At the eastern end of the Mediterranean, located between Europe and Asia, Turkey has a very rich and colourful history. Embracing the oldest settlements of the world heritage, Anatolia has been dubbed as “The Cradle of the Civilizations” as well as a “Bridge”. The mysterious Hittites, the ancient Greeks, the Persians, the Romans and the successors, the Byzantines, all have established great civilizations and empires what is now Turkey. Each civilization left a wealth of archaeological and architectural treasures scattered across the country. The awe-inspiring Byzantine Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, the well-preserved Roman theatre at Aspendos, the Library of Celsus at Ephesus and the Hittite city of Hattusas, to name but a few. In fact, Turkey has more ancient Greek remains than Greece, more Roman ruins than Italy. In 1453, Byzantine Constantinople, once the wealthiest city in all Christendom was conquered by Turkish army. As the new Ottoman capital of Istanbul, the city was home to the opulent court of the sultans. For more than 400 years the city was graced with mosques, palaces and castles, many of which are standing today.

After the First World War, the Ottoman Empire collapsed and The Turkish Republic was established in 1923. As a founder of the new Republic, Atatürk began a serious of ambitions reforms in order to rebuild the country from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire and turning into a modern, western-looking and democratic country.