Curious facts about Turkey - Turkey is a country full of surprises, natural beauty and, above all, history. The country has been home to a number of ancient civilizations and temples, as well as tales involving Biblical figures. Its people also have unique traditions. Check it out!

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A large country - Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the north-west, Greece to the west, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to the north-east, Iran to the east, and Iraq and Syria to the south-east.

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Saint George - The famous warrior saint was born in the third century, in the Turkish region of Cappadocia. The anual hot air balloon festival here is one of the region's top attractions.

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Noah's ark - Mount Ararat, the place where Noah is said to have arrived in the ark after the flood, is in Turkey.

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Selçuk - It's believed that this city is where Mary, the mother of Jesus, spent her last days.

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Paul of Tarsus - Paul the Apostle was born in the south of Turkey, more precisely in the city of Tarsus. He is known as Paul of Tarsus, though his original name was Saul.

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Saint Nicholas - Also known as Santa Claus, the saint was born and lived as a bishop in Demre, Turkey.

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Turkish kebab - Known in some places as Greek kebab, the meat roasting process was actually created in Turkey.

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Troy - The legendary city that inspired Homer's The Iliad lies in Turkish territory.

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Istambul - This is the only city in the world with territory on two continents: Asia and Europe. It was formerly known as Constantinople and is one of the world's largest cities.

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Ankara - Contrary to what many people think, the capital of Turkey is Ankara, not Istanbul.

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Turkish bath - Also known as hammam, the famous Turkish bath has become popular around the world. It includes relaxing in a warm and steamy room (not a dry sauna). Abundant perspiration helps eliminate body impurities, fights fluid retention, reduces stress, and relieves muscle pain.

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Turkish eye - Also known as the Greek eye, the amulet is used to protect against the evil eye and negative energy.

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Tulips - Istanbul was once known as the City of Tulips. The flower is native to the country.

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Temple of Artemis - The temple of Artemis in Ephesus was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

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Fig sign - For the Turks, both the object and the hand sign are considered disrespectful.

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Country's name - The country's name comes from the turquoise stone, which is quite common in the country.

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At the forefront - The world's first currency was minted in Turkey.

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Pork - A tourist will rarely find pork. This is because its consumption is forbidden by the Quran (the holy book of Islam).

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Remember Orkut? - The social network was invented in Turkey. Orkut Buyukkokten was the engineer responsible for creating the website.

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Origin of the mausoleum - The word mausoleum originated from the construction of the Persian king Mausolus' tomb in Halicarnassus, now Bodrum. It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

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Abraham - Haran, in southern Turkey, is where the biblical patriarch Abraham lived when he left Mesopotamia on his way to Palestine.

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Tea anyone? - Black tea is Turkey's most popular drink.

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Shopping - The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul is one of the oldest and largest markets in the world.

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Agriculture - Historians believe that agriculture began there about 11,000 years ago.

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Live history - Turkey was home to the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

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Symbols - On the country's flag, the star and moon represent Islam.

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Unusual traditions - It's tradition for a single girl to put a bottle on the roof to show that she is looking to get engaged. He who breaks the bottle is the bridegroom contender.

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Salt in coffee - When the groom visits the future bride's family home, the bride's family puts salt instead of sugar in his drink. If he pulls an ugly facial expression, it's because he doesn't like the girl. Otherwise, he can marry her.

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Seven churches of Asia - The seven churches cited in the biblical Book of Revelation (the Congregations of Revelations) were in Turkey. They are: Ephesus, Esther, Philadelphia, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, and Laodicea.

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Welcoming - The Turks are very welcoming. For them, a stranger at their door is a guest of God and therefore must be accommodated and very well received.

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