17 May, 2025
Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) was home to ancient cultures like the Hittites, Urartians, and the site of Göbekli Tepe, the world’s oldest known temple complex.
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Greeks and Persians ruled parts of Anatolia; later, it became part of Alexander the Great’s empire, followed by Roman control.
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Constantinople (modern Istanbul) became the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, a Christian stronghold for over a millennium.
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The Seljuk Turks, a Muslim dynasty from Central Asia, gained control over much of Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert (1071).
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Mongol invasions weakened the Seljuks, leading to the rise of small Turkish principalities (beyliks), including the Ottoman dynasty.
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Founded by Osman I, the Ottoman Empire grew into one of the world’s most powerful empires, spanning Southeast Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa.
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Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire and the beginning of Istanbul as an Islamic imperial capital.
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Internal strife, wars, and nationalist movements led to the empire's gradual weakening, culminating in its defeat in World War I.
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Led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the modern secular Republic of Turkey was established, replacing the Ottoman monarchy with a democratic, western-oriented state.
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Turkey underwent vast social, political, and economic reforms under Atatürk, later becoming a NATO member.
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