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Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located 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 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, while Istanbul is its largest city and economic and financial center. Other major cities include İzmir, Bursa, and Antalya.

Turkey was first inhabited by modern humans during 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. The Hattians were assimilated by the Anatolian peoples, such as the Hittites. 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 Constantinople (now known as 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 a 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. Following Ottoman defeat, the Turkish War of Independence resulted in the abolition of the sultanate and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne. 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. Several military interventions interfered with the transition to a multi-party system.

Turkey is an upper-middle-income and emerging country; its economy is the world's 17th-largest by nominal and 12th-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP. 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 a universal healthcare system, growing access to education, and increasing levels of 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 fifth most visited country in the world. (Full article...)

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The cathedral in 2009

The cathedral displayed in a red circle within Ani

The Cathedral of Ani (Armenian: Անիի մայր տաճար, Anii mayr tačar; Turkish: Ani Katedrali) is the largest standing building in Ani, the capital city of medieval Bagratid Armenia, located in present-day eastern Turkey, on the border with modern Armenia. Its construction was completed in the early 11th century by the architect Trdat and it was the seat of the Catholicos, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, for nearly half a century.

In 1064, following the Seljuk conquest of Ani, the cathedral was converted into a mosque. It later returned to being used as an Armenian church. It eventually suffered damage in a 1319 earthquake when its conical dome collapsed. Subsequently, Ani was gradually abandoned and the church fell into disrepair. The north-western corner of the church was heavily damaged by a 1988 earthquake. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Ankara Opera House, designed by Şevki Balmumcu (1933–34) and renovation by Paul Bonatz (1946–47). (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 2Turkish national basketball team won the silver medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 3Sami Frashëri (1850–1904) and his wife Emine, May 1884. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 4The Ottoman Empire in 1683, at the start of the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) (from History of Turkey)
Image 5Night view of the Taksim Mosque (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 6Map of earthquakes in Turkey 1900–2023 (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 7View of Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 8Karagöz and Hacivat are the lead characters of the traditional Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 9Map showing events of the first phases of the Greco-Persian Wars (from History of Turkey)
Image 10Mount Erciyes near Kayseri (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 11Turkish delight (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 12Mount Ararat (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 13Istanbul University Faculty of Science and Faculty of Literature Buildings (1944–52) designed by Sedad Hakkı Eldem and Emin Onat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 14Fazıl 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 15Map showing the Anatolian Plate, the North Anatolian Fault and East Anatolian Fault in Turkey. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 16Istanbul (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 17The sultan of the golden age, Suleiman the Magnificent. (from History of Turkey)
Image 18Map of the Lydian Kingdom in its final period of sovereignty under Croesus, c. 547 BC. (from History of Turkey)
Image 19The 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 20Köppen climate types of Turkey (from Geography 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 22Kaçkar Mountains (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 23Namık Kemal was a prominent Turkish poet, novelist, playwright and journalist of the late-19th-century Ottoman Empire. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 24Mehmed II enters Constantinople by Fausto Zonaro (from History of Turkey)
Image 25Ankara (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 26Atatürk on the cover of the Time magazine, Vol. I No. 4, March 24, 1923. Title: "Mustapha Kemal Pasha" (from History of Turkey)
Image 27Istanbul Sapphire (2006–11) is the tallest building in Turkey and 4th in Europe. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 28Anıtkabir designed by Emin Halid Onat and Ahmet Orhan Arda (1944–53) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 29A view of Levent from Kanlıca across the Bosporus (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 30First 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 31Lake Van (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 32Yalikavak Palmarina in Bodrum (2014) designed by Emre Arolat (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 33Tevfik Fikret (1867–1915) was a prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 34The Nation's Library of the Presidency, Ankara (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 35Turkish coffee (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 36Butterfly Valley on the Turkish Riviera. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 37Recaizade Mahmud Ekrem (1847–1914) was another prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 38Antalya (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 39View of Beydağları Coastal National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 40Thrace and the Thracian Odrysian kingdom in its maximum extent under Sitalces (431-424 BC) (from History of Turkey)
Image 41Selimiye Mosque in Edirne (1568–1574) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 42Designed by Şekip Akalın, Ankara Central Station (1937) is a notable art deco design of its era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 43View from Levent district in Istanbul. Istanbul's skyline has changed especially since the early 2000s. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 44An Oil wrestling tournament in Istanbul. This has been the national sport of Turkey since Ottoman times. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 45Mount Nemrut, Adıyaman (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 46Roosevelt, İnönü and Churchill at the Second Cairo Conference which was held between 4–6 December 1943. (from History of Turkey)
Image 47The Bath-Gymnasium complex at Sardis in Turkey. (from History of Turkey)
Image 48Orhan Veli Kanık was the founder of the Garip Movement in Turkish poetry. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 49Entrance portal of the Karatay Madrasa in Konya (c. 1251) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 50Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 51Beaches and marina of Kemer near Antalya on the Turkish Riviera (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 52Map of Istanbul by the miniature artist Matrakçı Nasuh (from Culture of Turkey)

Did you know - show different entries

... that Artin Penik, a Turkish-Armenian, set himself on fire in protest of the terrorist attacks against Turks by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA)? (February 25, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 121
... 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 serial killer Özgür Dengiz broke into fits of laughter when discussing his cannibalism? (December 1, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 190
... that the construction of the Çanakkale Martyrs' Memorial (pictured), commemorating over 250,000 Turkish soldiers fallen during the Battle of Gallipoli in WWI, was completed with nationwide financial contributions? (January 11, 2008) Wikipedia:Recent additions 199
... that the crown in the coat of arms of Amsterdam is the Imperial Crown of Austria?
... that Istanbul Hezarfen Airfield hosts around 30,000 music fans every September for the annual Rock'n Coke open air music festival? (January 20, 2009) Wikipedia:Recent additions 239
... that the mosque of Hirami Ahmet Pasha
(pictured) in Istanbul is the smallest Byzantine church of Constantinople still extant? (November 18, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 187

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Image 1Flag of Turkey, from flowers
Image 2Iznik, 16th-century vase
Image 3A Kocek
Image 4Cappadocia
Image 5Antalya
Image 6A faculty of Sakarya University
Image 7An airplane with a nazar boncuğu symbol that is said to offer protection from the "evil eye".
Image 818th-century Ottoman barber's apron
Image 91. picture on portal: The prominent towers of Dayro d-Mor Gabriel; 15th December 2005
Image 10Tünel, Istanbul
Image 11Ölüdeniz
Image 12Mount Nemrut
Image 13Atatürk praying
Image 14Safranbolu
Image 15The Temple of Athena at Priene, an ancient site near Turunçlar in Aydın province.
Image 16Kemer
Image 17Lake Akdoğan in Muş
Image 18Rize
Image 19The ancient Lake Abant Nature Park in Bolu
Image 20Lahmacun
Image 21The sun setting over the Golden Horn in the city of Istanbul.
Image 22the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne
Image 23Aydilge Sarp; Turkish singer, songwriter and novelist
Image 24Tarkan with Hungarian fans
Image 25The tughra of Mahmud II. "Mahmud Han bin Abdulhamid muzaffer daima" ("Mahmud Khan son of Abdulhamid is forever victorious").
Image 26the Bosphorus Bridge
Image 27A tram in Istanbul

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Atatürk in 1932

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, also known as Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 until the Surname Law of 1934 (c. 1881 – 10 November 1938), was a Turkish field marshal, revolutionary statesman, author, and the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938. He undertook sweeping progressive reforms, which modernized Turkey into a secular, industrializing nation. Ideologically a secularist and nationalist, his policies and socio-political theories became known as Kemalism (Atatürkism).

Atatürk came to prominence for his role in securing the Ottoman Turkish victory at the Battle of Gallipoli (1915) during World War I. During this time, the Ottoman Empire perpetrated genocides against its Greek, Armenian and Assyrian subjects; while never involved, Atatürk's role in their aftermath was the subject of discussion. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, he led the Turkish National Movement, which resisted mainland Turkey's partition among the victorious Allied powers. Establishing a provisional government in the present-day Turkish capital Ankara (known in English at the time as Angora), he defeated the forces sent by the Allies, thus emerging victorious from what was later referred to as the Turkish War of Independence. He subsequently proceeded to abolish the sultanate in 1922 and proclaimed the foundation of the Turkish Republic in its place the following year. (Full article...)

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Burak Yılmaz Piri Reis 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 Tarkan (singer) Junayd of Aydın Daron Acemoglu

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U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey speak to the media after the two leaders met at the White House, December 7, 2009

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Videos from Turkey on Wikimedia Commons

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“

Heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives! You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

”

1934 ~ 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