Turkey Study Assist

03/06/2016

Between the sea and the wind: Sailing weighs anchor in İzmir

Even a total newcomer driving through the coastal road that runs through the heart of the İzmir to the resort town of Çeşme would be able to guess that sails were one of the symbols of the city. Right before the city’s main square stands a modern, linear statue that symbolizes a sailboat. As you pass through the road between Konak Pier, which was designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1890s, and the famous clock tower, you come across a group of white-colored sails that impress upon you once more that sails are the symbol of the city.

Surrounded by the hard winds of Alaçatı, Çeşme, Urla and Foça, it hardly seems surprising that sailing is to İzmir what golf is to Kemer. The city, which has five marinas, is host to the Ege Open Sea Yacht Club (EAYK), International Çeşme Yacht Club (ICYC), Urla Yacht Club (URİYAT) and countless other yacht or sailing clubs from rotaries to municipalities – all of which organize joint or separate races. Middle-class kids enroll in a sailing club in their teens and businesspeople rub elbows not only at yacht fairs but at competitive races.

Arkas, one of the largest İzmir-based companies, has its own sailing team which sweeps regional championships and has taken the Winter Trophy, the longest sailing race in Turkey, for three consecutive years.

“Çeşme and İzmir has an important potential for us,” said İskender Akbaş, the Turkey director of Jeannau, one of the main sail-boat producers in the world. Jeanneau has picked İzmir for a three-day yachting festival between June 3 and 5 that will introduce half a dozen types of sail boats which he describes as “all strong and popular boats that are of different sizes and qualities.”

“We are very much aware of the passion of İzmirians toward the sea and want to ensure the full exposure of our boats to them,” he added. The three-day event will also include the participation of Hasan Denizkurdu, a former minister of justice who is a determined sailor.

“The Jeanneau Boat Days is a large-scale event that is open to all,” said Akbaş. “We are aware of the fact that İzmirians take sailing seriously and competitively. It is a hobby and a way of life for them. On the other hand, half of the Turkish sailing team which will participate in the 2016 Rio Olympics are from Aegean clubs, which is no small thing. There are five marinas in greater İzmir and plans to build more.

We need more marinas

But Özlem Akdurak, who has long been in the Aegean sailing market as the Turkey chair of Elan sailboats and the president of the Çeşme Sailing School, cautioned that the existing capacity of the marinas on the İzmir peninsula fell painfully short of meeting the present demand, let alone the potential.

“There are no marinas in the city. Levent Marina is practically non-existent. Plans to build a marina in Bayraklı, near Karşıyaka, are progressing very slowly,” she told the Hürriyet Daily News. “This is Turkey’s third largest city, with a population of 4 million. Yet, when you compare it to port cities in nearby Greece, the marinas are very inadequate.”

Akdurak believes that this discourages the potential growth of sailing among İzmir locals, as well as interest from foreign sailors.

“İzmir, with its great capacity for training competitive sailors, can develop so much more in sailing and increase its place on the global map,” she added. “Right now, the potential is underexplored. In Europe, you’d find a marina every 30 miles in a city like İzmir. Turkey is still virgin territory.”

“İzmir and its regions is a growing market for both motorboats and sail boats,” said Ayşe Koraltan, who took up sailing as a sport in her 30s, along with a band of girlfriends who formed one of the first all-women teams in the region.

“It fits with the İzmirian way of life that is close to the sea. There are major marinas in the peninsula, including TEOS, which opened in Sığacık, near Urla, recently. The proximity to the Greek islands, and the fact that there are races make the whole adventure very pleasant.”

The team’s sailboat, called “Safinaz” after the Turkish name for Popeye’s energetic girlfriend, has competed in more than 300 races. Koraltan herself has joined in the sector professionally and founded GCG marine, which constructs Rockharbour boats in Turkey.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News

02/06/2016

Delicious food: A common legacy for Greeks and Turks

Turkish and Greek cuisine share many more similar traits than just similar names; in fact, the two cuisines are remarkably similar. Whether it’s dolma in Turkish or dolmades in Greek, both cuisines share a fascinating journey into the senses with a variety of scrumptious food. Elements of both cuisines are a mixture of Western and Eastern food.

“The similarities the two cuisines share are a long story,” said Elias Mamalakis, a well-known Greek TV chef and the author of several cookbooks, a story “which cannot be covered in just one chat.”

“Greek food has been influenced by İzmir, Istanbul and the surrounding areas coming to what it is now, a mixture of the Ottoman Empire and the Balkans,” he said. “However, every recipe, like every song or dance, travels from place to place, gets molded and takes on a different character. In Greece, some dishes share the same names as the Turkish ones, and have kept their original names up to now. The differences are small and simple, and they just take a bit of a different character, but there is no secret if you think about it, each place adds its own flavor to the dish.”

The dish sarma or yaprak sarması (also known as yalancı dolma) in Turkish cuisine is called Ntolmadakia yalantzi in Greek, but they are almost exactly the same, only differing in the sauce that is used.

This dish dates from Ottoman times, where the word dolma comes from the Turkish verb doldurmak, meaning to fill.

“When we think of the similarities in the two cuisines, the first things that come to mind are dolma and imam [bayıldı],” Sofia Stavrou said.

Stavrou, born and raised in Istanbul, has a number of ties with her old motherland, as she calls it. Cooking and food is one of them, and she speaks with delight about Turkish and Greek cuisine.

The similarities are legion, she said, standing at her kitchen table and chopping onions to prepare imam bayıldı, a famous dish whose name literally means “the imam fainted.”

It is a dish from Ottoman cuisine using a whole eggplant stuffed with onions, garlic, and tomatoes.
Explaining the dish’s colorful name, she related, “The legend said that a Turkish imam who greatly enjoyed the flavor of the dish fainted out of pleasure.”

“We [in Greece] prepare papoutsakia. In Istanbul we called it karnıyarık, but without the béchamel [white sauce] over it. So the food at its base is the same,” she said, echoing Mamalakis’ statement that each country offers a bit of a different touch to a dish, without changing it completely, but just adapting it to the country’s needs.

“I see that after 300 years of co-existence with the Turkish people, we have fused our foods together; we have mostly kept the Turkish on our side with influence from other eastern and Mediterranean countries,” said Pavlos Saftis, a private chef.

“The Turks were far superior in terms of the variety of dishes and the flavor their dishes shared,” he said, explaining that this came from the once-sprawling Ottoman Empire and the many lands it conquered.

“If you think about it, most of the spices and herbs Greek cuisine uses come mainly from their side. I would say that Greek food evolved into a lighter dish from the Turks in order to fit the Mediterranean diet,” Saftis said.

Greece has the Horiatiki salata (or Greek salad), which in “Poli” – Stavrou’s name for Istanbul – “we call çoban salatası,” adding that Greece has tzatziki and Turkey has cacık; it’s all the same.

“Even the name holds the same root,” she said, explaining that çoban is Turkish for shepherd and horiatiki comes from the word horiatis, Greek for peasant.

But apart from internationally known dishes like dolmades or dolma, or sarma in Turkish, there are also other less well-known dishes that are the same, she said.

The two nations are very similar in many ways, Stavrou said, and even share the same national food, the famous Greek fasolada or kuru fasulye in Turkish, which in both countries includes stewed white beans with olive oil, onions, and tomato sauce, in addition to celery in the Greek version.

Throughout the conversation, Stavrou spoke with excitement about the two countries, and shared several details from her secrets of cooking.

“When it comes to sweet dishes, again we got most of it from the Turks,” Saftis said, adding that the Turks for their part might have been influenced by the Middle East.

When we speak of syrupy sweets, the first thing that comes to our mind is baklava, he added, a rich sweet pastry made of layers of dough with nuts and honey syrup and a touch of cinnamon.

“This is purely an Ottoman Turkish sweet which has also been passed onto the Greeks as well,” he said.

“It is impossible not to connect the two countries and their cuisine. And it’s impossible not to enjoy their dishes, even with the small variations that might exist,” said Saftis.

But, then again, this is what makes cooking a fascinating experience.

Source: Anadolu Agency

02/06/2016

Top foods you have to try while in Turkey

Turkey is notable for historical sites and breathtaking views, but it has more to offer than pretty landscapes. Its agriculture contributes to the world's food supply, and many Turkish cities stand out for more than one particular food item that makes them both famous and important in terms of exports. Here are our picks from Turkey's different regions:

Hazelnuts

Almost everyone knows about Nutella, but what everyone doesn't know is that the hazelnuts that go into Nutella come from Turkey. Turkey supplies 70 percent of the world's supply of hazelnuts for the silky smooth chocolate that we have all secretly spooned a mouthful of with our head buried in the pantry to curb a sugar craving. Many hazelnuts come from the Black Sea provinces of Giresun and Ordu, and Turkey exported more than 164 tons of hazelnuts between 2015 and 2016, according to local sources. The nut is used for chocolates, such as those made by Ferrero Rocher, among many other high-quality chocolates, and is unique because it cannot be substituted.

Tea

The drink that has ingrained itself in Turkish culture has become essential on every breakfast table, imperative during a chat with friends and obligatory after lunch or dinner. Turkey is the highest per capita tea consumer (3.15 kilograms per person), and although it is one of the top 10 tea-producing countries, exports are comparatively low because domestic consumption is relatively high. Moreover, most of Turkey's tea production comes from plantations centered on the Black Sea town of Rize. This region has an unusually wet climate.

Apricots

Turkey is undoubtedly the leader of the world's dried apricot production with 82 percent supplied by the east central Anatolian province of Malatya. The well-rounded golden fruit, bursting with flavor, is synonymous with the province. The highly fertile soil of the Euphrates produces high-grade apricots, which are available as "sulphured" (a fast drying process that preserves the color and extends the preservation period) or naturally dried apricots. Additionally, they are often produced in family-owned orchards. There is also a Malatya fair and festival held annually at the end of July since 1978 that celebrates apricots.

Ice cream

eyaditional vest that is either red or black patterned with gold trimming. In Kahramanmaraş, these highly skilled performers grab your attention by abruptly whacking a hanging bell and serving you a cone of ice cream like you've never tasted before. You will not enjoy the silky smooth treat traditionally made from goat's milk that's almost chewy without having to work for it, though. What started accidentally with Osman Ağa's attempt to make sahlep turned into a renowned Turkish dessert that can be enjoyed on the streets or enjoyed with a knife and fork.

Künefe:

A dessert dish that dates back to the Ottoman Empire, künefe is made from "kadayıf" (shredded phyllo pastry) with an elastic cheese evenly centered in the middle and then soaked in syrup that has the perfect consistency and sweetness. Considered the sweet of weddings, it is usually decorated with pistachio. Though this dish can be found in Middle Eastern countries like Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, what makes it exclusive to the southern Mediterranean city of Hatay is the cheese that can only be found there, which is made daily. The government is now is seeking to register künefe for an official European Union trademark.

Bergamot oranges

The oranges of the southwestern Mediterranean province of Antalya are not just famous because of the Antalya Orange Film Festival (now it is called International Antalya Film Festival), which has been held annually since 1963, but for the incredible oranges that call the province home. Antalya is one of the few places besides Italy that produce Bergamot oranges. The fragrant fruit, which is used in flavoring earl grey tea, is also used to scent food and make perfumes and cosmetics.

Mesir paste:

A tradition that dates back 500 years ago started as a medicine in the Ottoman Empire when Ayşe Hafsa Sultan, the wife of Yavuz Sultan Selim and the mother of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, became very ill. Nothing could cure her until Merkez Muslihiddin Efendi, a natural herbalist, concocted a recipe using 41 different plants and spices. When the paste proved to be effective, it was later distributed to Ottoman subjects to heal their ailments. The tradition continues today: Mesir paste delicately wrapped in colored paper is distributed from the minaret of the Sultan Mosque on March 21 every year to mark the traditional spring festival of Nevruz. And so, mesir paste helped Manisa grab a spot on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2012

02/06/2016

""Istanbul joins international 'open iftar' event to foster interfaith dialogue during Ramadan""

An international project led by young students is setting up open 'iftars' - fast breaking meals - across several countries to foster interfaith dialogue during Ramadan.

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is a time when Muslims will fast from dawn to dusk, with the practice forming one of the five fundamentals-pillars-of Islam.

Ahead of the holy month, which will begin June 6 this year, the staff of a U.K.-based community-led initiative called the Ramadan Tent Project is making final preparations in seven cities across five countries, including Istanbul.

Ahmed Ghoneim, the project's head of communications talked to Anadolu Agency. He says that the scheme "was not only made for Muslims".

The initiative has been organizing fast-breaking meals to include non-Muslims in the holy month. The organizing committee has non-Muslim members who have participated since a group of students from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) first came up with the pioneering idea in 2011.

"It is our privilege to have people from all walks of life attend and share their stories, meals and values with us," Ghoneim says.

An open iftar is common and historical event during the Ramadan month in Turkey as well as other Muslim-populated countries.

Needy people join the meals, which typically happen under a huge tent, and break their fast together after the evening 'adhan' - the Islamic call to worship.

The Ramadan Tent Project arranges hot meals on the ground, mostly on grassy university yards covered with colorful cloth; volunteers serve food and guests will help with all responsibilities.

Community leaders from various identities, including representatives of NGOs, academia, the literary world, even Christian bishops, will speak to guests in an open conversation.

"The project is vital in its peaceful and inclusive nature, as well as its representation of Islamic values and practices," Ghoneim says.

Ghoneim says that misinformation, stereotyping and confrontation are overcome through the initiative in an engaging, youthful and sincere manner that allows one to step forward, ask, learn and appreciate his or her peers.

"Many non-Muslims approached team members and asked many questions to fill gaps in their knowledge," Ghoneim says, revealing how the atmosphere created by the project is demolishing negative stereotypes about Islam.

"We, for our part also, learn valuable lessons from non-Muslims and witness on a daily basis the positive communication, friendship and amicable gestures that transcend our respective backgrounds," he says.

Ghoneim gives an example of how the project fostered inter-faith dialogue. Rabbi Nathan Levy, a religious leader who sits on the Board of Deputies of British Jews, fasted with them and attended an iftar meal in 2014.

"This example illustrates the unique and innovative methods that the Ramadan Tent Project has and continues to take in bridging communities together in a fashion that focuses on common values, constructive dialogue and creating amicable ties within the community," Ghoneim says.

Many non-Muslim guests, who fasted with them in an amazing display of solidarity, write about their feelings on the project's website after the event.

Others "directly expressed their willingness and intent to befriend Muslims to discover more about a faith and culture that they did not have the opportunity to learn about prior to attending an iftar," Ghoneim says.

One volunteer from the last year's events, who defined herself as a "young Lebanese woman from a Christian background," wrote her soulful thoughts on the project's blog:

"In a world where we are told that religion is the source of division, the Ramadan Tent Project is an example and reminder that coming together under a universal cause, that is the pursuit of good, is what is uniting more and more people around the world."

Shazma, a volunteer at an event in London's Malet Street Gardens, stated on the blog: "You never know who you'll end up next to, how their views will differ from yours, but you are all united by something stronger and the differences will promptly fade into the background."

She also described the atmosphere, as saying, "Malet Street Gardens is such a beautiful setting, and honestly speaking when the sun is setting and the candles that line the banquet … are dancing along to conversation and laughter amongst strangers, now friends, it feels truly magical."

The initiative is also benefiting from other social media opportunities, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with over 7,000 followers, to hit those people who may want to join the project.

They share powerful photos and videos that reflect the project's atmosphere and convey touching passages from the guests.

It may be the most impressive point of the project that all the efforts behind it-creating a website, managing social media accounts and serving food-are by volunteers.

"The project is one very much dependent on volunteers and as such it was not a corporate strategy," Ghoneim says, stressing that commitment to their ethos, plus a growth in the number of guests and volunteers have helped the project grow internationally.

"The project grew through our guests, volunteers and online awareness; many of our team members took the project to their own localities," Ghoneim said.

After the first iftar in London, volunteers have widened the project. In 2015, open spaces were set up in Manchester and Plymouth in England; Istanbul; and Ndola, Zambia.

The project will also take place this year in Portland, United States and Toronto, Canada between 6th June and 5th July this year.

Anyone who wants to be a volunteer in the project can apply via social media. The project says it has an open-door policy and welcomes any help, including food and drink provided by interested guests.

Omar Salha, the founder and director of the initiative told Anadolu Agency: "We focus on quality rather than quantity."

Salha said the project was based on four main pillars; the first is catering to international students who are fasting abroad without the warmth of their families while the next is providing food for the homeless.

The others are combating Islamophobia and other negative stereotypes by showcasing the values of Islam; the final pillar is bridging communication between various faiths and to create a stronger sense of social cohesion.

Both committee members of the project, Salha and Ghoneim emphasized that similar initiatives and ideas should be developed in a world where religious differences and stereotypes have taken center-stage.

"This kind of project is an example of how a small number of young people can build a project together with important aims and carry it out on both a local and international level," Ghoneim states.

"Moreover, the project also underpins aspects such as interfaith dialogue and charity that can at times be neglected in the busy, high-tempo lives we all live today," he adds.

The Ramadan Tent Project won the Student-Led Volunteer Project of the Year award in 2014 during the Make a Difference Celebration organized by the SOAS Volunteering Unit.

According to the committee members, more than 30,000 people have been involved throughout the years, including guests and volunteers.

Source: Anadolu Agency

02/06/2016

=Turkey starts building automatic shooting gun towers at Syrian border=>

-As a part of measures to increase security on its border with Syria, Turkey begins building smart military towers that can warn and fire automatically

-Following the recent cross-border rocket attacks from the Daesh-held areas in northern Syria that killed dozens of civilians in Turkish border city of Kilis, Turkish security authority has hastened building security measures along the border line.

Turkish Defense Ministry said the establishment of a smart tower every 300 meters along the border with Syria to prevent illegal crossing was going at full speed.

Turkey has already sealed hundreds of kilometers of the border, either with concrete blocks or wire fencing.

In the border city of Kilis, the construction of a concrete wall is nearly complete as the ministry started to build smart watch towers at 300-meter intervals.

The towers will be integrated with a computerized system that would feature a 3-language alarm system and automated firing systems.

Turkish military technology manufacturer ASELSAN will install the high-tech program, including machine guns, thermal cameras, and alert systems that will be activated if any element comes within 300 meters of the border line.

An automated speaker from the tower will warn the element or person in three languages to leave the area immediately. It the element doesn't leave the area, an automated machine gun will start firing at it.

According to the ministry the smart towers will also be established across Syrian border with the Hatay, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and Mardin provinces.

Turkish army had deployed storm howitzers to the border as military drones have been conducting surveillance flights on the Daesh-held areas across the border.

Authorities said, hundreds of Daesh terrorists have been killed in recent artillery shellings as dozens of weapon depots and Daesh positions have also been destroyed.

Source: http://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/turkey-starts-building-automatic-shooting-gun-towers-at-syrian-border-2473487

30/05/2016

Turkish President Erdoğan condemns police violence against labor protestors in France

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan harshly condemned the violence committed by the French police against peaceful protestors in Paris and said that he is concerned about the silence of international media on Paris and Brussels.

Speaking at a mass opening ceremony in Istanbul's Esenler district, Erdoğan criticized international media outlets for remaining silent as street protests and violent police crackdowns are taking over Paris and Brussels.

He referred to the Gezi Park incident which took place three years ago, when violent protestors burned vehicles, and attacked local stores.

"The media outlets which had uninterrupted live broadcasts in Istanbul are now blind, deaf and mute against this incident" Erdoğan said, and underscored that he is concerned about the police brutality on protestors in France.

Amid a fresh wave of protests over a bitterly disputed labor law, many videos showing police and security forces apparently using disproportionate force on labor protesters have attracted viewers and controversy, including a police officer aggressively shoving a woman and throwing her to the ground.

30/05/2016

TURKISH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN SAYS NO MUSLIM FAMILY SHOULD ENGAGE IN BIRTH CONTROL OR FAMILY PLANNING

24/05/2016

Who's who in Turkey's new cabinet (Complete List)

Prime Minister: BINALI YILDIRIM

Deputy prime ministers: Nurettin Canikli, Mehmet Şimşek,
Numan Kurtulmuş, Yıldırım Tuğrul Türkeş, Veysi Kaynak

Interior Minister: Efkan Ala

Foreign Affairs Minister: Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu

Justice Minister: Bekir Bozdağ

EU Affairs Minister: Ömer Çelik

Economy Minister: Nihat Zeybekçi

Finance Minister: Naci Ağbal

Development Minister: Lütfi Elvan

Custom and Trade Minister: Bülent Tüfenkçi

Family and Social Policies Minister: Fatma Betül Kaya

Science, Industry and Technology Minister: Faruk Özlü

Labour and Social Security Minister: Süleyman Soylu

Environment and Urban Affairs Minister: Mehmet Özhaseki

Energy and Natural Sources Minister: Berat Albyrak

Youth and Sport Minister: Akif Çağatay Kılıç

Food, Agriculture and Farming Minister: Faruk Çelik

Culture and Tourism Minister: Nabi Avcı

National Education Minister: İsmet Yılmaz

National Defence Minister: Fikri Işık

Forest and Water Affairs Minister: Veysel Eroğlu

Health Minister: Recep Akdağ

Transportation, Marine and Communication Minister: Ahmet Arslan

24/05/2016

US seems unable to control Erdoğan on his decisions: Jewish historian

Jewish historian, one of the few experts on the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916, says it is hard for US to predict Turkish President's political stance before he ...

21/05/2016

World gathers in Turkey for Humanitarian Summit

World gathers in Turkey for Humanitarian Summit