Portal:Turkey

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Merhaba! Türkiye portalına hoşgeldiniz. Hi! Welcome to the Turkey portal.

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Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly in Anatolia in West Asia, with a smaller 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 (and Cyprus) 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 its economic and financial center, as well as the largest city in Europe. Other major cities include İzmir, Bursa and Antalya.

Human habitation began in the Late Paleolithic. Home to important Neolithic sites like Göbekli Tepe and some of the earliest farming areas, present-day Turkey was inhabited by various ancient peoples. Hattians were assimilated by the incoming Anatolian peoples. Increasing diversity during Classical Anatolia transitioned into cultural Hellenization following the conquests of Alexander the Great; Hellenization continued 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 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 transformation, reforms, and centralization 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. After its defeat, the Ottoman Empire was partitioned. The Turkish War of Independence resulted in the abolition of the sultanate in 1922 and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923. 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. Coups in 1960 and 1980 interrupted the transition to a multi-party system.

Turkey is an upper-middle-income and emerging country; its economy is the 18th- or 11th-largest in the world. 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 regional power and an early member of NATO. An EU-candidate, Turkey is part of the EU Customs Union, CoE, OIC, and TURKSOY. 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 universal healthcare, growing access to education, and increasing innovativeness. It is a leading TV content exporter. With 21 UNESCO World Heritage sites, 30 UNESCO intangible cultural heritage inscriptions, and a rich and diverse cuisine, Turkey is the fourth most visited country in the world. (Full article...)

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Plumes of smoke rising from Smyrna on 14 September 1922

The burning of Smyrna (Greek: Καταστροφή της Σμύρνης, "Smyrna Catastrophe"; Turkish: 1922 İzmir Yangını, "1922 İzmir Fire"; Armenian: Զմիւռնիոյ Մեծ Հրդեհ, Zmyuṙnio Mets Hrdeh) destroyed much of the port city of Smyrna (modern İzmir, Turkey) in September 1922. Eyewitness reports state that the fire began on 13 September 1922 and lasted until it was largely extinguished on 22 September. It began four days after the Turkish military captured the city on 9 September, effectively ending the Greco-Turkish War, more than three years after the Greek landing of troops at Smyrna. Estimated Greek and Armenian deaths resulting from the fire range from 10,000 to 125,000.

Approximately 80,000 to 400,000 Greek and Armenian refugees crammed the waterfront to escape from the fire. They were forced to remain there under harsh conditions for nearly two weeks. Turkish troops and irregulars had started committing massacres and atrocities against the Greek and Armenian population in the city before the outbreak of the fire. Many women were raped. Tens of thousands of Greek and Armenian men were subsequently deported into the interior of Anatolia, where most of them died in harsh conditions. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1The Ottoman Empire in 1683, at the start of the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) (from History of Turkey)
Image 2Namık Kemal was a prominent Turkish poet, novelist, playwright and journalist of the late-19th-century Ottoman Empire. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 3Istanbul (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 4Fazıl 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 5Köppen climate types of Turkey (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 6Ankara (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 7Map showing events of the first phases of the Greco-Persian Wars (from History of Turkey)
Image 8Anıtkabir designed by Emin Halid Onat and Ahmet Orhan Arda (1944–53) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 9Thrace and the Thracian Odrysian kingdom in its maximum extent under Sitalces (431-424 BC) (from History of Turkey)
Image 10Mehmed II enters Constantinople by Fausto Zonaro (from History of Turkey)
Image 11First 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 12The Bath-Gymnasium complex at Sardis in Turkey. (from History of Turkey)
Image 13The Nation's Library of the Presidency, Ankara (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 14Karagöz and Hacivat are the lead characters of the traditional Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 15Map of the Lydian Kingdom in its final period of sovereignty under Croesus, c. 547 BC. (from History of Turkey)
Image 16An Oil wrestling tournament in Istanbul. This has been the national sport of Turkey since Ottoman times. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 17Designed by Şekip Akalın, Ankara Central Station (1937) is a notable art deco design of its era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 18Antalya (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 19Mount Nemrut, Adıyaman (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 20Atatürk on the cover of the Time magazine, Vol. I No. 4, March 24, 1923. Title: "Mustapha Kemal Pasha" (from History of Turkey)
Image 21Originally 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 22Beaches and marina of Kemer near Antalya on the Turkish Riviera (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 23Adnan Menderes, İsmet İnönü, and the other members of the Parliament wearing a white tie and top hat. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 24Tevfik Fikret (1867–1915) was a prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 25Interior of the Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 26A view from the interior of a traditional Turkish house, by John Frederick Lewis (1805–1875) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 27Map of earthquakes in Turkey 1900–2023 (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 28The 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 29View of Beydağları Coastal National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 30Orhan Veli Kanık was the founder of the Garip Movement in Turkish poetry. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 31A view of Levent from Kanlıca across the Bosporus (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 32Turkish coffee (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 33Roosevelt, İnönü and Churchill at the Second Cairo Conference which was held between 4–6 December 1943. (from History of Turkey)
Image 34Turkish national basketball team won the silver medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 35The Ishak Pasha Palace, Eastern Turkey. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 36Mount Erciyes near Kayseri (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 37Map showing the Anatolian Plate, the North Anatolian Fault and East Anatolian Fault in Turkey. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 38The sultan of the golden age, Suleiman the Magnificent. (from History of Turkey)
Image 39View from Levent district in Istanbul. Istanbul's skyline has changed especially since the early 2000s. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 40Topkapı Palace, Istanbul. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 41Ortaköy Mosque in the first quarter of the 20th century (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 42Lake Van (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 43Mount Ararat (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 44Istanbul Sapphire (2006–11) is the tallest building in Turkey and 4th in Europe. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 45Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 46Ankara Opera House, designed by Şevki Balmumcu (1933–34) and renovation by Paul Bonatz (1946–47). (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 47Istanbul University Faculty of Science and Faculty of Literature Buildings (1944–52) designed by Sedad Hakkı Eldem and Emin Onat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 48One of the main entrance gates of the Dolmabahçe Palace. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 49Night view of the Taksim Mosque (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 50Recaizade Mahmud Ekrem (1847–1914) was another prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 51The Fountain of Ahmed III is an iconic example of Tulip period architecture (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 52View of Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 53Kaçkar Mountains (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 54Yalikavak Palmarina in Bodrum (2014) designed by Emre Arolat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 55Map of the Hittite Empire at its greatest extent, with Hittite rule c. 1350–1300 BC represented by the green line (from History of Turkey)
Image 56Turkish delight (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 57Sami Frashëri (1850–1904) and his wife Emine, May 1884. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 58Butterfly Valley on the Turkish Riviera. (from Geography of Turkey)

Did you know - show different entries

... that the Balık sisters from Turkey claim to be the only identical twins who are both professional opera singers? (March 22, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 129
... that the mineral erionite is a carcinogen, and chronic exposure to this mineral has been linked to excess mortality from mesothelioma in a number of villages in Turkey? (July 22, 2009) Wikipedia:Recent additions 246
... that the Declaration to the Seven was the first British pronouncement to the Arab states of the former Ottoman Empire advancing the principle of national self-determination? (April 13, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 133
... that Ethiopian-born Meryem Erdoğan, impressed by her countrywoman Elvan Abeylegesse's success, illegally immigrated to Turkey at age 16 in order to become a distance runner? (August 18, 2010)
... that Turkey was so dissatisfied with its first set of stamps that it had France make the second set
20 para
Duloz issue 1865
(example pictured) ? (May 4, 2008) Wikipedia:Recent additions 215
... that Turkish Army's Güvercinlik Air Base was the first civil airport of Ankara that served as such from 1933 until 1955? (October 6, 2010)
... that the Esma Sultana Mansion
(pictured) , a multipurpose event venue in Istanbul, Turkey, looks ruined because only its interior was reconstructed after a 1975 fire? (December 1, 2008)

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Image 1Iznik, 16th-century vase
Image 2Lake Akdoğan in Muş
Image 3Safranbolu
Image 4The sun setting over the Golden Horn in the city of Istanbul.
Image 5Cappadocia
Image 6The ancient Lake Abant Nature Park in Bolu
Image 7A faculty of Sakarya University
Image 818th-century Ottoman barber's apron
Image 9Ölüdeniz
Image 10The tughra of Mahmud II. "Mahmud Han bin Abdulhamid muzaffer daima" ("Mahmud Khan son of Abdulhamid is forever victorious").
Image 11The Temple of Athena at Priene, an ancient site near Turunçlar in Aydın province.
Image 12Flag of Turkey, from flowers
Image 13Aydilge Sarp; Turkish singer, songwriter and novelist
Image 14Kemer
Image 15Tünel, Istanbul
Image 16the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne
Image 17Tarkan with Hungarian fans
Image 18the Bosphorus Bridge
Image 19Atatürk praying
Image 20A tram in Istanbul
Image 21Mount Nemrut
Image 22Rize
Image 23A Kocek
Image 24An airplane with a nazar boncuğu symbol that is said to offer protection from the "evil eye".
Image 251. picture on portal: The prominent towers of Dayro d-Mor Gabriel; 15th December 2005
Image 26Antalya
Image 27Lahmacun

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Tarkan in concert, 2011

Tarkan Tevetoğlu (Turkish pronunciation: [taɾˈkan teveˈtoːɫu]; born 17 October 1972) is a Turkish singer-songwriter. Since the early 1990s, with the successful sales of his albums, he has been a prominent figure of pop music, recognized in Turkey and worldwide.

Tarkan was born and raised in Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate. In 1986, he moved to Turkey together with his family. Tarkan, who had been interested in music since his childhood, went to high school at Karamürsel and took music lessons. In the following years, he met the owner of İstanbul Plak, Mehmet Söğütoğlu, and signed a contract to release his own album. (Full article...)

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Burak Yılmaz Piri Reis Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Ahmet Necdet Sezer 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 Junayd of Aydın Daron Acemoglu

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Video shot in Goreme in Cappadocia showing the terrain

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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