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Quiz: How well do you know Turkish history?

With a history spanning thousands of years, some of the oldest evidence of human civilisation can be found in the country
Empires have fought over the land that makes up Turkey for millennia (Public domain)
Par MEE staff

The land that we now call Turkey is home to some of the oldest remnants of civilisation ever found, and the ruins at Catalhoyuk contain evidence of a flourishing society that existed more than 9,000 years ago. 

Together with other parts of the Middle East, such as Iraq and Syria, the region is known as the "birthplace of civilisation" and it was here that humans first made the transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, to an agricultural and ultimately urban way of living.

In the thousands of years that followed, different civilisations came and went, each leaving their mark on the region. Anatolia was home to a number of ancient peoples, including the Hittites, Greeks, and Iranian tribes before the establishment of Christianity.

When the Romans adopted Christianity under Emperor Constantine, the region became central to the faith's development, hosting a number of councils that helped define the belief system as we know it today.

Later came Islam, first in the form of Arab incursions from the south and later through invasion and settlement by Turkic tribes. One of these groups, named the Ottomans after their patriarch, Osman, ruled the region for centuries.

A hundred years ago, the reign of the Ottomans came to an end, and a republic was set up under the command of Mustafa Kemal, later called Ataturk by the Turks.

In this quiz, Middle East Eye puts your knowledge of Turkey's vast history to the test.

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