Since the founding of the republic in 1923 as the successor state to the Ottoman Empire, Turkey has been secular and Kemalist in orientation. The country's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, initiated a modernization of Turkey through social and legal reforms modelled on various European nation states.
The current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been at the helm of the country since 2003. Since around 2012, he has led the country in an increasingly authoritarian manner. Freedom of expression and freedom of the press in particular are considered to be severely restricted. The currency and debt crisis triggered by its economic policies as well as high inflation have continued since 2018, which makes Turkey quite attractive from a tourist perspective.
The culture of today's Turkey is a fusion of the ancient Turkish nomadic culture of Central Asia and Siberia, the Greco-Roman era, the culture in the Ottoman Empire with its Byzantine, Persian, Arabic, Caucasian, Armenian and Kurdish influences, as well as the strong European direction since the founding of the Republic Ataturk. The cultural centre of the country is the metropolis of Istanbul.
With the political changes, the content of Turkish literature also changed. Early representatives include Fakir Baykurt, Sabahattin Ali, Sait Faik Abasıyanık and Yaşar Kemal, who put ordinary people at the centre of their work. With the turn to describing living conditions, social and political criticism of the state is inevitable. The state reacts with censorship and political violence. Authors like Nâzım Hikmet, Yaşar Kemal and Aziz Nesin spend many years in Turkish prisons because of the persecution of their publications. Kemal therefore referred to the prison as a “school of Turkish literature”.
Turkish cuisine has also influenced Greek and the rest of the Balkan cuisine - including etymology. For example, tzaziki comes from the Turkish cacık, and Ćevapčići comes from kabapcik. Yogurt also comes from Turkish Yoğurt. Doner kebab is made from beef, veal or poultry. In Turkey, but also in other countries, the kebab is also served on a plate.
In 2017, work began on a suspension bridge across the Dardanelles Strait. We have repeatedly described the arduous crossing of the inlet by car ferry, especially when traveling with a wide caravan (2.50 meters).
In order to further prepare for the establishment of camper pitches in Turkey and the Balkans for the purpose of winter accommodation and camper stations available all year round, we also accepted the Eden Hotel Group's invitation to Assos.
We had just put the article on "Isnik - the ancient Byzantine Nikaia" online when we were surprised by the news that Turkish researchers probably discovered the actual meeting place of the first Christian Council of Nicaea with the help of aerial photographs.
On the way from Bursa towards Eskesehir we had made a short stopover on the D 200 near Inegöl for lunch in one of the many restaurants along the road.
The dream began during the Ottoman Empire in 1860: Asia and Europe were to be connected under the Bosphorus with the help of a tunnel.
A little bit of history about Taksim Square in Istanbul, which has once again attracted a great deal of attention from the media. Taksim Square in Istanbul has always been considered the city's most important transport hub.
The ancient Romans first had the idea of building a bypass next to the Bosphorus, which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Black Sea through the strait near Istanbul, which would reduce the high load on the strait from shipping traffic.
For almost every traveler it is a must, the Maiden's Tower or as the locals say "Kız kulesi", the Maiden's Tower, because who does not at least know pictures of the old lighthouse from the 18th century, which has become one of the symbols of Istanbul.
How one imagines Istanbul in one's dreams: Sunrise over the Bosphorus. The yellowish light is reflected in the water of the Golden Horn, which divides the new and old parts of Istanbul in the Eminonu district.
Dating from Byzantine times, the huge architectural monument of Hagia Sophia, also known as the "Great Cathedral", was commissioned by Emperor Justinian I to have been built.
Hagia Sophia, which is located in Istanbul, was built by architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus in 532–537 A.D by the order of I. Emperor Justinian.
The sunken place in Istanbul has a story which is told over the sounds of water. One of the charming constructions left from the Byzantine era is the Basilica Cistern located at Sultanahmet Square in old Istanbul across the street from Hagia Sophia.
A small, almost insignificant park in Istanbul has made the headlines of the world press in recent weeks and there is currently no end in sight.
In addition to the Turkish provinces of Bursa, Sakarya, Bolu, Kütahya and Eskişehir, all of which are known far beyond the country's borders due to some product or event (Bursa for large industrial concentrations,
On the Turkish part of the Balkan peninsula, the province of Kırklareli stretches from the Black Sea to the main connecting road Istanbul - Edirne, which is one of the four provinces of the European part of Turkey.
The establishment of a new museum in an old warehouse with the permanent exhibition on the history of the resettlement of Turks and Greeks from 1922-24 prompted us to visit the city of Çatalca in Thrace, about 50 minutes by car from Istanbul on the European side.
At the foot of the new Galata Bridge, numerous fisherman stand in a line along the shore - sometimes with a small piece of iron wire instead of a fishing rod.
Ongoing excavations at the Heraion-Teikhos ancient city in the western province of Tekirdağ have unearthed a temple at the city's acropolis. The temple, belonging to the ancient Thracian civilization, was thought to have disappeared in a fire that occurred in 2 BC.
The picture-perfect bay of Tekirdağ is framed by high mountains, which gave the city its name: Tekir Dağı, in ancient times the mountain Combos. The city was already mentioned by Herodotus.
We were driving on the highway from Istanbul towards Ankara about 15 kilometres after passing Izmit, when we have seen the Sapanca Lake in all its beauty, shimmering blue, on the left.