30 B.C. - 395 A.D. Romans

Romans conquer Anatolia. Julius Caesar writes his famous "Veni, vidi, vici" after a quick battle in Central Anatolia. He meets Cleopatra in Antioch south of Anatolia.

After the birth of Jesus Christ, Christian Saints make Anatolia their destination:

St Paul and St. Barnabas visit many cities in Anatolia. Santa Clause (St. Nicholas) is born in the southern provinces. Virgin Mary resides and dies in Ephesus.

The first christians who have fled Romans and Arabs find refuge in the underground cities of Cappadocia, where they carve churchs in the lunar like landscape of the region.

The splitting into two of the Roman Empire will give birth to a new Roman Empire in the East : Byzantine Empire.

395-1100

Byzantine Empire

Roman Emperor Constantin moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the ancient city of Byzance, naming it Constantinople. Hence the empire took the name of Byzantine Empire. Roman Empire had been divided into two: "West" and "East". For two centuries the Ceasars of this "East" Roman Empire considered themselves as the sole possesor of Rome and Italy.

Byzantine Empire turned itself towards the Orient for the centuries to follow. Justinianus, the last Ceasar of the Roman Empire, conquers North Africa and Spain making Mediterranean Sea a Roman lake again. The church, St. Sophie, he had it built, stands as the greatest Christian church on earth. The empire hold possesion of Anatolia until, a new generation of migration came from the steppes of Asia: The Turks.

1100-1923

The Seljoukites, descendents of a Central Asian tribe migrates into Anatolia . Another tribe from Central Asia running away from Mongol invasions headed by Thengiz Khan settles in this peninsula. During Mongol invasion small turkish states bearing the name of their founder lives on the periphery of Anatolia.

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire is founded as a small Turkish state.
After conquering Constantinople Ottomans put an end to the Byzantine empire and rename the city as Istanbul making it their capital. Mehmet the Conqueror, Soliman the Magnificient and successor sultans wage wars in many fronts invading the Balkans, North Africa, the Arabian peninsula in the south, Crimea in the north, Hungary in the west.

Meanwhile, Mimar Sinan, the great architect, builts mosques which, today, are the greatest work of art of Islam. Ottoman art included caligraphy, tiles making in addition to architecture.

The Ottoman fleet in The Meditarranean becomes the stongest navy force and sets up bases in France and North Africa. By the 16th century the Ottoman Empire had become one of biggest empires in human history.

1923-.... Turkey

Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 by Ataturk, the commander who fought the Gallipoli wars as well as others. He brought Turkey all the laws and the institutions which made Turkey a parliamentary, secular state. By pointing at the flaws of Ottoman Empire, he put on the development track a country which was lagging centuries behind western technologies. Today as U.S. State department points out Turkey is a moderately developed country. It has signed a customs union agreement in 1995 with Europe for free trade of goods and the government hopes to be a full member of the Europian Union by the year 2000.

I hope you've enjoyed your travel. You can find more info about

Trojan Treasures
Selcouki and Ottoman Caravanserais, hotels inhabited by traders, soldiers and travellers such as Marco Polo, during 700 years.
Lunar-like landscape of Capadoccia and its underground cities and churches
Home of the two of the Seven Wonders of the World
King Road, the Great Alexander took to conquer Persia
Virgin Mary, Apostle John, St. Nicholas (Santa Clause), St. Paul
King Midas

And many more in the ...

Jewels of Anatolian History

Back to Time Travel In History Page

Turkey, a Travel at Warp Speeds

References for this travel

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