Hi everyone, in today's blog I would love to show you some of those interesting facts about Turkey.
The tulips, many people believe the tulips come from Holland, but in reality they were brought by the Turks from Central Asia during the migration to Anatolia. These flowers have been used in decorative patterns since the 12th century in Turkey. Later on, they were introduced to Europe during the second half of the 15th century.
It's believed that Noah's Ark landed in Mount Ararat in the east part of Turkey.
Santa Claus was born in Turkey so as you can see a Santa Claus also known as St. Nicholas was born in Patara, Turkey and this part is located in the Mediterranean coast of this country, which is way too far from the North Pole where as kids we used to believe he was born at, right?
The capital city of Turkey is Ankara not Istanbul. Unfortunately, people who aren't familiar with this country tend to believe that Istanbul is the capital and yes Istanbul is the biggest city and probably the most touristic one in Turkey, but the capital don't forget it is Ankara.
The Turkish people didn't have a surname until 1934. Some of the most common surnames in this country are Yılmaz, Çelik, Şahin, Demir and Kaya.
The oil wrestling is the Turkish national sport. The wrestlers they will cover themselves in olive oil before they take on their opponents.
Turkey is the largest producer of hazel nuts in the world and these are grown especially in the Black Sea region of this country which by the way, I used to live in Ordu, Turkey and every August we were trying to get all the hazelnuts from the trees.
Two seven wonders of the ancient world are here in Turkey. The first one is the Temple of Artemis which is located in the ancient city of Ephesus in Izmir, Turkey and the second one is Halicarnassus in the modern city of Bodrum, Turkey.
The second oldest underground railway in the world is in Istanbul. Tunnel is the name of this underground railway and nowadays it's still operating between Karaköy and the Galata tower area in Istanbul, Turkey. Only the underground of London is older than Tunnel in Istanbul.
The Mediterranean coast of Turkey holds the record for having the highest number of blue flags certified beaches in the world. This award is given to those beaches with highest water quality, beach cleanness and highest environmental standards.
Most Turks don't really believe in the evil eye. As many of you already know, one of the most popular souvenirs in Turkey is the evil eye, in Turkish is known as"nazar boncuğu". This one is believed that it protects people from bad energies. However, Turkish people don't really believe nowadays in this protection. If you see it in their houses or their stores is because they are trying to keep it just as a custom coming from past generations.
Turkey is heaven for cats. As many of you already know, Turkey is well known internationally for having a lot of dogs and stray cats and this is why if you are a cat lover then Turkey will be the perfect destination for you, So don't forget to take a photo with these furry little guys, because they will all the time wandering in the streets trying to get food and love from you.
Throwing water after someone lives. Here in Turkey there is an old superstition especially in the Anatolian part of this country. So, if you ever come to Turkey and if you see someone throwing water, a bucket of water after a person is leaving either a house or a store then don't worry. This means that that person is only wishing to the person leaving that he or she comes back as smooth as water. There is one Turkish phrase that they use for this which in Turkish is said: "Su gibi git, su gibi gel" and this one means go as smooth as water and come back in the same way.
Turkey is the world's largest tea drinking country. For example, Turks usually per day they tend to drink 10 or more cups of tea or çay in Turkish per day. This is why here in Turkey they have one of the highest per capita consumption of tea in the world also, Turkey is ranking in the top five countries which are producing the tea in the world.
The importance of gold in Turkey. For example, in this country when you're going to any special ceremony especially weddings. Then here forget about giving toasters or kettles. Here the most important thing is giving gold to the couple or even some money, for example when the couple have said yes and also they have already signed all the documents then some white or red ribbons are placed around their necks and then the guests. If they wish, they can pin some gold coins, or even they can give to the bride some gold bracelets or necklaces. This is a practical way for helping the couple in their new life together, and also we will forget about those problems to have two or more toasters or kettles.
Lemon cologne or Colonia is everywhere. If you have ever been to Turkey you probably realized that when entering to any restaurant or after finishing eating and entering to a store or even visiting a house people offer use some sort of Colonia lemon Cologne so that it's like part of a ritual here in this country and not only helps refreshing the guests it will also help to get rid of all those germs that probably we might have in our hands.
These were just a few interesting facts about Turkey, of course there are many many more but this will help you to get familiar with the country before planning your trip.
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