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CROSSROADS OF CIVILIZATION AND FAITH
Turkey is a country where the great civilizations and the religions of the east and west meet in great harmony. It is like an open air museum of successive civilizations and faiths which have flourished in this land since 9.000 BC. Turkey is also a paradise of seas, mountains and lakes that offers the holiday maker a complete change from the stress and routine of everyday life. From April to October, most parts of Turkey enjoy an ideal climate providing perfect conditions for visitors to relax on sandy beaches or enjoy peace of the mountains and the lakes.
A LONG HISTORY
The history of Anatolia is rich and deep. Some of mankind's earliest settlements were established here as early as 10,000 BC. Shortly after this, at Catalhoyuk, near Konya, man first grew grain and brewed beer. In following millennia, civilizations such as Assyrians, Sumerians and Hittites rose and fell. Invaders from abroad left their mark, whether the Men of the Sea, Cyrus, Darius or Alexander the Great. The town of Troy, near Canakkale, was scene of the Trojan War around 1250 BC. Midas, the king with the golden touch, and Croesus, inventor of coinage, were rulers of small but important Anatolian kingdoms in the first millennium BC.
Rome took Anatolia in the last century BC, and called it Asia Minor. The Roman provincial capital of Ephesus was among the largest and finest cities of its time. St Paul preached there: the Virgin Mary died in a small house on the outskirts of the city. The Seven Churches of Asia, to whom St. Paul addressed Epistles, are all in Anatolia. And St. Nicholas, the original Santa Claus, lived and worked on Anatolian's south coast.
In 330 AD, Costantine the Great established the eastern capital of the Roman Empire at Byzantium, renaming it Costantinople. By the time of the Emperor Justinian (527 to 565 AD), Rome had fallen, and Costantinople was the sole capital of the vast empire.
WHO ARE THE TURKS
The Turks date back 4,000 years as a people, with ancestral roots extending to Turkic tribes who originated in the vast steppe lands of Central Asia and rode out in successive waves of conquest as their plains began to dry. The Turks established sixteen great empires stretching though many parts of Europe, Asia and North Africa. By the year 1000 AD, most Turks had adopted Islam. The following states and empires were founded by the Turks;
*The Great Hun Empire (204 BC-216 AD)
*The Western Hun Empire (48-216)
*The European Hun Empire (375-454)
*The Akhun Empire (420-562)
*The Kok Turk Empire (552-743)
*The Avar Empire (565-803)
*The Khazar Empire (651-983)
*The Uigur,State (744-1335)
*The Karahan State (940-1040)
*The Ghaznavid State (963-1183)
*The Great Seljuk Empire (1040-1157)
*The Herzemshah State (1157-1231)
*The Altinordu State (1236-1502)
*The Tamberlane Empire (1368-1501)
*The Babur Empire (1526-1858)
*The Ottoman Empire (1299-1922)
Today, more than 62 million people in Turkey alone speak the Turkish language, an ancient, systematic and logical tongue, and about 200 million people speak Turkish or a related dialect worldwide. The Turkish language belongs to the Uralo-Altaic family of language, along with Hungarian and Finnish. The simplicity and logic of Turkish inspired the creation of Esperanto, designed as the universal language.
SITES OF FAITH IN TURKEY
Turkey, situated on the Anatolian peninsula has been the cradle for a number of civilisations throughout history. This was an important crossroad in the region which linked three continents known as the "Old World". During the polytheistic era in this region, many shrines were built and dedicated to gods and goddesses. As monotheism gradually spread throughout the region, its influence led believers to designate some places as sites of faith. Especially in Turkey, a number of these religious sites, artifacts and relics can be found in practically every region of the country. The names of some of these sites are found in the holy books and they have left an indelible mark in the course of history. Here are some examples stated in various passages of the New Testament:
* Although Jesus Christ was born in Israel, the name "Christian" is attributed to his followers not in Israel but in Antioch (Antakya), from where Christianity spread all over the world. (When he found him, he took him to Antioch, and for a whole year the two met with the people of the church and tought a large group. It was at Antioch that believers were first called Christians. Act.Ap. 11:26)
* St. Paul was born in Tarsus and the house where he was born still remains. (I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, and brought up here in Jerusalem as a student of Gamaliel... Act.Ap. 22:3)
* St. Paul preached for the first time in Yalvac, Isparta. (They went on from Perga and arrived in Antioch in Pisidia, and on the Sabbath they went into synagogue and sat dawn... Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak... Act.Ap. 13:14,15,16)
* First, second and third journeys of St. Paul were to Anatolia. (Act.Ap.)
* The Seven Churches of Apocalypse are all situated in Anatolia. (I said, "Write down what you see, and send the book to the churches in these seven cities: Ephessus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelpia and Laodicea". The Revelation, 1:11)

The Republic of Turkey
The Republic was proclaimed on 29 October 1923 in order to give the state a democratic form in the contemporary sense. Mustafa Kemal, the successful and great charismatic leader of the national struggle for independence, was elected unanimously as the first President of the Republic of Turkey. Four months later, the caliphate, which was incompatible with the principle of republicanism, was abolished and the members of the Ottoman Dynasty were expatriated on 3 March 1924.
Being aware of the fact that the separation of religious and state affairs and the provision of freedom of religion and conscience for individuals were among the prerequisites of turning a modem society, Mustafa Kemal initiated in the framework of the "principle of secularity" the most important changes. After the abolishment of the caliphate, a series of radical reforms were made in the institutions and mentality connected to the caliphate. The Ministry of Shariah and Foundations was replaced by the Chairmanship of Religious Affairs and the Directorate of Foundations, both connected to the Prime Ministry. The religious school order was abolished on 8 March 1924. With the Unification of Education Law all schools and educational matters were united under the Ministry of National Education. The Shariah Courts were replaced by secular courts with the Judicial Organization Law. The traditional symbols in attire, indicating differences of class, rank and religious order were removed The international hour and calendar systems were adopted on 26 November 1925. A Turkish Civil Code was accepted on 17 February 1926 to replace the old civil code and the Shariah Law which were the comer stones of Ottoman law. The acceptance of the Turkish Civil Code made it necessary to secularize all the legislation and the Code of Obligations, the Criminal Code and the Commercial Code were also rewritten according to contemporary principles.
Important steps were taken concerning women's rights. Polygamy was forbidden and marriages, to be officially recognized, had to be performed in accordance with civil code, and not according to religious ceremonies as in the past. Women obtained the right to vote and to be elected in the municipal elections in 1930, in elections held for village councils in 1933 and in 1934, they obtained the right to vote and be elected into the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
One of the most important reforms initiated by Ataturk was the preparation of a new Turkish alphabet by a board of linguists and academicians and the law which envisaged the use of Latin letters was adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on 1 November 1928. The adoption of this new phonetic alphabet was an important step taken to help increase the literacy rate which had been very low.
Political Parties and Election System
According to the Constitution, every Turkish citizen who is 18 years old has the right to establish a party, to join an established party, or to leave a political party.
The political parties are the essential elements of a pluralist and participatory democratic life. They are formed without prior permission. At present, there are 20 political parties in Turkey.
In addition to the members of political parties, for the first time, independent candidates have won 3 seats in the Parliament. The previous elections were held in 1995.
The activities of the political parties are required to be in conformity with the internal regulations of the parties and the principles of democracy.
The elections in Turkey are single stage elections. According to the proportional representation system, general, equal and secret ballot elections are held throughout the country on the same day. The elector uses his/her vote in full freedom. The counting and detailed presentation of the votes and putting them on record is done publicly.
The system of obtaining 10 percent of the votes to enter into the Parliament is applied throughout the country. The parties which do not receive at least 10 percent of the votes throughout the country in the general elections and the parties which do not receive at least 10 percent of the votes in the regions where the elections are held in the by elections, do not have deputies.

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