Culture and history

A history in layers

Anatolia holds some of the oldest traces of human settlement anywhere. Temple sites such as Göbeklitepe are counted among the earliest known monumental structures, reaching back even before farming began. Over the following millennia, Hittite, Phrygian, Lydian, Urartian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman civilisations left their marks on the same land. This is why many cities belong not to a single age but to layers of different periods at once.

A land at the crossroads

Türkiye sits at a crossroads where Europe meets Asia and where trade and ideas flowed for centuries. The caravan routes of the Silk Road, the harbour cities and the mountain passes brought together different languages, faiths and cuisines. Ancient cities, caravanserais, castles and places of worship are the physical traces of that movement. As you explore a place, you often see the hand of several civilisations on the same stone.

Culture today

Today’s culture blends that long past with modern life. Hospitality is a visible value; conversations built around tea and coffee, covered bazaars and neighbourhood life are part of the daily rhythm. The official language is Turkish; in large cities and tourist areas you can usually get by in English. The country’s regions differ markedly, each with its own dialects, folk music, crafts and regional cooking.

Craft and daily life

Crafts such as carpet and kilim weaving, tile-making, coppersmithing, woodcarving and stonework change in form from region to region. One of the best ways to understand a region’s culture is to walk its local markets, talk with makers and taste seasonal produce. As much as the historic monuments, these living traditions are part of getting to know Türkiye. The individual place pages on this site tell each site’s historical context in more detail.