True. Alexander the Great. Xerxes. Darius. Timur. Etc., etc., etc. I was talking to our guide when we were in Diyarbakir, and he started rattling off a list of conquerors who'd taken the city. Finally, I stopped him and said, "Wait a minute. How many times has this place changed hands?" He answered, "34." That's a lot of battles and conquests.