65 Interesting Facts About Turkey

65 Interesting Facts about Turkey By Tayja Kuligowski, Junior Writer Published January 31, 2017 The name of the country Turkey may come from Turchia, which is the word Italian observers used to refer to Anatolia—Turkey’s Asian portion—as early as the 12th century. The Turks didn’t use the name Türkiye (Land of the Turks) officially until the republic was established in 1923.[3] Gazi Mustafa Kemal, a.k.a. Atatürk (Father of the Turks), was actually born in Greece. The founder of modern Turkey was born in 1881 in what was then the Ottoman city of Selanik, now Saloniki, in Greece. Though, his mother and his father’s ancestors were Turks from Anatolia.[2] Turkey has the third highest number of Facebook users in the world, with 14 million users, after the U.S. and U.K.[5] Istanbul’s Kapalıçarşı, or Grand Bazaar, may be the world’s largest outdoor market, with 64 streets, 4,000 shops, and 25,000 workers. It also may be one of the oldest, having been built in the 15th century on the order of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.[20] The first Christian church to be built by man—the Cave Church, or Grotto, of St. Peter—was built between A.D. 1098 and 1268 in Antioch, Turkey.[3] Jelly beans began as an American version of the “Turkish Delight” (lokum) confection.[19] Santa Claus, also known as St. Nicholas, was born in Patara, Turkey, in the 3rd century A.D.[20] In 1503, Leonardo da Vinci submitted plans to build a bridge across the Bosporus Straits. It was not built until almost 500 years later in 2001 and named the Galata Bridge.[18] While nearly all of the Turkish population is Muslim, Turkey is not officially a Muslim country. Turkey has officially been a secular nation since 1927.[20] The oldest known human city is Çatalhöyük in Turkey, which shows signs of settlement from the 7th century B.C.[20] Turkey is the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world and had 35 million foreign visitors in 2013 alone.[26] There are at least 150 archaeological digs going on in Turkey each year.[10] The stones found at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey in 1994 mark it as the world’s first temple and one of the most important archaeological sites ever discovered. Carbon dating shows the 45 stones may be as old as 13,000 years old—which makes it the oldest site by an amazing margin, considering Stonehenge was built around 2,000 to 3,000 years ago and the pyramids of Giza 2,500 years ago.[8] Istanbul is the world’s only city spanning two continents. Three percent is in Europe and 97% in Asia. The part that lies in Asia is called Anatolia (Turkish: Anadolu).[22] Noah’s Ark is purported to have landed on Mount Ararat (Ağri Daği) in Eastern Turkey. The mountain is actually a dormant volcano and the highest point in the country at 16,949 feet (5,166 m).[20] Turkey is home to the world’s oldest sporting event, grease wrestling, which is also its national sport. Wrestlers cover themselves with olive oil and attempt to either pin their opponents on the ground or lift them up and walk three steps. The first grease wrestling game was hosted in 1362. In the past, these matches could last days, but there is now a time limit of 40 minutes. Held during the summer months, wrestlers are not allowed to stop for breaks or even drink water.[20] One way of protecting a newborn baby in Turkey is by “salting,” which is a custom where the baby’s body is rubbed all over with salt in the belief that will give the child strength to resist harmful influences. Another practice that is no longer as common is the placing of a tortoise under a baby’s pillow at night. It is believed the tortoise will protect the child.[22] Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is the father of the modern Turkish nation. When he rose to power in 1921, he lifted the ban on alcohol, adopted the Gregorian calendar instead of the Islamic, made Sunday a day of rest instead of Friday, changed the Turkish alphabet from Arabic letters to Roman, and mandated that the call to prayer be in Turkish rather than Arabic. He even banned the iconic red Turkish fez hat.[22] The word “harem” comes from the Arabic for “forbidden” and refers to the private rooms where the sultan’s wives and concubines lived with their children. During the reign of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, there were 1,000 women living in 250 rooms of the harem at Topkapi Palace.[22] The Turks invented parchment—paper made out of calfskin—when the Egyptians stopped exporting papyrus to Pergamum, Turkey, because they were afraid that Pergamum’s library would become larger than the library at Alexandria, the world’s largest at the time.[24] Tulips were introduced to Europe through Dutch traders by the Turks in the 17th century. The word “tulip” comes from the Turkish word for turban, tülbent.[15] The fez is a traditional, short, conical, red felt cap worn by Turkish men, but they are almost never worn today. They were banned by the government in 1925.[21] Turkey is the largest grower of hazelnuts in the world; it is responsible for 80% of the world’s hazelnut exports.[28] Most Turks did not have surnames until a law was passed requiring it in 1934. The most common last names in Turkey are Yılmaz (never gives up, undaunted), Kaya (rock), Demir (iron), Şahin (falcon or hawk), and Çelik (steel).[20] Turkey is the birthplace of such historical figures as Aesop; Homer; St. Paul; King Midas; Galen, noted physician, surgeon, medical researcher, and philosopher in the Roman Empire; and Herodotus, the father of history.[22] More journalists are imprisoned in Turkey than any other country in the world.[4] The Asklepion at Pergamum, Turkey, has been called one of the world’s first full- service health clinics.[28] Turkey’s Istanbul Tünel is the world’s second oldest underground railway, after the London Underground, and the oldest on the European continent. It began operating in 1975.[27] One of the world’s earliest civilizations, the Hittites, flourished in Turkey around 1600 B.C. They were among the first people to work iron and use a system of writing.[20] The legendary city of Troy—of the Trojan horse, Achilles, and Paris and Helen—is located on the Aegean coast on Turkey.[3] Turkey has 82,693 mosques, more than any other country per capita in the world.[16] Constantinople, previously known as Byzantium and which would later be renamed Istanbul in the 20th century, was the capital of the Roman Empire for a brief time under the Emperor Constantine.[22] The last meal on Noah’s ark, a sweet and sour pudding called “ashure” (Turkish aşure), is still served as a dessert throughout Turkey. It supposedly contained 40 different ingredients, which were the remainders of his supplies.[12] Turks introduced coffee to Europe, during the Ottoman raids into Central and Eastern Europe in the 16th century.[22] According to Turkish tradition, all major life events begin with eating sweets. A baby is welcomed at birth with halva, and it is also made again for a funeral. When a woman gives birth, she is given sweet fruit drinks to drink.[12] Julius Caesar pronounced his famous words, “Veni, Vidi, Vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”) in Turkey when he defeated Pontus, a kingdom of the Black Sea region of Turkey.[3] The cherry tree was first introduced to Rome, and then to Europe, from Giresun in northern Turkey in 69 B.C. It is thought to be one of the earliest domesticated plants, around 10,000 years ago.[9] The oldest known shipwreck on earth was found and examined in Uluburun in the Mediterranean region of Turkey, about 6 miles SE of Kaş. It was dated to be at least 3,300 years old.[20] Camels are not native to Turkey, despite the local popularity of camel wrestling and their popularity at Turkish resorts. Camels will wrestle only during their mating season, which lasts from November to March, and a female camel is paraded around in front of two males to provoke them.[28] Istanbul is the home of the Sirkeci Train Station, which was the last stop on the Orient Express, which ran between Paris and Istanbul from to 1883 to 1977. British mystery author Agatha Christie was one of the famous passengers on this famous train.[1] The first coins in world history were made of electrum and used by Lydian King Alyattes in Sardis, in the Aegean region of Turkey, in 640 B.C.[29] Turkish Delight, or lokum, is one of the oldest sweets in world history, dating back 500 years. Napoleon and Winston Churchill were particularly fond of the ones with pistachio filling, and Picasso used to consume it daily while painting.[6] The Turkish baths, or hammam, was an export of the Roman Empire to Turkey in the 7th century, derived in part from Greek, Roman, and Byzantine bathing, or purification, traditions. Turkish bath attendants are called tellaks, or scrubbers.[7] The Turkish Mediterranean resort city of Antalya holds the world record for having the highest number of “Blue Flag” certified beaches in the world, awarded for highest water quality, beach cleanliness, and highest environmental standards.[3] The most valuable silk carpet in the world, with 144 knots per square centimeter, is in the Mevlâna Museum in Konya, Turkey.[25] Hezârfen Ahmet Çelebi was the first man to fly a significant distance, using artificial wings to fly across the Bosporus Straits in the 17th century, thus making the world’s first intercontinental flight 270 years before the Wright Brothers.[11] Most Turks drink 10 or more cups of tea per day, and the country has the highest per- capita consumption of tea in the world at nearly 7 lbs.

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