Turkey is a contiguous transcontinental country, located mostly on Western Asia, and Southeastern Europe. Turkey's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance.

Turkey has been inhabited since the paleolithic age. After Alexander the Great's conquest, the area was Hellenized, which continued with the Roman rule and the transition into the Byzantine Empire. The Seljuk Turks began migrating into the area in the 11th century, starting the process of Turkification.  Starting from the late 13th century, the Ottoman beylik created an empire encompassing much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, becoming a major power in Eurasia and Africa during the early modern period. After the Ottoman Empire collapsed following its defeat in World War I, parts of it were occupied by the victorious Allies. The Turkish War of Independence, initiated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his colleagues, resulted in the establishment of the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923, with Atatürk as its first president.

Turkey, with a population of over 76 million people, is a democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic with a diverse cultural heritage. The country's official language is Turkish spoken natively by approximately 85% of the population. Turks constitute 70% of the population. The vast majority of the population is Muslim.

I visited and photographed in Turkey in the Fall of 2013,  We started our trip in Istanbul and then went east, into Asia.  Our eastern-most area was Cappadocia before returning to Istanbul.