Portal:Turkey

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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 86 million people; most are ethnic Turks, while 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 economic center. Other major cities include İzmir, Bursa, and Antalya.

First inhabited by modern humans during the Late Paleolithic, present-day Turkey was home to various ancient peoples. The Hattians were assimilated by the Hittites and other Anatolian peoples. Classical Anatolia transitioned into cultural Hellenization after Alexander the Great's conquests, and later Romanization 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 (modern-day 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 changes, reforms, centralization, and rising nationalism 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. Turkey emerged as a more homogenous nation state. The Republic was proclaimed on 29 October 1923, modelled on the reforms initiated by its founder and 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 16th-largest by nominal and 11th-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP. As the 15th-largest electricity producer in the world, Turkey aims to become a hub for regional energy transportation. 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 NATO member and has its second-largest military personnel. It may be recognized as an emerging, a middle, and a regional power. As an EU candidate, Turkey is part of the EU Customs Union.

Turkey has coastal plains, a high central plateau, and various mountain ranges with rising elevation eastwards. Turkey's climate is diverse, ranging from Mediterranean and other temperate climates to semi-arid and continental types. 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 numerous UNESCO World Heritage sites and 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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Many motifs are used in traditional kilims, handmade flat-woven rugs, each with many variations. In Turkish Anatolia in particular, village women wove themes significant for their lives into their rugs, whether before marriage or during married life. Some motifs represent desires, such as for happiness and children; others, for protection against threats such as wolves (to the flocks) and scorpions, or against the evil eye. These motifs were often combined when woven into patterns on kilims. With the fading of tribal and village cultures in the 20th century, the meanings of kilim patterns have also faded.

In these tribal societies, women wove kilims at different stages of their lives, choosing themes appropriate to their own circumstances. Some of the motifs used are widespread across Anatolia and sometimes across other regions of West Asia, but patterns vary between tribes and villages, and rugs often expressed personal and social meaning. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Aziz Sancar was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 2Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 3Roosevelt, İnönü and Churchill at the Second Cairo Conference which was held between 4–6 December 1943. (from History of Turkey)
Image 4Beaches and marina of Kemer near Antalya on the Turkish Riviera. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 5Istanbul (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 6Map showing the Anatolian Plate, the North Anatolian Fault and East Anatolian Fault in Turkey. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 7Istanbul LGBT Pride 2013 at Taksim Square during Gezi Park protests (from History of Turkey)
Image 8Kilitbahir in Gallipoli (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 9Halide Edip Adıvar was a novelist, teacher, and a nationalist and feminist intellectual. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 10Turkish national basketball team won the silver medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 11Originally 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 12Mount Ararat (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 13An oil wrestling tournament (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 14Recaizade Mahmud Ekrem (1847–1914) was another prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 15Sami Frashëri (1850–1904) and his wife Emine, May 1884. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 16Antalya (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 17Regions of Roman Anatolia (from History of Turkey)
Image 18View of Beydağları Coastal National Park (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 19Atatürk on the cover of the Time magazine, Vol. I No. 4, March 24, 1923. Title: "Mustapha Kemal Pasha" (from History of Turkey)
Image 20Mount Nemrut, Adıyaman (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 21Entrance portal of the Karatay Madrasa in Konya (c. 1251) (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 22Ankara (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 23Fazıl 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 24Grand Post Office in Istanbul, an example of the first national architectural movement. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 25Mehmed II enters Constantinople by Fausto Zonaro (from History of Turkey)
Image 26Elif Şafak, a prominent writer and LGBT activist. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 27100th year anniversary in Republic Day (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 28'Two Musician Girls' of Osman Hamdi Bey. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 29A woman in traditional clothing (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 30Namık Kemal was a prominent Turkish poet, novelist, playwright and journalist of the late-19th-century Ottoman Empire. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 31Hıdırellez celebrations (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 32Tevfik Fikret (1867–1915) was a prominent Turkish poet of the late Ottoman era. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 33Mount Erciyes near Kayseri (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 34Butterfly Valley on the Turkish Riviera. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 35Karagöz and Hacivat are the lead characters of Turkish shadow play, popularized during the Ottoman period. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 36Turkish coffee (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 37The Ottoman Empire in 1683, at the start of the Great Turkish War (1683–1699) (from History of Turkey)
Image 38The sultan of the golden age, Suleiman the Magnificent. (from History of Turkey)
Image 39Turkey women's national volleyball team won 22 consecutive matches in 2023. In that period, they completed the Nations League, European Championship and Olympic Qualification Round / FIVB World Cup matches undefeated. Being the first team to do so in history. (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 40A view of Levent from Kanlıca across the Bosporus. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 41Selection of Turkish food (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 42Kaçkar Mountains. (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 43Topkapı Palace in Seraglio Point (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 44Turkish folk dance regions (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 45Map of earthquakes in Turkey 1900–2023 (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 46Visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to Turkey in October 1917. Together with the Mehmed V and Enver Pasha (from History of Turkey)
Image 47Yalıs along Sarıyer (from Culture of Turkey)
Image 48Köppen climate types of Turkey (from Geography of Turkey)
Image 49Map showing events of the first phases of the Greco-Persian Wars (from History of Turkey)
Image 50Nuri Bilge Ceylan (from Culture of Turkey)

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... that the crown in the coat of arms of Amsterdam is the Imperial Crown of Austria?
... that Hasan Saltık, called "The Anthropologist of Folk Music" by Time magazine, was saved from a three-year jail term because the prosecutor was a fan? (August 31, 2007) Wikipedia:Recent additions 166
... that the broken top of the Aviation Martyrs' Monument in Istanbul is to symbolize the incomplete status of the flight missions? (September 21, 2010)
... that restaurant Beyti in Istanbul, famous for its Beyti kebab, once catered U.S. president Richard Nixon's Air Force One? (March 1, 2008)Wikipedia:Recent additions 209
... 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
... that Levantine architect of French descent Raymond Charles Père (1854-1929), who designed the landmark of Izmir (pictured) in Turkey, was a native of Izmir? (February 18, 2009) Wikipedia:Recent additions 241
... that Turkish female aviator Nezihe Viranyalı was educated in civil aviation at the University of Tennessee following an invitation by the renowned American pilot Jacqueline Cochran? (January 2, 2009) Wikipedia:Recent additions 238

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Image 1Tarkan with Hungarian fans
Image 2The tughra of Mahmud II. "Mahmud Han bin Abdulhamid muzaffer daima" ("Mahmud Khan son of Abdulhamid is forever victorious").
Image 3A tram in Istanbul
Image 4Antalya
Image 5Lahmacun
Image 6The sun setting over the Golden Horn in the city of Istanbul.
Image 7An airplane with a nazar boncuğu symbol that is said to offer protection from the "evil eye".
Image 8the Bosphorus Bridge
Image 9Kemer
Image 10Iznik, 16th-century vase
Image 11A faculty of Sakarya University
Image 12The ancient Lake Abant Nature Park in Bolu
Image 13Safranbolu
Image 14Atatürk praying
Image 15Aydilge Sarp; Turkish singer, songwriter and novelist
Image 16Tünel, Istanbul
Image 1718th-century Ottoman barber's apron
Image 18Flag of Turkey, from flowers
Image 19Ölüdeniz
Image 201. picture on portal: The prominent towers of Dayro d-Mor Gabriel; 15th December 2005
Image 21Mount Nemrut
Image 22Cappadocia
Image 23The Temple of Athena at Priene, an ancient site near Turunçlar in Aydın province.
Image 24the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne
Image 25Lake Akdoğan in Muş
Image 26Rize
Image 27A Kocek

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Undated coin struck by Junayd during his second reign.

Juneyd or Junayd Bey (Turkish: İzmiroğlu Cüneyd Bey; fl. 1402 – 1425) was the last ruler (bey) of the Aydınid principality in what is now central western Turkey. His exact relationship with the Aydınid dynasty is unclear. His father was a long-time and popular governor of Smyrna under the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I. This allowed Junayd to consistently rely on the loyalty of the area's populace.

Bayezid was defeated by Timur at the Battle of Ankara, beginning a civil war for succession between his sons – a period known as the "Ottoman Interregnum". Taking advantage of the situation, Junayd attacked the Aydınid brothers, Isa and Umur II, who had been restored by Timur. By early 1406, Isa and Umur were dead and Junayd was the undisputed ruler of the former Aydınid domains. Like all the rulers of the region, Muslim and Christian alike, Junayd was also an active participant in the civil war between Bayezid's sons İsa, Süleyman, Musa and Mehmed, in which he changed his allegiance several times. He supported İsa against Mehmed, and became a vassal of Süleyman. His persistent attempts to exploit the conflict to broaden his power and independence forced Süleyman to send him as provincial governor of Ohrid in Rumeli in 1410. After Süleyman's overthrow and death in 1411 at the hands of his brother Musa, Junayd returned to Anatolia and seized Smyrna, but had to recognize the suzerainty of Mehmed. During Mehmed's absence in Rumeli to campaign against Musa, Junayd reclaimed his independence and attacked his neighbouring rulers. As a result, in 1414 Mehmed led a regional coalition against Junayd. Junayd's mother was able to save his life, but once again Junayd was dispossessed and sent to Rumeli as governor of Nicopolis. From there, he joined the unsuccessful rebellion of Mustafa Çelebi, until the Byzantines agreed to intern him and Mustafa in 1416. (Full article...)

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A traditional Turkish dance competition in Goreme, Turkey, 2012

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Videos from Turkey on Wikimedia Commons

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“

A satiated man doesn't know what's hunger, a healthy man doesn't know what's disease.

”

Turkish proverb

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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