Turkey

TÜRKIYE'YE HOŞGELDINIZ!

Turkey, officially known as the Republican Turkey, is a vast peninsula, linking Asia to Europe through the Sea of Marmara and the Straits of Istanbul (Bosfor) and Çanakkale. Turkey is like a mosaic made up of many different relief and formations: parallel mountain ranges, extinct volcanoes, plateaus fissured by valleys and plains. Surrounded on its three sides by warm seas, it falls in the temperate climate zone. Turkey has a quite large river system that allows for important hydroelectric power generation and irrigation.

The country's population was 73.7 million people in 2010, nearly three-quarters of whom lived in towns and cities.

Ankara is the Turkey’s capital (situated in the Central Anatolia), but Istanbul is the largest city. Ankara has many archeological sites, such as Ankara Citadel, Roman Theatre, Temple of Augustus and Rome and the Julian’s Column.

         

      Istanbul, historically known as  Constantinople, is a megacity, as well as Turkey’s cultural, economic, and financial centre. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbour known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) sides of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents.

Istanbul is becoming increasingly colorful in terms of its rich social, cultural, and commercial activities. While world famous pop stars fill stadiums, activities like opera, ballet and theatre continue throughout the year. During seasonal festivals, world famous orchestras, chorale ensembles, concerts and jazz legends can often be found playing to a full house. The Istanbul International Film Festival is one of the most important film festivals in Europe, while the Istanbul Biennial is another major event of fine arts.

            H PERSONALITIES

Nasrettin Hoca

He is a great and famous folk philosopher whose memory has become a legend. His anecdotes which are orally transmitted everywhere where Turkish is spoken. The fame of Nasreddin Hodja is slowly spreading all over the world and his anecdotes are being translated into numerous languages.

                                                         Evliya Celebi

Being a famous traveler, he is the first and the greatest representative of travel literature. He has visited almost all cities and towns of the Ottoman Empire and took long trips to foreign lands. His travels covered Anatolia, Rumelia, Syria, Egypt, Cerete and Hejaz, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Crimea and Caucasia. He tried to cover history, buildings, customs and traditions and the famous people in his writings. His travel journal is published in several volumes.

        Fikret Mualla

He is a painter who has gained worldwide recognition. Fikret Mualla generally painted the cafes, the people at the cafes, the taverns, streets, circuses, places of entertainment and the life in Paris. His favourite colours were red, blue, orange and lilac. Using these colours, he expressed his feelings, his sadness and his joy for life. Men Sitting, Still Life in Blue, Bistro, Cafe, French Workers at a Cafe in Marseille, Golden Horn and Süleymaniye, A Street in Paris are only a few of the famous paintings of Fikret Mualla.

SIVAS

Sivas is a city in east-central Turkey and the seat of Sivas Province.  The city is a moderately-sized trade center and industrial city, although the economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Rail repair shops and a thriving manufacturing industry of rugs, bricks, cement, and cotton and woolen textiles form the basis of the city's economy. A cultural hub as well as an industrial one, Sivas contains many examples of 13th-century Seljuk architecture. The Mavi Medrese from 1271, the Şifaiye Medresesi from 1218 and the Çifte Minare Medresesi from 1271, with its intricately carved facade and minarets, are among the most noteworthy monuments.

The city also contains some fine examples of the Ottoman architectural style. Kurşunlu Hamamı (Leaden Bath) which was completed in 1576, is the largest Turkish bath in the city and it contains many details from the classical Ottoman bath building. Behrampaşa Hanı (Caravansaray), was completed in 1573 and it is famous for the lion motifs around its windows.
The participating school is  Muzaffer Sarisözen Güzel Sanatlar Ve Spor Lisesi.

Cuisine

Specialities of Sivas’ cuisine are Tarhana (a soup made using yogurt) and Kelecos (a sour potato soup made with yoghurt). One distinct feature of Sivas cooking is the use of Mardamak which is a local herb similar to spinach. Sivas Kebab is a variety of Kebab originating from Sivas.

NOTABLE NATIVS

Tülin Şahin

                                       Ismail YK & Yurtseven Kardesler - singers

Ismail YK 

       İbrahim Toraman - football player

       Mekhitar of Sebastia - founder of the Mekhitarist Order of  Armenian Catholic monks

       Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu - was the president of the BBP party in Turkey

        Mustafa Balel - Turkish short story writer and novelist

    Nebahat Albayrak - Turkish-Dutch politician and currently state minister in the Netherlands government

        Pir Sultan Abdal - Alevi poet 

 Saint Blaise - Armenian saint, bishop of Sebaste

  Mustafa Balel

Selda Bagcan - political protest singer persecuted in the 1980s

Torkom Saraydarian - Armenian spiritual teacher, author, composer born in Sivas, 1917

Tülin Şahin - model

Ukhtanes of Sebastia - Armenian historian and prelate