History of Turkey
Turkey, also called Türkiye is a country that occupies a unique geographic position, lying partly in Asia and partly in Europe. Throughout its history, it has acted as both a barrier and a bridge between the two continents.
Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Syria. Turkey is situated at the crossroads of the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East, and eastern Mediterranean.
The history of Turkey is very big and old. The oldest inhabitants of Anatolia were Hattians and Hittites. Around 1200 BC, the Greeks established colonies on the coast. Later, the Phrygians from Central Europe settled in Central Anatolia around 1000 BC.
The most important of these Greek colonies was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and in 1453 II. It was the Byzantine Empire (later Constantinople) conquered by Mehmet.
Turning to the modern age, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey, stands as a rising figure of the 20th century. Few of history's great leaders have accomplished so much in such a short time, changed a nation's life so decisively, or inspired the whole world so deeply.
He emerged as a military hero in the Dardanelles in 1915, and in 1919 he became the charismatic leader of the Turkish national liberation struggle. He shone on the world stage as a victorious commander who crushed those who invaded his country in the early 1920s. After all, he led his nation to full independence after a series of impressive victories. His story ended the Ottoman dynasty, which spanned more than six centuries, and in 1923 he founded the Turkish Republic and a new government that truly represented the will of his nation.
In his 15 years as President until he died in 1938, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk introduced sweeping reforms—in politics, law, economics and culture—unparalleled anywhere else in history.