The geodetic velocity and strain rate patterns in Anatolia constrain the rheology of the lithosphere, once compared with thin shell finite element tectonic model predictions. Geodetic and modeled deformation favors a hard lithospheric rheology, responsible for the high East-West horizontal velocities in the center of Anatolia, between 39¿--41¿N, in proximity of the North Anatolian Fault. The block like behavior of Anatolia, due to the hard lithospheric rheology, is responsible for the low geodetic and modeled strain rates in the center of the peninsula. The low strain rate is well correlated with the region of low release of seismic energy between 33¿--36¿E and 38¿--40¿N. The high seismic and geodetic strain rate region in the far west part of the NAF is also well reproduced by the modeling.