Country in a Box:

Republic of Turkey
Trkiye Cumhuriyeti

A view of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey

A Teachers Guide
Compiled by the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
http://ceres.georgetown.edu
1

Turkey in a Box: Table of Contents

Turkey: Facts at a Glance

3-6

Turkish Political History

7-10

Timeline of Major Events in Modern Turkish History

11

Turkish Culture

12-14

Childrens Folklore: The Wizard and his Pupil

13-16

Additional Resources on Turkey

16

Spices at the Historic Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey

Turkey: Facts at a Glance

_______
Text taken directly from Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook: Turkey. Available
at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tu.html
Country Name: Republic of
Turkey
Capital: Ankara
Background: Modern Turkey
was founded in 1923 from the
Anatolian remnants of the
defeated Ottoman Empire by
national hero Mustafa Kemal,
who was later honored with the
title Ataturk or "Father of the
Turks." Under his authoritarian
leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period
of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the
opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political
parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and
intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return
of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly
dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened
militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as
patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A
separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the
People's Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's
attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives. After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the
insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an
end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945
and in 1952 it became a member of NATO; it holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security
Council from 2009-2010. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European
Community. Over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy
and economy; it began accession membership talks with the European Union in 2005.
Location: Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia
Area: Total: 780,580 sq km; country comparison to the world: 37
Land: 770,760 sq km
Water: 9,820 sq km
Area - comparative: Slightly larger than Texas
Terrain: high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges.
3

Elevation Extremes: Lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m
Natural Resources: coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate,
celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites
(sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower.
Environmental Issues: water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution,
particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship
traffic.
Population: 81,619,392 (July 2014 est.)
Urban population: 71.5% of total population (2011)
Life Expectancy at Birth: Total population: 72.5 years
Country comparison to the world: 126
Male: 70.61 years
Female: 74.49 years
Ethnic Groups: Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 18%, other minorities 7-12% (2008 est.)
Religions: Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
Education Expenditure: 2.9% of GDP (2006); Country comparison to the world: 137
Government Type: republican parliamentary democracy
Executive Branch: President: Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Prime
Minister: Ahmet Davutoglu
Legislative Branch: unicameral Grand National Assembly of
Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms).
Red has been prominent in
Turkish flags for 700 years. The
star and crescent are Muslim
symbols, but also have a long preIslamic past in Asia Minor. The
basic form of the national flag
was apparently established in
1793 under Sultan Selim III,
when the green flags used by the
navy were changed to red and a
white crescent and multipointed
star were added. [Text taken
directly from Flags of the
World. Available at:
http://flagspot.net/flags/tr.html]

Judicial Branch: Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals

(Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts
(Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High
Administrative Court.
Political Parties and Leaders: Justice and Development Party or
AKP (Ruling party led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan); Republican
People's Party or CHP (Kemal Kilicdaroglu); and Nationalist
Movement Party or MHP (Devlet Bahcelli)

National anthem:
Name: "Istiklal Marsi" (Independence March)
Lyrics/music: Mehmet Akif Ersoy/Zeki Ungor
Note: lyrics adopted 1921, music adopted 1932; the anthem's original music was adopted in
1924; a new composition was agreed upon in 1932
Economy Overview: Turkey's largely free-market
economy is increasingly driven by its industry and
service sectors, although its traditional agriculture
sector still accounts for about 25% of employment. An
aggressive privatization program has reduced state
involvement in basic industry, banking, transport, and
communication, and an emerging cadre of middleclass entrepreneurs is adding dynamism to the
The Lira: is the currency of Turkey. On
January 1, 2005, the government removed six
economy and expanding production beyond the
zeros from the currency, and introduced the
traditional textiles and clothing sectors. The
new Turkish lira. New currency
automotive, construction, and electronics industries
denominations resemble those of the U.S. dollar.
are rising in importance and have surpassed textiles
Taken directly from
within Turkey's export mix. Oil began to flow through
http://www.tcmb.gov.tr/yeni/eng/
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in May 2006,
marking a major milestone that will bring up to 1
million barrels per day from the Caspian to market. Several gas pipelines projects also are
moving forward to help transport Central Asian gas to Europe through Turkey, which over the
long term will help address Turkey's dependence on imported oil and gas to meet 97% of its
energy needs. After Turkey experienced a severe financial crisis in 2001, Ankara adopted
financial and fiscal reforms as part of an IMF program. The reforms strengthened the country's
economic fundamentals and ushered in an era of strong growth averaging more than 6% annually
until 2008. Global economic conditions and tighter fiscal policy caused GDP to contract in 2009,
but Turkey's well-regulated financial markets and banking system helped the country weather the
global financial crisis and GDP rebounded strongly to around 9% in 2010-11, as exports returned
to normal levels following the recession. Growth dropped to roughly 3-4% in 2012-13. Turkey's
public sector debt to GDP ratio has fallen below 40%, and two rating agencies upgraded
Turkey's debt to investment grade in 2012 and 2013. Turkey remains dependent on often
volatile, short-term investment to finance its large current account deficit. The stock value of FDI
reached nearly $195 billion at year-end 2013, reflecting Turkey's robust growth even in the face
of economic turmoil in Europe, the source of much of Turkey's FDI. Turkey's relatively high
current account deficit, domestic political uncertainty, and turmoil within Turkey's neighborhood
leave the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.167 trillion (2013 est.); Country comparison to the world:
17
GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2013 est.); Country comparison to the world: 85
GDP - per capita (PPP): $15,300 (2013 est.); Country comparison to the world: 90

GDP (composition by sector):

Agriculture: 8.9%
Industry: 27.3%
Services: 63.8% (2013 est.)

Labor Force (by occupation):

Agriculture: 25.5%
Industry: 26.2%
Services: 48.4% (2010)

Industries: textiles, food processing, autos, electronics, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron),
steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper.
Current account balance: -$58.35 billion (2013 est.); Country comparison to the world: 187
Exports (commodities): apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment.
Exports (partners): Germany 8.6%, Iraq 7.1%, Iran 6.5%, UK 5.7%, UAE 5.4%, Russia 4.4%,
Italy 4.2%, France 4.1% (2012)
Imports (partners): Russia 11.3%, Germany 9%, China 9%, US 6%, Italy 5.6%, Iran 5.1%
(2012)
Debt (external): $359.5 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
Turkish liras (TRY) per US dollar: 1.899 (2013 est.)
Military service age and obligation: 21-41 years of age for male compulsory military service;
18 years of age for voluntary service; 15 months conscript obligation for non-university
graduates, 6-12 months for university graduates; conscripts are called to register at age 20, for
service at 21; women serve in the Turkish Armed Forces only as officers; reserve obligation to
age 41; under a law passed in November 2011, men aged 30 and older, or who have worked 3
years in foreign countries, may pay $16,200 in lieu of mandatory military service (2013)
Military expenditures: 2.31% of GDP (2012); Country comparison to the world: 35

History of Turkey
_______
Text taken directly from Library of Congress Website:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/trtoc.html

Turkey Before the Turks:

There is abundant archaeological evidence
of a thriving neolithic culture in Anatolia
(Turkey) at least as early as the seventh
millennium B.C. What may have been the
world's first urban settlement (dated ca.
6500 B.C.) has been uncovered at
atalhyk. Indo-European speaking
invaders established the Hittite Empire,
which achieved the zenith of its political
power and cultural accomplishment in the
fourteenth and thirteenth centuries B.C., but
the state collapsed after 1200 B.C.
Alexander the Great crossed the Hellespont,
defeated the Persians at the Granicus River
(Biga ayi), incorporating them into an
empire that at his death in 323 B.C.
stretched from the Nile to the Indus. After
Alexander died, one of his generals,
Seleucus Nicator and the Seleucid Dynasty,
which survived until 64 B.C., ruled
Anatolia.However, Pergamum became
independent in 262 B.C., during and won
fame as the paragon of Hellenistic states.
The last of the Attalid kings bequeathed
Pergamum to his Roman allies upon his
death in 138 B.C.
Rome organized this extensive territory
under a proconsul as the province of Asia.
In 330 AD Constantine, established his
capital at the Greek city of Byzantium, a
"New Rome" strategically situated on the
European side of the Bosporus at its
entrance to the Sea of Marmara. For nearly
twelve centuries the city, embellished and
renamed Constantinople, remained the
capital of the Roman Empire --better known
in its continuous development in the East as
the Byzantine Empire.

Turkish Origins: The first historical references to the

Turks appear in Chinese records dating around 200 B.C.
These records refer to tribes called the Hsiung-nu (an
early form of the Western term Hun ), who lived in an
area bounded by the Altai Mountains, Lake Baykal, and
the northern edge of the Gobi Desert. The earliest known
example of writing in a Turkic language was found in that
area and has been dated around A.D. 730. Turkish
nomads from the Altai region founded the Grtrk
Empire who were enlisted by a Byzantine emperor in the
seventh century as allies against the Sassanians.
The Turkish migrations after the sixth century
were part of a general movement of peoples out of central
Asia during the first millennium A.D. Among those who
migrated were the Oguz Turks, who had embraced Islam
in the tenth century under their khan Seljuk. Split by
dissension among the tribes, one branch of the Oguz, led
by descendants of Seljuk, moved west and entered service
with the Abbasid caliphs of Baghdad. In 1055, Tugrul
Bey and his Turkish horsemen, known as gazis, forced
the caliph (the spiritual leader of Islam) to recognize him
as sultan, or temporal leader, in Persia and Mesopotamia.
In 1071 Alp Arslan routed the Byzantine army at
Manzikert near Lake Van, opening all of Anatolia to
conquest by the Turks. The success of the Seljuk Turks
stimulated a response from Latin Europe in the form of
the First Crusade.
Although successful in the west, the Seljuk
sultanate in Baghdad reeled under attacks from the
Mongols in the east. The gazis carved out a number of
states that were continually reinforced by further Turkish
immigration. The Seljuk sultanate of Rum became
dominant over the other Turkish states. Seljuk Rum
survived in the late thirteenth century as a vassal state of
the Mongols, who had already subjugated the Great
Seljuk sultanate at Baghdad, but Mongol influence in the
region had disappeared by the 1330s. From the chaotic
conditions that prevailed throughout the Middle East,
however, a new power emerged in Anatolia--the Ottoman
Turks.
7

The Ottoman Empire:

According to semilegendary accounts, Ertugrul khan,
took service with the sultan of Rum at the head of a gazi
force numbering "400 tents." He was granted territory--if
he could seize from the Byzantines in Bithynia.
Ertugrul's son, Osman I (r. ca. 1284-1324), founded the
Osmanli Dynasty--better known in the West as the
Ottomans. This dynasty endured for six centuries through
the reigns of thirty-six sultans.
Orhan (r. 1324-60), crossed the Dardanelles in force and
established a permanent European base at Gallipoli in
1354 began a period of expansion that annexed most of
Thrace, the Serbs, Bulgaria and what remained of the
Byzantine Empire, Constantinople. On May 29, 1453 the
Ottoman Dynasty captured the imperial capital. Mehmet
II regarded himself as the direct successor to the
Byzantine emperors. He made Constantinople the
imperial capital, as it had been under the Byzantine
emperors, and set about rebuilding the city, which now
replaced Baghdad as the center of Sunni Islam.
The Ottoman Empire had Turkish origins and Islamic
foundations, but from the start it was a heterogeneous
mixture of ethnic groups and religious creeds. Ethnicity
was determined solely by religious affiliation. NonMuslim peoples, including Greeks, Armenians, and Jews,
were recognized as millets) and were granted communal
autonomy. Such groups were allowed to operate schools,
religious establishments, and courts based on their own
customary law.
Ottoman sovereignty extended southward in the 1600s,
conquering Syria, Palestine, Egypt and North Africa up
to the Moroccan frontier. In 1534 Kurdistan and
Mesopotamia were taken from Persia. The Ottomans
were slow to recognize the shift in the military balance to
Europe and the reasons for it. The unsuccessful siege of
Vienna in 1683 was the high-water mark of Ottoman
expansion in Europe and in 1699 the Treaty of Karlowitz
was the first in which the Ottomans acknowledged
defeat.
During the eighteenth century, the Ottoman Empire was
almost continuously at war with one or more of its

Mehmet II (1432-1481)
Mehmed II, byname Mehmed Fatih
(Turkish: Mehmed the Conqueror).
Mehmed may be considered the most
broadminded and freethinking of the
Ottoman sultans. A great military leader,
he captured Constantinople and
conquered the territories in Anatolia and
the Balkans that comprised the Ottoman
Empires heartland for the next four
centuries.
One of the tasks on which Mehmed II set
his heart was the restoration of
Constantinople. To encourage the return
of the Greeks, he returned their houses
and provided them with guarantees of
safety. He restored the Greek Orthodox
Patriarchate and established a Jewish
grand rabbi and an Armenian patriarch in
the city. Fifty years later, Constantinople
had become the largest city in Europe.
The conqueror reorganized the Ottoman
government and, for the first time,
codified the criminal law and the laws
relating to his subjects in one code,
whereas the constitution was elaborated
in another, the two codes forming the
nucleus of all subsequent legislation.
From:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/to
pic/373174/Mehmed-II

enemies--Persia, Poland, Austria, and Russia. The implications of the decline of Ottoman power,
the vulnerability and attractiveness of the empire's vast holdings, the stirrings of nationalism
among its subject peoples, and the periodic crises resulting from these and other factors became
collectively known to European diplomats in the nineteenth century as "the Eastern Question." In
1853 Tsar Nicholas I of Russia described the Ottoman
Empire as "the sick man of Europe."
The 1860s and early 1870s saw the emergence of the
Young Ottoman movement among Western-oriented
intellectuals who wanted to see the empire accepted as
an equal by the European powers. They sought to adopt
Western political institutions, including an efficient
centralized government, an elected parliament, and a
written constitution. The "Ottomanism" they advocated
also called for an integrated dynastic state that would
subordinate Islam to secular interests and allow nonMuslim subjects to participate in representative
parliamentary institutions.
On August 2, 1914, the Ottomans concluded a secret
treaty of alliance with Germany. Within eight months,
the Ottoman army of about 800,000 men was engaged in
a four-front war that became part of the greater conflict
of World War I. The Ottoman government signed an
armistice at Mudros on October 30, 1918 and on April
1920th the Treaty of Svres, which partitioned the
Empire amongst the Allies.
Atatrk returned to Istanbul at the end of the war, his
military reputation untarnished by the defeat of the
empire that he had served. Revered by his troops as well
as the Turkish masses, Atatrk soon emerged as the
standard-bearer of the Turkish nationalist movement
that resisted the dismemberment of Turkish-speaking
areas by the Allies. After several years of fighting, in
July 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne recognized the
present-day territory of Turkey.
Modern Turkey:
On assuming office, Atatrk initiated a series of radical
reforms of the country's political, social, and economic
life that were aimed at rapidly transforming Turkey into
a modern state. A secular legal code, modeled along
European lines, was introduced that completely altered
laws affecting women, marriage, and family relations.

Mustafa Kemal Atatrk

He modernized the countrys legal and
educational systems and encouraged the
adoption of a European way of life, with
Turkish written in the Latin alphabet
and with citizens adopting Europeanstyle names.
One of the great figures of the 20th
century, Atatrk rescued the surviving
Turkish remnant of the defeated
Ottoman Empire at the end of World
War I. He galvanized his people against
invading Greek forces who sought to
impose the Allied will upon the warweary Turks and repulsed aggression by
British, French, and Italian troops.
Through these struggles, he founded the
modern Republic of Turkey, for which
he is still revered by the Turks. He
succeeded in restoring to his people
pride in their Turkishness, coupled with
a new sense of accomplishment as their
backward nation was brought into the
modern world. Over the next two
decades, Atatrk created a modern state
that would grow under his successors
into a viable democracy. From:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t
opic/40411/Kemal-Ataturk

The ideological foundation of Atatrk's reform program

became known as Kemalism. Its main points were
enumerated in the "Six Arrows" of Kemalism:
republicanism, nationalism, populism, reformism, etatism
(statism), and secularism.
During WWII, despite German pressure, Turkey remained
neutral and at no time permitted the passage of Axis
troops, ships, or aircraft through or over Turkey and its
waters. Turkey experienced a series of democratic crises in
1960, 1972, and 1980 when the military initiated coups
against governments they perceived to be abrogating the
constitution. During this time, Turkey was involved in the
Cypriot crisis in the 1970s. In response a Greek sponsored
coup that pursued dreams of unification with Cyprus, and
in defense of the Turkish speaking minority, Turkey
landed over 30,000 troops and pushed back Greek-Cypriot
forces. In February 1975, the Turkish Federated State of
Cyprus was established in the northern region.
The economic stabilization program, begun before the
coup, now proceeded unhindered by political resistance.
The program aimed to improve Turkey's balance of
payments, bring inflation under control, and create an
export-oriented free-market economy. In 1993 civilian rule
was reaffirmed, and proof that Atatrk's legacy was
ingrained in the Turkish body politic, the election of
Turkeys first female Prime Minister, Tansu iller.
In 2002 the Justice and Development Party (AKP), a party
with Islamist roots, swept the parliamentary elections. The
military, which had maneuvered Turkish political
proceedings in the past, issued a memorandum on the
Internet criticizing the rising role of Islamists in the
government and indicating military readiness to act if an
unapproved candidate, such as Gl, won the presidency;
this approach was dubbed an e-coup by pundits.
Nonetheless, Recep Tayyip Erdoan worked to resolve the
standoff by calling for early parliamentary elections, in
which the AKP secured a decisive victory. Turkeys
constitution was amended in September 2010, and was
largely designed to bring the country in line with EU
standards on democracy and to support the countrys bid
for membership.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

In high school Erdoan became known as a
fiery orator in the cause of political Islam. In
1994 Erdoan was elected mayor of Istanbul,
the first-ever Islamist to the mayoralty shook
the secularist establishment, but Erdoan
proved to be a competent and canny
manager.
In 1998 he was controversially convicted
for inciting religious hatred after reciting a
poem that compared mosques to barracks,
minarets to bayonets, and the faithful to an
army. Sentenced to 10 months in prison,
Erdoan resigned as mayor.
His party won the parliamentary elections
in 2002, but Erdoan was legally barred from
serving in parliament because of his 1998
conviction. A constitutional amendment in
December 2002, however, effectively
removed Erdoans disqualification.
As prime minister, Erdoan toured the
United States and Europe in order to dispel
any fears that he held anti-Western biases and
to advance Turkeys bid to join the European
Union.
In 2008, the constitutional court voted to
hear a case that called for the dismantling of
the AKP and banning Erdoan and dozens of
other party members from political life for
five years. In June 2011 Erdoan secured a
third term as prime minister when the AKP
won by a wide margin in parliamentary
elections.
(http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic
/913988/Recep-Tayyip-Erdogan)

10

Timeline of Major Event in Turkeys History

_______
(following text from: http://www.anatoliatravels.com/Turkey-History.htm)

7000 BC Catalhoyuk in central Turkey is considered the worlds first urban center.
1250 BC The Trojan War fought between the armies of Troy and Achaea.
323 BC Temple of Artemis, considered one of the 7 architectural wonders of the ancient world.
537 AD Hagia Sofia, the largest church in the world, was built by Emperor Justinian.
11th-14th AD Turkish Seljuk Empire conquers and rules Anatolia
1299 AD Beginning of the Ottoman Empire.
1453 AD Constantinople (now Istanbul) fell to Sultan Mehmet II.
1534 AD Ottoman Empire extended from Hungary to Baghdad.
1718 AD Beginning of the Tulip Era (Arts, Culture, Architecture flourish)
1914-23 During WWI Ottoman Empire collapses
(Following Text taken directly from BBC News. Timeline: Turkey. Available at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1023189.stm)

1923 Assembly declares Turkey a republic and Kemal Ataturk as president.

1950 Republic's first open elections, won by opposition Democratic Party.
1952 Turkey abandons Ataturk's neutralist policy and joins NATO.
1960 Army coup against ruling Democratic Party.
1974 Turkish troops invade northern Cyprus.
1980 Military coup follows political deadlock and civil unrest. Imposition of martial law.
1982 New constitution creates seven-year presidency, and reduces parliament to single house.
1984 Turkey recognizes "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus."
2002 Parliament approves reforms aimed at securing EU membership.
2006 Kurdish separatist group, the PKK, declares a unilateral ceasefire in operations against the
military.
11

Turkish Culture
_______
Text taken directly from the World InfoZone. Turkey Information. Available at:
http://www.worldinfozone.com/country.php?country=Turkey
Food

A Turkish meze.

Turkish cuisine is a combination of Middle Eastern food

(kebabs, pitta bread and houmous) and Mediterranean
food, (tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and grilled meat). Hot
peppers, mint, parsley, dill, cumin, and yoghurt are
important ingredients in Turkish cuisine. Bread is part of
the daily diet.
A meze consisting of a number of small dishes may be
served before the main course of a meal. These include
slices of melon, feta cheese, pickles, nuts and small
portions of fish, salads and vegetables.

Soups, rice and wheat dishes, meats and seafood are

prepared with vegetables such as aubergines, artichokes,
beans, beetroot, chard, chick peas, cucumbers, mushrooms, onions, peppers and spinach. Stuffed
vegetables, meatballs and egg dishes are popular. The kebab, marinated lamb roasted on a spit, is
a Turkish favourite.
Milk puddings flavoured with orange, lemon or
rose water are popular desserts. Other sweet
courses include fresh and stewed fruit: apples,
apricots, cherries, figs, melons, peaches, quince
and tangerines.
Raki, an anise flavoured spirit, is the national
drink. Boza, another traditional alcoholic drink is
made from fermented wheat berries. Beer, wines
and fruit juices are produced. Turkish coffee is
thick and black and tea is prepared over boiling
water and served in small glasses.

Turkish coffee is thicker than its Western

counterpart.

Arts
Turkey's history has left a rich legacy in the arts. Its earliest art dates back to prehistory. Large
wall paintings from Neolithic times have been found at the site of Catalhoyuk, 45 km south of
Konya.

12

Byzantine frescoes and mosaics can be seen in churches converted by the Ottoman Turks into
mosques. One of the best examples of rediscovered Byzantine art is that found at the Kariye
Mosque, formerly the Church of St Saviour in Khora.
Poetry and music are an integral part of Turkish culture. The
oral tradition of poetry goes back to the early Turkish clans.
Various forms of poetry covered subjects such as nature,
love, courage, war and death. Music, classical, religious and
folk, has always been important to the Turkish way of life.
Turkish musical instruments include the baglama (a long
necked lute), cymbal, flute, zither and drums.

A Baglama

The creation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 gave impetus to Turkish culture. The founder of
Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, encouraged the Turkish people to recognise their own culture.
Painting, sculpture and architecture flourished, with developments in the world of music, theatre
and film.
Sports
Turkish basketball and football are popular team games.
Turkey reached their first European Football Championship in 1996 and in 2000 played in the
quarter final of the UEFA Championship. The striker Hakan Sukur is said to be one of the best
Turkish football players of the twentieth century.
Other popular sports are athletics, weightlifting and wrestling. Gold medals have been awarded
at the Olympics for Greco-Roman wrestling, judo and weightlifting.
Turkey's long coastline and good weather are ideal for water sports such as diving and
windsurfing.
Holidays
Religious holy days include the Feast of Ramadan and the Feast of the Sacrifice.
Other holidays are New Year's Day (1 January), National Sovereignty & Children's Day (23
April), Ataturk's Commemoration & Youth and Sports Day (19 May), Victory Day (30 August)
and Republic Day (29 October 1923).

13

Childrens Folklore: The Wizard and his Pupil

_______
Text taken directly from Kunos, Ignacz, Forty-Four Turkish Fairy Tales. Available at:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/ftft/ftft31.htm

There was once a woman who had a son. To whatever school she sent him, he always ran
away. Perplexed, the mother asked the boy "Where shall I send you?" To which he answered:
"Do not send me, but go with me; if I like the place I will not run away." So she took him with
her to market, and there they watched a number of men working at various handicrafts, and
among them was a wizard.
The boy was very much attracted by this last, and requested his mother to apprentice him
to the wizard. She went to the man and told him her son's desire. The matter was soon arranged
to their mutual satisfaction, and the boy was left with his master, as the wizard was henceforth to
be.
In the course of time the youth had learnt all that the wizard was able to teach him, and
one day his master said: "I will transform myself into a ram; take me to market and sell me, but
be sure to keep the rope." The youth agreed, and the wizard accordingly changed himself into a
ram. The youth took the animal to the auctioneer, who sold it in the marketplace. It was bought
by a man for five hundred piastres, but the youth kept the rope as he was instructed. In the
evening the master, having resumed his human form, escaped from the buyer of the ram and
came home.
Next day the wizard said to his pupil: "I am now going to transform myself into a horse;
take me and sell me, but guard the rope." "I understand," answered the youth, and led the horse
to market, where it was sold by auction for a thousand piastres. The pupil kept the rope,
however, and came home. An idea struck him: "Now let me see," said he to himself, "whether I
cannot help myself," and he went to his mother. "Mother," said he when they met, "I have learnt
all that was to be learnt. Many thanks for apprenticing me to that wizard; I shall now be able to
make a great deal of money." The poor woman did not understand what he meant, and said: "My
son, what will you do? I hope you are not going to run away again and give me further trouble."
"No," he answered. "Tomorrow I shall change myself into a bathing establishment, which you
will sell; but take care not to sell the key of the door with it, or I am lost."
While the youth was thus discoursing with his mother, the wizard escaped from the man
who had bought him as a horse, and came home. Finding his apprentice not there, he became
angry. "You good-for-nothing; you have sold me completely this time, it seems; but wait until
you fall into my hands again!" That night he remained at home, and next morning went out in
search of his truant pupil.
The youth transformed himself into a beautiful bathing establishment, which his mother
put up for sale by auction. All the people of the town were astonished at its magnificence, and
multitudes collected round the auctioneer. The wizard was among the crowd, and guessed at
once that this stately building was in reality his rascally pupil. He said nothing of that, however,
but when all the pashas, beys, and other people had bid their highest he bid higher still, and the
building was knocked down to him. The woman was called, and when the wizard was about to
hand her the money she explained that she could not give up the key. Then the wizard said he
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would not pay unless he received it. He showed her that he had
plenty of money, and observed to the woman that that particular
key was of no importance to her; she could easily buy another if
she must have one. Many of the bystanders expressed their
agreement with the purchaser, and as the woman knew not the
true significance of keeping the key, she parted with it to the
wizard in return for the price of the bathing establishment. When
she gave up the key the youth felt that his time had come, so he
changed himself into a bird and flew away. His master, however,
changed himself into a falcon and pursued him. They both flew a
long distance until they reached another town, where the
Padishah was entertaining himself with his court in the palace
garden.
As a last resource, the youth now changed himself into a
beautiful rose and fell at the feet of the Padishah. The King
expressed his surprise at seeing the rose, as that flower was not
then in season. " It is a gift from Allah," he concluded. "It smells
so sweetly that not even in the rose-flowering season could its equal be found."
The wizard now resumed his human form and entered the garden, lute in hand, as a
minnesinger. As he was striking his instrument he was observed by the Padishah, who, calling
him, ordered him to play and sing his songs. In one of his impromptu ballads the singer
requested the Padishah to give him the rose. Hearing this the King was angry, and said: "What
say you, fellow? This rose was given me by Allah! How dare you, a mere wanderer, demand it?"
"O Shah," answered the singer, " my occupation is obvious; I have fallen in love with the rose
you possess. I have been seeking it for many years, but till now have I been unable to find it. If
you give it not to me I shall kill myself. Would not that be a pity? I have followed it over hill and
fell, to find it now in the hands of the mild and gracious Padishah. Have you no pity for a poor
man like me, who has lost love and light and happiness? Is it seemly to afflict me thus? I will not
move from this spot until you give me the rose."
The Padishah was moved, and said to himself: "After all, of what consequence is the rose
to me? Let the unfortunate man attain his object." Saying these words he stepped forward and
handed the flower to the singer. But before the latter could grasp it, it fell to the ground and was
changed into millet pulp. Quickly the wizard transformed himself into a rooster and ate it up.
One grain, however, fell under the Padishah's foot and so escaped the roosters attention. This
grain suddenly changed into the youth, who picked up the rooster and wrung its neck--in other
words, he disposed of his master.
The Padishah was astonished at these strange proceedings, and commanded the young
man to explain the riddle. He told the King everything from beginning to end, and the monarch
was so delighted with his skill in magic that he appointed him Grand Vezir and gave him his
daughter in marriage. The young man was now able to provide for his mother, and thus
everybody lived happily ever after.

15

Select Bibliography of Sources on Turkey

Arat, Zehra F.K. Human Rights in Turkey (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press,
2007).
Caaptay, Soner. Islam, Secularism, and Nationalism in Modern Turkey: Who is a Turk? New
York: Routledge, 2006).
Carkoglu, Ali and Rubin, Barry (eds). Religion and Politics in Turkey (London: Routledge,
2006).
nar, Alev. Modernity, Islam and Secularism in Turkey (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota
Press, PublicWorlds, 2005).
Findley, Carter Vaughn. The Turks in World History (New York: Oxford University Press,
2005).
Gordon, Philip H. Winning Turkey: How America, Europe and Turkey can Revive a Fading
Partnership (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2008).
Kaya, Ibrahim. Social Theory and Later Modernities: The Turkish Experience (Liverpool:
Liverpool University Press, 2004).
Kazancigil, Ali and zbudun Ergin (eds). Atatrk, Founder of a Modern State (Hamden, Conn.:
Archon Books, 1981).
Kedourie, Sylvia (ed.). Turkey: Identity, Democracy, Politics (London: Frank Cass, 1996).
Kramer, Heinz. A Changing Turkey: The Challenges to Europe and the United States
(Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2000).
Mango, Andrew. The Turks Today (Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 2004).
nder, Sylvia Wing. We Have No Microbes Here: Healing Practices in a Turkish Black Sea
Village (Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press, 2005).
Rubin, Barry and Heper, Metin (eds). Political Parties in Turkey (London: Frank Cass, 2002).
Yavuz, M. Hakan. Islamic Political Identity in Turkey (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003).
White, Jenny B. Islamist Mobilization in Turkey: A Study in Vernacular Politics (Seattle:
University of Washington Press, 2002).
Zrcher, Erik Jan. Turkey: A Modern History (London: I.B. Tarius, 2004).
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