Turkey,
located at the crossroads of Europe
and Asia,
is synonymous of both Asia
Minor and Anatolia
which
are the melting
pot of western civilization. Here were
born
or extended numerous great
civilizations which
have left their marks through ancient
sites
full of archaeological wonders,
through prestigious
cities, or through great names and
events of
history of which I will only quote a
few examples:Troy,
the mythological city of Homer
the legendary poet that seven ancient
Greek
cities, including Smyrna (Izmir),
claimed to have been his birthplace;
Herodotus,
the Father of History, lived in Halicarnassus
famous for the Mausoleum which was
destroyed
by the Frankish knights and which was,
with
the Temple
of Artemision,
one of the Seven Wonders of the World;
Phocea
which gave its name to the city of
Marseille
in France; the Phrygians
who are the origin of Marianne's red
cap which
is the symbol of liberty and the
French Republic;
Sardis, where wealthy
King
Croesus' gold-bearing
Pactolos stream flows; Pergamum,
where parchment was invented; Zile,
where Julius Caesar
said these famous succint words "
Veni,
Vidi, Vici"; cherries, named after
Cerasus
(Giresun) a city on the Black Sea
Coast, were
intoduced to Europe by the Roman
general and
gourmet Lucullus;
Antioch,
where the Jewish disciples of Jesus
were called
"christians"
here for the first time; Tarsus,
the birthplace of St Paul
who wrote the famous Epistles to the
Galatians
and to the Ephesians;
St Nicholas,
bishop of Myra,
who is the origin of Santa Claus; for a
same
city, three names that make one dream:
Byzantium,
which became Constantinople
the capital of the first Christian
Empire under
Emperor Constantine
the
Great and where
Emperor Justinian
erected imposing Haghia
Sophia, and Ystanbul,
the city of the mosques, palaces and
fabulous
treasures, sultans and mysterious
harems; Atatürk
who made Turkey a modern and the first
secular
Moslem country, where women were
granted the
right to vote
in 1930 and to run as a candidate in
1934, a
long time before some European
countries...
Turkey has an imposing
nature and sites such as the unique
landscapes
of Cappadocia
or Pamukkale.
Turkey means the
sun, the sea and its beautiful
beaches, leisure
and sports that are other sources of
joy and
pleasure.
Turkey is also
the warm hospitality of the people, a
delicious
cuisine and so many
other things that will make you live
privilegiate
moments.
I invite you to come and turn the
pages of the
great history and civilizations,
archaeology,
nature and discovery book formed by
Turkey.
Turkey awaits you
and wide opens its doors behind which
you will
discover the many facets of a country
which
is still ill-known and which should be
judged
at its real value. Each one of you
will find
the perfect way or the ideal place for
a cultural
holiday or simply for relaxation and
change
of scenery.
Do not hesitate any longer. Do come,
you are
most
welcome!
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