History and Geography of Asia Minor: Exploring the Legacy of Anatolia

Asia Minor is also known as Anatolia, and is currently the Asian section of Turkey. It has a privileged position as the focal point between the continents of Europe and Asia. This has paved the way for the invasion and migration of many people to other continents, Asia Minor shares a northern border with the Black Sea, bordered by the southern Mediterranean, with a western border with the Aegean Sea, bordered by the Caucasus on the north-east, and shares a southeastern border with Greater Syria, The eastern side defies Behold, the Iranian plateau and the Caucasus.

The earliest evidence of population presence in the Asia Minor region dates back to the Akkadian family. Asia Minor at that time was known as Hatti, and the Hittites lived there, and they used it to refer to the lands extending from the Keyster Delta at But the name is now called all the territory of the Asia Minor region. Aswa is the linguistic origin of the Bronze Age for the name of Asia. Later, the Romans called it Anatolia, meaning the Rising Sun. The name Asia Minor was derived from the Greek word 'Micra Asia'. Throughout the history of Asia Minor, many cities and kingdoms have been established: Karya, Phrygia, Armenia, Assyria, Eloya, Pessidia, Lydia, Pithania, Thrace, Silikia, Orarto, It has led to the emergence of many achievements associated with the peoples settled in these cities and kingdoms within Asia Minor, and its territory is the site of two ancient wonders of the world, the Temple of Artemis and the tomb of Mussolus. The land of Asia Minor saw a remarkable stability after the arrival of the Romans; They contributed to the establishment and establishment of many cities and towns But after the fall of Rome in 476 AD and the arrival of Islam in Asia Minor, the Byzantines decided to fight the Muslims in those lands. These wars continued until the arrival of the Seljuks of the Turks who took control of Asia Minor since 1068 AD Until 1299 AD, when Asia Minor became one of the regions of the Ottoman Empire, and remained so until the founding of the Turkish state.

The Geography of Asia Minor

Asia Minor has a relatively complex set of geological features, centered on a center with ponds and blocks of sedimentary rocks, which emerge as a plateau with a range of rugged features, located between two sets of mountains that converge together on the east, In Asia Minor, the beaches along the coasts of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea are rare and the appearance of sloping or flat lands is rare, but they appear in some geographical locations such as some inland plains, Buyuk Menderes rivers, Wadi Jedis, Shukurova, and other sites, and divide the geographical areas in Asia Minor to the following:

The Black Sea region has a coastline that contains a group of sharp rocks, as well as trans boundary valleys that extend from the coastal areas, and also the mountains on the northern side of Anatolia, a mountain chain with several elevations parallel to the coast of the Black Sea, Large, sloping slopes of the Pontiac Mountains, whose tributaries flow into different basins of their sizes, while the upper cliffs that face the southwest are often wet.

In the Mediterranean region, the coastal plains, which form the area separating the Taurus Mountains and the Anatolian Plateau, are fertile and warm. This contributes to being suitable for planting many types of crops, such as bananas, grapes , Wheat, vegetables, barley, etc.

The Anatolian plateau stretches in central Asia Minor, from the coastal plain of the Aegean Sea to the area between the folded mountains. The plateau has a variation of its height from 600 to 1200 km. The Konya Basin and the Tuz Gulu Basin, Are located on the Anatolian plateau, and a group of mountains is located near the coast of the plateau, contributing to the prevention of the effects that lead to an increase in the area of inland land, which gives the internal Turkish regions a continental climate.

On the eastern side of Anatolia, the Taurus Mountains and the Puntos Mountains meet. The eastern Anatolia region is characterized by rugged terrain with several altitudes, with heavier rainfall than in the Anatolian plateau, and three riverbeds, the Aras River flowing from the side The Euphrates and the Tigris rivers, which flow south towards Iraq before they blow into the Arabian Gulf. The south-eastern part of Anatolia, south of the Taurus Mountains, has a plateau of hills and hills, To land Syria, and then start to rise gradually, starting at about 800 m in the north and decreasing in the south to 500 m, and the most important crops of basic crops barley and wheat, and the emergence of specialized irrigation projects in the eighties in the development of the agricultural environment of this region. 

To sum up,  Asia Minor, also known as Anatolia, is a large peninsula in Western Asia. It is located between the Black Sea to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Aegean Sea to the west. The region is primarily made up of present-day Turkey, with smaller parts of it extending into neighboring countries such as Greece, Georgia, and Armenia. Asia Minor has a rich history and culture, having been home to many ancient civilizations such as the Hittites, Persians, Greeks, and Romans.