The delightful country of Turkey is home to many different cultures because of its history. According to Turkish history, there were lots of different types of peoples, who lived here, such as the peoples of the Ottoman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Christian of Turkey, Muslims, and many more ancient peoples. Because of it, those cultures are present in Turkey. After Turkey became an independent country on 29 October 1923, Turkey changed into an Islamic-based country. During the early years after independence, in Turkey, their government started promoting arts, by developing museums. The architecture of buildings and theaters were also promoted because the ancient cultures play a very important role in developing or defining modern Turkey. Nowadays, Turkey’s government is putting efforts to maintain old traditional Turkish culture and historical values.
1. Turkish music and literature
Turkish literature and its music are a combination of different cultural influences, because of the interaction between the Ottoman Empire and the Islamic world, and the mixing of Central Asian Turkic and European traditions. Lots of music schools are famous in Turkey, with music categories including “hip-hop genres” to literature, “arabesque”, and many more. In the early days of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish literature was largely influenced by Arabic and Persian literature. At the end of the Ottoman Empire, the influence of Turkish literary circles and Western literary traditions began to increase in Turkey.
2. Material Culture in Turkish Cities
The amazing material culture of Turkey is impossible to explain in short words. Turkey’s beautiful material culture of cities and towns, which was part of ancient Empires, now largely influenced and changed into modern European technology and fashions. Many of the cities and towns until now had old-fashioned markets, which are normal lock-up shops that stand side by side in rows. Furthermore, these shops contain jewelers, tailors, motors, handcrafts, ware coppersmiths, and many more things. In Turkey, large and famous towns are now developed with modern offices, malls, factories, and shops. There are also lots of traffics on roads in major cities, which became the reason for air pollution, traffic congestion, and the strains on normal public transportations.
3. Traditional Dresses
Turkish peoples have their own different unique dress culture for both men and women. Traditional dresses include salvar, which is basically the traditional dress of the Ottoman Era. Most Turkish men have adopted the dress-wearing styles and colors of European male dresses. According to the law that was passed in 1925, turbans and Fezzes were abolished, so most of the people now wear caps.
One of the famous dresses, Turkey’s baggy trousers are also very common today in many small areas and as well as in some towns. Furthermore, traditional colorful waistcoats are also very famous. Turkey’s village women wear some traditional clothes. They wear some local combinations of clothes with skirts, aprons, and baggy trousers. Many of the areas of Turkey are easily identifiable because of the clothing people wear there. Some women cover their heads and faces by wearing a large scarf. The scarf is also famous in some western countries also.
4. Religion of a Turkey
Turkey is the world’s 8th most Muslim populated country in the world. In Turkey, there are around 79,850,000 Muslims. As well, there are also people of other religions such as Christianity, Baháʼí Faith, Judaism, Tengrism, Yazidism, etc. For Muslims, Islam imposes lots of duties. Women and men should maintain a state of purity under Islam’s religion. They offer namaz five times a day. Furthermore, Muslims fast in the month of Ramadan each year. As well as, Muslims should seek, if possible, to go to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Islam orders basic ideas about reward and punishment, the relationship between men and women, the nature of morality, charity, transgression, as well as cleanliness, and many more.
5. Popular Sports in Turkey
In Turkey, people play a variety of sports, such as tennis, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, track, and field, handball, etc. The most famous game in Turkey is football, which is mostly played by children on the streets of Turkey. Turkey’s most famous football teams are Trabzonspor, Galatasaray, Istanbul Başakşehir, and many more. In 2000, Galatasaray won the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup and became the first Turkish club to do so. Then, two years later, the Turkish national football team won third place in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. In the same world cup, Hakan Sukur scored the fastest goal in the world cup, a record that is yet to be broken. It took him just 11 seconds to score in the 3rd place match against one of the host South Korea.
Other Sports in Turkey
Other sports in Turkey are also gaining fans. The famous sports that have become popular recently in Turkey are basketball, volleyball, and motorsports. Turkey’s national team of basketball claimed 2nd position during Euro Basket. Not only that, but also, Efes Pilsen S.K, which is a basketball team of Turkey, won the Korac Cup during the year of 1996, and also got the 2nd position during the European Cup in 1993. As well, this team was also one of the top four teams in the Super League and Euro League between 2000 and 2001. The Turkish women’s volleyball teams, which are Vakıfbank Güneş Sigorta and Eczacıbaşı became the most successful team; they won lots of medals and European Championship titles.
Snowboarding, Paragliding, Surfing, and so on sports are starting to become famous every year in Turkey. In addition, the traditional sport in Turkey is also oil wrestling (Yağlı güreş). This famous sport of oil wrestling (Yağlı güreş) has been since the time of the Ottoman Empire. There are also types of wrestling game plays in Turkey, such as Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling. The Turkish wrestlers have also won many European and World Olympic medals and championships as a national team and individual.
However, another well-known sport where Turkish athletes have achieved global success is weightlifting. Turkish weightlifters, both men, and women have broken many world records and won numerous Olympic and world championship titles. Some of the most famous Turkish weightlifters are Halil Mutlu and Suleymanoglu, who are the best among Olympic weightlifters athletes. And have won three gold medals in three Olympic Games.
