Turkey
Hi and welcome back guys, thank you so much for visiting this blog again. So this second post of mine is about this unique country. Can't wait to read? Well, just sit back and relax. I hope you guys will enjoy reading this post. wink ;)
Have you ever heard people
talking about ‘City of Flora and Fauna’? I bet you must be thinking of this
traveller’s favourite country; Turkey. Yes? 10 points for you. It’s true. Turkey
is very popular among the nature lovers around the world. You could spend a
life time discovering Turkey or perhaps more appropriately TURK-key, not only
with your couple but also your family members, your friends or just by
yourself, and you still have a lifetime left to discover. There’s so much history,
culture, liveliness, and not to forget – foods. The list is endless. But if you
still need convincing, here’s exactly why you will fall in love with Turkey and
also the Turk’s culture.
HISTORY AND ETHNIC RELATIONS
Turkey has become one the most
visited country in the world. It also tops the list of dream vacation place of
mine. It shouldn’t surprise you that the effortlessly gorgeous, charming, and
enraptured views. There’s so much to see beyond the capital of Turkey; Ankara. Why
is Ankara the capital of Turkey, and not Istanbul? Here goes the story.
During the early stages of the
Turkish War of Independence, Kemal commanded two army corps: One in Ankara and
one in Erzurum. At first Erzurum was Kemal's base of operations, but on 27
December, 1919 he moved his Representative Committee to Ankara to be closer to
Istanbul.
Ankara also had a railway and
being roughly at the center of Turkey made more sense as a capital
logistically. Eskişehir, which also had a railway and was close to Istanbul,
was either very near the border or occupied by the Triple Entente and its
proxies during various stages of the war.
In April 1920, Kemal established
a parliament in Ankara, officially making the city his capital. After the
nationalist victory in 1923 and the overthrow of the Sultanate, moving the
capital back to Istanbul didn't make much sense. Kemal enjoyed popular support
throughout Turkey, but it was in Ankara - his war capital - where his support
was the strongest. In contrast, there were still remnants of Ottoman elements
in Istanbul, who may have tried to sabotage the new regime if given the chance.
Furthermore, the city's position
in the middle of the Rumeli (west) and Anadolu (east) territories allowed for
more efficient central control of the young Republic. Also, having the capital
as far away from the Republic's enemies (Greece, mainly) as possible was
certainly a bonus.
Lastly, keeping the capital in
Ankara certainly had symbolic value. Kemal had dissolved a six hundred old
empire and was attempting to revamp the entirety of Turkish culture. Moving back
to the old capital wouldn't have helped that cause, while keeping the new
capital sent a strong signal that this was a new era for Turkey.
Well, Ankara certainly has a lot
to offer the travellers and you should certainly be visited at least once in
your life.
Only Christian Armenians,
Orthodox Greeks, and Jews were allowed to maintain their religious and
educational institutions after the post-World War I Treaty of Laussane. The only
non-Turkish languages taught in public schools since 1999 have been western
European languages and Arabic.
A growing number of Kurds, Since
the 1970s, have rediscovered their non-Turkish roots, based in part on Kurdish,
an Indo-European language related to Persian. The Prosecutors often arrest
Kurdish speakers and confiscate Kurdish publications under the Anti-Terror Law,
which prohibits the dissemination of separatist propaganda although the use of
Kurdish in public speech and print has been legal since 1991. Also, prosecutors
have used other parts of the criminal code to limit ethnic expression. In 1999,
Kurdish-language broadcasts remained illegal. A corporation then established to
promote the Kurdish language and culture, was banned in 1997 by the provincial
governor. In 1997, the governor's office in Istanbul refused the Kurdish
Culture and Research Foundation permission to offer Kurdish-language classes.
EVENTS AND FESTIVALS IN TURKEY
Turkey is home to events and
festivals. Most popular music festivals, nightlife events, sport and outdoors
events, cultural festivals, national and religious festivals, lifestyle events,
wonderful Turkish festivals and more. You guys have to always keep up to date
on what is happening in Turkey. A visit to Turkey at any time of the year can
include a matchless experience of art, music, culture or folklore.
Classical Music Festival
Turkey is home to the world's
most incredible classical music festivals and events for music lovers. If you
want to listen to some of the most incredible classical music in the world and
enjoy then you will want to attend the international classical music festivals
in Turkey.
Classical Music Events
Turkey is home to the world's
most important classical music festivals and events. Plenty of classical music
festivals are held in Turkey every year. Along with music festivals of local
scale held in almost every city of the country, cultural events and other
festivals of international reach are also organized in major metropolitan
centers such as Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya and Ankara.
Major Centers of the Classical
Music Festivals
If you love classical music,
Turkey has a festival experience for you.
Istanbul is absolutely the most
important center of the classical music festivals. In the summer, a number of
music events are held in Istanbul. Many of these festivals are organized by and
associated with prominent names in Turkey's private sector.
Antalya is home to another
important opera, ballet and classical music festivals in Turkey.
Izmir is notable for hosting the
oldest festival activity in Turkey, within the frame of multi theme Izmir
International Fair held in the first days of September, a depending company of
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality.
Also Ankara, the capital city of
Turkey is home to international music festival, one of the finest cultural
events.
LIFESTYLE EVENTS
Lifestyle events, fairs and
festivals in Turkey. Always stylish, lifestyle events in Turkey include
fashion, music, food, drink and healthy markets.
Lifestyle Events and Festivals
Lifestyle events in Turkey are a
quirky mix. From international fairs to Turkish traditional festivals, Turkey
hosts many events with global reach.
Looking for new market trends or
buying luxury products, unique and exclusive, the lifestyle Turkish events has
it all. There are remarkable events stored for all ages and groups, leisure and
business sectors. From home decor to fashion, sports to education, food to
entertainment, lifestyle events in Turkey deliver an exceptional experience for
the visitors.
Stylish Lifestyle Events
Watch mega yachts sail out of
Marmaris Harbour, wine tasting events, chef competitions and cocktail parties
add glamour to the main show. Discover new and established Turkish designers at
fashion festivals in Istanbul. Or be a part of gateway to the luxury lifestyle
with the world's most desired brands in Istanbul.
Also you will find plenty of ways
to sate your culture cravings in Turkey. Explore International Fair in Izmir is
one of the most popular destinations of Turkey or experience a celebration of
coffee culture tasting variety of flavours at the Istanbul Coffee Festival.
You can catch everything from
international fairs to traditional culture festivals here.
FOOD AND ECONOMY
Food in daily life
BOREK
Borek is a pastry made of many
thin layers of dough interspersed with cheese, spinach, and/or ground meat.
KEBAB
Kebab is the common word for meat roasted in pieces or slices on a
skewer or as meatballs on a grill.
DOLMA
Dolma is the generic name for dishes made of
vegetables (e.g., tomatoes and peppers) and leaves (e.g., grape, cabbage, and
eggplant) that are stuffed with or wrapped around rice or bulgur pilaf, ground meat, and spices.
SOURDOUGH BREAD
Sourdough bread eaten with almost every
meal.
TRADITIONAL CLOTHES
Traditional clothes and finery provide considerable information about
the workings of a society. Clothes indicate whether societies are settled or
nomadic, and are a source of information about historical events and
ethnological origins. For example, in Yöruk or Turkoman villages, one can tell
whether a woman is engaged, married or a widow from the way in which she does
her hair.
Daily, work and special day clothes are different. Hair styles during a
wedding and after the bridal chamber differ. In markets, it is easy to identify
which village people live in just from their clothes.
Today in Anatolia, there are differences even between the clothing worn
in different neighborhoods of the same village.
It is therefore inadvisable for the art historian, sociologist, folk
dance arranger or designer to speak in terms of "Traditional Turkish
costume.”
Research led by sociologists from the Folk Culture Research and
Development General Directorate of the Ministry of Culture has revealed that
Anatolia possesses a wide range of clothing.
Men who leave their villages to do their military service or to take up
employment inevitably adapt to city culture. Field research therefore faces
problems when it comes to defining men’s clothing. But in rural areas, women
generally have little contact with the outside world. They tend to dress in
conformity with the lifestyle and traditions of the community of which they are
a part. Dress and decoration tends to follow that of preceding generations.
Children’s clothes also differ according to sex and age. The concept of the
evil eye is widespread, and one can observe many amulets to ward it off in peoples’
clothes and hair.
In conservative communities, each generation follows the clothing styles
and customs of earlier generations, which is how traditional clothing and
styles have come down to the present day. Yet it is nevertheless impossible to
say that traditional clothing and finery are totally unchanging. The materials
employed certainly do change, and the efforts put into clothes are no longer as
painstaking as before. Contemporary conditions create different styles, and
interaction between different fashions is quite intense.
In rural areas, women spend most of their time with working. As a
result, their daily, work and special day clothes are different. Special
costumes and hair dressings are only to be seen at wedding ceremonies. Women’s
hair styles differ in accordance with their social status, and whether they are
married or engaged, or not. Hair style is an important feature of women’s
lives.
The Ministry of Culture, HAGEM, has published the research into these
differences in clothing and finery carried out by researchers in the Physical
Culture Department.
Clothes and finery are a concept of physical culture and are part of
thew way that popular culture changes, and are also affected by that same
process of change.
HAGEM has an important place in Turkish culture, possesses a large
collection of photographs and slides institutions, and assists individuals and
institutions with their research.
Information gathered from field studies in the provinces of Bursa,
Manisa, Sivas, Aydın, Gaziantep, Corum has been published in a catalogue.
Different villages from each region were visited and their special clothes and
finery identified. 1/1 scale copies were drawn, and these appear in the
catalogue on a scale of 1/5.
Within the framework of this study, research into clothing in 25
provinces has been carried out. Work to have it published is continuing.
TRADITIONAL GAMES
A game called “Kör Çebiş”
(blind goat), played in Ankara and Muğla, or “Kör Çebis “(blind dog) in Thrace.
In colloquial Turkish, it is also called “Körebe.” Here comes the game’s
explanation written on the club’s site by a user from Ankara: “It is played by
about five to 10 children. At the beginning of the game, one person is chosen
to be ‘it,’ and then the eyes of that kid are covered with a kind of blindfold.
When the game starts, the person who is ‘it’ -- the blindfolded person -- tries
to catch the other kids. If someone is caught, that child becomes the new ‘it’
and the game starts over. Every child in Turkey knows this game!”
That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Yes, because this game is played all
around the world. For instance, it is known as “Blind Bock” in Sweden,
“Blinde-buk” in Denmark or “Blinde Kuh” in Germany -- all meaning more or less
the same: blind goat or cow.
The villagers explain the name by saying that
the blind man is like a goat with its hair falling over its eyes.
Mangala
Another very speedy and strategic two-player game is called Mangala. The
objective is to get your counterpart’s stones or pebbles out of small holes in
the earth. According to Andy, this game has been popular in Turkey since the
beginnings of the Ottoman Empire. Today, it is particularly famous in some
areas of southeast Anatolia, like Gaziantep.
“Yüzük Oyunu” (Ring Game).
Last but not least is the guessing game “Yüzük Oyunu” (Ring Game). There
are 11 coffee cups on a tray, one of which has a ring under it. There are two
teams. The first team hides the ring under one of the inverted cups. Their
opponents try to guess what cup the ring is hidden under. Points are
distributed according to how many tries are needed to find the ring.
Well, winner takes all!
If you are interested to go for a honeymoon, vacation or holiday with family to Turkey, here are some options of the best hotel in Turkey. Click the link below and book the best
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