Turkey’s long history begins with some of the oldest known human settlements in the world, back to 100,000-8,000 BC on the Anatolian peninsula (also known as Asia Minor). With a prime geographical location and coastlines on the Black, Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, Turkey’s history is filled with numerous power struggles and conquests. The first known “empire” of the region dates back to the Hittites in 2,000 BC, who developed a city-state system rich from mining and agriculture. The Hittites' empire, although powerful, met its ultimate destruction from a large scale invasion in 1,200 BC. 546 BC marked Persia’s conquest of the region, which lasted until Alexander the Great’s invasion in 334 BC adding the region to the Macedonian Empire.
The region once again traded hands in early 100 BC, joining the expanding Roman Empire. Several hundred years later, Emperor Constantine named Christianity the official religion of the region and the city of Constantinople as the capitol of the Roman Empire (formerly known as Byzantium). Located directly between the Black and Mediterranean Sea, Constantinople became a critical trading intersection between Europe, Asia and Africa. However, it was this precisely highly profitable geographical location which caused attacks on the capitol from the Persians, Arabs and others. Despite these constant offenses, the Byzantine Empire was not overthrown until the 1400’s by the Ottoman Turks.
After 1453, Constantinople was established as the capitol of the Ottoman Empire. The city expanded rapidly to a population of nearly half a million, and became the military, political and economic center of the growing empire. Istanbul remained critically important to the Ottoman Empire, which remained in control of the region until World War I. The city was not officially renamed to Istanbul until 1930, under Kemal Ataturk.
Modern day Turkey as we know it was formed in 1923. Declared as a Republic in October of that year, and “Father of the Turks” Mustafa Kemal was established as President. During World War II, Turkey initially remained neutral until German forces reached the borders of Istanbul. Although the country signed a trade agreement with Germany in 1941, Turkey officially declared war on Germany in 1945 in order to gain entry into the United Nations. After a period of economic and political turmoil, a multi-party system was established in the 1950’s with US backed opposition politicians. However, political instability still plagued the country, with insurgent attacks from the Kurdistan Worker’s Party as recent as 2004.
