Turkish Culture
Interesting facts
Why Turkey (country) is called Turkey(bird)? Actually, opposite is
true. The bird Turkey takes its name from the country named
Turkey. Turkey (bird) is native to Americas and when Europeans
first encountered them, they incorrectly identified these birds as a
type of guineafowl (Numididae). At that time guineafowl were also
known as turkey fowl (or turkey hen and turkey cock) because
they were imported to Central Europe through Turkey. The name
turkey fowl, shortened to just the name of the country, stuck as
the name of the North American bird.
The largest and best-preserved Neolithic site found to date is in Turkey.
The place is named Çatalhöyük and is in southern Anatolia. The
settlement existed from approximately 7500 BCE to 5700 BCE! 9,000
years ago, at a time when most of the world's population were
wandering hunter-gatherers, Catalhoyuk was one of the world's largest
settlements with a population of 10,000.
Suleyman the Magnificent (the
famous Ottoman Sultan) was a poet
who wrote over 3000 poems, some of
them criticizing the greed of mankind.
Anatolia is the location of the first known beauty
contest, judged by Paris, with Aphrodite, Hera and
Athena as leading participants.
Turkey provides 70% of the world's hazelnuts; the nut in your
chocolate bar was most probably grown in Turkey.
Turks introduced coffee to
Europe.
According to
Turkish tradition a
stranger at one's
doorstep is
considered "A
Guest from God"
and should be
accommodated
accordingly.
The Famous
Trojan Wars took
place in western
Turkey, around
the site where a
wooden statue of
the Trojan Horse
rests today.
Part of Turkey's southwestern shore was a
wedding gift that Mark Anthony gave to
Cleopatra.
Turks gave the Dutch their famous tulips.
Temple of Artemis and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus,
the two of the seven wonders of the ancient world, are in
Turkey.
Turkey is noted for having one of the three most famous and
distinctive traditional cuisines in the world.
Made by: Eliza Bujor
Matea Cimpeanu