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Asia Minor or Asian Turkey,
as it is known today, is a
bridge between Europe and Asia and was
the passageway and dwelling place of
many ancient civilizations. Come along
with me, walk in the footsteps of the
ancients and let me tell you about:
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A View From Bosphorus And The
Intercontinental Bridge |
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Hattians and Hittites
who were some of the earliest and most
mysterious civilizations of Turkey.
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Phrygians
and their king, Midas,
well known with his donkey ears and his
magic touch which transformed everything
into gold.
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The Lydians,
their life and traditions, their capital
Sardis,
their kings. Allyattes II
who fought against many nations. His war
with Medes
ended after a solar eclipse in 585 BC
because they feared the anger of Gods.
Amazingly, Thales
from Miletus,
predicted that eclipse based on his
mathematical calculations.
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Croesus,
the last king of Lydia,
who believed he was the happiest man in
the world because his river, Pactolus,
brought him gold.
- Cyrus the Great
and the Persians,
who defeated Croesus and destroyed the
Lydian Empire.
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The Ionian Confederacy and its efforts for the
freedom after the Persian invasion.
We’ll go back to 494 BC and learn about
the sudden attack of the Persians which
destroyed the Ionian fleet anchored near
the Lade
Island.
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The Phocaeans
who sent their colonies as far as
Spain and northward to the Black
Sea.
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The Greeks and the
victory of democracy.
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The
Macedonians and their king,
Alexander the Great,
who always gained public sympathy by
respecting the traditions of the
countries he conquered.
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The Amazons,
Cimmerians
and the Galatians
who were great warriors but too
independent to create a strong
unity.
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The regions
where the Romans
and their enemies, the Carthaginians
lived, and find out about the end of
their brave commander, Hannibal,
who finally committed suicide in
Bithynia.
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Map Of Turkey |
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The ancient
Cilicia region
in Southern Asia Minor where
Cleopatra
and Mark Anthony fell in love in the city of
Tarsus.
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The early
Anatolian Christian
communities. We’ll discuss the
difficulties they encountered while
they were living under Roman rule.
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The Byzantines
and show you the fabulous
masterpieces they created throughout
the centuries.
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The Crusaders,
Seljuk and Ottoman
Turks and,
of course, about Ataturk,
the national father of our present
Turkey.
Turkey is the cradle of ancient
civilization, and I look forward to
sharing my country and our history
with you. It is my hope that
when
we discuss events of the past
times, looking at advances and
shortcomings, perhaps we can prevent
historical mistakes from recurring.
I would be honored to be your
personal driver guide for one day or
for your entire vacation.
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