Turkish Coffee

"Neither the coffee, nor the coffeehouse is the longing of the soul

A friend is what the soul longs for, coffee is just the excuse"(a Turkish poem)

Turkish coffee plays an important role in Turkish society. The coffee was introduced to Turkish society 500 years ago and since then it has been served with different social meanings.

Turkish coffee is a method of preparing coffee. In the past the coffee was cooked on the charcoal but in the modern times it is not possible, but we still use the coffee pot whose name is “cezve”. This pot is made of copper. It is suggested to be prepared in the copper pot.  It is prepared without sugar, with medium level of sugar and with sugar according drinkers’ wishes.  The preparing method of the Turkish coffee is found in the countries formerly governed by Turks such as ; Albania, Arab countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Iran and Palestine.

How to prepare Turkish Coffee 

Put the coffee and sugar in “cezve”  first, and then add the water. Set the flame to as little as possible. Put the pot on the stove and stir until becomes darker and it boils. Then serve it with Turkish delight. 

Social Importance

In Turkey, when a man decide to get marry with a girl he has to take the permission of the girl’s parents with his family members.  It is a traditional ceremony before marriages. In this ceremony supposed bride serves Turkish coffee to the parents of the man who wants to get married. The mother of the boy tests the girl’s talent tasting the Turkish coffee cooked by the girl. The boy is also tested by the mother of the girl with a cup of Turkish coffee. The coffee which is served to boy is cooked with salt instead of sugar. If the boy doesn’t want to drink that coffee he is not thought to be patient to or ready to get married. 

My Turkey...

Turkey ... the most beautiful country of the Middle East….

I’m going to introduce my country from my point of view.

Turkey

Turkey officially the republic of Turkey located in the in Western Asia and in southeastern Europe.  The population of the country is estimated to reach 80 million. The official language is Turkish.  95% of the population is Muslim but the Turkey is secular and constitutional republic which is the unique example in the Middle East. The founder of the republic is Mustafa Kemal ATATURK, who is one the most important leaders who lived in the 20^th century. He created modern Turkey from the ashes of an Empire. Ataturk means “father of Turks”, and still he is seen the most powerful figure in the country.

A brief History of the Country  

Turkey is one of the oldest permanently settled regions in the world. Various ancient civilizations such as The Hittites, The Lydians, The Urartu were born in Anatolia.  Since the beginning of the history, Anatolia has been governed by different civilization of the world.  The Turkish or Turkic population has been present in Anatolia since 4.000 years. But Anatolia has been governed by the Muslim-Turkish, The Seljuks since 1071. After the entrance of Muslim-Turkish tribes to Anatolia, the Turkic-Turkmen population started to convert to Islam.  From 1071 Muslim-Turks became one of the important powers in Anatolia and they founded a new state which is called Anatolian Seljuks.

Over time Anatolian Seljuks fell down and a new and the most powerful empire of the time which is called “Ottamans”. The Ottomans conquered Constantinople (Istanbul), the capital city of the Byzantine–East Roman Empire. The empire expanded of its borders from East Europe to Middle East. The empire fell down in 1922 after the First World War, and modern Turkey was born with a new revolution that created a new Turkish society. 

Ayvalık

Ayvalık,the place where I belong  

I don’t know how to introduce you Ayvalık. It is the most beautiful and quiet place of my country.  It is my only holiday destination in Turkey. Every summer I live in our summer house in this lovely city.

Geography

Ayvalık is a district in Turkey's Balıkesir Province on the Aegean Sea coast. It is surrounded by the hills which are covered with olive trees. It is a typical Mediterranean city situated on a coastal plein which is under the influence of the Mediterranean climate.

History of the city

In the history Ayvalık was one of the most important port cities of the ancient civilization such as Greeks and Troy. It was also an important settlement in Antiquity. The remnants were on the eastern part of the Island of Cunda or Alibey, near the sea. All the archaeological data was related to the Classical and Medieval Ages. It was conquered by Turks in 11th century.  

After the First World War it was occupied by Greeks. With Turkish Independence War the city was taken back from the Greeks. In the city there are various religious minorities.

Cunda Island

Cunda Island is the largest of a group of islands in the northwestern Aegean Sea off the coast of Ayvalık. It is the most important tourist attraction of Ayvalık. On the island there are Greek -orthodox churches and Ottoman mosques. The houses of the island represent the special architectural style of Ayvalık. With its rich architectural heritage, Ayvalık is a member of the Norwich-based European Association of Historic Towns and Regions (EAHTR)

Modern Ayvalık
Today, Ayvalık is one of the most visited holiday destinations of Turkey. In recent years Ayvalık has also become an important point of attraction for scuba divers with its underwater fauna.

ATATURK... FATHER of the TURKS

Who is he? A dictator? A man who changed the fate of his people and created a new modern society from the ashes of an empire? A hero who defeated all the imperialist powers in his own country and woke the third world countries up to get their freedoms? In fact, I know the answers of all these questions and I’m going to try to tell you why he is so important for us? You may think that I’m not objective. Yes! I admit! I can’t be objective about him. He is the one who gave me all that I have in my life. That’s why he is the father of Turks. Today I will talk about a hero and a revolutioner who lives in the heart of his people.

A HERO

He was born in Salonika in Ottoman Empire. As an army officer during the First World War he fought against the English, Russian and French armies. Following the defeat of the Ottomans in the First World War the land of the empire was divided by Allies. To defend his motherland he led Turkish nationalist movement in the Independence war. He created a new assembly against the Sultan of the empire in Ankara (the capital of the modern Turkey). During the Independence war, as an army commander he defeated the Greek and British Armies in several battlefields.

Following the defeat of the imperialist powers, he overthrew the Sultan of the empire and formed a secular, democratic, nation-state in Anatolia.

A REVOLUTIONER

To create a new modern society he started with the social reforms such as abolishing Islamic justice and adopted western law system. He made it law that women could wear their own choice of clothes. To secularize the society he banned all the religious symbols from public areas. He introduced the democratic system and elections. (Thanks to him the Turkish women could get the voting right even before the French women)

The first female MPs of the Turkish Parliament (1935)

The new modern Turkey gets its neighbors’ attention in the Middle East. The countries such as Iran, Iraq and Syria started to try getting their freedom from United Kingdom. The Shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi tried to do the same reforms in his country. In Egypt, the nationalist movement tried to overthrew the King who is supported by the United Kingdom.  In his leadership Turkey became the major power of the Middle East.

You may think that I’m exaggerating but to understand me you should visit Turkey and talk to people.