Name : Fahad shams

Enrollment: Ir211024
Assignment: Turkish
culture

Cultural life
Turkey is located halfway between
the East and the West culturally,
taking characteristics from both to
create its own distinctive fusion. The
region that today makes up the
republic has experienced a
remarkable variety of cultural
influences, which have left a rich
archaeological record from the Islamic
Middle East and Classical Europe that
is still clearly visible in the terrain. The
historic districts surrounding Istanbul,
the Great Mosque and Hospital of
Divrii, the former Hittite capital of
Hattusha, the ruins at Nemrut Da and
Xanthos-Letoon, the city of
Safranbolu, and the Troy
archaeological site are just a few of
the places of cultural significance that
have been given the UNESCO World
Heritage designation. In addition to
these, UNESCO recognised two
mixed-interest properties (sites of
both cultural and natural significance)
in Turkey: Hierapolis-Pamukkale,
known for its terraced basins of
distinctive mineral formations and
petrified waterfalls, where ruins of
the thermal baths and temples built
there in the Byzantine period, and the
area of Göreme National Park and the
Rock Sites of Cappadocia.

Asia Minor joined the Byzantine

Empire, centred at Constantinople,
after the Roman Empire was split into
its western and eastern halves
(Istanbul). It was not until the arrival
of the Turks that Asia Minor finally
joined the Islamic world. The rise of
Islam in the east caused a division of
the peninsula between the Byzantine
Christian world and the Islamic
Middle East. The Ottoman Empire was
multinational and cosmopolitan; yet,
Atatürk's new Turkey was more
linguistically and religiously
homogeneous than its forerunner
states. The Turkish language was
changed, the traditional Arabic script
was replaced by a modified Roman
alphabet, and Islam was separated
from the state under Atatürk and his
supporters. Turkey also became more
secular and Western-focused.
However, Islam has had a significant
impact on how men and women
interact and how families function.
The extent to which this effect is felt
varies among social classes, urban and
rural people, and the more and less
developed areas of the nation.

Daily life And word

Each season in rural communities has
its own tasks and activities. Winter is
a season marked by frost, snow, and
social activities, with the exception of
the south and west. Animals are
frequently housed inside and fed
primarily with chopped straw.
Plowing and sowing will soon begin
with the spring thaw. The main grain
harvest follows the hay harvest after
about a month of less urgent work;
this period of intense activity lasts
around six to eight weeks; everyone
works, some for up to 16 hours each
day. Weavers, masons, carpenters,
and smiths like tinsmiths can be found
in most village settings. A few villagers
travel to the town for craft services,
while many craftspeople—particularly
specialists like sieve makers or
sawyers—travel among the villages.
The material culture of the towns and
cities, which were once the heart of a
vast empire and have since been
greatly influenced by European trends
and technology, is impossible to sum
up in a few words. However,
marketplaces with straightforward
locked businesses still exist in most
towns, both big and small. These are
typically organised by trade or
product—coppersmiths, jewellers,
cobblers, tailors, mechanics, etc.
Additionally, retailers are categorised
by commodity. Modern
manufacturing, offices, and stores
may be found in the larger towns,
which are becoming more and more
Westernized. Large-scale commuting
from sprawling suburbs is typical in
major cities, where it causes traffic
jams, air pollution, and strain on
public transportation.
Dress
Turkish guys are increasingly dressing
in dark colours and European fashion
trends. Since fezzes and turbans were
legally outlawed in 1925, the majority
of peasants now don fabric hats. In
rural areas and among the poorer city
people, the iconic Turkish baggy pants
with an excessively big seat are still
extremely popular, although the
traditional cummerbund and colourful
shift or waistcoat are uncommon.
Village women continue to wear
traditional clothing in major part.
They dress in a certain regionally
characteristic ensemble of baggy
trousers, skirts, and aprons. In many
places, a woman's clothing might still
reveal her town or village and marital
status; rural women in Turkey
traditionally cover their mouths and
heads with a big scarf instead of
wearing veils.
Although the scarf is frequently worn
in conjunction with Western clothing,
this tradition has been restored
among the more pious metropolitan
ladies
Religious practice
Islam imposes a number of
obligations on the devout. Both men
and women must maintain a
condition of ritual cleanliness, offer
five daily prayers, observe a strict fast
during the holy month of Ramadan
each year, and make an effort to go to
Mecca at least once in their lives, if at
all possible. Islam offers fundamental
principles on cleanliness and impurity,
the nature of morality, altruism,
transgression, reward and
punishment, and relationships
between men and women.
Social roles and kinship
Male and female roles
The primary duties of men in rural
communities include intensive
agricultural work, caring for the
livestock, and maintaining all contacts
outside the home, including shopping
and official and economic ones.
Widows, for instance, may perform
men's job, but men never take on
women's tasks. Men are more
dependent on women than women
are on men as a result, and a
devastated widower who has no
other adult women in his home may
remarry within a few days or weeks.
Women are responsible for taking
care of their families, their homes,
and the meals they prepare and cook.
Additionally, they are in charge of
milking, caring for the chickens,
producing winter fuel cakes out of
dung and straw, weeding nearby
vegetable plots, and harvesting barley
and other short-stemmed crops. In
addition to their domestic
responsibilities, women are generally
in charge of a sizable share of the
agricultural work.
The position of women in cities is
influenced by social status. One of
Atatürk's Westernization goals was
the emancipation of women, and
among the urban educated middle
and upper classes, much has been
accomplished. Women initially gained
the right to vote in 1930; they were
first elected to the parliament in
1935; and for the first time in the
1990s, a woman served as prime
minister. Women work in industry
and the service sector in growing
numbers, as well as in the fields of
medicine, science, and the arts.
However, the status of rural and
urban working-class women,
particularly those from immigrant
families, is still very traditional.
The extreme social segregation of
men and women has a tremendous
impact on the structure of social
connections in countless ways. This
segregation is related to beliefs about
sex and sexuality, which are
frequently viewed as ritually impure
and somewhat shameful. For
instance, discussing sex with close
relatives is forbidden, and a young
couple is not allowed to express any
interest in one another if anyone else
is present, not even a member of the
Household.
Social Change
Turkish society has undergone rapid,
complicated, and incredibly uneven
change, which, like that of many
other developing nations, involves
increases in population,
communication, production,
urbanisation, administration, and
education.

Men working in urban areas have

attracted migrant labour due to the
vast increase in jobs available there.
Many of these men support their
families in the village by tilling the
land, even though they work in urban
areas. Additionally, it has resulted in a
large number of village households
leaving their homes and relocating to
towns and cities, significantly raising
the urban population.
Simultaneously, secularisation and
modernization have spread more and
more over rural areas and small
towns due to political and
administrative pressure and increased
efficiency. State schools have become
more prevalent in rural areas,
bringing with them more global and
national perspectives. Birth, death,
and marriage registration as well as
more intricate credit and legal
systems have all been brought about
by bureaucracy. Nowadays, formal
and legal procedures are frequently
used to resolve land conflicts rather
than local social pressure. Socially
accepted separation has tended to be
replaced by legal divorce.

Despite being secular by nature, the

state nevertheless has power over the
religious establishment. Prior to 1950,
no religious instruction was allowed;
nevertheless, modern religious
schools and theology faculties
eventually emerged, and religious
instruction was permitted in public
schools. There are numerous
programmes and organisations
outside of the public school system
that teach kids about religion, and
there are many brand-new mosques.
Thus, it has been proven that the
majority of people have a strong bond
with Islam. With the exception of a
secularist elite, the majority of Turks
still adhere to their Muslim identity
and worldview.
As a result of economic and
demographic changes, kinship, family,
and marriage have changed. Now
more than ever, young men can
achieve financial independence.
Youth have a different perspective on
the world than their elders thanks to
universal formal education,
opportunities for upward social
mobility, and migration for job, but
significant shifts in societal norms
take time to materialise.
Arts And Media
The 20th century saw the emergence
of Western art, music, and literature
alongside traditional indigenous
cultural expressions in Turkish
national culture. Turkish culture has
taken on a strongly nationalistic slant,
as evidenced by the use of the
vernacular in literature, the depiction
of village scenes in the visual arts, and
the popularity of folk ballads and
other traditional forms in music, while
many writers, artists, and musicians
have abandoned traditional Islamic
modes in favour of Western ones. The
popular arts are also flourishing, and
Western-style theatres, orchestras,
and opera groups and flourishing.
Different regions have their own
unique dances and activities that are
quite popular. Drums, trumpets,
flutes, tambourines, viols, and
cymbals are examples of folk
instruments. Shadow plays, which
include puppets that are mirrored on
a linen screen, and orta oyunu, a sort
of improvisational comedy, are also
common forms of drama. Hikaye and
siir, two types of popular traditional
literature, are recited by minstrels
called âşks. Upon the awarding of the
Nobel Prize in Literature to renowned
Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk in
2006, Turkish contemporary literature
received widespread international
attention.
In 1971, the Ministry of Culture was
founded. The National Folklore
Institute in Ankara, the Turkish
Folklore Society in Istanbul, the
Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul, as
well as several scientific and
professional organisations are
institutions dedicated to the arts and
sciences. In addition to the Museum
of Turkish and Islamic Art in Istanbul,
there are archaeological museums in
Ankara, Istanbul, and Zmir. Ankara is
where the National Library is situated.
The top newspapers in the nation are
Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Zaman,
and Hürriyet, all of which are situated
in Istanbul. Four radio networks, five
domestic television channels, a
significant global satellite television
channel, and all of them are
controlled by the government-owned
Turkish Radio-Television Corporation
(TRT). Private television channels and
radio stations are also available.
Sometimes press freedom is curtailed,
especially for newspapers that are
leftist or pro-Kurdish.
The material culture of the
towns and cities, which
were once the heart of a
vast empire and have since
been greatly influenced by
European trends and
technology, is impossible
to sum up in a few words.
However, marketplaces
with straightforward
locked businesses still
exist in most towns, both
big and small. These are
typically organised by
trade or product—
coppersmiths, jewellers,
cobblers, tailors,
mechanics, etc.
Additionally, retailers are
categorised by commodity.
Modern manufacturing,
offices, and stores may be
found in the larger towns,
which are becoming more
and more Westernized.
Large-scale commuting
from sprawling suburbs is
typical in major cities,
where it causes traffic
jams, air pollution, and
strain on public
transportation.