Do You Want to Learn About The Fascinating People of Turkey?

With their complex and rich history, the people of Turkey are unique and fascinating. Because Turkey was a thriving empire throughout most of its history, peoples were assimilated into its culture by conquering them or enslaving them, or simply because business with Turks was good.

Today the country includes several distinct ethnic groups: Turks, Armenians, Kurds, Circassians, Roma, Greeks, Jews, and others. The Turks are the predominant group, and everyone speaks Turkish as the official language (not Arabic).

There are about 70 million Turkish citizens, more than half of them under the age of 30. In regards to their education most of the people of Turkey is reasonably well-educated, though the south eastern quadrant tends to be less so; this is because there's still a problem there with women being viewed as second-class citizens, and partly because of this, young girls are often not educated.

Much of the current nature of the people of Turkey was shaped at the end of World War I, a devastating time for the Turks.

This was when the great Ottoman Empire was defeated and partitioned into several countries, and people were seeking a new direction. They found it in the Ataturk (Father of Turkey) Mustafa Kemal Pasha, a war hero and revolutionary leader who threw out the old Sultanate and created a new republican government during the 1920s, which reformed the social structure of the country.

While reforming women's rights, polygamy and divorce by renunciation were outlawed, women were given the right to vote and equal standing under the law, and encouraged to dress in European style; veils were made illegal as well. Religion was removed as the basis of government and replaced with secularism. While the country maintains a very strong Eastern flavour, Turkey is a very modern and westernised country, this is especially true in the cities.

What is that Eastern flavour? It's not Muslim, interestingly. Turkish people moved from Central Asia, very near China, to their current home, and interacted on the way with Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, Anatolian, and European cultures, creating a very interesting culture. It's more a stew than a blend, as distinct parts of each contributing culture can still be identified, though the whole is held together by a culture that can only be called Turkish.

The Turkish language is also unique; it is unrelated to most other languages today, and during the 1920s purged much of the Arabic influence out. Today the Istanbul dialect is accepted as the standard language by the people of Turkey, though there are several local and regional dialects also spoken throughout the country.

Turkey is probably ripe for an artistic revolution. Since the reformations of the Ataturk, artists have struggled to find a Turkish identity in their history using modern influences, and the results have been lukewarm at best. With the amazing collection of ancient architecture and art in the country, there is rich material to draw upon, and chaos is the perfect bed from which to draw new artistic ideas.

Most Turks are Muslim at least in name, primarily Sunni. A unique sect, the Alevi, is related to both Sufi and Shi'a Islam; it is followed by as many as 20% of Turks. There are also several Christian sects in the country, mostly Eastern Orthodox. Religion is a cultural, not ideological, bond between the people of Turkey. Interestingly, even modern Turks fear the Evil Eye, or nazar. You will often see Turkish people wearing a nazar amulet to ward off ill luck brought by envious people.

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