Did You Know.....

*Turkey has been ruled by three empires: Hittite, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires

*Turkey has been host to 13 civilizations, spanning 10,000 years

*Istanbul is the only city in the world located on two continents, Europe and Asia

*The oldest known human settlement in the world is located in Catalhoyuk, Konya, Turkey

*Two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World stood in Turkey: the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassum in Bodrum

*Turkey introduced coffee to Europe

*The first coins were minted in Sardis, the capital of the Ancient Kingdom of Lydia, at the end of the 7th century BC

*Saint John, Paul and Peter all lived and preached in Turkey

*The most valuable silk carpet in the world is in the Mevlana Museum in Konya, Turkey

*Legend has it that St. John brought the Virgin Mary to Ephesus after the Crucifixion, where she spent her last days in a small stone house on Mt. Koressos near Ephesus, Turkey

*A cave known today as the Grotto of St. Peter or Church of St. Peter is believed to be where the Apostle Peter preached when he visited Antioch (Antakya)

*The cities of the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse, mentioned by St. John in the Book of Revelations, are all found in Turkey: Efes (Ephesus), Izmir (Smyrna), Bergama (Pergamum), Akhisar (Thyatira), Sart (Sardis), Alasehir (Philadelphia) and Eskihisar (Laodicea)

*St. Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus, was born and lived in Demre, Turkey

*Turkey is the birthplace of many historical figures and legends: poet Homer, King Midas, Herodotus and St. Paul

*The first man to fly was Turkish, using wings to fly from Europe to Asia across the Bosphorus in the 17th century

*One Turkish word that may sound familiar is yogurt, originally produced in Turkey

*Turkey is the birthplace of three major religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam

*Angora, or mohair, spun from the wool of Angora goats, originated in Turkey

*Troy, of the famous Trojan Horse, is in Turkey

*Mt. Olympus is in Turkey

*Turkey provides half the worlds supply of hazelnuts, grown in the Black Sea Area

*Cherries were first cultivated in Turkey and taken by the Romans to Europe and then the rest of the world

*It is believed that Abraham was born in Eastern Turkey (Sanli Urfa)

*Turkey is home to Mt Ararat where Noah's Ark landed