Since prehistory, Anatolia has been a crossroads of civilization. It has been a region of frequent migration, travel, and conquest. Some of the oldest evidence of human existence can be found in caves of Anatolia. It is a region that is rich in natural resources and is in a strategic location to access both Europe and Asia. It is the most convenient route between the east and west.
The region known as Anatolia has been home to the Old Assyrian Empire, Hittites, Ionian Greeks, Mycenaean Greeks, and Phrygian empires. It is a land of ancient myth and legend. It has been occupied by the Romans, early Christians, Byzantines, and Jewish Populations. Anatolia has been a land of war and dispute. Each of these cultures left its mark on what would later develop into modern Turkish culture.
Anatolia would also see conquests by the Persians, Arabs, the Crusades, and Mongols. It would be home to the rise and fall of great empires, including the Seljuks and the Great Ottoman Empire. For the most part, the central area remained more stable, with the major conflicts occurring on the outskirts of the territory. These cultures intermixed and had an influence on the traditional crafts of the area.