Many people visit Turkey year upon year, both as tourists or because they have bought a property in the country, either as a holiday home, a second home or an investment.
Turkey has many advantages – sunshine, great restaurants, warm temperatures and a nice way of life if you choose to buy a property in Turkey, but what do people know of the history of the country?
Turkey’s History – From Ancient Times to Modern Day
Turkey can claim a 10,000 year-old civilisation and it was an important area to the Greeks, the Persians and the Romans as a trade route and for supplies for their empires. Modern Turkey or Asia Minor comprises the areas known as Anatolia and Eastern Thrace, and it is has been inhabited since Palaeolithic times.
Turkish lands were absorbed by the growing Persian Empire, which resulted in conflict with Alexander the Great in 334BCE. The Greek monarch expelled the Persians from the area, but his empire broke up when he died and his territories were pushed back by the Romans who had control of the lands from the second century BC until the 4th century.
The country flourished under Constantine the Great when Constantinople was the capital of the eastern part of the Roman Empire, known as the Byzantine Empire and it continued to thrive for hundreds of years.
Other conquerors staking a claim on Turkey included the Mongols and under their rule, the creation of small Turkish states included the Ottoman beylik, which went on to conquer further lands and areas and became the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman or Turkish empire expanded into Eastern Anatolia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Central Europe and North Africa and its power and prestige peaked in the 16th century.
Rise of the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire was one of the largest and longest-lasting empires in history (1301 to 1922) and at its height, its area included Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Hungary, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and much of the coastal strip of North Africa. One of its most famous ruler was Suleiman the Magnificent (or the Lawgiver) who ruled from 1520 to 1566.
Following the defeat of Turkey in the World War I, Anatolia and Eastern Thrace was occupied by allied powers, but a war of independence took place in 1923 and the Republic of Turkey was established by the military commander Mustafa Kemal, who was later given the honorific surname of Ataturk – or father of the Turks.
Turkey was neutral in World War II, but signed a treaty with Britain in October 1939 which stated that Britain would defend Turkey if Germany attacked it. An invasion was threatened in 1941, but never took place. The country declared war on Germany and Japan in February 1945, allowing it to join the United Nation.
Oceanwide Properties is the destination for those seeking a property for sale in Turkey. Whether you are looking for a property for sale in Fethiye, Kalkan or even the city of Istanbul, we have many homes, villas and apartments on our books and we can guide you through every step of the Turkey property buying and selling process.
