Earliest records of the Turkish people show that their ancestors in Central Asia date back to some time before 2000 BC. The word ‘Turk’ comes from Chinese and the Great Wall was built to keep out Turkish tribes. Roaming widely throughout Asia and Europe, the Turks established vast empires throughout these continents. By the 10th century, most Turks had adopted the religion of Islam. Following this substantial change, the Karahanid Empire of central Asia (10th and 11th centuries) and the Ghaznavid Empire (10th and 12th centuries) developed in areas known today as Iran, Afghanistan and Northern India. Some Turks travelled southwest to Anatolia (Asia Minor) considered to be the cradle of civilisation because it has embraced more than 20 cultures and civilizations.
These civilizations included the Hittites, Assyrians, Lydians, Greeks, Persians, Macedonians, lonians, Romans, Byzantines and Turks. In AD 1071, the Turks fought a crucial war with the Byzantine Empire. Settling in Anatolia (which today covers most of Turkey), they established many small feudal states and some empires. The Seljuk Empire was the first Turkish Empire in Anatolia. After the Seljuk’s’ influence declined, Anatolia fragmented into a number of small states. The Ottoman Turks unified these separate units, which eventually became the largest empire in recent history, the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottomans ruled for more than six centuries (1281 – 1922), in part because their system of government allowed flexibility in the practice of diverse religions, languages and cultures. By the end of World War I, the Ottoman Empire had collapsed completely. In 1922, a fundamental political and social revolution took place, and the Sultanate, or Kingship, of Turkey was abolished. A man named Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was elected President of the Grand National Assembly in December and led the War of Liberation against such world powers as Greece. The next move of Kemal’s was the declaration of a Republic, occurring in 1923, to which he was again elected President. A wave of change swept through the country.
The Arabic script was abolished and many religious schools and convents were closed. Ataturk is considered the founder of Modern Turkey and after surviving earlier assassination attempts he died in 1938. His comrade and long time friend Inonu became President of the Republic and the Turkish woman were given their right to vote and to be elected. During the course of World War II, Turkey remained divided; people against government. Only when it became clear that the Allies would win did Turkey’s more liberal side show itself. The final Allied victory, in fact, was the turning point of Turkey’s governmental system.
Democracy flourished, opening new doors of escape from the influence of strict governing. As new parties emerged, the Democrat Party became the most prominent, eventually overshadowing all others. In 1949, small measures of religion were re-introduced to the school system. By 1990, Turkey’s government had become a republican parliamentary democracy, since then, there are 82 provinces of the Republic of Turkey. The principal one of the 82 is the province of Ankara which is Turkey’s capital.
Historical events of recent years including the War on Terror, the Gulf War, the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union (which gave independence to Turkish republics in Central Asia) have increased Turkey’s importance as a power for peace and stability in the region. Turkey is an element of stability in an otherwise turbulent part of the world. As a modern, secular democracy with a free market economy, Turkey will continue to expand its role as a commercial, political and cultural link between the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Balkans and the West.
