Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-167

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (October 13, 2025) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we’re talking Turkey, but not the Thanksgiving kind of turkey.   

TURKEY

Modern Turkey occupies Asia minor, a land of many ancient and modern tribes and nations.

People lived in this area approximately 40-50,000 years, despite being somewhat arid and inhospitable.  Gobekli Tepe, a well-constructed town, was inhabited starting 12,000 years ago.  Troy, was built 4,500 years ago.  Then the Hittites came and they changed little.

The Greek came and established many towns, including Ephesus, and today’s Istanbul.

Eventually the Ottoman Empire emerged, taking lands in Asia to Persia, in Africa to today’s Libya and in Europe to western Hungary, thanks to the Hungarians keeping them off the steps of Vienna.

Eventually their power base shrunk, and the Ottoman Empire dissolved, giving way to modern Turkey.  Turkey as we know it today was formed in 1923 and its capital established at Ankara on October 13, 1823.

Black’s map of most of the Ottoman Empire in 1892 is shown here.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.