Irani CALLIGRAPHY

CALLIGRAPHY

• Calligraphy is an important art form in Iran. Originally an Arabic system of writing developed from the Syriac and Nabatean, it uses a contrast between vertical lines and the horizontal base formed by the links between the letters.

• Early on calligraphy took on the sacred function of reproducing the Koran. Later it started to be used for secular and religious decorative purposes. Some of the styles are; Nasta'liq, Shikasteh, Naskh, and Suls.

Surat Al Imran,Verse 126 Dimension : 112*70 cm Nasta`liq Jali script
by Ali Shirazi

• Modern calligraprophers such as Ali Shirazi whose beautiful work is above are keeping the artform not only alive but current by holding art showings around the world. See Shamseh Arts Institute web site.

  
  

• Ancient or modern calligraphy can be seen in decorations of religious buildings and other places. Also, it is used in holy Koran and holy names such as Allah (God), prophet Mohammad or saints.

The Islanders
Calligraphy in the hand of Mohammed - son of Shafiq, 1291

Iran Arts

Recent archaeological excavations have shed new light on the earliest arts of the Iranian plateau. These newly discovered prehistoric sites date back to at least 5000 BC, and handsome decorated pottery, some of which is eggshell thin, has been found in great quantities at sites dated 3000 BC and later. Persian art and architecture reflects a 5,000-year-old cultural tradition shaped by the diverse cultures that have flourished on the vast Iranian plateau occupied by modern Iran and Afghanistan. The history of Persian art can be divided into two distinct eras whose demarcation is the mid-7th century AD, when invading Arab armies brought about the conversion of the Persian people to Islam.

Iran Religion

RELIGION

• The majority of Iranians are Shiite Muslim (Moslem) which is the state religion of Iran. In 1986, statistics indicated that approximately more than 98.5% of the people are Muslim. There are also Sunnis Muslim in Iran. (Books on Islam.)

Muslim men worshiping in mosque

• Christians include .7% of the population. The Christian community consisted of Assyrians and Armenians who lived in Iran since the old times. In addition to the Gregorian Churches, there also Roman Catholics, Adventists, and Protestants who have their own centers where they worship. Armenians and Assyrians are represented in the Parliament.
  
  

Prayer in Christian church in Isfahan

• Jews include .3% of the population. They are represented in the parliament and have their own schools, place of worship and associations.
  
  

Zoroastrians performing religious ceremony in Yazd

• The ancient Persian religion was Zoroastrian. Zoroastrians include .1% of the population. (books on Zoroasterism.)
  
  
• The followers of other religions compose .1%.
  

Iranian Education

EDUCATION

• Education is a high priority for Iranians. In Iran, the literacy rate is 80% of the population. About 90% of the children go to school.
  
  
• Public schools are free to all Iraninan families. There are a number different private schools although they charge a tuition.

• At all grade levels from primary school to university level students study very hard. In order to graduate from primary school and middle school, students must pass national standard tests in all subjects.
  
  
• Entrance for state universities is difficult and very competitive. In order to be admitted to university, students must pass a difficult national standard test. Private universities are increasing in numbers and some students go to schools in other countries.

Iran Sights

IRAN

• Iran today is both modern and ancient. It is the most populous and the second-largest country in the Middle East located south of the Caspian Sea and north of the Persian Gulf. It shares borders with Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
  
  
• The country is generally on a plateau averaging 1,219 meters (4,000 feet) in elevation. There are also maritime lowlands along the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. The Elburz Mountains in the north rise to 5,670 meters (18,603 feet) at Mount Damavend. From northwest to southeast, the country is crossed by a desert 1,287 kilometers (800 miles) long.
  
  
• About 11% of Iran, in the mountains bordering the Caspian Sea, is covered with mostly deciduous forest. Brown forest soils found along the coasts of the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf are used extensively for farming. Iran has extremely rich mineral resources, especially petroleum and natural gas.
  
  
• In the West, the country has been known as Persia, from the ancient Greek name for the heartland of the empire, Persis. The use of the name Iran was requested by the government in 1935. Iran became Muslim after the Arab conquest in the 7th century, and Shiite Islam became its official religion in the 16th century.
  
  
• Aryan tribes migrated into the Iranian plateau in the 2d millennium BC. Iran's official language, is Farsi, an Indo-European language, written in modified Arabic script since the 10th century. Iran's long history of continuous administration and independent rule, shared culture, and common religion, have given the large majority of Iranians a strong sense of national identity. More Iranian History.
  
  
• Tehran, the capital, is the largest city, and Mashad, Isfahan, Tabriz, and Shiraz all have populations of over one million. Other major cities include Ardabil, Bakhtaran, Kerman, Kirkuk, Orumiyeh, Qazvin, Rasht, and Yazd.
  
  
• Iran is a land of hospitality and warmness, with a rich, glorious and grand cultural heritage.
  
  
• Iran, a land of poets and poetry, ancient and modern art, and a great variety of cultures and sub-cultures in a diverse land with lakes, deserts, seas, mountains and valleys.
  
  
• Even though tourism in Iran is on the rise again, there are still many people in the world that do not believe that it is easy to travel to Iran. Nothing could be further from the truth.
  
  
• Iran has something to offer to everyone. From culture lovers to the adventurous. There are many sightseeing choices to choose from; mountain climbing, skiing, shopping at many magnificent shops and bazaars, great resturants, splendid parks, and of course historical and archaeological places of interest with over 5,000 years of history. It would take many weeks to see all that Iran has to offer the visiting tourist.
  
  
• It is easy to explore Iran with buses, trains and airplane. A major attraction of Iran is that travel is inexpensive, and so are many of the fine arts and crafts that you can buy there. It is easy to find accommodations in most places.
  
  
• Tours which visit holy shrines, ancient cities, nomads, and the best shopping and restaurants with experienced guides speaking most languages.
  
  
• Iran is a very safe country to travel in regardless of your race, religion, or gender. The crime rate in Iran is low. For your own information, check with the embassy or your travel agent about current customs and regulations.
  
  
• Iran and the West have had on and off relationship for many years. Most people distinguish between a government and the people. Iranians held a spontaneous vigil for the 9/11 victims, the only country in the Middle East to do so.
  
  
• Other information on Iran:
  CIA Factbook Iran listing
  Reuters Foundation AlertNet
  
  
• Official Name: Islamic Republic of Iran
  Population: 66,000,000
  Area: 1,648,000 sq. km
  Capital (population): Tehran (10,400,000)
  Major Cities: Tehran, Mashad, Isfahan, Tabriz
  Language(s): Persian, Farsi, Kurdish, Baluchi
  Monetary Unit: Rial (exchange rate)
  

Iranian Women

Soccer Fans

Students

We will be adding to this page to honor Iranian women around the world.
There are many more than we have here so if you would like to see someone
added to this page just email us their information.

Shirin Ebadi Iran's First Nobel Prize Winner	Shahla Sherkat Publisher	Tahmineh Milani Film Director
Marjane Satrap (Author: Persepolis)	Azita Hajiyan Actress	Pari Saberi Stage director, novelist and dramatist
Nazanin Afshin-Jam Model, Activist	Shahla Lahiji Writer Publisher	Yasim Le Bon International Model
Darya Dadvar Soprano Singer	Simin Behbahani Poet	Mehrangiz Kar Human Rights Lawyer

Irani Language

LANGUAGE

* Persian (Farsi) is the national language of Iran. Persian is one of the world's oldest languages, a well-recognized tongue as early as the 6th century B.C., it is an Indo-European language or particularly Irano-Aryan. This dialect was spoken in the province of Fars so its name derived from that. Three forms of Persian is identified by scholars: old, middle, and modern.

* Old Persian, the language of the great Persian Empire, was utilized until the 3rd century BC. Old Persian extended from the Mediterranean to the Indus River in India. Cuneiform inscriptions of Darius used this language.

* Middle Persian or Pahlavi, started in the 2nd century B.C., was written with a variation of Assyrian alphabet what can be seen in the Sassanian rock carvings. Middle Persian was used up to 9th century AD.

* With the Islamic conquest of the 7th century, Arabic script was modified to a non-semitic language. This modification resulted in an alphabet similar to Arabic, with a number of additional characters to accommodate special sounds, but they are altogether two different languages.

* Modern Persian is spoken by over 40 million people in Iran and another 5 million in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan it is known as Dari. A variety of Persian called Tajik is spoken in the Tajikistan, and is written in the Cyrillic alphabet. Other dialects found in Iran are; Baluchi spoken in Sistan and Baluchestan, and Gilaki spoken in Gilan, northern Iran.


Women of Turkmen Tribe

* In different parts of Iran other languages are spoken such as Kurdish, Arabic, Lori and Turkish Azari in Azarbayjan, and another Turkish dialect spoken by turkmen in North of Khorasan province and East of Mazandaran province.

* English words of Persian origin include shawl, pajama, taffeta, khaki, kiosk, divan, lilac, jasmine, julep, jackal, caravan, bazaar, checkmate, and dervish.

* When traveling in Iran, knowing English could be useful since some educated people in Iran speak English, almost everyone works for a travel agency or an airline office, most hotels and top restaurants, and some shops in big cities.

Turkish Culture i

Turkish Culture, being shaped for over 3000 years and moved from the Central Asia till Central Europe, is a very diverse one. Turkish Culture carries traces from both the European and Islamic cultures. Turkish language has many English, French, Persian and Arabic rooted words still used in today’s modern language. Until the migration of the Turks from Central Asia to Middle East, Turks’ religion was shamanism. After they contacted with the muslim world, they started choosing Islam as their religion and just after this they started contacting the Christians of the Byzantine Empire with which they were in close contact until today. Because of the “harem” tradition of the Ottoman Sultans, even the Sultans of the Empire were not purely Turkish. Many Turks, today, have roots from the Balkans, from the Middle East, from Caucasus or even from Egypt.

Parallel to diversity of the Turkish Culture, Turkish arts also carries strong influence form both West and East. Especially after the modernization of the nation by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk after the War of Independence at 1923, Turkish arts developed rapidly and started competing its Western rivals. A good example to this is Orhan Pamuk, Turkish novelist, winning the Oscar Literature award of 2006.

Turkish Language	Religion
Turkish Delight - Lokum	Nazar Boncugu - Evil Eye
Alcoholic Drinks and Raki	Turkish Coffee
Turkish Carpets	Hamam (Turkish Bath)

The change in the Turkish people in the last century is actually surprising. Being a Monarchy governed with Islamic rules, the country in 10 years became a fulluy secular republic governed with democracy. Today, you can see all colors in the Turkish streets, modern women with a western look or women with more religious outfits. But the most common mistake towards Turkish people is believing that men wear Fez (traditional Ottoman hat) and women wear black chadors.

The oldest written scripts of Turkish Literature are the Orhon inscriptions found in the Central Mongolia written about 1500 years ago. Turkish Literature can be divided into 3 periods, before Islam, after adoption of Islam and the modern Turkish Literature. The first of these had mostly verbal literature so not much can be found from this period. The period after the adoption of Islam has mostly influences from the Persian culture. During the Ottoman Empire period Arabic and Persian words invaded the Turkish language and it consequently became mixed with three different languages. During the Ottoman period which spanned six centuries, the natural development of Turkish was severely damaged.

Then there was the new language movement five years after the announcement of the Turkish Republic in 1928, the Arabic alphabet was replaced by the Latin one, which in turn speeded up the movement for getting rid of the foreign words. The Turkish Language Institute was established in 1932 to carry out linguistic research and contribute to the natural development of the language.

A long history of influences from both Europe and Asia is also reflected in the complexity and diversity of Turkish music. There is a lively tradition of folk music, with many regional styles and contributions from ethnic minorities. Being a cosmopolitan country, Turkey has also adopted classical and popular music from the West and developed genres that combine Western, Asian, and Arabic elements. One kind of unaccompanied folk singing is the long melody, consisting of heavily ornamented songs influenced by Islamic chant and sung in free rhythm. The shattered melody style is in strict rhythm and is more suited as an accompaniment dancing. There is also a tradition of balladry and epics accompanied by the "baglama" (also called a "saz") and performed by itinerant musicians.

Folk rhythms are usually irregular in a kind of limping pattern important to the coordination of the group dance. Turkish folk instruments include the "zurna", a double-reed oboe, the "kemence", a bowed violin and the "kaval", an end-blown flute. Many of these instruments are capable of producing drones, a musical aesthetic found both in western Asia and in much of the folk music of East Europe. Melody instruments include the "ney", an end-blown flute; the "kanun", a trapezoidal plucked zither; the "ud", a short-necked lute and the "tanbur", a long-necked lute. When played in ensemble these are often accompanied by a small drum, called the "def", and kettle drums, as well as vocal choruses. Music like this is often used by the Sufi Mevlevi of Konya region cult for sacred ceremonies, often accompanying their famous whirling dervishes. Centuries ago the music of the Ottoman Janissary bands called "Mehter", which is no longer played, greatly impressed Europeans, who incorporated several Turkish instruments, such as the cymbal and the kettle drum, into European music. Composers such as Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven also imitated the music in a style called ala Turca.

Turks produced some masterpieces of architecture during especially the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. The monumental buildings created by Turkish architects since the 11th century have a distinguished place in the heritage of world architecture. The Selimiye, Suleymaniye and Sultanahmet (Blue) Mosques built by Mimar (Architect) Sinan, who is the symbol of Ottoman architecture, are masterworks reflecting the degree of maturity which the Ottoman architecture had reached in the 16th and 17th centuries in dealing with space and mass compositions.

Turkish Death Tradition

A great majority of the people of Anatolia have remained under the influence of tradition. In the foundation of main behaviour models which forms traditional life of our people, ensuring them to possess specialty and formation however there lays numerous customs, beliefs and ethic operations. Such kind of practices so realised have shown variation and similarity from one region to another region.

As in the case of the three important event of the life, a great number of beliefs, customs, tradition, ceremonies, rites, pattern behaviours, transactions have been also grouped around death. Such beliefs, customs, transactions, ceremonies and pattern behaviours which accumulated around the death and surrounded individuals with the death are collected under three groups. Sets of traditions formed as pre-death, during death and after death are explained briefly in the following.

Generally in Anatolia, people who have been restless through pressure of fear of death in subconscious, also with desire to know about their future, have considered a certain amount of unusual behaviours, use of tools and apparatuses in this and that way, meteorological phenomena, action and voices of animals, images in dreams as well as psychological and physiological changes in patients usually as prediction of death. In beliefs of people, among symptoms that predict death, which related with animals, have been taking a great and important place. Some talents of animals, which are absent in human beings, their power of intuition, physical characteristics, their consideration of being fortunate or ill-omened have been playing great role in creation of such beliefs and their reaching a universal line. Basically there lays also fear of death on the foundation of a certain amount of beliefs which are accumulated around home, household, tool, apparatuses and food; and they have been qualified by people usually as symptoms of death. Such natural phenomena as eclipse of the Moon and the Sun, flight of a shooting star, a flash of lightning, thunder, etc. have been construed usually as the prediction of death according to beliefs of people. Assortment of images taking shape subconsciously having been also supported by a number of symbolic associations have been generally and widely construed as the sign of death for both the person who dreamed and his/her relatives.

The most natural type of announcement of events of death has occurred through crying of relatives of the deceased. Neighbours who hear the death have come together in the house of death try to share grief of relatives of the deceased, to console them, to help them to do initial preparations. In villages, townships and small cities the most suitable way of announcement is to ask hodja to call people for a funeral service for deceased along with sending messengers for communicating the incident from house to house. To announce the incident by giving announcements through newspapers has been mostly witnessed in large cities. There are also commercial organisations which undertake funeral affairs in great cities. They have also assumed the work to give notices of death along with performance of necessary preparations for burial services.

While a part of transactions performed immediately after the death is directly related with corpse, some other part however has been gathered around the corpse. Such transactions which have been qualified as preliminary preparation for sending the death to the other world have been resulted from seeing the death as a living person and based on typical signs of fearing from the death, in some others hygienic considerations and religious traditions have been played a role.

Followings are the most seen transactions: Eyes of the death is closed, jaw is tied, head is turned to direction of Mecca, feet are come together, hands are laid side by side and on belly, all clothes are took off, in some places bed is changed, metallic articles such as knife, iron, etc. are put on abdomen of the deceased person, room in which the deceased person is present is cleaned up, room in which the deceased lays is illuminated, Koran is read at the bedside of the deceased.

Following performance of the said preliminaries, preparation which is necessary for both religious and traditional aspects is initiated. This preparation consists of three important operation; washing of corpse, wrapping in shroud and praying performed at the funeral. Anybody who died is prepared for burial as quick as possible. If a person died in the morning burial ceremony is performed at the time of afternoon prayer, if he/she died afternoon, corpse remains at that night and buried in the morning. Burial ceremony may be delayed for arrival of relatives who lived at distant places.

Another practice which has been exercised by the great majority of Anatolian people is however to wash the corpse before burial. Female corpses are washed by women washers, male corpses by male washers. Persons who perform this work are professional washers, hodjas, experienced washers, religious men/women, one of individuals in the house of death or among neighbours in case of absence of any professional person, and in same places deceased person’s loved ones upon his/her will.

Washing is carried out in washing rooms of cemeteries at great cities, at a secluded corner of garden of house in villages.

The second procedure which is necessary for preparing corpse for burial is to shroud the corpse. Colour of shroud is white. Number of pieces is different for woman and man. This is also a tradition that has been implemented by the great majority of the people of Anatolia. Furthermore, there are different traditions.

The third phase is to perform prayer at the time of funeral. According to Muslim Religion a number of conditions are required to perform praying at the funeral. After praying performed at the time of funeral, coffin is carried to cemetery by religious community. Dead person is laid in grave in the manner that his/her right hand side faces direction of Mecca. Dead person is buried in grave usually without coffin. However, sometimes dead person may be buried with coffin. It is a widespread practice to inscribe and cut epitaphs and signs on tombstones for the purpose of describing identity, sex, destiny of dead person.

In Anatolia there are certain days in which dead person has been commemorated through religious ceremony and meal. First of all comes the 40th day, 52nd day and anniversary of dead person. Although it is very seldom, on the third and seventh days dead person has been also commemorated in a certain way. In fact, such days corresponding to certain numbers have become important due to religious, magical and traditional qualifications brought therein; and gradually a number of customs have been inserted into their structure as a main element.

After the event of death the most significant and salient behaviour is however mourning by deceased person’s relatives. Mourning is reactions felt, bewilderment, revolt and grief in anybody who loses his/her relative as the result of this event. Mourning in which we have been depending in respect to social, economical, biological and emotional aspects, grief that we have felt because of loss of a person, is a mere human reaction.

Mourning is to express grief and sorrow felt upon the loss of people who are considered important for us by the community and one of our relatives within social patterns. Customs concerning mourning which is of a social nature, transactions related with these customs are exercised for the purpose of avoidances, betrayal of the person felt grief, accustoming him to the new situation for a certain period, relieving his distress and gradually making him feel better. All around the World, both in primitive and high cultures a number of traditions and ceremonies, which have been practices for this purpose, have been witnessed.

Another practice performed after burial ceremony is the meal of dead person. This meal which consists of a significant portion of traditions and beliefs related with death has been emphasizing that dead person is also in need of eating and drinking in the other world along with other things on the one part, and revealing the fact that transition ceremonies accompanying the event of death is necessary among people, on the other part. Because, in order that farewell of dead person to the other world is to be full and valid, along with religious rules and procedures, traditional incidents should also be fulfilled. Otherwise, it is believed that soul of dead person would disturb his relatives who are alive.

Epitaphs

Tombstones are the most beautiful examples expressing Turk’s rich inner world, fine taste, high thought with their structural features and with inscriptions cut thereon. These are such tombstones that they are sometimes a history, sometimes lament, and mostly a grievous and painful echo felt via words of dead person. Personalities and identifications have been realised through their forms, inscriptions. Graveyards are museums, tombstones are however monuments of dead persons laying therein, evidence of their existence.

Personalities are shown on tombstones of elderly dead persons, aspiration for being unsatisfied in the world on tombstones of those who died young. Some of them passed away by a natural death, some passed away unexpectedly. Goodness, beauties have been expressed on these tombstones with all sorrow, clarity. Some readers of these tombstones cry, some indulge in a deep thought. With this thought the real philosophy has been made beside that tombstone.

Traditions, customs, social structure of the community have been seen on all of these tombstones. There are wishes, desires. Worthlessness of the World has been also realised through epitaphs on these tombstones. There are mystery of study, success in lines on them. These tombstones had been called as “Balbal” by ancient Turks. “Balbal” had shown heroism of the ancient Turks. Tombstones of today however have been revealing philosophy of life, feeling and thought, point of view on the universe, belief, global view of the same nation.

Tombstones are at the same time the beautiful examples of products of language. They are a rich treasury for linguists, historians, folklore activists, philosophers, man of letters; they are a great gift presented like a treasury. In brief, tombstones are pages of history, pages of literature coming from the past. Forgotten pages of history can also be seen on them.

Unfortunately, tombstones cannot also resist against time; they are losing their sovereignty in the war against time, disappearing in the nature. Race of contemporary civilisation has been eliminating old graves by considering them even ancient.

We, human beings, however, are uninterested, unfaithful creatures. Somehow or other we fail to understand, do not want to understand that our future will same as the fate of tombstones which have been now experienced. Everyday we have been running away from them more than before, we have been severing from our past.

I say that the way that we could bid forgiveness, being excused from our past passes through examination of tombstones. Inscriptions which are available on Tombstones in İnegöl have been compiled by myself within such feelings.

1st Picture: Balıkesir Edremit, Aritas Village
6th Picture: Amasya Tasova, Güvendik Village
7th Picture: Amasya Göynücek, Yukarı Çulpara Village
8th Picture: Aydın Bozdogan, Alamut Village
9th Picture: Aydın Bozdogan, Alamut Village
10th Picture: Usak Esme
11th Picture: Usak Karahallı, Pasalar Village
12th Picture: Gaziantep
13th Picture: Gaziantep
14th Picture: Artvin, Binat Village
15th Picture: Balıkesir Edremit, Tahtakuslar Village

Source: Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism

THE GIRL WITH THE RED SCARF (Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalim)

THE GIRL WITH THE RED SCARF (Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalim)

A classic and endlessly watchable love story that never dates… Inspired by the novel of acclaimed Soviet writer Cengiz Aytmatov, Atif Yilmaz adapts one of history's greatest love stories to the screen with the greatest finesse. It is said, in fact, that the French poet Aragon described The Girl With The Red Scarf as "the world's greatest love story".

We begin by being lured into the captivating world of Ilyas, a truck driver who delivers sand to a dam construction, his newly acquired wife Asya and their young son Samet. But the legendary love affair between Asya and Ilyas is soon shaken by jealousy, an alcohol habit and extra-marital affair. Ilyas, who genuinely loves his wife but is hampered by an ever weakening character, ends up walking out when job-related problems come to a head. The helpless Asya is left with their son to cope alone. She waits patiently for her husband to return… Until she runs into Cemsit, a sympathetic figure who Samet soon begins to identify as his father. When she finally surrenders to his affections, life takes on an entirely new hue.

But then, years later, Ilyas suddenly appears from nowhere, demanding his wife and child back. His arrival rekindles the questions that have preoccupied hearts and minds since time immemorial. What is love? What makes a lover? What makes a spouse? What makes a father?... And which is harder: to go back or not to go back?

The Girl With The Red Scarf stands out for its brilliant casting, the polished performances of its three leads, Türkan Soray, Kadir Inanir and Ahmet Mekin, the refined direction of Atif Yilmaz and highly effective score of Cahit Berkay. Be warned: this is a film that plays mercilessly on the heartstrings.

• Directed by Atif Yilmaz
• Cast: Turkan Soray, Kadir Inanir, Ahmet Mekin, Nurhan Nur, Hulya Tuglu
• 1977, 90 minutes
• In Turkish with English subtitles
• Festivals and Awards: Best Director, Best Cinematography, Second Film Awards, Golden Orange Film Festival, Antalya . Best Actress Award, Tashkent Film Festival.
• Friday, April 1, 8:00 pm

About the Director: Atif Yilmaz

Born in 1926 in Mersin, He studied Law and Fine Arts in Istanbul University. After working as a film critic, scriptwriter and assistant director, he made his first film The Bloody Cry in 1951.

He has directed about 120 films over a period of 50 years.

He has won national and international awards and his films have been screened in retrospectives in various international festivals.

Turkish Pop, Rock and Jazz Music

The "rock and roll" in vogue in the world, the spirit "beat", which has spread from 1960 with the Beatles had directly affected the younger generations and this was followed by young Turkey music groups. This trend, which first seeps through words Turkish compositions quickly cede the West not to original compositions that summarize the elements of Western music lightweight and those of Turkish folk music and stress on creativity, musicality and artistic interpretation.

Parallel to these developments, a large market of music has created in recent years, accompanied by an explosion in sales of cassettes and CDs. Including sales of music cassettes of Turkish pop and rock, popular with the youth of the country, skyrocketing. More than a hundred million music cassettes of local and imported goods are sold every year in Turkey. In the field of music "pop" singers such as Tarkan, Baris, Manço, Sezen Aksu, Nilüfer, Sertab Erener, MFÖ, Şebnem Ferah and Teoman in jazz Kerem Görsev, Ilhan Ersahin, Nükhet Ruacan, Gürol Agirbas , Okay Temiz, among others are a great success.

Sertap Erener who represented the country on 24 May 2003, in the 48th Eurovision song contest in Riga, capital of Latvia, with his song in English under the title of "Every Way That I Can" won first prize in Turkey the first time and scored a great success internationally.

Turkish music has developed in several areas separate from one another since the Seljuk era to the present day: classical music elitist, developed in urban areas, popular music developed by the people through Anatolia centuries as a means of direct expression and religious music and the music known as "Mehta". Western polyphony will be widely adopted in Turkey, after the advent of the Republic. Pop music, jazz and rock, particularly in vogue in recent years are also popular genres.

Turkish classical music uses the tanbour (lute long handle), the ney (reed flute), the qanun (zither) and the oud (lute). The instruments include the folk-baghlama saz (lute folk), the zurna (reeds), the kaval (oblique flute) and Davulis (drum). The urban folk music is a hybrid, using instruments and styles of folk traditions, classical and western.

Turkish FOLK- MEDICAMENTS

Local plants are used in the preparation of these medicines.

Bee-Sting

a) Ice is placed on the place stung by bee, otherwise it is put under cold water or mud is smeared.

b) One bundle of parsley is crushed, and wrapped around the place stung by bee.

c) Garlic is smeared on the place stung by bee.

For Dropping Fever

a) A piece of cloth wet with vinegar is placed on forehead, neck, hand and feet, body. This process is repeated until the body fever drops to normal level.

b) A lemon is squeezed, Aspirin is put in it and solved; this solution is smeared on forehead, etc. of patient.

c) Mixture of spirits, aspirin, one-two drops of olive oil is smeared on joints of the body.

Asthma

A pigeon egg is drunk on an empty stomach for a period of forty days.

Pains

a) Leaves of black cabbage are heated on a fire, and placed on the location giving pain. This process is frequently repeated.

b) Flax seed is boiled and become mush; having it mixed with a certain amount of henna and naphtha oil it is smeared on the paining location. This process is repeated several days one per day.

c) Dry tobacco is crumbled and added into a certain amount of Raki and made it as cream. And this mixture is smeared over the paining location as pomade.

d) Fine sand is fried over a fire, smashed olive with its seed is added; this hot mixture is smeared over the paining location and wrapped up. This process is repeated in three-four days.

Pain in Foot

Rock Salt is dissolved in hot water, feet are kept in this hot water for ten minutes.

Preparation used for killing pain inflicted by twists: Onion with salt or olive is crushed in mortar and this mixture is smeared over the twisted joint.

Headache

a) One potato is cut in circular slices, coffee is scattered over it, and wrapped on the forehead.

b) A lemon is cut in circular slices and wrapped on the forehead.

c) Animal bile and henna is are mixed up and wrapped on the forehead; kept for several hours.

Bronchitis

a) Flax seed and fever sugar are mixed and crushed in a mortar and eaten.

b) One slice of bread is toasted well on embers and dipped into vinegar and then placed on the chest.

Tonsil

Cotton is wetted with spirits and black pepper is sprinkled over it and is wrapped around the throat.

For Renal Stone

a) Leaf of medlar (pirus germanica) is boiled and drunk like tea; this process continuous until the stone drops.

b) Juice of parsley or yoghurt is drunk every morning.

Bleeding of Nose

Shell of egg is burnt until it becomes ash. In case the nose bleeds, this ash is sniffed

For Haemorrhoids

a) Garlic is smeared. This process is repeated continuously in every morning.

b) Core of wild roses is boiled and drunk like tea.

For Whitlow

Okra is boiled with milk and wrapped around the finger.

For Cold (Catarrh)

Mint with lemon or lime with lemon is boiled and drunk like tea.

Sty : Garlic is smeared over sty.

Diarrhoea

a) One aspirin is put in a glass of soft drink and this preparation is drunk, then diarrhoea stops.

b) One coffee spoon of coffee is mixed with lemon juice and drunk.

c) One tea glass of yoghurt is mixed with one tea class of carbonate

For Cancer

In summer seed and in winter dry of nettle is boiled like tea and drunk in every morning on empty stomach.

For mumps

Patient eats red “Halvah”. Black soot of frying pan is smeared on mumps.

Swelling of Stomach

Bran and vinegar are mixed and wrapped around stomach after heating.

Calcification

Fish oil is applied on places where calcification occurred.

Earache

One drop of leek juice is dropped inside the ear.

Bite of Dog

Bread yeast is strapped on the place bitten by dog.

Stomach Ache

a) Honey and milk are mixed and drunk.

b) Root of elecampane is boiled and drunk like tea.

c) “Tahin helvasi” (sweet made of sesame oil and sugar) is eaten on empty stomach.

d) Leaf of wart is chewed and swallowed .

Eczema

a) Egg-plant roasted over a fire is mixed with powder henna; this preparation is placed on eczema and strapped with a cloth.

b) Leaf of peach is boiled and drunk like tea for ten days

c) Meat of hedgehog is eaten.

d) Seed of elder tree (Sumbucus nigra) is swallowed.

Chest Disease Marked by Difficulty in Breathing

a) Nettle is boiled and drunk everyday as tea.

b) Black radish is carved and filled with honey. A small hole is opened under radish and same is placed on the mouth of a vessel. It is kept overnight, and then the leaked honey is eaten.

c) Pine cone is boiled and drunk like tea.

Coughing

a) One spoon honey and one spoon of lemon juice are mixed and drunk. This process is continued on several days every morning on empty stomach.

b) Apple, lime and skin of lemon are boiled altogether and drunk in every morning on empty stomach like tea.

c) Parsley is eaten.

Rash

Ash of dry reed is cooked and smeared.

Rheumatism

a) Horse chestnut and sugar candy for fit are crushed, mixed and eaten.

b) One tin of barley is added in one cauldron of water and it is boiled and then temperature of water is dropped to moderate level. Patient enters inside the cauldron and remains there for one hour. This process is repeated for several days.

c) One bundle of Sultan herb is placed in one cauldron of water and it is boiled and then temperature of water is dropped to moderate level. Patient enters inside the cauldron and remains there for one hour. This process is repeated for several days.

d) Patient is buried up to his/her neck in manure, and kept for one hour.

e) One glass of juice of grated celery root is drunk.

Hair

In Springtime vine stems are chopped and their dropping liquid is collected in a bottle and head is washed with this liquid for growing hair long and prevent losing hair.

Jaundice

Forehead or chest of patient scratched with razor blade.

Backaches

a) A cupping-glass is applied.

b) Honey is applied on aching places, and red or black pepper is sprinkled thereon. A perforated newspaper is placed thereon. On the newspaper a towel is spread; and patient remain one night in this manner. This operation is frequently repeated.

Malaria

A wild plant with small pink flower called “malaria weed” is boiled and drunk like tea.

For Boil or Wounds

a) “Ribbed Plant” (sinir otu) is applied on boils and wounds, if not found, leaf of cabbage or tomato is wrapped.

b) Soap, a piece of salammoniac (ammonia) are placed inside an onion and it is cooked; it is applied on boils or wounds at normal temperature.

For Bites of Poisonous Animal

Head of a match is rubbed, this substance is applied on the bitten area.

Turkish Flower

FLOWERS Flowers have always had an important part in Turkish life and culture, affecting art in stylized form from tiles to fabrics to poems and songs, and everyday life from cooking to naming children. Tulips, roses, carnations, hyacinth, magnolia and many others have a special place in Turkish culture.

Tulips Roses Carnations Hyacinth Crocus(Cigdem) Orchids Rose in Turkish Embroidery Carnation in Embroidery Floral Motifs in Fabrics and Garments Floral Motifs in Tiles Dried Flower Arrangements Floral Motifs in Illumination Floral Motifs in Book Binding