Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has pledged to "annihilate all terrorists," repeatedly comparing the security forces' operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to the War of Independence that led to the foundation of the Turkish Republic.

Turkey's first wax statue museum is in the central province of Eski?ehir. Mayor Y?lmaz Büyüker?en is the name behind all the statues in the museum as well as many others around the country When he's not busy running Eski?ehir, Mayor Y?lmaz Büyüker?en is known to dally in his other favorite pursuit: making wax sculptures.

Some historians give credit for the original idea of carving zones of influence out of the "sick man of Europe," the Ottoman Empire, to Sergey Sazanov, who was the Russian foreign minister before and during the First World War.

Turkey's top cleric has called for a restructuring of the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) in order to make it an "autonomous" body, during work to draft a new constitution, while he also stating that madrasas (Islamic seminaries) in Southeast Anatolia should have legal status in order to avoid exploitation by "terrorist" groups.

Some very important people, in an unaccustomed manner for those in the Justice and Development Party (AKP) flank, have started expressing their discomfort either by making statements, through electronic messages on social media or just by reappearing in public after months of seclusion.

Turkish novelist Ahmet Ümit, the writer of best-selling books including "Istanbul Hat?ras?" (A Memento for Istanbul), "Bab-I Esrar" (The Dervish Gate), "Kavim" (The Tribe) and "Patasana," this time will bring his story to life in ?zmir's Bergama district, which is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. 

The government does not have any plans to nationalize ?? Bank or any other lender, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet ?im?ek has said following controversial comments by an aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an earlier in January. 

When he passed away after a heart attack on Jan. 21 at the age of 55, Mustafa Koç was head of the top industrial group in Turkey. Koç Holdings, the only entry from Turkey in Fortune's Top 500, represents nearly 10 percent of the country's GDP, 14 percent of its total exports (45 percent of the country's total automotive exports) and employs more than 80,000 people.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will visit Turkey on Jan. 23 at a crucial time in the country's history. 

The legacy of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is still bitterly contested in today's Turkey. Approaching the centenary of the republic's establishment, the process of Westernization, secularization and modernization led by Turkey's nationalist founding father still provides the reference against which various political movements - whether sympathetic or antagonistic - define themselves.