Turkey
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
Turkey (formally, the Republic of Turkey) is a modern-day country in Eurasia (politically, Turkey is considered part of Europe), occupying primarily the Anatolian peninsula, and forming a bridge between eastern Europe and the Middle East. Modern neighbors to Turkey are Bulgaria and Greece to the west, and Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria to the east and southeast. Turkey's northern border is the shore of the Black Sea, to the west is the Aegean Sea, and most of its southern border lies along the Mediterranean Sea.
Modern Turkey occupies roughly the area known during Roman times as "Asia Minor" (or in Greek, "Anatolia"). Because of its strategic location between Europe and the Middle East, Turkey has played a significant role in the political and commercial history of the western and near eastern world.
Areas in modern Turkey played a prominent role in Biblical history. The modern Mount Ararat (which may or may not be the same mountain upon which Noah's ark came aground) is in Turkey. Likewise, many of the places visited by Paul of Tarsus on his first and second missions are in what is now Turkey, including the towns of Perga, Antioch, Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, the city of Ephesus, and the regions of Phrygia and Galatia.
The ancient city of Troy (location of the mythic epic The Iliad) was located at the mouth of the Dardanelles, a channel which links the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Troy's location was incredibly strategic, because this gave it a large degree of control over trade into the Marmara, which links to the Black Sea via the Bosporus, making this an important trade route. Today, the Dardanelles and the Bosporus are still used commercially; in fact, the Bosporus is the narrowest strait in current use for international navigation.
The Anatolian peninsula was a critical part of the Empire of Alexander.
In Alexandrian times the city at the southern end of the Bosporus had been known by the Greek name Byzantium, but was renamed "Constantinople" when the Emperor Constantine I chose the city to be the new capital of the Roman Empire. Constantine also moved the Papacy to Constantinople. However, when the western Roman Empire collapsed, the Vatican was re-established in Italy, which prompted a rift in Christian traditions; the result is the modern-day Roman Catholic Church based in Italy, and the Eastern Orthodox Church, which has no single central authority.
The collapse of the western Roman Empire prompted the rise of the eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire.
In the 10th century, the Seljuk Turks began to migrate into the Anatolian areas, eventually conquering the declining Byzantine Empire and creating the Ottoman Empire. The city of Constantinople was renamed again, as Istanbul (or "Stanboul"), the name it bears today.
The Turkish land-bridge was used extensively during the Crusades, and later was the land-based connection to Europe on the Silk Road.
The Ottoman Empire stood until the 20th century, but was defeated as part of the Ottoman-German alliance in World War I.
Modern Turkey is a secular constitutional republic. Culturally, its people are a unique blend of the eastern and western traditions. Spiritually, Turkey is one of the most diverse nations in the area; Islam and Christianity are the two largest religions, but the Turkish government encourages freedom of religion, and other faiths are also present.
