WARM GREETINGS FROM TED ISTANBUL COLLEGE,

ISTANBUL, TURKIYE

Prepared by:

Burcu Akyol

English Teacher

Resources:

http://www.turkeyforyou.com/

http://www.allaboutturkey.com/

Turkish culture is an immense mixture partly produced by the rich history. The

original lands of Turks is Central Asia, bordering China. From this location, they

were forced to move west for various reasons more than a thousand years ago.

On the way to Anatolia they have interacted with Chinese, Indian, Middle

Eastern, European and Anatolian civilizations, and today's Turkish culture carries

motives from each one of these diverse cultures.

About Turkey

Mustafa Kemal ATATURK

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is universally

acknowledged as the founding father of the

modern state of Turkey. He was also

Turkey'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 parliament for his

accomplishments and for his invaluable

contributions to the birth and modernization

of the Turkish Republic.

Istanbul

• The splendid city of Istanbul has many unique and fascinating features.

• It is the only city in the world reaching across two continents, with its old city in Europe and modern Istanbul situated in Asia, separated by the Bosphorus Strait.

• It is also unique in having had capital status during two successive empires, Christian Byzantine and Islamic Ottoman, and the legacy from both is visible in the modern city today.

Bosphorus

Maiden’s Tower

Istiklal Street, a very famous street in Istanbul

Topkapi Palace

Hagia Sophia

The Basilica Cistern

Bread is the main item in a Turkish meal. The basic wheat dough is baked into fresh

loaves usually in the neighborhood bakery. There are varieties of breads like the elmek,

pide or manti, which is a dumpling with meat filling. Borek is a special bread where thin

sheets of dough are layered with cheese or meat mixes, folded or rolled and then

baked or fried. Pilaf, another main dish in Turkey is fine-grained rice cooked in butter

with onions, meat and vegetables.

The typical Turkish meat item is Kebab. The popular varieties of kebabs are the

'sis' kebabs and the 'doner' kebabs. Sis kebabs are grilled pieces of skewered meat.

Doner kebabs are made by stacking alternate layers of ground meat and sliced leg

of lamb and grilling them over slow fire. The fine taste of kebabs really depends on

the breed of cattle or sheep rather than the chef or the recipe.

Turkish Food

Among vegetables, eggplants are a special favorite. Olive oil is generally used

for cooking vegetables A special Turkish food item is 'Dolma'. Vegetables are

stuffed with rice or spiced meat fillings and cooked in olive oil. 'Dolma' is

eaten with yogurt sauce.

Fish is an important item of Turkish food especially in winter when the

summer vegetables are scarce. The best fish in Turkey is the 'Hamsi'. The

Turks have fifty ways of cooking Hamsi.

Here is a good link for you to learn about Turkish deserts:http://www.turkishcooking.com/turkish_delights/

Are you ready for the pictures?

Turkish Food

Borek

Dolma

Iskender Kebab (Doner)

Baklava Pilaf (Rice)

MantiLahmacun

Turkish tea in these special cups has a very important place in daily life in Turkey.

Turkish Delight is a flavored sweetmeat or a candy, prepared from starch

and sugar, filled with dry fruits, honey or nuts. The Turkish Delights come in

cubes with powdered sugar sprinkled on them.

The Turkish Delight or Lokum is one such delicacy, which is not just popular

in Turkey, but has found favor with tourists from all over the world.

The Turkish Evil Eye Pendants or the "nazar boncugu" is the Turkish means of

keeping at bay the ills brought on by envious and greedy eyes.

Almost anywhere you go in Turkey, you will find at least one Turkish

Bath. The historical Baths built by the Sultans were made of marble.

They were fine pieces of rich and ornamental architecture.

Turkey has Mediterranean temperate climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

As you go away from the coast towards the interiors, the climatic conditions are harsher.

Mountains close to the coast prevent Mediterranean influences from extending inland,

giving the interior of Turkey a continental climate with distinct seasons. The central

Anatolian Plateau is much more subject to extremes than coastal areas. Winters on the

plateau are especially severe.

Climate in Turkey

Holidays we celebrate

Official holidays

Jan 1: New Year's Day

National holidays

Apr 23: National Sovereignty and Children's Day (anniversary of the establishment of Turkish

Grand National Assembly)

May 19: Ataturk Commemoration and Youth & Sports Day ( the arrival of Ataturk in Samsun,

and the beginning of the War of Independence)

Aug 30: Victory Day (victory over invading forces in 1922).

Oct 29: Republic Day (anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic)

Religious holidays

Seker Bayrami:Three-day festival when sweets are eaten to celebrate the end of the fast of

Ramadan. Also known as Ramazan Bayrami.

Kurban Bayrami: Four-day festival when sacrificial sheep are slaughtered and their meat

distributed to the poor

http://www.tedistanbul.k12.tr

Our school’s official web site. (English version is available.)

http://www.goldenhorn-rotary.com/ercu/ERCU_FLASH_eng.html

A nice presentation about Turkey..