YourHolidays - Fun Facts about Turkey

We have some interesting and fun facts about Turkey you might not know.

- Santa Claus was born in Patara, St Nicholas – the historical figure behind the man we know as Santa Claus – was born in Patara, Turkey in around 300 AD. 

- In 1503 Leonard da Vinci designed a bridge across the Golden Horn, the inlet of the Bosphorus that divides the city of Istanbul. The bridge was never built, although Turkish president Erdogan announced several years ago that a volunteer project was under way to finally realise Da Vinci’s plans.

- A common misconception is that Istanbul is the capital of Turkey, in fact, Ankara is the Turkish capital city.

- Noah’s Ark allegedly landed on Mount Ararat, many believe that Noah’s biblical ark arrived on the Ararato volcano.

- Istanbul spans accross two continents-Europe and Asia, it is a city divided in two by the mighty Bosphorus River. Istanbul's west bank lies on the European continent while the east bank is in Asia. You can walk between the two across the Galata bridge. 

- Only 3% of Turkey is in Europe, the vast majority of the country is on the Asian continent.

- The first ever Christian church was located in Antioch, Turkey. The Grotto of St Peter outside Antioch is believed to have been dug by Apostle Peter. This makes it the oldest place of Christian worship in the world.

- There are more than 30 languages in Turkey. Turkish is the official language of the country but more than 30 languages are spoken regularly including Arabic, Kurmanji and Zazaki to name a few.