Like the land that makes up this vast, contradictory landscape, Turkey straddles East and West, modern and traditional. But if Turks are having problems defining who they are, then foreigners are completely in the dark. The omission of some of civilizations’ most significant influences (Hittites, Selçuks, and Ottomans) in Western history books just feeds the emptiness of what Westerners know about Turkey. Considering the depth and breadth of what Turkey has to offer, this is shameful.