Serbia has a rich cultural heritage influenced by its location at the crossroads of Eastern and Western civilization. Traces of ancient civilizations dating back over 6,500 years can be found along the Danube River. The Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire also left many cultural influences, including churches, monasteries, and art from the 12th century. Ottoman rule for 500 years impacted Serbian language, customs, cuisine and literature. Serbia's culture also includes traditions like Pirot carpets, folk costumes that vary by region, and licidersko srce souvenirs. The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet was developed in 1818 to write the Serbian language based on phonetics.