TRAVELEXPO ANKARA 2024
How Is Turkish Coffee Made?
- Measure the drinking water by a coffee cup and put it in the coffee pot (Turk.: "cezve").
- Add 2 teaspoons of coffee (6 g) for each coffee cup and sugar if desired.
- Stir the coffee well over low heat.
- After a while, divide the rising foam into the coffee cups.
- Heat up the remaining coffee for one more time and pour it into the coffee cups.
* It is customary to serve water with Turkish coffee. Drinking water prepares the mouth for coffee flavour.
Going on Private Trips Abroad
A few of the Best Baklava Shops in Istanbul
- Güllüoğlu;
- Hacı İsmail Hakkızade Hafız Mustafa.
Turkish Delight
The Turkish word lokma or lokum comes from the Arabic لقمة luqma(t), plural لقوم luqūm.The Ottoman alternative name is rahat ul-hulküm, derived from the Arabic راحة الحلقوم raḥat al-ḥulqum, which means relieving the throat. In Libya, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia it is known as حلقوم ḥalqūm. In Bosnia, it is known as “rahat lokum”. Its Greek name is λουκούμι 'loukoumi' and its etymology is almost identical to Modern Turkish; in Cyprus it is sold as “Cyprus Lokum”.
Although Turkish delight has been known in Anatolia since around the 15th century, it became widespread within the borders of the Ottoman Empire, especially in the 17th century. In Europe, it became known as “Turkish Delight” in the 18th century through an English traveler. Previously made with a combination of honey or molasses and flour, both the production and taste of Turkish delight changed in the 17th century thanks to the discovery and introduction of refined sugar known as “Kelle sugar” and especially starch.
Several Now Popular Turkish Songs
- Renklensin (Reymen);
- Tek Başıma (Semicenk);
- Lan (Zeynep Bastık);
- Kömür (Mabel Matiz);
- Tiryakinim (Bayhan).
Nasreddin Hoca
Nasreddin Hoca and his funny stories are known in Turkey and all over the world. Although he is known to have lived in Aksehir, Konya, his stories have spread all over the world, from the Balkans to Persia, Arab and African countries, China and India. Nasreddin Hoca's tales, which are unique and entertaining in Turkish folklore, often contain lessons in morality or folk wisdom. He has a good sense of humor and an ability to convey symbolic messages through storytelling, as well as an uncanny ability to focus on social issues through humor.
Turkish Hamam
A Turkish bath / Turkish hamam is a room heated by special methods, where hot and cold water is used. The room is used for bathing, "peeling", foam massage and pleasant pastime. Traditionally hamam is divided into 2 parts: female and male. However, there are also joint hammams. It is believed that high humidity and temperature in the hamam contribute to the treatment of many diseases. Hamam is also an important part of Turkish history and culture.
Amulet Agianst the Evil Eye
Nazar boncuğu - "evil eye pearl" or amulet against the evil eye. The amulet in the shape of a blue eye is believed to protect against the evil eye and bad energy. This talisman is found not only in many parts of Turkey, but also in other countries of the South and the Middle East.
Turkish Coffee
Turkish coffee is known for its unusual appearance. Coffee is usually served in a small cup (fincan) with water and Turkish sweets such as lokum. The coffee itself can be with sugar (şekerli), with a little sugar (orta) or without sugar (sade). This coffee also plays an important role in Turkish pre-wedding traditions and is actually often used in everyday life.
Turkish Breakfast
Breakfast is an important part of Turkish life. Although every country has its own breakfast, Turkish breakfast is an integral part of Turkish culture, bringing together large families and friends and setting a positive mood for the whole day.
The most common Turkish breakfast foods are eggs (cooked in different ways, such as "menemen"), various fresh vegetables, cheeses, olives, sausages, spicy and non-spicy pastas spread on bread; for sweets, "kaymak" with honey or jam spread on bread. And you certainly can't have breakfast without fresh and hot Turkish black tea brewed in a special kettle called "çaydanlık".
Sabiha Gokcen (Sabiha Gökçen)
Sabiha Gokcen - a pioneering figure in aviation. She was one of the world's first female fighter pilots and the first Turkish woman to fly combat missions.
One of airports in Istanbul is named after her (İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen (Uluslararası) Havalimanı).
Sumerian Literature and Mythology: Atrahasis
Atrahasis, "the surpassingly wise," is the name of the Mesopotamian hero of the Flood in the myth of the same name (corresponding to the biblical Noah and quranic Nuh), recorded in Assyro-Babylonian literature from the Old Babylonian period up until the New Babylonian period. In Sumerian his name is Ziusudra (which becomes Xisuthros in Berossus), whereas in the Epic of Gilgamesh he is called Utanapishtim—meaning, respectively, the one who "has a long life" and the one who "has found life."
The Sumerian pantheon, which was accepted and assimilated by the Semitic Babylonians, had a pyramid structure, with the god An, the sky, at its head, sharing power with his two sons Enlil and Enki, all having clearly defined areas of responsibility. An controlled the sky, Enlil the earth, and Enki the ocean depths. In practice, whether because Enlil was god of the earth or because his priests at Nippur were a particularly powerful social grouping, it was Enlil who gave Sumerian sovereigns their royal power. Enki had nothing to do with the Sumerian kingship, so his son Marduk was cut off from the decision-making process of which Enlil was in charge.
The Babylonian priests showed their bitterness here. The antagonism been Enlil and Enki was well known, so some scholars have thought the two gods may represent two different religions, a chthonic one and a heavenly one, fused in the Sumerian religious system. In their writings, the Babylonians emphasized the rivalry between the two gods, naturally favoring Enki, demonstrating not so much the worthless nature of Enlil but certainly his lack of wisdom and his ill-will toward the human race.
More information:
- https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/atrahasis
- https://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Atrahasi.htm
- Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. “The Atrahasis Epic and Its Significance for Our Understanding of Genesis 1-9.” The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 40, no. 4, 1977, pp. 147–55. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3209529
- Millard. A. R. The Atrahasis Epic and Its Place in Babylonian Literature. University of London. 1966. https://web.archive.org/web/20201209161330id_/https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/29625/1/10752597.pdf
- Dalley. S. (tulk.) Myths from Mesopotamia Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh and Others. Oxford: Oxford World’s Classics. 2008.
