Home to numerous communities and civilizations from the beginning of history, Anatolia is also the harbor of the magnificent Turkish culture.

Turkish culture which has evolved under the influence of various communities over the centuries and spread over the extensive lands of Anatolia attracts the attention for its unique elements. At the crossroads of the East and the West, Turkish culture, from its cuisine to social life, bears the traces of different cultures.

The Paleolithic prehistory of Turkey is potentially of enormous interest to paleoanthropologists. 

Anatolia is the most direct land route into Europe from the Levantine corridor and, more distally, from Africa. Repeated movements of human populations from Africa into Eurasia, and perhaps In the opposite direction as well, reconstructed on the basis of genetic evidence, 1-6 would surely have left traces in the archeological record of Anatolia.

Great Architect Sinan is considered the greatest Ottoman architect of the Ottoman Empire's 

Architectural heritage.During the construction of the Sokollu Sinan receives a great deal of pressure from Sultan Selim II, son and successor to Sultan Suleyman, to progress what is to be Sinan's monumental masterpiece, The Selimiye Complex in Edirne (1568-74). As described …"tall minarets announce the city of Edirne from its endless landscape and from as far as the eye can see. The mosque dominates and crowns the highest elevation, looking down on a city articulated by domes and minarets of other massive buildings."

Fine arts which have been produced since mankind’s earliest days are an integral part of Turkish culture too. 

Islamic Art varies substantially from Western Art due primarily to restrictions in the Koran on depicting the human form. Rather than being representational of the profane world, the perfection of Ottoman art lies in the pure balance of color, line and rhythm in geometric patterns and designs.Westernization in Turkey was begun by Sultan Mahmud II at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and took root during the reigns of the sons of Sultan Mahmud II, Abdülmecid (1839-1861) and Abdülaziz (1861-1876). The westernization of Turkish painting accelerated in those years and these art works can be seen from the reign of Abdülhamid II and at the time of the Constitutional Monarchy (second Meşrutiyet). Thus, Turkish painting has been developed until today through the cultural policy, which integrated Turkish art with the modern and civilized world, followed by the Republic period.

The art of Turkish tiles and ceramics occupies a place of prominence in the history of Islamic art.

Its roots can be traced at least as far back as the Uighurs of the 8th and 9th centuries. Its subsequent development was influenced by Karakhanid, Ghaznavid, and (especially) Iranian Seljuk art. With the Seljuks' victory over the Byzantines at Malazgirt in 1071, the art followed them into Anatolia and embarked upon a new period of strong development fostered by the Anatolian Seljuk sultanate. Emirate-period tiles are generally a continuation of Seljuk techniques with one important exception: the introduction of the cuerda seca technique, which was subsequently developed by the Ottomans. 

The earliest examples of this group are dated to the late 14th and early 15th centuries. The late 15th and early 16th century marks the beginning of a new period in Ottoman tile and ceramic-making. The most important center active at this time was Iznik.

By the 18th century, the ceramic industry in Iznik had died out completely and Kutahya replaced it as the leading center in western Anatolia.

To summarize, the art of Turkish tile and ceramic-making developed over the centuries incorporating many different techniques and styles. Enriched by the arrival of the Seljuks, the ceramic industry in Anatolia achieved a deservedly worldwide reputation with the support of the Ottoman court. Today, Kutahya has been revived as an important center of tile and ceramic-making. In addition, efforts are also being made in private workshops and educational institutions in Iznik, Istanbul, and Bursa to keep the art of traditional Turkish tiles and ceramics alive and develop it so that it can address the demands of modern-day life.

Zeugma Fashion Show & Kutnu Fabric - Fashion Show // Dilek Hanif // 2016. - Zeugma Mosaic Museum, in the town of Gaziantep, 

Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî

The smallest in terms of surface area but among the most advanced provinces of Turkey, Kocaeli welcomes visitors with a rich diversity of nature and monuments. 

The region, with a history that can be traced back to c.1200 BC, is one of the leading areas in terms of production and industry.

Bordering the Black Sea on one side and the Marmara Sea on the other, Kocaeli is highly sought after for its diversity of nature and natural attractions like Samanlı Mountains and Sapanca Lake. Kocaeli has a transitional climate between the Mediterranean climate and Black Sea climate with warm and rather dry summers and rainy winters.

Kocaeli is waiting for all vacationers who want to explore new cultures and follow the traces of history!

Traditional Turkish Cuisine

Turkish cuisine is seen as of the three richest and oldest cooking traditions of the world together with French and Chinese cooking.

While it has come to be associated with kebap, baklava, lokum and rakı there is a rich and variegated tradition of soups, olive oil dishes, rice pilafs, stuffed vegetables, pastries, puddings and syrupy desserts underlying these popular dishes. It offers unique tastes in spicy and tart appetizers, pickles, fruit preserves, compote, sherbet, boza (a thick beverage made of barley) and coffee.

The diversity of Turkish cuisine reflects the cultures of the populations living in regions highly dissimilar in geography and climate. This has led to an abundance of ingredients and cooking styles. The Southeast and the East are known for the dishes based on cracked wheat and meat with hot spices, the Aegean, for olive oil dishes enhanced with local herbs, the Black Sea region, for varieties of anchovy and collard, and Istanbul is a world unto itself with, among others, eggplant dishes which come in no less then 41 sorts.

The latest trend in İstanbul restaurants is the fast food version of the traditional simit (kind of bagel) and börek (pastry)
.

Stuffed vegetables and wraps

They constitute a unique aspect of Turkish cuisine. The classical wrap is meat or rice wrapped in vine, cabbage or collard leaves although lettuce, nut, chestnut, cherry and even violet leaves are sometimes used. There are about 15 varieties of vegetables stuffed with meat today.

  

Stuffed Eggplant and Peppers                                        Stuffed Vine Leaves in Olive Oil

Meat dishes

There is a rich variety including gyros type dishes, grills, fried meats, kebaps, stews, meat cooked in a crock or pan. There are also boiled meats, meat balls, vegetables stuffed with meat and meat dishes cooked with fruits.

Olive oil dishes

They are an integral part of lunch and dinner especially in the summer. They can be served warm or cold. Olive (or vegetable) oil can be used to fry eggplants, peppers and zucchini or cook them in an onion and tomato sauce and letting them simmer.

  

Fava  ( The mashed broad beans )                                                 Red Pepper Roast

Ramadan tables

The food is less heavy than it once was but still consists of a long menu including soup, a meat dish, choice of pastry, pilaf or pasta, olive oil dish, salad and dessert. The tradition of inviting friends and relatives to elaborate dinners to break the fast continues. Food is accompanied by the pides which can be bought hot at the neighborhood bakery on Ramadan afternoons.

Istanbul cuisine

It is the cuisine of an imperial city featuring a wide variety of ingredients and cooking styles. It includes dishes and ideas from the cuisine of Jews, Greeks and Armenians who were an integral part of Ottoman society.

Modern-day Turkish cuisine is mostly the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which some might correctly describe as being a fusion and refinement of culinary traditions from neighboring countries, as well as the Middle East, Central Asian and Western European influences. This of course stems from the many centuries in which the Ottoman Empire waged war with many of the European peoples in Central and Eastern Europe.

  

Having had to deal with a wide mix of cultures and peoples it only makes sense for Turkish cuisine to show an incredible amount of variety on the same theme. Let’s take the Black Sea region for instance, where there are over twenty different dishes that incorporate corn as well as a plethora of ways of preparing hamsi – a sardine-like. The interesting thing being that of course, you will find dishes similar to these in the surrounding countries of Bulgaria, Romania and so on.

Ottoman Cuisine & Istanbul Cuisine

Kebabs

Possibly one of the most international ubiquitous Turkish dish is the kebab. These are a great example of both variety and simplicity in action. They are made from either plain or marinated meat which is then either stewed or grilled – most commonly grilled in the West. In Turkey, each district in the country has its own special recipe.

The ‘Sis kebab’, which is famous the world-around is made from pieces of lamb threaded on a skewer and griller over charcoal, then there’s the ‘Doner kebab’ which is made from a roll of lamb on a vertical skewer turning parallel to a hot grill, and these are just two of the most popular versions.

Turkish sweets

The results of the Turks’ sweet-tooth are famous throughout the world. Many of the sweets in Turkey are milk based but possibly the best well known are the pastries, respectively ‘baklava’ and ‘kadayif’.

Then of course there’s Turkish delight or Lokum, which is a unique type of confection made on a gel of starch and sugar. Some varieties will include pieces of nuts and fruit bound in the gel. The confections are packaged in small cubes which are usually dusted with icing sugar in order to prevent them from sticking to each other.

  

 Lokum ve Akide Şekeri                                                                 Katmer       

Turkish beverages

Turkish coffee is chief amongst the national drinks, being of such important to the daily life of the Ottoman Empire that it introduced coffee and the idea of a coffee house to all the countries that they warred with. Turkish coffee is thick and dark and is served in a small cup. The process of making the coffee is a particular one as well, one which we’ll not detail here.

  

Turkish Tea                                                                        Turkish Coffee 

Obviously we’ve only skimmed the surface of the massive and intricate labyrinth that Turkish cuisine is, visiting Turkey will surely result in you discovering many other interesting foods and drinks.

Turkish Cuisine & Ottoman Cuisine - Photos