Since the dawn of time, this sprawling land of mountain
ranges, high plateaux and fertile river valleys has been the
dividing line between the Orient and Occident. The Persian king
of kings Xerxes crossed westwards with his Asian hordes on their
way to victory at Thermopylae and defeat at Salamis; Alexander
the Great reversed that movement when he led his
Macedonians eastwards to India in pursuit of his great empire,
leaving Anatolia an indelible Hellenic stamp. The Romans saw in
Anatolia a granary and bulwark against their traditional enemies
to the east; it was at Zela, east of Ankara, that Caesar uttered
his famous words: "Veni. Vidi. Viet" - "I
came. I saw. I conquered."
Over the next 1,000 years, Anatolia became the nucleus of the
Byzantine Empire, with its capital, Constantinople, undoubtedly
the greatest, most powerful and magnificent city in the world.
It was here that early Christianity first took root, only to be
replaced by Islam, first introduced by the 7th-century Arabs,
and then imposed by the Seljuk and Ottoman Turks, who pushed the
frontiers of the Ottoman empire from the Persian Gulf to the
Atlantic and from the Indian Ocean to Vienna. Within, and
perhaps because of, all the tragedy, bloodshed and
empire-building, Anatolia remained one of the most politically
and culturally influential places on the planet for at least
2,000 years.
Defeat during World War I, the ruthless carve-up of the
empire, and the decision of the Turks under the leadership of
Mustafa Kemal to regain Anatolia and remould themselves, gave
modern Turkey a very different role in the 20th century.
Today, as the country struggles to embrace Western-style
economics and liberalism within an Islamic, Eastern framework,
the nation looks boldly forward to a new future, not as a
dividing line or buffer zone between East and West, but as a
bridge between them. Meanwhile, the new invasion has begun. This
time, it is more friendly and short-lived, with some 7 million
people arriving for two weeks each year in search of warm seas,
magnificent scenery, echoes of ancient history, fine food and a
friendly greeting.
Hos geldiniz!"- Welcome to Turkey.
