and
European Union that
humanity will embark
upon in the new
millennium.

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