Throughout history, the Middle East has often been the focus of journalists' attention. One Middle Eastern country that has not been exempt from this is Turkey. Turkey has not only been a focal point, but also has had a very long and complicated history. The history of Türkiye is very long and detailed. Turkey was originally settled by groups of farmers probably thousands of years ago. Today historians call these people the Hittites. During their time, the Hittites were ruled by kings and their high officials were buried in shaft tombs. Shortly after the arrival of the Hittites, the Indo-Europeans moved into the area and formed the Hittite kingdom, with its capital at Hattusa. The kingdom survived for hundreds of years. However, environmental changes, migrations of new people, and a weak government brought an end to the kingdom. After the fall of the Hittite kingdom, Assyrians and Persians conquered the country and founded the kingdom of Lydia. But this reign did not last long, as Alexander the Great conquered the Persians at the Battle of Issus in 333 BC to reclaim the land. In 63 BC, the Roman general Pompey conquered the territory and it became part of the massive Roman Empire. In 330 AD, Constantine, the emperor of the Roman Empire, moved the capital of the Empire from Rome, to the city of Byzantium, in modern-day Türkiye. Byzantium changed its name to Constantinople when Constantine converted to Christianity. The Roman Empire split in 395 AD and the Byzantine Empire continued to rule the country. During the early 1000s, the Seljuk Turks became one of the first Islamic peoples to rule in modern Türkiye. The Seljuk Turks began to replace the area's Greek language and Christian religion with the Turkish language and Islamic religion. The Seljuks......middle of paper......after the fall of the Byzantine Empire. This religion focuses on the religious book, the Quran. People of this religion pray to God Allah and must follow the five pillars of Islam. The five pillars of Islam say that you should pray five times a day every day, know that Allah is the one and only God, give charity to the poor, fast during Ramadan and visit Mecca at least once in your life. If a Muslim does this, he will go to heaven and be with Allah for eternity. The country of Türkiye has a long and detailed history. Turkey has not had many religions, but it has had many rulers, most of whom came with a new government. Türkiye's geography can be beneficial for Turks, but it can also be very harmful for them. Turkey is one of the most influential countries in the Middle East and has been for thousands of years.