Turkey Art and Culture


	You can sense the splendor of the Hittite Empire. Remains from the Greek and Roman Empires in Turkey known for its intensity and the quality, particularly in the southern Mediterranean coast, Gives feeling that you have traveled through a time-machine reached in the Hellenistic Era. The lasting artistic and architectural pieces provide us with information about the day by day life of the ancient Greek and Roman.

	Most of the cities have museums preserve the artifacts, such as sculptural reliefs, statues, ornaments, domestic utensils, frescoes and mosaics. Besides these, the ruins of the period still standing, exhibit their treasures as an open-air museum. The most memorable of these are; Pergamum, on the Aegean coast, with its wide streets bordered by Corinthian Temple of Aphrodite, and Ephesus, columns, with its amphitheaters, and with its world famous Temple of Artemis; one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.

	The Roman Empire had been divided into East and West By the 4th-century, and Christianity was firmly rooted in both, giving rise to the numerous churches and monasteries spread all over the country. Cappadocia above all, displays magnificent examples of these monuments, carved into rock and decorated with decorated frescoes. The Byzantine churches have their own style that is an mixing of Roman and oriental influences and they are termed as "basilica". The great Saint Sophia In Istanbul, built during the reign of emperor Justinian, is the largest Christian basilica on earth. Its inside is marble and decorated with mosaics of rich colors like deep blue and red. The Sumela Monastery near Trabzon is another important Byzantine ruin.

	In 1071, The Seljuk Turks won a decisive victory over the Byzantine Empire and from then on, the Turkish presence in Anatolia was permanent. The Seljuks brought with them new artistic elements from Asia. The outstanding characteristics of the Seljuk architecture were tall gateways with ornamental stalactites, ogival archways and ceramic tiling.

	After the Seljuks, world famous Ottoman Empire rule came they contributed considerably to Turkish art and architecture. They built mosques with rich, elaborate interiors. The Green Mosque in Bursa hold all the characteristics of the Ottoman art and architecture, its tiles are very specific of the age and Ottoman artistic style. After the Ottomans took over Istanbul, they contribute the great architect Mimar Sinan, to the architectural world. His mosques, among which Suleymaniye in Istanbul and Selimiye in Edirne are the most famous, are masterpieces in themselves. Precious examples of Ottoman arts and crafts, such as tile-making, carpet weaving, miniature and many other arts, are exhibited in the Turkish Islamic Arts Museum and in Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.