The Magic of Türkiye

I recently had the opportunity to spend a few weeks in Turkey (now officially called Türkiye) visiting one of my closest friends. What impressed me the most is the country’s rich history and vibrant culture. In fact, two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were in Türkiye. It’s also home to over 15 UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the ancient city of Troy and the famous fairy chimneys in Cappadocia.

While there, I became obsessed with the country’s rich history, extending back thousands of years. Situated at the crossroads of the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East, and eastern Mediterranean, it bridges the continents of both Asia and Europe and was once the center of the famous and ancient Silk Road trade route. Turks were originally a nomadic people from Central Asia and Mongolia, founding the Seljuk empire in 1075 and later the Ottoman Empire. Constantinople (now modern day Istanbul) was ruled by the Byzantine Empire (Rome) until the Ottomans took over in 1345. The Ottoman Empire spanned over 600 years, ruling most of southeastern Europe including present-day Hungary, the Balkan region, Greece, and parts of Ukraine; portions of modern-day Iraq, Syria, Israel, and Egypt; North Africa as far west as Algeria; and large parts of the Arabian Peninsula, meaning Turkish influence spanned enormous areas of Europe, Asia, and even Africa. Modern-day Türkiye was founded in 1923.

Currently, Türkiye has over 4 million refugees and has been the largest refugee hosting country in the world for the past 8 years. Given its prime geographical location, refugees from Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Russia and Ukraine have sought shelter in a country that once greeted them with open arms. However, with this huge rise in population, inflation is now at a record high and racist and xenophobic attacks against foreigners, notably against Syrians, has risen drastically over the past 2 years (Human Rights Watch). With the recent earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, upcoming elections, and the ongoing high threat of terrorist attacks, the future of the country is uncertain.

Even with the current instability, there are countless reasons to visit Türkiye – delicious food, incredible hospitality, breathtaking scenery, fascinating history, adorable cats, and much more. I was only able to cover Istanbul and Cappadocia in my short two week stay, which means I will be going back to explore the rest of what the country has to offer.

I’ve covered details for the two cities I visited in separate blog posts, which you can find links to below. All I will say is that whether you are a history buff, food lover, architecture enthusiast, museum nerd, or looking for a unique nightlife scene, you must add Türkiye to your list of places to visit, immediately.

Istanbul Blog

Cappadocia Blog