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Early Neolithic site in southeastern Turkey dated to 11000 years ago: Göbekli Tepe, Urfa New settlement discovered in Konya, Turkey, dating back 11,000 years Etruscans: Anatolian Italians? A recent DNA-based survey suggests the roots of Etruscans, a pre-Roman civilization in Italy, lie in Anatolia.

Saint Nicholas is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a saint and Bishop of Myra in Lycia, part of modern-day Turkey, lived between 270 - 6 December 346. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as is common for early Christian saints.

Fresco art, Christ Pantocrator inside hidden cave church of Cappadocia, Göreme Open Air Museum, UNESCO World Heritage Site in Turkey. The iconic image of Christ Pantocrator was one of the first images of Christ developed in the Early Christian Church and remains a central icon of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Fresco in the Church of St. Nicholas at Myra , originally uploaded by voyageAnatolia . Myra is an ancient town in Lycia, where the small town of Kale (Demre) is situated today in Antalya Province of Turkey. Saint Nicholas of Myra lived here. We know him today as Santa Claus ... More The earliest church of St. Nicholas at Myra was built in the 6th century. The present-day church was constructed mainly from the 8th century onward; a monastery was added in the second half of the 11th century ... More

Fresco Detail at Church of St. Nicholas at Myra , originally uploaded by voyageAnatolia.blogspot.com . Myra is an ancient town in Lycia, where the small town of Kale (Demre) is situated today in present day Antalya Province of Turkey. Saint Nicholas of Myra lived here. We know him today as Santa Claus.

Myra is an ancient town in Lycia, where the small town of Kale (Demre) is situated today in present day Antalya Province of Turkey. Saint Nicholas of Myra lived here. We know him today as Santa Claus.

The Chora Church (Turkish Kariye Müzesi, Kariye Camii, or Kariye Kilisesi — the Chora Museum, Mosque or Church) is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of a Byzantine church. The church is situated in the western, Edirnekapı district of Istanbul. In the 16th century, the church was converted into a mosque by the Ottoman rulers, and it became a secularised museum in 1948. The interior of the building is covered with fine mosaics and frescoes.