Humans seem to have a natural need to travel and visit places all the time. That habit dates back to the roots of mankind, when we were constantly forced to flee from dangerous animals since we did not know how to use tools and weapons to defend ourselves. That made us move from place to place constantly in a very short time, thus discovering different areas with strange new plants and even stranger animals which were bigger and more dangerous. However, mankind has developed in the meantime, and now all the animals flee from us. But old habits die slowly, and one simply cannot stay at one place his or her whole life, without moving away from the warm hearth of his home. Luckily for us, the world is a big place, and there are a lot of travel agencies that can take us worldwide and help us see everything that we have ever wanted. One of the countries that I always wanted to visit was Turkey. Why, you may ask? Well, let me introduce this beautiful country to you and answer your question.
A different name for the peninsula where this beautiful country is located is Little Asia because it is somehow the gateway between Europe and Asia. Turkey is a country rich with history and art. They were once the mighty Ottoman Empire, until certain changes came and the Empire was no more. Although the IslÄmic religion is the dominant one, traces of certain religious mixtures can be found in certain areas of Turkey. However, when I mention Islam, do not get the image of terrorists and suicide bombers. Turkish people are actually quite the opposite. Rarely can you find people of such hospitality and goodness. They will do anything to make you comfortable and help you feel as if you were in your own home. Because of that hospitality, Turkey is known worldwide and that is why people from all around the world go there to spend their summer holidays. Apart from the rich history, there is a beautiful seaside both at the north and at the south of the country. Up north, the waters of The Black Sea are lapping the shores of this beautiful country while the south of the country meets the Mediterranean Sea. Both summer resorts are equally popular, but I have the impression that people rather opt for the south and the Mediterranean Sea, rather than the former one. The density of the population living in towns by the seaside shows that.
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However, the most beautiful and the most important part of Turkey is its capital city - Istanbul. This city was founded by Roman Emperor Constantine and it was named Constantinople at first. An interesting fact is that the city was dominantly Christian at the time, but the Turks came later on, conquering the city and thus converting the religion of the city. Nowadays, Istanbul is the city where the whole history of Europe can be seen only by looking at the architecture of different buildings. For example, there is a big mosque which was once a big church. However, when the Ottomans had conquered Constantinople, they were feeling sorry for such a beautiful building and they decided to make a few basic changes thus making it a holy house look IslÄmic. Today, it is one of the biggest mosques in the world. Once Istanbul was conquered, it became the capital city of the Ottoman Empire and sultans resided in the Topkapi Palace which is known all around the world. You have probably heard that sultans were allowed to have many wives, and the place where those women were held was known as harem. Harem is a big room, or a set of rooms, and when the sultan had his needs he would enter the harem and many of those women would make him happy. One of those rooms was actually inside the Topkapi Palace.
To sum up, Turkey is a beautiful place to spend your summer holiday at since you will be able to see the whole history of Europe in just a few days. If you, however, decide to spend your holiday quietly, the seaside will be there waiting for you.
