Turkey

Ottoman literature and court music were mostly religious, and both sound pompous and lugubrious to
Western ears. Visual arts were curtailed by the Muslim dictum that forbids representation of any
being 'with an immortal soul', so Islamic artists tended to the non-representative arts. Turkish
museums are full of delicate coloured tiles, graceful glass vases, carved wooden mosque doors,
glittering illuminated Korans, intricate jewellery and sumptuous costumes. Atatürk changed Turkey's
cultural picture overnight, encouraging representative painting, sculpture, literature, western
music (he loved opera), dance and drama. The introduction of a new Latin-based Turkish alphabet
brought literacy within reach of many more citizens and Ottoman courtly prose gave way to use of the
vernacular. Several Turkish writers, including Nazim Hikmet, Yashar Kemal and Orhan Pamuk have met
with critical and popular acclaim in Turkey and further afield. Recently, Ottoman arts such as paper
marbling and shadow-puppet plays have been enjoying a resurgence. Carpet-weaving is still a Turkish
passion.

Music

Folk music was (and still is) sprightly. Türkü music, of which you'll hear lots on the radio, is
traditional folk music with a modern urban slant. The 1000-year-old tradition of Turkish troubadours
has been wiped out by TV and cassettes, but the songs of the great troubadours are still popular and
often performed and recorded. The Turkish film industry began early, was fiesty through the 1920s,
expanded rapidly after WWII and delved into social and political issues through the 1960s and 70s.
Turkish cinema is characterised by honesty, naturalism and dry humour. Directors to look out for
include the fiery Yilmaz Güney, Tunç, Basaran, Zülfü and Ömer Kavur.

Language

Although Turkish is an elegantly simple language, the rules of word order and verb formation are
very different from Indo-European languages, making it somewhat difficult to learn. Verbs can be so
complex that they constitute whole sentences in themselves - try this one on for size:
Afyonkarahisarlilastiramadiklarimizdanmisiniz? ('Aren't you one of those people whom we tried -
unsuccessfully - to make resemble the citizens of Afyonkarahisar?') It's a lot easier to ask where
the toilets are!

Customs

Turkey is 99% Muslim, predominantly Sunni with some Shiites and Alevis in the east and southeast.
Many Turkish customs and practices are derived from Islamic practices. Etiquette demands that you
wear modest clothing and remove shoes when visiting mosques. In areas not frequented by tourists (or
anywhere you feel that conservative Islamic vibe) women should have head, arms and shoulders
covered, and wear modest dresses or skirts, preferably reaching to the knees. Avoid visiting mosques
at prayer time or on Friday, the Muslim holy day. Other Turkish customs are generally to do with
little politeness - even Turks complain how one can't even get out the door without 5 minutes of
formulaic civilities - but attempts to join in with these vestiges of courtly customs will delight
your Turkish hosts.

Many women complain about verbal and physical harassment in Turkey. Although it's not necessary to
be paranoid and let stupid hassles ruin your trip, it's as well to take a few precautions. At the
very least, keep your torso, legs and upper arms covered, especially as you travel farther east. You
might also consider wearing a wedding ring. When walking, look purposeful, ignore catcalls and steer
clear of lonely streets after dark. When eating out alone, ask for the aile salonu (family dining
room). Going out drinking by yourself is basically stupid.

Food & Drinks

Bring your belly to Turkey - it will thank you. Shish kebab (skewer-grilled lamb) is a Turkish
invention and you'll find kebapçis everywhere. Lamb and fish (which can be expensive) dishes are the
restaurant staples. If you're scrimping, the best cheap and tasty meal is Turkish pizza. Eggplant is
the number one vegetable: look out for imam bayildi ('the priest fainted'), a delicious stuffed
eggplant dish. Desserts are sweet (often honey-soaked) and tend to incorporate fruit, nuts and
pastry in tempting combinations. Vegetarians aren't much catered for, but you'll never starve -
making an entire meal from magnificent meze (hors d'oeuvres) is easy. The national drink is çay
(tea). Beer is served almost everywhere and Turkish wines are cheap and surprisingly good. Raki, an
aniseed-flavoured grape brandy, is the knockout tipple of choice.

Dances

Have a look at this pdf-file for information about the dance Iste Hendek

To read the file you need the free software Adobe Reader from Adobe or another pdf-viewer.
The Adobe Reader you can find on the homepage from Adobe under Support - Downloads.

National Anthem

To listen the national anthem click here.

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