Anatolia, meaning 'east' or 'place of the rising sun', has been the center of numerous peoples and empires, from the ancient Hittites to Persia, ancient Greece, Rome, Byzantium, and finally the Ottoman Empire.
Located at the edge where the European and Asian continents meet, it is a place where numerous peoples have passed through since the beginning of human civilization.
From the ancient Hittites to Persia, ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantium, and the Ottoman Empire, they all made Anatolia, the border of the continent, the center of their empires.
Moreover, at the crossroads of Eastern and Western civilizations, it has sometimes been a space of conflict and confrontation, and at other times a space of harmony and communication.
Maybe that's why.
This is a place that anyone interested in the history of human civilization would like to visit at least once.


We visited major cities in the western and central regions of the Anatolian Peninsula, focusing on historical districts that retain the essence of Turkey's past.
And we also visited an Islamic mosque that was a bit unfamiliar to us.
The mosques we encounter in Turkey are holistic works of art, preserving aesthetic traditions and telling the history and culture of the city.
From Istanbul, the capital of two empires, to Izmir, the Ionian civilization embracing the Aegean Sea, to Antalya, a Mediterranean port city, to Konya, the city of Mevlana, and Ankara, the capital of the Turkish Republic and the city of Atatürk! This 40-day journey explores the Anatolian civilization.

The final turning point came in 1923, when the Ottoman Empire was defeated in World War I and was replaced by the Turkish Republic.
At this time, Turkey moved its capital to Ankara, freeing Istanbul from the heavy burden it had been carrying.
And today, Istanbul has become a city that is a 'large living museum' that preserves its ancient history.
Just because it's called a museum city doesn't mean it's a stuffed city.
Because Istanbul today is still a bustling, vibrant, and dynamic city.
The history of Istanbul 'began' in 1453 when it became the capital of the Ottoman Empire following the fall of the Byzantine Empire.
So, my first stop in Istanbul was the Historical Museum's Panorama 1453.
--- From "Panorama 1453-1453, The Beginning of Istanbul"

In the war of 1453, the Ottoman army also attempted to attack by sea, but was unable to break through.
Although the Byzantine navy was numerically smaller, it was far superior to the Ottoman navy.
What was more important was that the entrance to the Golden Horn was blocked by chains to prevent attacks.
So Mehmet II takes extraordinary measures.
The boat was taken overnight to Galata Hill to enter the Golden Horn.
The Byzantine garrison, which had been attacked unexpectedly, suffered such a blow that it had to deploy all of its already insufficient forces.
But at that time, Osman was unable to break through here.

--- From "Theodosian Walls and the Golden Horn - Yes, We Are in Istanbul Now"

The wonders of Hagia Sophia are not explained by the dome and arches alone.
Yes, that's right, those are the countless windows that decorate the ceiling.
Hagia Sophia has 40 windows along a circular border under the central dome, 12 large windows in the great arched walls on the north and south sides, and smaller windows in the semi-domes and the lower domes below them.
The sunlight streaming in here mysteriously illuminates the vast and magnificent space composed of domes and arches.
It is the result of man-made structures meeting nature to create a wondrous moment.

--- From "Hagia Sophia - A Space Open to Heaven"

Because the road we are standing on is Arcadian Street, which leads to the port.
Now, the middle of the road is off-limits, but beyond the signpost, several pillars still stand on either side of the road.
At that time, the columns would have formed an arcade with shops and roofs.
The streets welcoming visitors to Ephesus were splendidly decorated, and it is said that the shops in the arcades were lit up at night with about 50 bonfires.
I briefly imagined the past in the vanished landscape.

--- From "Ephesus Ruins - Historical Imagination Comes to Life in an Ancient City"

“The Mediterranean is a miracle,” said historian John Julius Norwich.
At first I thought it was an exaggeration to say that seeing the sea was a miracle, but I think I can understand what Norwich is saying.
The Mediterranean Sea we see today has created and sometimes destroyed many civilizations.
And the civilization of that time still has an influence today.
The Egyptian civilization with its giant pyramids, the splendid Greco-Roman civilization, and the Palestinian civilization, the birthplace of the world's three major religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, all began in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.
The southern coast of Anatolia was a major area through which these civilizations passed.
The reason nomads who came from the east on horseback once boarded ships was to take control of the Mediterranean Sea.
And they finally took control of this sea and established a great empire.
Their descendants are today's Turks.
--- From "Konyaalt Beach - Walking along the Mediterranean Beach"

There were huge mountains to overcome before that.
It was the Taurus Mountains, one of the central mountain ranges of Turkey.
The Taurus Mountains extend from the Teke Peninsula in Antalya, in the southwestern part of the Anatolian Peninsula, across the Syrian border, to the northern border of Mesopotamia.
It is a mountain range that runs between the Anatolian Plateau and the Mediterranean Sea.
The Taurus Mountains, whose name means 'Taurus', are so rugged that many of them are over 3,000 meters above sea level.

--- From "Encounter with an Unfamiliar Landscape"

We needed time to collect our emotions after watching the Sema dance.
Of course, the Sema dance we just saw was not entirely a religious ritual, as it was a patterned ritualistic act for the audience.
But despite it being such a conscious act, the image of the Semazens spinning around and hoping to be led by something remained in my mind.
On the way back to my accommodation, I kept thinking about the Sema performance I had seen earlier.
I paused for a moment and looked around, and the Khubei Hadra of the Mevlana Museum was shining brightly before my eyes.
We paid homage to that green dome.
--- From "Mevlana Cultural Center - Gestures Toward Unity with God"

It is the prototype of the worship of Kybele, the patron goddess of Anatolia, which led to the worship of Artemis in Ephesus.
Next, there was a deer statue symbolizing a Hittite god and a bronze cauldron excavated from Gordion in the Phrygian kingdom, which was astonishing in its beautiful decoration and elaborate craftsmanship.
Looking at various relics, I felt that artistic techniques had already been perfected before the Common Era.
--- From "Museum of Anatolian Civilizations - Seeing the Civilization of Anatolia"

Orhan Pamuk said that life would not be so bad if only we could take a walk along the Bosphorus.
We also found solace in seeing the Bosphorus every day during our stay in Istanbul.
And standing by this sea, it felt as if this place, where many civilizations had clashed, was still alive and moving.
The Bosphorus Bridge was visible in the distance.
I couldn't help but laugh.
In the end, I couldn't cross that bridge.
But I thought it would be okay to leave at least one.
That way, there will be a reason to come back again someday.

--- From "Epilogue"