Did You Know That?

Many heroes of historical legends and character of the Greek mythology like King Midas, the first historian Herodotus, San Pablo, Homer and Plato were actually born in Turkey.

The Trojan War described in Homer’s Iliad took place in western Turkey around 1,200 BC. There is the Trojan horse, symbolizing the end of this legendary war.

Two of the 7 wonders of the world are in Turkey in Anatolia, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (Bodrum) and the Temple of Artemis (Ephesus), both located on the Aegean coast.

The birth of Christianity occurred in Turkey, where the apostles Paul and John preached their gospel. The Virgin Mary spent her last years in a house near Ephesus.The Vatican declared the house as a holy site in 1967.

The seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelations are in Anatolia. In Antioquia was where St. Paul began to preach the word and it was here that the followers of Jesus were called Christians first. There is a cave where it is believed that St. Peter preached when he lived in Antioch. In 1963 the Pope declared it the first cathedral and is a site of pilgrimage.

According to the Old Testament patriarch Abraham was born in Sanli Urfa, a city in southeastern Turkey. The cave where it is believed that the patriarch was born has become a pilgrimage site.
The Great Flood mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible and the Qur’an, Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat in eastern Anatolia, for centuries many expeditions have tried to find traces of the ark.

The tulips were first brought to Holland from Turkey.
Santa Claus or Papa Noel was born in Patara and became bishop of Demre, on the Mediterranean coast.

Coffee was first brought to Istanbul from Yemen in the 16 century. The Turks created a new method to prepare this concoction which we call Turkish coffee. Drinking coffee is an important part of Turkish culture