Category: Stories

The seven hills of Istanbul

Post author By everythingturkish
Post date October 18, 2020

There are many stories and theories about who has found Istanbul. However it is known that it was found on 7 hills.

These 7 hills have been important attraction centres throught the history; during the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman times. As a result, these 7 hills have become the richest areas with regards to the historical artifacts, monuments and buildings. 4 of these 7 hills are situated near the Halic (the Golden Horn) which shows the importance the water canal.

Here are these seven hills:

TOPKAPI PALACE AND THE SURROUNDS:

This area is considered as the first centre of Istanbul.The ancient hypodrome used to stand here hence the area is often called “the horse square” by the locals as a reference to the Roman hypodrome which used to host Ben-Hur like gladiator competitions on horses and charriots. The highest points are Topkapi Palace and Ayasofya Mosque.

CEMBERLITAS AND THE SURROUNDS:

The second hill, stretches from Beyazit to Sultanahmet. The centre point is the Çemberlitaş pillar. Many Roman ruins have survived centuries here. One of the most glorious masterpieces of Ottoman era, Nuruosmaniye Mosque is also here

SÜLEYMANIYE MOSQUE AND SURROUNDS:

The third hill is locate within the Istanbul University Campus near Beyazıt Tower. The most important landmark here is the Suleymaniye Mosque which is the architectural masterpiece of Mimar Sinan . Beyazıt Mosque and The old building of Istanbul University are other notable landmarks

FATIH MOSQUE AND THE SURROUNDS:

The fourth hill is the centre of the Fatih suburb. Fatih Mosque is the landmark.

YAVUZ SELIM AND THE SURROUNDS:

The part of Fatih suburb overlooking Halice (The Golden Horn) is known as Yavuz Selim. This is Istanbul’s 5th hill. The ancient Byzantine Bonos Aqueduct and Sultan Selim Mosques are the landmarks.

EDIRNEKAPI AND THE SURROUNDS:

Edirnekapı and the surrounding area is the highest hill of these seven hills. The hilltop overlooks The Golden Horn. Another Mimar Sinan masterpiece Mihrimah Sultan Mosque, The Byzantine Tekfur Palace, Kariye Museum are among the most notable landmarks.

ALTIMERMER AND THE SURROUNDS (ÇUKURBOSTAN) :

Istanbul’s seventh hill is in the Cukurbostan region. The most notable landmark is the Arcadius pillar

Tags history, istanbul

Stories

Rare Turkish photos from the Gallipoli Campaign

Post author By everythingturkish
Post date October 18, 2020

Priceless pictures and postcards of Turkish forces at Gallipoli have emerged to set the scenes of Turkish soldiers in action almost a century after the legendary battle.

Galatasaray soccer player Hasnub Galib who died in Gallipoli

Turkish army after a prayer session

The cover of the Navy magazine

The Turkish Admiral Cevdet Pasa

Fenerbahce Soccer players

A French post card depicting the Turkish prisoners

Turkish infantry

An officer posing with his children before Gallipoli campaign

A postcard by The Red Crescent

Birds-eye view of Gallipoli

The sufi volunteers of the Mawlawi order join Turkish army

Ottoman Empire joins the war

The Turkish Navy Destroyer Yavuz (Goben)

A Turkish postcard

Tags anzac, canakkale, history, ottomans

Stories

The Ottomans discussed fashion as well

Post author By everythingturkish
Post date October 18, 2020

The arguments on the Islamic way of dress, in fact, are not so recent. The Ottoman journalists especially in the last centuries of the empire often got into the same topic.

While the “Islamic fashion” industry is developing and becoming popular among Muslim masses, many critics criticize the designers for giving into a more seductive logic. The designers approach is found to be inconsistent with the spirit of the “hejab” in Islam. But contrary to what one might think, these controversies are not so recent.

Kadinlar Dunyasi magazine

The women’s magazines from the Ottoman era, such as The Ladies Log( Hanimlara mahsus Gazete ), Beauties (Mehasin) or World of Women (Kadinlar Dünyasi) touchbased on the topic more than a hundred years ago. The Ottoman women in the last centuries of the Empire were struggling to position their fashion styles because although they wanted to westernize their clothing styles they also wanted to remain faithful to the Ottoman traditions.

OTTOMAN FASHION: BALANCING RELIGION AND AESTHETICS

Their concerns were similar to the concerns of many Muslim youth of today who are wanting to follow the contemporary fashion without renouncing the Islamic requirements.

From 1908 to 1922, during the second constitutional period of the Ottoman Empire, Western fashion was especially criticized with religious arguments. “Hanimlara mahsus Gazete” noted that the “hejab” was losing its identity and expressed regret that more and more women were turning away from the Islamic way of dressing.

However the criticisms gradually took an aesthetic turn, especially with the magazine Mehasin published in 1908. This magazine was a pioneer in ladies magazines as it relied heavily on photos. Although the magazine would even publish photos of women’s underwear, it criticized the excessiveness makeup and attire. The magazine also recommended its readers to dress more humble like the English aristocrats rather than following the French style and coquetry. To summarize, Mehasin absolutely supported Western fashion and even recommended to the Turkish women. Mehasin was instrumental in cementing the belief that “one had to follow the fashion trends”.

STRUGGLING TO CREATE A LOCAL FASHION STYLE

The Kadinlar Dünyasi magazine which was first published in 1913 was a unique publication as it had no male writers. Like Hanimlara mahsus Gazete, the main question they focused on was to build a clean Ottoman fashion. The magazine even suggested opening an association to build and to defend a national fashion. The mission of this association would be to check with historians about women’s fashion, to check with the doctors the requirements in terms of health, to offer creative new models, etc. But this project could not succeed because the although the Western influences were regularly criticized, the Ottoman style also suffered from heavy criticism.

The “Conservative fashion” in Turkey is also awaiting the same fate as the so-called Islamic fashion brands show little consistency in mixing cultural values and aesthetics.

Tags fashion, ottomans

Stories

Seraglio Turkish Cuisine Lower North Shore Sydney

Post author By everythingturkish
Post date October 17, 2020

Many metropolitan Australians rely on take-away food and they probably assume the delivery comes from the restaurant they ordered from.

But that’s not always the case; there’s an increasing trend of food preparation done off site in ghost kitchens. Many restaurants now use the shared work spaces to prep and send order after order.

Seraglio Turkish Cuisine, a Turkish ghost kitchen, started serving online just as the pandemic was getting underway. Despite the awkward timing, they already appear to have found their footing.

Seraglio’s founder Rajab Bacha explains; “How can we offer something wonderful to the consumer at a sensible price, yet not have all the costs of a restaurant? That’s how the Seraglio Cuisine idea came about”.

Seraglio Turkish Cuisine offers an assortment of distinctive Turkish pide flatbreads and standout health-conscious homemade vegetarian dishes. The restaurant does not have brick and mortar locations however serves from a ghost kitchen in Crows Nest.

“Our customer base is largely made up of well-traveled urban professional couples who enjoy exotic dishes and have no time to cook or are too busy to dine out. They mainly use food delivery apps – which is where we market and sell.”

We strive to popularize a modern approach to Turkish cuisine by crafting intricate and wholesome dishes that are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate.” Rajab Bacha adds.

With dining trends hugely influenced by COVID19, Seraglio Turkish Cuisine was able to establish some online footprint in Sydney lower north shore.

For more information visit seraglio.cafe

Tags restaurant, sydney

Stories

Erciyes in Surry Hills – from a humble takeaway shop to local gem

Post author By everythingturkish
Post date October 17, 2020

One of the oldest Turkish joints in Sydney, Erciyes offers soul food and friendly service at their almost-historic venue on the busy Cleveland street in Surry Hills.

Established by the Saracoglu family, Erciyes started as a humble take-away shop offering kebabs and pides. Due to the fame of their delicious food, the business expanded overtime and the humble shop turned into a 150 seater restaurant.

Although the venue often bustles with customers and staff, you can still feel the family-run-shop vibe.

If you feel like having a light meal, you can try their soups. The lentil soup is quite filling. The chicken soup is more than a soup but almost an entire meal; with clean and well-cooked but soft chicken breast strips in a delicious hearty soup. The soups are served with freshly baked Turkish bread.

Erciyes’ lamb casserole is second to none. This is a mouth-watering juicy lamb dish made with tomato, capsicum, garlic, onion and eggplant. The dish is served with rice pilaf as well as with Turkish bread. You may enjoy the casserole laid on a bed of pilaf and have all the rice soak up the juice and attack it with your spoon or fork. Or you can simply dunk the freshly baked Turkish bread into the juicy casserole and devour it.

Erciyes Surry Hills can seat up to 150 people

Erciyes probably has more dolma varieties than any other Turkish restaurants in Sydney. You can find, not only sarma (vine leaves) but also biber dolma (stuffed capsicum) and lahana dolma (cabbage leaves) as well as patlican dolma (stuffed eggplant) on Erciyes menu. I haven’t encountered sarma (vine leaves) made as authentic like their anywhere else in Sydney. Just the right texture and that fresh lemony flavour.

Erciyes offers a reasonable variety of traditional side dishes. Classics such as taze fasulye (green beans in tomato sauce), tarama (caviar), mucver (zucchini patties), and patlican kizartma (fried eggplant) are standard on the menu.

As for grills, the mixed grill is a meat-lover’s dream. This dish is made to serve two people however if accompanied with a side dish, it can easily serve 3 people. The mix-grill comes with a decent size salad and a reasonable portion of rice pilaf. The grill includes succulent lamb chops, kofte meatballs, lamb and chicken shish skewers as well as fried mushrooms.

The restaurant also has a doner kebab machine. Therefore they also offer the staple beef and chicken doner kebabs, on plate as well as in wraps. Additionally they also serve yoghurt based Iskender kebab, as well as generous size kofte plates.

Their house specials include mouth-watering kofte roll, which is made of 4 kofte meatballs and salad wrapped in flat bread. However when we asked the chef to substitute the flat bread with Turkish bread, they kindly compiled. Thus we were able to experience the kofte-ekmek Turkish street food in Sydney CBD.

Like many other Turkish restaurants, Erciyes also dish up the standard pide types, including the sought-after kusbasi pide.

Finally we recommend trying their desserts. Their revani, the coconut cake, has the right texture and most importantly the right amount of sweet – it won’t burn your throat.

How to get to Erciyes Restaurant Surry Hills

Erciyes Restaurant is located on 409 Cleveland Street in Surry Hills NSW. There are plenty of parking spaces on small streets nearby. There is a small shopping village 150 meters away from the restaurant with a good size car park.

Ordering food at Erciyes Restaurant Surry Hills

You can make reservations at Erciyes via (02) 9319 1309. The restaurant serves between 11am-11:30pm 7 days a week.

Or you can order Turkish food from Erciyes offers via Deliveroo and Menulog if you happen to be in the delivery range.

Tags restaurant, sydney

Stories

Grill Republic – a hidden gem in Hunters Hill

Post author By everythingturkish
Post date October 17, 2020

Many cuisines have their own versions of barbecue restaurants and Turkey’s is called ocakbasi. Just like at a fish & chips shop, you won’t need a menu to order; you will be presented with a showcase of the day’s special and meaty dishes waiting to hit the grill. Patrons would typically sit near the grill and watch the grill master cook their meat.

This is the spirit of Grill Republic in Hunters Hill, where yes, there is a menu, but no, pay it no mind.

Pick your favorite dips or order from their side dishes: bulgur pilaf, stuffed wine leaves, kibbeh, then head straight to the meat.

Chunks of lamb, beef, chicken are kept succulent on Grill Republic’s grills, and the kofte plate is moist and pleasantly charred.

The grilled meats are served with pieces of Turkish pickles and lemon wedges on the side; which both accompany the kebabs with a splash of acid.

Pay special attention to the Turkish sausage. A Turkish breakfast staple, the spicy Turkish sausage, is delightful here and not too spicy. It is served with haloumi, pickles and mayo.

With top-notch barbecue, a bistro-like setting, and a lower north shore address, makes Grill Republic the ideal destination for a Sunday lunch.

How to get to Grill Republic Hunters Hill

Grill Republic is located on 59 Gladesville Rd at Hunters Hill and is open 6 days (Monday closed) from 11am till 9pm.

How to order food or reserve a place at Grill Republic Hunters Hill

You can call Grill Republic at 02 8384 7821

Website: http://grillrepublic.com.au

Address: 59 Gladesville Rd, Hunters Hill NSW 2110

Editorial Policy
Restaurant information and reviews are compiled and conducted anonymously. EverythingTurkish pays for all meals.

Tags restaurant, sydney

Stories

The rise and fall of Arda Turan

Post author By everythingturkish
Post date October 17, 2020

A star is born in the small and humble Istanbul suburb called Bayrampasa in 1987. His father Adnan Turan was working at Turkish Airlines whilst his mother Yuksel was a housewife.

Arda worked as a “ball-boy” in his younger days at Galatasaray

From the age of 5, Arda loved soccer so much that, like many kids in his neighborhood, he would play soccer for hours on the dirt pitches on an empty block. But unlike other kids, Arda would play against kids twice his age, stealing the ball, tricking and frustrating opponents much older than himself. Having constantly played against older kids had helped with develop his well-known ball-keeping, freewheeling, improvisational style and an unshakable self-esteem.

Arda Turan whilst playing for Galatasaray Youth team

At the age of 12, Arda Turan joined Istanbul football giants Galatasaray’s youth academy. According to his father, Arda loved ‘the beautiful game’ so much that he would clean his soccer boots with a toothbrush before going to sleep every night. Arda would spend all his after-school time playing soccer until late hours. He would often work as the ball-boy at Galatasaray games so he could watch his favorite soccer players in flesh. He learned a lot from watching Galatasaray’s UEFA cup winning squad which included Romanian super star Gheorghe Hagi. After becoming famous, it wouldn’t take too long for Galatasaray fans dig in the archives and spot a very young Arda Turan cheering with his fist in the air celebrating a goal Hagi scored from a freekick.

Arda Turan and Gheorghe Hagi

6 years after he joined the club, Gala’s Hagi returned to club as the headcoach. Arda Turan managed to make it to the first team during Hagi’s reign at Galatasaray in 2005/2006 season. But after playing one competitive game, he was loaned to Manisaspor in order to help him gain more playing time and experience. Having moved from an elite club in Champions League in the largest city in the country to a small Anatolian town, Arda sunk into depression and decided to quit soccer. His father motivated him to stay in the game. Arda worked hard and forced himself to Manisaspor first team.

Arda Turan celebrating Turkish Championship victory with Hakan Sukur

Galatasaray president Adnan Polat, unaware Arda Turan was a Galatasaray loanee, was very impressed him when he watched Fenerbahce – Manisa spor game.

In 2007 the young playmaker returned to Galatasaray. After settling in and impressing with his confidence, control of the ball and the game and ability to penetrate the opposing defense lines Arda Turan found himself a regular in the team’s starting eleven.

Adnan Polat and Arda Turan

Arda had made a serious impression on the first team manager Eric Gerets and became a regular name on the team sheet. He scored 2 goals against Mlada Boleslav in Champions Leage qualifying rounds. That year he contributed to his team winning the Turkish league by playing 39 games and scored 8 goals.

Arda never shied away from neither a challenge nor a scandal

The following year he impressed European scouts with his commanding performance in Euro 2008 tournament in which Turkey finished 3rd place despite being the tournament underdogs. Arda scored goals at crucial times; the match-winning goal against hosts Switzerland, another one against Czech Republic (the first goal that kick-started the best comeback in the tournament) and a penalty against the mighty Croatia. Despite receiving transfer offers from EPL clubs like Newcastle and Liverpool, Arda opted to stay in Galatasaray. He wanted to play in Spain for the biggest clubs.

Arda Turan and Harry Kewell played together at Galatasaray

Arda Turan stayed with his boyhood club Galatasaray until 2011. He was handed the captaincy of Galatasaray in 2009. During his time at Gala, Arda Turan played with many international stars including Australian Harry Kewell and Lucas O’Neill.

In June 2011 he signed around €12 million with Atletico Madrid and went on to win Spanish League, UEFA European Leage and the UEFA Super Cup. He became Atletico Madrid’s key player and a fan favoruite. Under Diego Simeone, Atletico ended the Barcelona – Real Madrid cartel on trophies in Spain.

Arda made 178 appearances, scoring 22 goals for Atletico before leaving the club to join Catalan giants Barcelona just before the start of the 2015/2016 season. The deal was thought to be valued at around €35 million and was largely controversial as Arda wouldn’t be able to play for 6 months due to transfer ban imposed on Barcelona.

Not being able to play competitive football during the first half the season was hard for Arda Turan. In a team nominated by the most technically gifted players in the world, including Lionel Messi, this move would prove a test for the Turkish ace who had always been keen to play for Barcelona.

Arda Turan celebrates with team mate Messi

Despite Barcelona’s style being distinctly different from Atletico Madrid, Arda’s versatility and dynamic skills he had shown for the national team was enough to justify his price tag. Barcelona’s transfer ban was lifted by January 2016 and Arda was now allowed to play. But Barcelona already had too many options in midfield. Arda managed to play 45 games and scored 13 goals but in reality, he struggled, didn’t seem to fit in the same system with his teammates.

Things didn’t go so well at the home front either. Turkey national team, relying on Arda’s leadership, was on the decline. A rumor has surfaced that the players were underperfoming on purpose as they were not happy with what they were paid. The Turkey coach Fatih Terim, defended his players by denying the rumours. However national team players, despite performing poorly, indeed demanded money from the Turkish football federation and they sent Arda Turan to their head coach Fatih Terim to demand the money. This marked the beginning of the collapse of his career for Arda Turan. Fatih Terim never forgave him. Turkey failed to qualify for Euro 2016. After photos of national team players joking and laughing at cameras despite their team losing, Arda Turan and his national team mates lost the respect of Turkish people. Arda Turan attacked a journalist who had criticized his lack of commitment. Rather than apologizing for everything, Arda Turan chose to retire from International football to protest everything. He was 29 years old and had 100 caps.

Arda and Terim

However, if some people were shocked and saddened by Arda’s decline, many were not surprised at all.

With Barcelona signing him for €35 million and making him the most expensive Turkish athlete, football was no longer the most important thing to Arda Turan, and he started frequenting Istanbul every chance he got. Not being able to play competitive football at Barca, Arda spent a lot of time featuring in commercials, TV shows and making name with different women showing up at different night clubs in Turkey while stories of nights out partying in Istanbul were regularly emerging, as were stories of him slowly being the outcast at Barcelona locker room unwanted by his fellow teammats.

It was a sad sight to see, and the man dubbed The Turkish Messi, was now the persona non-grata.

With him failing to hold down a starting spot at Camp Nou, a loan spell back in Istanbul in 2017 with Basaksehir followed. But sadly, once again, Arda Turan kept in the spotlight not for his soccer skills but his personal relationship with the President and his celebrity status.

The Erdogan family was guests of honour at Arda Turan’s wedding

Compared to the big 3 Istanbul clubs Besiktas, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray; Basaksehir was a newly formed club backed by Mayor of Istanbul and the Turkish President. Basaksehir had almost no organic fans. Transfer of Arda Turan was seen as a method of creating a fanbase for Basaksehir, which was having a great time in the league, chasing championship. Basaksehir had a great form beating all Istanbul giants on the way with a clear points margin in Turkish league. Arda Turan joining the team was expected to make them unstoppable.

Arda Turan signed for Basaksehir, an Istanbul club

Yet Arda Turan struggled for confidence, form and fitness on field as his troubles continued. After attacking a referee, he was given a record 16-match ban. Basaksehir lost the championship race to Galatasaray,

Arda Turan attacking the refree – he was given a record 16-match ban afterwards

As well as battling with his declining football life, Arda was also struggling with celebrity status. He had married his girlfriend at a lavish wedding with the attendance of the Turkish President and it was hoped that being a family man would allow him to focus on soccer. However it wasn’t long before his party lifestyle off the pitch began to effect things on it. He continued partying and his work ethnic left a lot to be desired. This did not go unnoticed and over the coming time he found himself playing less and less for Basaksehir.

Fans had forgotten about Arda Turan. He didn’t feature in League or National team games but no one seemed to notice.

Arda managed to get into spotlight for the wrong reason again after being charged over an alleged brawl with a prominent Turkish singer.

Arda, Berkay and Berkay’s wife Ozlem Sahin

Prosecutors have asked for Arda Turan to be jailed for 12.5 years over the incident, which left Turkish singer Berkay with a broken nose. Berkay, was with his wife Ozlem Sahin at an upmarket nightclub in Istanbul when the altercation allegedly broke out with Arda Turan.

Ms Sahin told the media that Arda had made suggestive remarks to her, and then launched an attack on her husband – who was later taken to a hospital to have surgery on his broken nose.

Although Arda Turan asked for forgiveness by denying the incident, video footage of Arda Turan showing up to the hospital with a gun and getting into another altercation with Berkay was leaked.

Shortly after the incident, Arda Turan’s club Basaksehir, announced that they would fine the player 2.5 million Turkish lira (about 370,000 euros) for “behaviour incompatible with the club’s values,” although they would keep him as an active player until the sentence.

Whatever your opinion on Arda Turan there is no denying he had all the potential and raw talent to become on off all time footballs greats. It is sad to see a fall from grace of this magnitude, more so because the person who worked hard to win it all when, lost it all so easily when everything was in his favour.

In terms of football Arda Turan is still not old. The 31-year-old may still be able to turn everything around and prove himself.

Stories

Tulum nominated for Restaurant of the year

Post author By everythingturkish
Post date October 17, 2020

Balaclava’s Tulum restaurant has been nominated for the prestigious accolade of Gault&Millau POP Victorian Restaurant of the Year. The nomination comes in the wake of the venue’s first Hat, which was awarded by the Good Food Guide earlier in the month.

The restaurant is shortlisted alongside four other formidable Victorian venues including Ike Jime, Tonka, Embla, and Lee Ho Fook.

Tulum’s chef Coskun Uysal (left)

Owner and Head Chef Coskun Uysal said, “I am completely humbled to be nominated for the Gault&Millau POP Restaurant of the Year award. To be recognised in the same league as my shortlisted peers is the biggest compliment I could hope to receive”.

Gault&Millau Chief Judge Dane Richards said, “Tulum provides a vibrant, evocative and unique experience to diners, and is a very worthy nomination for our POP category”.

The newly introduced 2018 award category recognises the best trendy and accessible restaurants, bars and bistros that deliver a dynamic food and wine experience to a broad dining demographic. While nominees may not conform to traditional expectations, they must provide a unique and memorable diner experience that is professional, fresh and inspired. The national winner will be announced at the 2019 G&M Australia Restaurant Guide Launch in Sydney on Wednesday 6 February 2019.

Originating in France, Gault&Millau recognises gastronomic success with a restaurant guide in 13 countries. With a rich heritage spanning more than 50 years, Gault&Millau reviews over 870 restaurants in Australia each year. Using anonymous and independent judges, Gault&Millau is known for its unbiased and fair judging style among diners and industry alike.

Tulum is a contemporary Turkish eatery that has been recognised with a multitude of accolades and awards in its short two year existence. Lauded for its authentic Anatolian flavours, progressive techniques, and ability to tell a story of home on a plate, Tulum strives to redefine the standard of Turkish dining in Australia. Uysal defies the stereotype of “dips and kebabs” by consistently plating innovative dishes that make Tulum a true game-changer.

Chef Uysal prepares his dishes for the eyes as well as tummies

The restaurant is currently undergoing bold new renovations which are set to be unveiled mid-November. Drawing inspiration from the Istanbul Grand Bazaar, the new space will include a wall flushed with Turkish lanterns, an all-new bar space complete with a canopy of greenery and chocolate marble benchtops. The inspiration takes its design cues from the traditional Turkish Meyhane, and merges them with Melbourne’s raw architecture.

TULUM

217 Carlisle Street, Balaclava 3183

TRADING HOURS

Lunch: Saturday 12pm – 3pm
Dinner: Tuesday – Saturday 5pm until late

Reservations recommended
Walk-ins and last minute reservations are welcome

Stories

October 29: end of the one-man-rule

Post author By everythingturkish
Post date October 17, 2020

On October 29 every year, “Republic Day” is celebrated in Turkey. The holiday commemorates the events of 29 October 1923, when Turkish Parliament, under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, declared that Turkey was henceforth a republic.

The Turkish people, under the rule of the Ottoman Empire lived under an absolute monarchy until 1876. Ottoman Empire changed the regime to constitutional monarchy from 1876 onwards.

After the end of World War I, during the occupation of Turkey, the Turkish Parliament managed to regroup in Ankara and played an instrumental role in saving the occupied lands under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, at a time where Ottoman King was left without authority in the occupied Istanbul.

On 20 January 1921, the Turkish Parliament declared that sovereignty belonged to the Turkish nation.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, along with İsmet Inonu, prepared a draft law amendment and submitted it to the Assembly on 29 October 1923. With the acceptance of the law amendment, Turkish Republic was proclaimed by the Turkish Parliament.

The proclamation of the Republic was announced in Ankara with 101 ceremonial canon shots and first celebration was held on October 29, 1923 in Ankara.

October 29 is the celebration of the end of the one-man-rule in Turkey. The day marked the beginning of a new era, where sovereignty belonged to the people in Turkey.

Stories

75 signs you are Turkish..

Post author By everythingturkish
Post date October 17, 2020

You know you are a Turk when..

you’ve lived in Auburn; Broadmeadows or Dandenong
you have at least one relative that lives in Mildura or Shepparton
your family or relatives owns a restaurant on Sydney road
your parents pronounce Brunswick as Branzvik
you know where “Ford’un arkasi” or “Corum parki” is
your dad’s favorite English insult it “Blady poofta!”
you argue with your Greek friends about if Turks or Greeks invented kebabs
your parents watch the ‘Ibo Show‘ or ‘Kara Melek‘
your father used to work at the Ford factory
your father now is a Taxi driver or owns a Restaurant
you are forbidden to speak English at home but speak Anglo-Turkish e.g.
“Mom ben tonight disari cikmak istiyorum” (this is especially true for Cypriot Turks)
you have watched all the Kemal Sunal movies and think they are hilarious
you are years old and still living with your parents
you always bet money on Turkey in a soccer match even if they are playing Brazil
your name ends with -han; -kan; -tan
you can speak perfect Turkish even though you have lived in Australia all your life
you are an adult and your mother still thinks she can bash you
your parents pronounce Coburg as Koburk
your name rhymes with your brothers and sisters names
your parents pronounce Thursday as Turzdey
your mother can cook at least four different kinds of dolma
you brag to your friends about how your great grand father shot dead skips in Galipoli
you learnt to dance the Zeybek by watching your drunken relatives at a friends wedding
at least one of your aunts or uncles is married to an Albanian; Bosnian or a Bulgarian
you think kick boxing is the Turkish national sport
you go out with a Turkish girl; your parents automatically think that you’re going to marry her
you have at least three evil eye beads (Nazar boncuk) hanging over your doors in the house or hanging on the rear view mirror in the car
you don’t know half the people on your dad’s side but know everyone on your mothers side of the family
your parent’s friends always confuse you with your older brother/sister
your parents want you to go to University just so they can show off to their friends
if your great grand mother was from Russia or Greece
if you think that Galatasaray is the best soccer team in Europe
your father thinks he knows everything and there is no way you can win an argument with him even if you are % right
you went to learn folk dancing on Saturdays when you were young
you are an adult and your parents still expect you to kiss the hands of visitors (misafir)
you go on facebook 24/7
you passed Turkish school with out doing any work because your Turkish teacher is a family friend
you have an account with every single mobile phone provider
someone in your family is a panel beater
your Baba hangs out in the Kahve (Cafe) with his friend’s playing cards or Okay
your parents used to make you go to the Bakkal (bodega) to buy a newspaper when you were years old
your mother used to hit you when you were small to make you stop crying.. I still don’t understand that one
your father or uncle buys smashed cars; fixes them up and sells them for twice the money he spent on them
you have never paid money for a program or game for your computer; instead you just borrow it from your friends or just get it burnt
when it’s Bayram and you go to someone’s house and they offer you lollies; you take a handful
you have at least one fake belt or a fake bag from Turkey
your family is bigger than the Kelly Family.
you have at least 600 invited guests at your wedding, half of which you don’t even know.
you even smear Nutella and jam on the pide.
you know who Saban is.
your father comes to one of your soccer games and is upset that you’re not a striker.
your father constantly insults you with “ESSOLESEK”.
your name is never pronounced correctly.
there are at least 5 tapes from Orhan, Ferdi or Müslüm in your household.
your household consumes more tea than the UK.
you like sunflower seeds and keep eating them even though your tongue and lips are already numb.
you can’t buy anything without haggling first, even in Australia
you never have a plan, but always a solution.
your mother expects four people to visit, but cooks so much that an army could be fed and still says: “Ay bu yetmez, biseyler daha yapayim”.
the TV runs all day even when nobody is watching.
after buying a television, your father wraps the remote control in plastic film so that it doesn’t wear out so much.
your mother (but even more grandma) buys a couch because of the beautiful design, but puts a blanket or “Carsaf” over it so it doesn’t get dirty.
you think you could repair an electronic device by giving it a few hard times or turning it on and off once.
you chat with your guests for another 10-20 minutes in the stairwell when saying goodbye in the middle of the night.
as a girl you always have to hear: “Bak cok ayip, bi kiza hic yakisiyor mu?”.
in your home there are small, white, self-knitted, overly annoying doilies called “Dantel”.
your Turkish hairdresser is at his door “open until 6 p.m.” and you can see him cutting his hair at 10 p.m.
you tell something exciting and get louder and louder without even realizing it.
you as a girl buy a new dress every time a relative of yours marries, even though you have at least 10 dresses that you have only worn once.
if at least one of your relatives is a taxi driver, car dealer, kiosk owner, snack bar or restaurant owner, doctor’s assistant or fruit and vegetable seller.
you share a meal with your friends and leave the larger piece to them and say you are already so full, even if it is not really so.
everyone sits at dinner and a small piece is left over, but no one dares to finish this piece and a little argument breaks out because everyone thinks the other should eat it.
little girls are always told by older women “Seni ogluma alayim mi?”
your father at work and your mother in the women’s group bragging about the son / daughter.
every new Turkish acquaintance says “Memleket nere?”
as a child you are always asked “Kimin oglu- / kizisin?”

you go out with a Turkish girl; your (and her) Turkish parents automatically think that you’re going to marry her

An oldie but a goodie! This article was made up of jokes passed between Australian Turks via email in the early 2000s. It was first published in 2004 on QTurks.com and later on EverythingTurkish.com.au in 2007 as “You know you are a Turk when..“.