The Republic of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, English: The Republic of Turkey) is a country spanning Europe and Asia, bordering the Black Sea to the north, the Mediterranean to the south, and Syria and Syria to the southeast. Iraq borders the Aegean Sea to the west, Greece and Bulgaria, and Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran to the east. Türkiye's geographical location and geopolitical strategic significance are extremely important, and it is the crossroads connecting Europe and Asia.

Folk customs

Turkish people like to invite guests to their homes and offer them coffee, cigarettes, snacks, fruits, etc. Will invite you to come again next time. In Turkey, people retain an ancient traditional custom of hanging a few cloves of garlic on their doorsteps to turn bad luck into good luck.

When Turkish people meet guests in social situations, they usually greet each other first and then shake hands. When they met with

family and friends, they kissed each other on the cheeks. When Turks say farewell to relatives, friends and guests, they usually bow more often.

When giving a salute, you should cross your hands on your chest and bow 90 degrees to show respect and farewell to the guests. If the two hands are not crossed on the chest, it means that you are not welcome to visit again next time.

They are taboo about using the left hand to pass things or food. They think the left hand is unclean. Using the left hand to pass things or food is a great disrespect for people and is suspected of insulting people. . They are extremely disgusted and disgusted with the mutual intimacy between married men and women or lovers in public occasions, and think it is an immoral behavior.

The custom of wife compensation

The eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey have the most historical monuments, and are also the regions with the most strange customs and customs in Turkey.

You can often hear about them. Unmarried women were forced to undergo hymen examinations, or women involved in romantic infidelity were lynched by their fathers and brothers.

"Compensating the wife" means that if someone's wife runs away, the husband can claim compensation from the wife's family, and the wife's family must compensate a huge amount of money

otherwise they must be evicted. An unmarried daughter was treated as "honorary compensation" and became the man's illegal wife, a so-called concubine, according to the Islamic marriage rituals prevalent in Turkey, with no legal status. But if the wife's family has neither money nor people,

the only response is to kill the fleeing daughter.

But if someone’s wife eloped with someone else, the male family who abducted the woman must produce an unmarried daughter

as the husband’s “humiliation compensation”, otherwise You can comply with the husband's request and pay a huge amount of humiliation money or land or real estate.

Not long ago, it was reported that in the Karayaz region of Ezulon Province in eastern Turkey, the 20-year-old Edme, a 70-year-old man, was married five years ago. After giving birth to five children in 2011, she eloped with her 15-year-old lover Sewell eight months ago. Therefore, according to tradition, Edmay went to Sewell's family to claim compensation for "covering her shame."

According to local personage Ta Xijin, the head of the Masura tribe to which Edme belongs and the Mukut tribe chief to whom the Sevier family belongs,

got together to discuss the results and decided to Sewell's thirteen-year-old sister Carrieye married the seventy-year-old Edme as a "wife compensation". The Sewell family, who came from a poor family, also agreed to accept this verdict.

However, less than six hours after the two parties held their wedding ceremony yesterday according to the religious marriage model, Karuiye hanged himself and died

The body was discovered outside the bridal chamber by a neighbor. It is said that Carrieye apparently committed suicide in shame and anger due to Edmee's rape and abuse.

Taboo

Christians in Turkey taboo the number "13", thinking it is unlucky and a number that portends bad luck and disaster

Turks do not like to discuss issues related to politics and the conflict between Cyprus and Greece when chatting with guests.

Pork is prohibited in Türkiye, but alcohol is allowed.

Cuisine

Turkish cuisine is one of the three major cuisines in the world.

In addition to bread, traditional cuisine also includes meat, wine, and seafood. The main meat products are mutton. Turks generally do not eat pork, octopus, or shrimp. If you want to taste Turkish snacks, you can choose a small local restaurant with special characteristics. Turkey's food is generally seasoned with strong spices or wine. Turkey's most distinctive delicacies include: barbecue cuisine - Kaba, Turkish burgers - "Kofte" meatloaf, Turkish black tea, wine, lion milk - Lak, representative seasons Sala

Sarah "Sarat" and so on.

Istanbul, the Pearl of Eurasia

The most famous city in Turkey is Istanbul. Turkey spans the two continents of Asia and Europe, and to be more precise, it is Istanbul.

Bull, it is the only city in the world that spans two continents and is the hub connecting Europe and Asia.

This is an international metropolis. As the former capital, Istanbul is the most economically developed region in Turkey. The intersection of tradition and modernity,

the intertwining of profound historical accumulation and beautiful coastal scenery, forms Istanbul's unique urban style. Take a boat trip on the Bosp

Rus Strait, with a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery on both sides of the city. The water quality of the strait is blue and clear, and the clear sky is bluer than the sea water.

It makes people feel refreshed.

This thousand-year-old city has witnessed the rise and fall of the Eastern Roman Empire, the wars of the Crusades, and the invasion of aliens.

The city was destroyed several times and several times. After being rebuilt for the first time, it is still tenaciously straddling both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and its vitality is still there. In this city that has experienced the baptism of war but has been reborn many times like a phoenix rising from the ashes, numerous cultural relics and historic sites record fragments of thousands of years of vicissitudes.

The "Underground Cistern" was once the filming location of Jackie Chan's movie "The Lost City" and is a very typical "product of war"

Due to the constant wars here, water has become the most precious Wealth, so this large underground reservoir dug underground became the greatest guarantee of water for people at that time. The strategic buildings of the past have now been turned into tourist attractions for people to visit. In addition, the Hagia Sophia Cathedral and the unique Blue Mosque, which "have the most beautiful dome in the world's

architectural history", can also make you stop and wander

in your imagination. place.

Ancient Roman Hot Springs, Ancient City of Ephesus and Pamukkale

In ancient Sadas, there is a very special place, which is an ancient Roman-style hot spring area. As early as more than 3,000 years ago, many ancient Roman nobles had built hot spring facilities here, which can be said to be "a hot spring resort hotel thousands of years ago."

To this day, it is still open to tourists. After several historical changes, many buildings in the hot spring area have collapsed. Stone pillars are either standing on the roadside or falling in the hot spring pool. Soaking in the hot spring among the ruins is a very unique feeling. "Thousands of years ago, people were bathing in hot springs here

Thousands of years later, modern people are doing the same thing here." This feeling is very strange, the pool is dilapidated

Every pillar and stone is filled with history. When you touch it, it is enough to evoke all kinds of reverie in you.

The ancient city of Ephesus is one of the birthplaces of Eurasian civilization. After experiencing prosperity and glory, it has now become a historic site

It is the oldest and best preserved in Turkey Ancient city ruins. Although it is dilapidated, some remaining buildings

such as Roman avenues, amphitheaters, libraries, sarcophagus cemeteries, statues of Artemis... the former glory of the ancient city

And glory is vaguely visible.

Turkish hot springs have been famous all over the world since ancient times, and their bathing methods have spread to all corners of the world over the centuries.

Moreover, Turkey's unique geographical environment has also made it a world-renowned hot spring resort, and beautiful myths and legends have cast a mysterious veil over Turkish hot springs.

The charm of ancient times, the bath of the soul

The first time I connected Turkey with “bath” was when I was watching the world-famous paintings created by the famous French painter Ingres

< p>"Turkish Bath Girl"; I first connected Turkey with hot springs when I read a myth and legend: Legend has it that the handsome shepherd Endymion wanted to marry the Greek moon goddess Serene. They had a tryst and forgot to milk the goat. As a result, the goat's milk flowed freely

covering the entire hill and forming Turkey's Pamukkale (Cotton Castle), which is Turkey's famous hot spring

Resort.

Pamukkale has been a hot spring resort since the Greek era 2,000 years ago, and it is even more famous today. The spring water flows down from the top of the mountain. After thousands of years of calcification and precipitation, the spring water forms a semicircular white natural staircase that looks like a big flower from a distance. Flowers of cotton stand on the hill, so the locals vividly call it "Pamukkale", which means Pamukkale. Now

the source is almost exhausted, and local people have dug channels in the mountains to divert water for tourists to enjoy. You can take off your shoes and socks, soak in the water

and watch while walking. It feels very unique.

Male and female bathing

Under the guidance of the tour guide, we went to the bathing center frequented by locals and saw the scene of male and female bathing. According to the tour guide, Turkish baths

In the early days, men and women took separate baths. In later periods, when men and women took baths, most people wore a bath towel around their lower bodies and were naked

with their upper bodies covered. . In the eyes of Turks, Turkish baths are holy places, and bathing in holy places has absolutely no evil thoughts or scruples. When people take a bath, their hearts are holy, so when men and women wash their bodies,

everyone feels that they are the incarnation of holiness.

In Türkiye, there is also a very important bridal shower. The bridal shower for a bride in Türkiye is one of the most important procedures for a new marriage.

On the first day after marrying into her husband's house, the bride must first go to the hammam to bathe.

Wash away the dust and past events of the past, and the most important thing is to accept the blessings of Allah. Then she gets dressed up, marries into her husband's family, and from then on she spends her life with her man wholeheartedly. After giving birth to a child and waiting for another ten days after the child is one month old, the mother will also take the child to take a Turkish bath to receive God's blessings for the child.

Belly Dance

Speaking of Turkish folk customs, the first thing that must be mentioned is of course the local specialty dance - belly dance. In Turkey

You can find belly dancing girls in every corner of the streets and alleys of Turkey. Belly dancers prefer a plump figure, especially the waist. They need to have "fat" to look good when dancing. This is very different from the Chinese people who have "very thin waists". Girls

The belly trembles with the beat, which is very attractive. Whether in restaurants, cruise ships or tourist areas, this kind of civilian and life-like dance can be seen everywhere. The girls may invite tourists to have sex and dance, and the atmosphere is very good. .

Turkish Tea

Turkish tea is the favorite drink of the locals. It's sour and sweet, a bit like the taste of iced black tea. You can see Turkish tea sellers selling it on the streets almost everywhere in Turkey. In front of various shops, people gather in twos and threes to chat, drink tea in small cups, and smoke from a water pipe. This is the street in Turkey. Unique scenery

. The locals are friendly and hospitable and seem to like the Chinese very much. When a sightseeing bus full of Chinese tourists passes through the city, other drivers and pedestrians will take the initiative to say hello, and if you want to take a photo with the locals, there is no problem

.

Eid al-Fitr

National Festival Eid al-Fitr is the most solemn annual Islamic festival on October 1 of the Islamic calendar. Muslims fast for the entire ninth month of the calendar every year, which becomes "Ramadan". Look at the new moon on the last day of Ramadan and break the fast the day after seeing the moon, which is Eid al-Fitr

. This holiday marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting. In the early morning of the festival, Muslims shower and dress up and gather from all directions

Go to the mosque to participate in festival ceremonies, group worship, celebrations and activities, congratulate the successful completion of "fasting", wish each other happy holidays, and

Give gifts. Independence Day and Children's Day April 23rd is the "Candy Festival" in Islamic countries, which lasts for 3 days. Children

gather in small groups and go to various houses to ask for candies, and according to local custom they cannot be refused, so it becomes the happiest day for children

. On April 15th, the Spring Festival, young people will wear colorful hats, hold colorful paper pinwheels, and sing and dance in groups

; folk artists with long hair and long robes will play Tambourine, dancing and singing, very lively. Eid al-Adha

December 10th in the Islamic calendar, also known as Eid al-Adha, is one of the two major festivals of the year for Muslims. Youth and Sports Day in May

Victory Day on the 19th August 30th National Day October 29th

Etiquette and Taboos

Hierarchy in Turkish society remains It is more obvious to show respect to the elderly or people with status. Men and women need to keep a certain distance beforehand and avoid kissing. People are required to take off their shoes before entering the mosque and put them on when visiting the minaret.

Religious places in mosques may restrict entry to non-Islamic believers or have different opening hours.

Turkey is a very particular nation. When meeting friends, they kiss the left and right cheeks first, while those who are not familiar with each other shake hands. Take off your shoes when visiting other people's homes

. Don't cuddle and hug your lover in public places, as these are considered unsightly.

Blue eyes

Although red can be called Turkey’s “national color”, the portraits of the founding father Kemal Atatürk are always accompanied by bright red

< p>The flag appears at home and in public places, but "Blue Turkey" is an inseparable popular term. The blue here

does not refer to the blue of the sea, but "blue eyes".

If we cannot understand the position of blue eyes in the hearts of Turks, we cannot fully understand the spiritual world of Turks.

The standard name for blue eyes is the "Eye of Medusa". This succubus in Greek mythology is said to be able to turn anyone who looks directly into her eyes into a stone statue. Deep in the Basilica Cistern not far from Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, you can see two Medusa heads that are more than 1 meter high.

More often, the "Eye of Medusa" is abstracted into a round fish-eye-shaped decoration. They are everywhere, appearing on dinner plates, jewelry, house doors, packaging bags, clothing, driver's rearview mirrors, embedded in sidewalks, and buildings

< p>On the facade, it has even become the brand logo of many companies. The corporate image of Avea, Turkey's second largest mobile phone operator, is an elegant and smart eye.

The Turkish people’s admiration for blue eyes stems from their belief in the “evil eye”.

Those evil eyes hidden in the darkness can bring bad luck to people. At this time, the eyes of Medusa are like evil mirrors, resisting and reflecting the evil eyes' intrusion. In Pamuk's "Memories of Istanbul", he once described the fear of the evil eye among the aristocracy.

Today’s blue eyes have become the most popular tourist souvenirs. In bazaars around the world, you can often catch a glimpse of the endless blue

. Thousands of pairs of blue eyes that ward off evil are looking towards you. You pay attention. As for the hand-making center of Blue Eyes, it is in a remote village in Izmir Province. However, at the seaside market in Bodrum on the Aegean coast, you can also see Turkish uncles with turbans on their heads sitting in front of the stove making items on the spot. The handicrafts that seem ordinary and can be easily copied

have actually experienced the experience of fire, which is enough to awe people.