T UR

KEY
 LOCATİON
Turkey is located in Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia. The
part of Turkey west of Bosphorus is officially and geographically part of
Europe. Its neighboring countries include Greece, Syria, Iraq, Iran,
Armenia, Georgia, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan.
 GEOGRAPHY

Turkey's land mass is 714,815 sq [Link]

97 % in Asia and 3 % in Europe. The
Asian and European sides are divided by
the Istanbul Boğazi (Bosphorus), the Sea
of Marmara and the Çanakkale Boğazi
(Dardanelles). Turkey is surrounded by
three seas. The Mediterranean to the
south, the Black Sea to the north and the
Aegean to the west. Its coastline totals
almost 8400 km.
• Turkey is a high and mountainous country. Mountains
cover large areas. On the other hand Turkey also has many
flat plains.

• The Great Agri Mountain (5,137m), located in the Eastern

Anatolia Region, is the highest mountain in Turkey.

• Turkey has many rivers and streams. All rivers are emptied
into the surrounding seas of Turkey. The Euphrates and
Tigris Rivers, the main river in the Eastern and
Southeastern Anatolia, flow into the Persian Gulf. The
longest river inside the boundaries of Turkey is the
Kizilirmak, with a length of 1,355km long.

• The total area of Turkey’s lakes is approximately 9200km².

Eastern Anatolia has the most lakes in Turkey including
Lake Van, Turkey’s largest lake (3,713km²).
CLİMATE
Mediterranean Coastal Regions:
Hot Summers and Mild Winters
Black Sea Coast:
Warm summers, Mild Winters,Rain
Central Anatolia:
Hot, Dry Summers and Cold Winters
Eastern Anatolia:
Mild Summers, Snowy Winters
Southeastern Anatolia:
Hot Summers and Mild, Rainy Winters
 POPULATİON
•Turkey has 75.627 million inhabitants of whom 50.18% is male 49.81 % is
female.
•The Major cities are Istanbul, Ankara (the Capital), Izmir, Adana, Bursa and
Antalya.
•Because of urbanization, now approx. 70% of the populations live in the cities
whilst 30% live in rural areas.
• 82% of the population are Turks, 10.6% are Kurds, and the rest of the
population consists of Arab, Greek (around 100k in Istanbul), Armenian,
Jewish, Cherkessk, and other ethnic minorities. In addition, the country is the
homeland of 3 million Turks living abroad, mostly in Germany.
 LANGUAGE

Turkish is the national language, which is neither Indo-

European nor Semitic but belongs to the Ural-Altaic group.
Turkish is written with Roman characters.

RELIGION
Turkey is the only secular Muslim country amongst all the
Muslim countries in the world.99 % of the Turkish population is
Muslim. However, Turkey is a secular state and all religions
can practice their beliefs freely. About 99.8 are mostly Sunni
Muslims while the other 0.2% are mostly Christians and Jews.
 ISLAM
The word “Islam” means
peace, submission, and
obedience.
Muslims believe in:
 One and only one
God (Allah) believe
in.
 Prophet Muhammad  The guidance of Islam is
(570AD-632AD) is the
Messenger of Allah.
comprehensive: It includes
the social, economic,
 Quran is the last
divine book to all
political, moral, and
humanity spiritual aspects of life.
 Islam respect of human
rights include the right of
life, justice, equality,
ownership, and freedom of
 HİSTORY
Turkey boasts a fascinating history. Almost 10,000 years. 7500 BC the
earliest known inhabitants were found at Çatalhöyük. Hattis, Hittites,
Phrygians, Urartians, Lycians, Lydians, Ionians, Persians, Macedonians,
Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans have all held very important
places in Turkish history.
Ottoman Empire (1299 – 1923)
From tiny principality to empire: The small frontier principality
founded by Osman Bey in 1299 or 1300 in the environs of Söğütlü
in Eskişehir would be a century and a half later the magnificent
Ottoman Empire, which lasted for 623 years.
Conquest of Istanbul: 1453
Ottoman capitals:
 Bursa in 1326
 Edirne in 1365
 in 1453

The 16th century is the golden age of Ottoman history and culture
The borders of the Empire extended from the Crimea in the North
to Yemen and Sudan in the South, and from Iran and The Caspian
Sea in the East to Vienna in the Northwest and Spain in the
Southwest.
Mehmet the Conqueror
(1432 - 1481)
 Conquered Byzantine
Constantinople in 1453
 Istanbul became capital of
Ottoman.

Suleyman The Magnificent

(1495 -1566)

Sponsored artists, religious

thinkers, and philosophers that
outperformed the most
educated courts of Europe.
 MUSTAFA KEMAL
ATATÜRK (1881-1938)
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is
universally acknowledged as the
founding father of the modern state
of Turkey. He was also his
country's first President.
He was a visionary statesman and
a military leader par excellence.
His surname, Ataturk, means the
ancestor of Turks. This name was
given to him by the first Turkish
parliement for his accomplishments
and for his invaluable contributions
to the birth and modernization of
the Turkish Republic.
 GOVERNMENT
• Turkey is democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of
law; based on the principle of the separation of powers; legislative
power, executive power, judicial power.
• The current president is Abdullah Gül and the prime minister is Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan .
• The public is very important in the government because of making
votes and electing representatives.
• People are allowed to vote by the age of 18.
• Women in Turkey were given the right to vote and be elected to public
office in 1934,well before these rights were granted to Swiss women.
• Although the majority of Turkey’s population is Muslim, it is a secular
state, meaning religion is kept apart from the government. This made
people’s lives easier.
 • Turkey’s independence day is on 29th of
POLİTİCS October, 1923.
• Motto is "Sovereignty belongs to the
Nation" and ‘’Peace at home, peace in the
World.’’

• The Turkish Republic is a democratic,

pluralist and parliamentary system. Turkey
belongs to UN (1945), NATO, OECD
(1961), ECO (1945), D-8 (1997), G-20
(1999), The Council of Europe (1949)

• Turkey began full membership

negotiations with the European Union in
2005, having been an associate member of
the EEC since 1963, and having joined the
EU Customs Union in 1995.
 ECONOMY
• Turkey is the world’s 15th largest economy by list of GDP ($1.288
Trillion)
• Istanbul, Turkey's financial capital, had a total of 28
billionaires as of 2010, ranking 4th in the world behind New
York City (60 billionaires), Moscow (50 billionaires),
and London (32 billionaires)
• Turkey is one of the world's newly industrialized countries.
• According to data of 2012 unemployment is 7.7% in Turkey.
• Turkey is among the world's leading producers of
agricultural products; textiles; motor vehicles, ships and
other transportation equipment; construction materials;
consumer electronics and home appliances. In recent years,
Turkey had a rapidly growing private sector, yet the state
still plays a major role in industry, banking, transport,
and communications.
• Main imports; machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods,
fuels, transport equipment
• Main exports; apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal
 SOME FACTS…
 Turkey is one of the few countries in the world that is agriculturally self-
sufficient.
 Turkey provides 70 % of the world’s hazelnuts.
 Cherry was first introduced to Europe from Giresun (Northern Turkey).
 Turkey is one of the richest countries in the world with Boron minerals.
 There are approximately 9,000 species of flowers in Turkey, out of
which 3,000 are native.
 The average life expectancy is just over 73 years.
 The first church built by man (St. Peter’s Church) is in Antioch
(Antakya), Turkey.
 Writing was first used by people in ancient Anatolia.
 The famous Trojan Wars took place in Western Turkey, around the site
where the Trojan horse rests today.
 Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat (5.166 m), which is located in
Eastern Turkey.
 EDUCATİON
Pre-primary education:
It includes the optional education of children between 36-72
month
Primary Education:
Eight years (6-14 age-group) Compulsory for all citizens
Secondary Education:
Three years (general and vocational-technical high schools)
Primary and secondary education is free of charge in public schools.
 HİGHER EDUCATİON
• Universities
• Faculties
• Institutes
• Higher education schools
• Vocational higher education
schools
• Conservatories
• Application and research centers

 İstanbul University (1453)

 Istanbul Technical
University(1773)
 Bosphorus University (1863)
 Middle-East Tech. Univesity
(1956)
 Sakarya University(1970)
 Bilkent University (1984)

There are around 820 higher

education institutions including
universities with a total student
HİGHER EDUCATİON
• Large families FAMİLY
• Very strong relationships
between family members,
relatives and neighbors
• Senior citizens live with their
children.
• The average age for marriage is
24 for women and 26 for men.
• Traditional wedding
celebrations
last three days
• Divorce rate is 6%; lowest in
Europe.
 CULTURE
• The culture of Turkey combines from the Byzantine, Ottoman, European, Middle
Eastern and Central Asian traditions. The Ottoman system was a multi-ethnic state
that enabled people within it not to mix with each other.
• The people of Turkey is very courteous and honest. In difficult situations the locals
will always help. If you ever talk to a Turkish person you should never hurry. Like all
the other eastern peoples, according to the western norms, the Turks are quite laid
back and not very punctual. If you are trying to do a business agreement you should
agree on price ahead of time.
• The population of Turkey pays special attention to etiquette. They are very
considerate towards people who respect traditions of Turkey or at least know a few
words in Turkish. In the latter case virtually all the doors will be open for you.
 ‘’Come, come again, whoever you are,
come! Heathen, fire worshipper or MEVLANA
idolatrous, come!
Come even if you broke your penitence (RUMI)
a hundred times, Ours is the portal of
hope, come as you are.“
(1207 - 1273)

• Mevlana who is also known as Rumi,

was a philosopher and mystic of Islam.
• His doctrine advocates unlimited
tolerance, positive reasoning, goodness,
charity and awareness through love. To
him and to his disciples all religions are
more or less truth. Looking with the
same eye on Muslim, Jew and Christian
alike, his peaceful and tolerant teaching
has appealed to men of all sects and
creeds.
Love whether of this kind or that kind,
shall ultimately guide us to the king.
• The Mevlevi or Mevleviye is the most renowned Sufi order, which was founded by
Mevlana Rumi in 1273 and most of the whirling Dervishes in Turkey come from this
faith.

• A Dervish is a Muslim religious man who is undergoing an apprenticeship of learning

the profession that will bestow him with eternal livelihood.

• Whirling is one of the various methods, which is used by the Sufis (Islamic ascetics)
to get closer to their revered Allah (God).

• Whirling Dervishes perform near the Mevlevi Museum in Konya in the annual Mevlana
festival - the largest festival in Turkey.

SUFİ WHİRLİNG (MEVLEVİ)

TURKİSH BATH

Symbolizing Turkish living is by the Turkish Baths (Hamam). They return back to historic
time where people went to public Turkish Baths because of cleanliness upon the religion
Islam. They are built all around the country.
Turks are very generous and kind people. Hospitality exists in their blood. They always
make you feel comfortable, whether you are foreign or not. Sometime they offer tourists
coffee and sometimes invited to Turkish homes to spend some time meeting each other.
 THE EVIL EYE
This is a distinctive item you
should take back home as a
souvenir. It is a little stone that
protects you from the ‘Evil
Eye’. It means that it protects
you from people who talk
about you
TURKISH FOOD
Turkish cuisine is largely the
heritage of Ottoman cuisine.
Turkish cuisine has influenced those
and other neighbouring cuisines,
including those of western Europe.

Turkish cuisine varies across the

country. The cooking of Istanbul,
Bursa, Izmir, and rest of the Aegean
region inherits many elements
of Ottoman court cuisine and a wider
use of seafoods. The cuisine of
the Black Sea Region uses fish
extensively, especially the Black Sea
anchovy (hamsi), has been
influenced
by Balkan and Slavic [Link]
cuisine of the southeast,
Urfa,Gaziantep and Adana,is famous
TURKİSH DELİGHT (LOKUM)

The sweet as it is known today

was invented by Bekir Effendi,
who moved from his
hometown Kastamonu to
Istanbul and opened his
confectionery shop in 1776.
Lokum was introduced to
Western Europe in the 19th
century.
One of Turkey's most famous
exports, lokum comes in many
flavours and not only the rose,
lemon and pistachio varieties
which are common elsewhere.
It is often served with Turkish
coffee at the end of a meal.
  Turkish coffee or is the perfect way to
TURKISH finish off a good meal.

COFFEE  When ordering you specify whether

you want it plain, with some sugar or
very sweet and it is brewed with the
specified amount of sugar mixed in
with the coffee granules.

 It is served in small cups. It is quite

an art to know-when to stop drinking
as one sip too many and you will end
up with a mouthful of the sludgy
residue which falls to the bottom of
the cup.

 Even this has its uses, however, as

you may find a local willing to tell your
fortune from it - cover your cup with
the saucer, wait until it becomes cold
when you will be asked to turn it
upside down, turn it around several
times and then your destiny will be
divined from the shapes which are
TURKISH TEA
 Usually Turkish tea or gay is
brewed in a sort of combined
kettle/ tea pot which is placed
directly on the hob and has
water boiling in the bottom
section and tea brewing in
the top so it can be made
weaker or stronger as
required.

 It is drunk from small tulip-

shaped glasses, always black
and usually with plenty of
sugar.

 Unless you specifically ask

for Turkish tea, hotels will
assume you want English tea
and often present you with a
cup of boiling water and a tea
bag on the side.
 Turkey also has a magnificent past, and is a land full
of historic treasures from 13 successive civilizations
spanning 10,000 years.
 Even if you spend only a short time in Turkey, you
can see a lot of this great heritage.

 Turkey lies on the ruins of many civilizations

including Hittites,Trojans,Greeks,Romans,Byzantine
Empire,Seljuks and Ottomans.

 You can feel this wealth of history everywhere you

go in Turkey.
 Turkish culture is an immense mixture partly
produced by the rich history.
Ankara
ANITKABIR

Anitkabir is the mausoleum, a monumental tomb of Mustafa Kemal

Atatürk.
FATIH SULTAN MEHMET
BRİDGE

 Bosphorus is a
natural strait
connecting the
Black Sea to the
Sea of Marmara,
thus being a very
strategic
waterway.
BOSPHORUS BRİDGE
RUMELIHISARI
(Rumelian Castle)
TOPKAPI PALACE
Topkapi Palace was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans
for approximately 400 years. (1465-1856) You can visit to history
of Ottomon with four courtyards, the harem,the weapon
collection and the council hall, kitchens and the porcelain
collection, costumes, treasury and clock collectıon, the sacred
relics, portraits of the sultans
DOLMABAHÇE
PALACE
BEYLERBEYI PALACE
ÇIRAĞAN PALACE
GALATA
TOWER
 The tower was built by the Genoese in 1348, during their occupation of the
area, primarily to prevent attacks. Originally known as the Tower of Christ.

It stood above the fortification surrounding the Genoese city-state. There is a

spiral rock staircase which ascends to the top viewing platform, which today
offers visitors spectacular 360 degree panorama of the entire city.

The tower was restored in 1967, and an elevator

was installed to offer a less tiring alternative
to the steep climb. There is also a restaurant
on the top floor.
MAIDEN’S TOWER
This tower, which dates back to 2500
ears ago, had a history identical to
İatanbul's history, being an eyewitness
to whatever the city has encountered.
Its history started in the antiquity, and
it existed throughout the Greek times to
Byzantine Empire, and from Ottoman
Empire until the present.
 HAGIA SOPHIA
Hagia Sophia or Holy Wisdom is the mother church of all Eastern
Christians of the Byzantine liturgical tradition both Orthodox and Greek
Catholic
Church was consecrated in 360 AD At first it was known as the Great
Church because it was the largest at the time.
 Later it became known as Holy Wisdom, a name attributed to Christ by
theologians of the 4th century.
In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman
Turks and Sultan Mehmet II ordered the building to be
converted into the Ayasofya Mosque.
The İslamic features such as the, the four minarets
outside were added over the course of its history under
the Ottomans.
It remained as a mosque until 1935, when it was
converted into a museum by the Republic of Turkey.
 Name of Blue Mosque for the blue
BLUE tiles adorning
interior.
the walls of its

MOSQUE It was built from 1609 to 1616,

during the rule of Ahmed I.
(SULTANAHMET
CAMİİ)
ORTAKOY MOSQUE
ÇANAKKALE MARTYRS'
MEMORİAL
THE 57TH
REGIMENT
MEMORIAL
KALE-İ SULTANİYE
KILITBAHIR
CASTLE
TROY
[Link] where the Trojan wars recounted in Iliad by Homeros of
Smyrna were fought is situated in a small village (Tevfikiye) of
Dardanelle (Çanakkale).
The symbolic Wooden Horse erected at the site to
memorialize the historical significance of the place,
stands as an invitation to a mystical, epical
and romantic journey through time.
IZMIR
İZMİR- EFES LIBRARY OF CELSUS
(Ephesus)

Ephesus is the site of a large glatiator graveyard.

In ancient times Ephesus was the home of theTemple of
Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. (completed
Ephesus remains a sacred site for Christians due to its association
with several biblical figures, including St. Paul, St. John the Evangelist
and the Virgin Mary.
The town was again partially destroyed by an earthquake in 614.
THEATER ON ROMAN INFLUENCE
Artist Simon Kozhin Ephesus. Ruins Temple of Hadrian.
Many important events surrounding the birth of Christianity occurred
in Turkey.
St John, St Paul and St Peter ived and prayed in southern Anatolia.
Tradition has it that St John brought Virgin Mary to Ephesus after the
Crucifixion, where she spent her last days in a small stone [Link] is
a very popular pilgrimage site for Christians today.

HOUSE OF VIRGIN MARY

 Papa 6. Paul
26.7.1967
in Virgin Mary
hause

Papa Jean Paul

II 30.11.1979
in Virgin Mary
hause
SÜMELA
MONASTERY

The monastery was

founded in the year 386. It
was built in a steep cliff
about 1,200 metres.

Legend has it that two

priests found an miraculous
icon of the Virgin Mary in a
cave on the mountain and
decided to remain in order
to establish the monastery.
PAMUKKALE
(COTON CASTLE)
Pamukkale is an
extraordinary natural
wonder. The mineral-rich
waters rise from the ground
at a temperature of 35°C
and tumble down the
mountain from a height of
100 metres, forming a
myriad of pools.
BURSA-ULUDAĞ
 With the variety of
landscapes and
geographical regions,
Turkey is a country
where you can do all
sports and activities you
can imagine.
 You can paraglide over
the Dead Sea, do scuba
diving in Antalya,
rafting in River Coruh,
yachting in the blue
coastal line, hot air
ballooning in
Cappadoccia,
mountaineering in
mount..
 You can also play golf,
explore caves, ski on
the mountains, visit hot
springs and spas, enjoy
the national parks, view
the wild life or travel
the green plateous of
KIRKLARELİ
Turkey is a paradise of sun,
sea, mountains, and lakes
that offers the vacationer a
complete change from the
stress and routine of
everyday life.
FETHİYE
DEAD SEA
ANTALYA
MERSİN - LIGHTHOUSE
MERSİN- MAIDEN CASTLE
MARDİN
MOR GABRIEL
MONASTERY
NEMRUT MOUNTAIN
Found on the junction of the eastern and western civilisations,
Nemrut Dagi (Mount Nemrut) is one of the most astounding sites in Turkey.

In 62 BC, King ANTİOCHUS Theos of Comagene built on

the mountain top a tomb-sanctuary flanked
by huge statues (8-9 meters high)
of himself, two lions, two eagles and various
Greek, Armenian and Iranian gods, such as Hercules, Zeus…
Many of the
monuments on Mount
Nemrud are ruins of
the imperial cult of
Commagene.
GAZİANTEP- ZEUGMA
MOSAİC MUSEUM
TRABZON- UZUNGÖL
ŞANLIURFA- BALIKLIGÖL
Atatürk Dam
THANK YOU

Prepared by Melek BİLGİLİ