Anatolia: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As	Asia Minor • Anadolu

Photos

cave dwellings in Cappadocia

Cappadocia, Turkey

archaeological sites of Anatolia and northern Syria

Two large stone lion sculptures flank the entrance of the Lion Gate at Hattusa, with ancient stone walls and blue sky in the background.

Hattusas: Yerkapi rampart

Anatolia and northern Syria

Ancient mosaic detail showing Alexander the Great in armor riding his horse Bucephalus at the Battle of Issus, with another soldier visible behind him.

Historical map showing the Rum Seljuq Sultanate in Anatolia around 1100, with shaded regions indicating territory at that time and later conquests or annexations from neighboring states up to 1240. Key cities, battle sites with years, and the boundary of the sultanate in 1243 are marked. An inset map at upper right displays the broader Seljuq Empire and its protectorates around 1080, highlighting the Sultanate of Rum within the larger context of the Middle East and Central Asia.

This map shows the territorial expansion of the Ottoman Empire from 1300 to its greatest extent in 1683-99, highlighting different periods under rulers such as Mehmed II, Selim I, and Süleyman the Magnificent, and marking key cities, seas, and geographical boundaries in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

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Topics

Cabeiri Phoenicia Cappadocia Lydia ancient Middle East Phrygia Ionia Galatia Cilicia Little Armenia ʿAmūq

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Turkey: Introduction

Major Events

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Russo-Turkish wars

Kayaköy, Turkey: church

Greco-Turkish wars

Battle of Chāldirān monument

Battle of Chāldirān

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Jelālī Revolts

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Syrian Wars

The Easter Story

First Council of Ephesus

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Treaty of Sèvres

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War of the Brothers

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Galatia

ancient district, Turkey

Miletus: Greco-Roman theatre

Miletus

ancient city, Turkey

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Lycia

ancient district, Turkey

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Bithynia

ancient district, Anatolia

Kayseri, Turkey: courtyard of the Sultanhanı caravansary

Kayseri

Turkey

Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

Halicarnassus

ancient city, Turkey

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Pontus

ancient district, Turkey

Caria

Caria

ancient district, Anatolia

Asia (Roman province)

Asia

ancient Roman province

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Isauria

ancient district, Turkey

Aphrodisias, Turkey

Aphrodisias

ancient city, Turkey

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Gordium

ancient city, Turkey

Aspendus

Aspendus

ancient city, Turkey

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Aeolis

ancient cities, Greece

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Paphlagonia

ancient district, Anatolia

Key People

Caravaggio: The Conversion of St. Paul (second version)

St. Paul the Apostle

Christian Apostle

Pompey

Pompey the Great

Roman statesman

Engraving of Ibn Battuta in Egypt, standing on a decorated stone block with another man, overlooking ancient Egyptian columns and palm trees in the background.

Ibn Battuta

Muslim explorer and writer

Galen of Pergamum

Galen

Greek physician

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St. Irenaeus

bishop of Lyon

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Apollonius of Perga

Greek mathematician

Ramon Llull.

Ramon Llull

Catalan mystic

Anaxagoras

Anaxagoras

Greek philosopher

Justinian II

Justinian II

Byzantine emperor

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Meïr

Jewish rabbi and scholar

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Taceddin Ahmedi

Turkish author

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Aydın Dynasty

Turkmen dynasty

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Theodotus The Gnostic

Gnostic philosopher

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Candar Dynasty

Turkish dynasty

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Eretna dynasty

dynasty, Anatolia

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Saruhan Dynasty

Turkmen dynasty

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Ramazan Dynasty

Turkmen dynasty

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Eşref Dynasty

Turkmen dynasty

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Peregrinus Proteus

Greek philosopher

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Tribonian

Byzantine legal scholar

Temple of Artemis at Jerash, Jordan. (Jarash, Jordan)

Ancient Anatolia