The country Turkey is literally located in the middle of the East and the West. This has affected its culture and demography. Turkish culture is a confusing mixture that has formed over 2,000 years. The first known Turkish state was established in the Northern China-Huns and Gokturks areas, from where the people migrated to the west and formed several small states on the way. During this journey, Turks not only kept their identity, but also mixed with Arabs, Romans, Greeks, Persians, Armenians, and Kurds—peoples of the East and West. This synthesis of cultures led to this complex society in one of the most critical regions of the world.

Modern Turkey grew from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, a gigantic multicontinental empire lasting 700 years, stretching from Vienna to Iran, the Middle East to Northern Africa. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey’s founder, built a new country out of the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, calling it Turkey and making it secular and democratic. He was keen for his country to catch up with the West. Ataturk initiated a nationwide campaign to rip out Turkey’s religious and backward roots, and replaced them by a form of Europeanism. However, the insistence on removing religion from public life introduced restrictions of its own. (For example, women are banned from wearing headscarves in government-funded places, which might seem strange to some of you, because even in most Christian countries it is not banned. Interestingly the European Court of Justice has upheld many times Turkey’s ban on women wearing headscarves in universities.)

Regarding the tourism history of Asia Minor, there is actually a lot to be said. For those who want to visit Turkey, there are places you should never miss. Of course the first one is Istanbul, a city conquered by Romans, Greeks, Arabs, and finally Turks. You can imagine how much diversity you can expect from a city this unique. Another place to visit would be Ephesus in Izmir. Ephesus is the best preserved classical city on the Mediterranean, and perhaps the best place in the world to get the feeling for what life was like in Roman times. As a strategic coastal gateway to the Eastern World, this Ionian refuge grew to be the second largest city in the Roman Empire, the site of a Christian shrine, and one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Legend has it that the Virgin Mary, accompanied by St. Paul, came to Ephesus at the end of her life, circa 37-45 AD. Renaissance church historians mentioned the trip, and it is said that local Christians venerated a small house near Ephesus as Mary’s. In 1967, Pope Paul VI visited the site, where a chapel now stands, and confirmed the authenticity of the legend.

Another must see place is Cappadocia. Cappadocia is famous for fairy chimneys, which are volcanic cones that have eroded into distinctive shapes, becoming another Wonder of the World. In addition, layers of tunnels and an intricate system of caves under the volcanic soil hid generations of settlers and sheltered early Christians fleeing persecution. These, of course, are not the only places to go. The southern Mediterranean area would be a good choice for beach lovers: Mount Ararat, Troy, Lykia, and much more.

You can observe the East-West mixture at every step. In every corner of Turkey you can visit carpet shops selling handmade carpets, but in the shops, all the girls who are knitting carpets are wearing Levi’s. In Turkey, you can feel a half traditional, half industrial culture at the same time. It is definitely a unique feature of Turkey. For example, in Istanbul, some places remind you of the old Byzantine Age, other places remind you of the Ottoman Empire. You can run into a McDonalds or a KFC between a mosque and a church or a synagogue. Even the religion is modified among this confusion between East and West. Most Turks drink raki—a traditional alcoholic drink from anise—(even though alcohol is banned in Islam), most women do not wear headscarves, and most people are not conservative at all. This moderate and democratic structure sets Turkey as a prototype for other Muslim nations for a modern culture (of course, with a few problems).

The popular notion of today is exploring the possibility of an intellectual departure from the concept of separate civilizations towards the concept of sharing a civilization. This global view is contributing to the construction of a Euro-Mediterranean region including all the countries of different origins—Middle Eastern, European, and African. Accepting differences between two different cultures, including the East accepting the globalization movement will benefit everybody, not only for peace, but also for scientific development. Turkey is the leading scientific force among all the eastern countries (Nature, November 2006), confirming this idea. Today, Turkey is trying to present this idea as the bridge between the alleged division between East and West, and Islam and Europe. The Crescent and Star may seem to be sliding away from the West and drifting to the East due to the frustration of resistance to acceptance into the EU. In fact it is drifting towards the unknown waters of directionlessness, hoping to find a direction in the middle, a unique one.