TURKISH
Language of the month
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a transcontinental parliamentary republic in
Eurasia, mainly on the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on
the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary,
constitutional republic with a diverse cultural heritage.
Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Greece to the west; Bulgaria to the northwest;
Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and Iran to
the east; and Iraq and Syria to the south. The Aegean Sea is to the west, the Black Sea
to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Bosphorus, the Sea of
Marmara, and the Dardanelles, which together form the Turkish Straits, divide Thrace
and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.[10] Turkey's location between
Europe and Asia has retained its geopolitical and strategic importance throughout
history.
Capital
Largest city
Official languages
Ankara
Istanbul
Turkish
The Alphabet
Numbers
Months
of the
year in
Turkish
English
Turkish
January
Ocak
February
Şubat
March
Mart
April
Nisan
Monday
Pazartesi
May
Mayis
Tuesday
Salı
June
Haziran
Wednesday
Çarşamba
July
Temmuz
Thursday
Perşembe
August
Ağustos
Friday
Cuma
September
Eylül
Saturday
Cumartesi
October
Ekim
Sunday
Pazar
November
Kasım
December
Aralýk
Days of the week in Turkish
Common phrases in Turkish
History
Prehistory of Anatolia and Eastern Thrace
■ The Anatolian peninsula, comprising most of modern Turkey, is one of the oldest
permanently settled regions in the world. Various ancient Anatolian populations
have lived in Anatolia, from at least the Neolithic period until the Hellenistic period.
Antiquity and Byzantine period
Seljuks and the Ottoman Empire
Istanbul is a major city in Turkey that
straddles Europe and Asia across the
Bosphorus Strait. Its Old City reflects
cultural influences of the many
empires that once ruled here. In the
Sultanahmet district, the open-air,
Roman-era Hippodrome was for
centuries the site of chariot races,
Turkey/Population
and Egyptian obelisks also remain.
74.93 million (2013)
The iconic Byzantine Hagia Sophia
features a soaring 6th-century dome
and rare Christian mosaics.
Religion in Turkey
■ Islam is the largest religion in Turkey
according to the state, with 99.8% of the
population being automatically registered by
the state as Muslim, for anyone whose
parents are not of any other officially
recognised religion, while other sources give a
little lower estimate of 96.4%. Due to the
nature of this method, the official number of
Muslims include people with no religion;
converted Christians/Judaists; people who
are of a different religion than Islam,
Christianity or Judaism; and anyone who is of
a different religion than their parents, but has
not applied for a change of their individual
records. The state currently does not allow
the individual records to be changed to
anything other than Islam, Christianity or
Turkey's most recognizable religious building, the
Judaism, and the latter two are only accepted
Hagia Sophia. Originally a church, later a mosque, with a document of recognition released by
and now a museum, was built in Istanbul in the 6th an officially recognised church or synagogue.
century.
Turkish cuisine
■ In the hot Turkish summer, a meal often consists of fried vegetables such as eggplant (aubergine)
and peppers or potatoes served with yogurt or tomato sauce. Menemen and çılbır are typical
summer dishes, based on eggs. Sheep cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelons and melons
also make a light summer meal.
Turkish dishes on a "sini", or
large tray, that used to be
used in the rural areas as a
traditional alternative to a
table.
Simit is a circular bread with
sesame seeds. Common
breakfast item in Turkey.
Turkish sweets
■ In Turkey, dessert is often a
social ritual, a course meant to
be shared. At any time of day or
night, friends can be found
congregating to sip Turkish
coffee or tea from dainty
glasses, and should you care to
accompany that beverage with
a roll, pastry, or snack, there's
much to choose from. Baklava
is just the tip of the iceberg!
■
Here's a look at some of the
most popular desserts you'll
find.
Turkish sweets
Baklava
Turkish Delight
Turkish Sweets in Spice
Bazaar, Istanbul City, Turkey
Turkish sweets at the Grande Bazaar
Turkish tea
Turkish tea is full-flavored and too strong to be served in
large cups thus it's always offered in little tulip-shaped
glasses which you have to hold by the rim to save your
fingertips from burning because it's served boiling hot. You
can add sugar in it but no milk, and you can have it either
lighter (weaker) or darker (stronger) depending on your taste
because Turkish tea is made by pouring some very strong
tea into the glass, then cutting it with water to the desired
strength. Serious tea-drinker Turks usually go to a coffee &
tea house where they serve it with a samovar (Semaver in
Turkish) so they can refill their glasses themselves as much
as they want.