کوثر

Turkey and Iran both have a very long history and the territory they are presiding over have been home to many culturally and ethnically distinct groups of people.  Even though Iran is twice as bigger than Turkey, Turkey’s population is a little higher than that of Iran’s.  Their proximity to each other have given them some similar topography; i.e. both countries posses considerable amount of mountains and are subject to frequent earthquakes, which have cost each country with substantial amount of deaths.  Similarly, both Turkey and Iran posses a diversity of climate conditions.  Even though Iran is twice as big as Turkey, the latter has slightly higher population.  While Turkey is one of the world’s few self-sufficient in basic food, Iran is among the world’s leaders in its reserves of oil and natural gas.[1]

 Turkey has been a home to many different groups of people since seventh century B.C..  The first nomadic Turkish tribe came from Central Asia and invaded parts of Anatolia in the eleventh century.  By the time the Turkish arrived, Anatolia had already sheltered many civilizations, such as Hittite, Thracian, Hellenistic, and Byzantine.  Every time the area was conquered, the successors imposed their own language and way of life while at the same time have assimilated the customs of their subjects.  The first Turkish tribe, the Seljucks, brought their language and Islam to Anatolia.  The place has also been a home to Ottoman Empire, which became a world empire and controlled millions of people.  World War One, which ended the era of Ottoman Empire, had given rise to the establishment of the modern Turkish Republic in 1923.[2]  Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, an ex-Ottoman commander, asserted his leadership during the War of Independence and successfully combated against the internal traditionalist opposition and foreign intervention.

 The most important figure in the newly formed Turkish Republic was, and still is, Mustafa Kemal.  After independence was firmly established, Kemal was legally elected and he attempted to implant in Turkey the institutions and attitudes that would enable full fledged democracy to flourish under his successors.  He was a fervent admirer of Western institutions and attitudes, and he was determined to mold his new republic in the image of the West.[3]