Darrius White

Turkey neighbors are Greece, Bulgaria, Armenian, Iraq, Syria The surrounding seas of Turkey are the black sea, Mediterranean sea, the sea of Azor and the Aegean sea

Some Major of Turkey are Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara, Bodrum, Urgup, Bursa.

Being in the center of the birthplace of human civilization, Turkey has plenty to offer to history lovers. Ancient Anatolian civilizations such as Hittites, Lydians and Urartus left their marks on central Anatolia, and many of their remainings can be seen in museums and ancient city excavations in and around Ankara. Ancient Greeks have flourished in Southern and Western Turkey, where you can experience a beautiful coastline surrounded with thousands of years of history. Turkey also carries the marks of Muslim Ottomans, who were in rule until less than 100 years ago. Best examples of Ottoman mosques, carvansaraies and schools can be seen in northwestern turkey, especially in Istanbul.

½ cup mushroom, sliced 1/3 cup onion rings 1-2 Tbsp olives, sliced 2-3 Tbsp pepper strips 4-5 tomato slices 1 cup mozzarella, shredded 1-2 Tbsp Parmesan, shredded (optional) For the dough: 3-4 cups flour 1 package instant yeast (7 gr) 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 tsp salt to taste ½ cup lukewarm water For the Sauce: 1 cup crushed tomato ½ cup tomato paste 1 tsp paprika 1 garlic, smashed 1 tsp basil A pinch of salt A pinch of sugar Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water. Add all the dough ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead for about ten minutes. The dough should be soft. Then, cover with a plastic wrap or towel and let it rest in a warm place for about 1-1 ½ hours. Then, punch the dough and release air. Dust the counter with flour and flatten the dough as thin as you can get using a roller. Place it over an oven tray with baking paper. Pierce a couple of places with a fork. Cover and let it rise for ½ hour. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 F (200 C) oven. Take it out, spread the sauce, and put the vegetables all over. Finally sprinkle with Mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese melts and top gets brown. Serve hot/warm. ENJOY *This is a vegetarian recipe

¼ su bardagi sizma zeytinyagi, arti biraz daha yaglamak icin 2 patlican, ½ kg 2 su bardagi domates sosu, tarifi asagida 1 tutam taze feslegen yapragi 100 gr mozzarella/kasar peyniri, ince dilimlenmis ¼ su bardagi Parmesan peyniri, rendelenmis ¼ su bardagi ekmek kirintisi, hafifce kizartilmis Tuz ve karabiber Firini 250 C (450 F)’ isitin. Zeytinyagi ile pisirme kagidini yaglayin ve tepsiye yayin. Patlicanlari yaklasik 2 cm kalinliginda dilimleyin ve hafifce tuzlayip karabiber serpin. Yagladiginiz kagidin uzerine yerlestirin. Firinda uzerleri hafifce kahverengiye donene dek yaklasik dakika pisirin. Firindan alin ve sogumaya birakin. Firini 200 C (350 F)’a ayarlayin ve cm lik bir borcam tepsinin dibine en buyuk patlicanalri diizn. Her parcanin uzerine ¼ su bardagi domates sosu yayin ve 1 tatli kasigi feslegen serpistirin. Birer dilim mozzarella/kasar peyniri koyun ve 1 tatli kasigi kadar parmesan peyniri rendesi serpistirin. Geri kalan pelican dilimlerini uzerine disin ve ayni islemi patlicanlar bitene dek uygulayin. Uzerine ekmek kirintilarini serpin ve peynirler eriyip uzeri kizarana dek yaklasik dakika pisirin. Arzuya gore makarna uzerinde servis yapilabilir. Sicak servis yapin. Domates Sosu: ¼ su bardagi sizma zeytinyagi 1 sogan, ince dogranmis 4 dis sarimsak, ince dilimlenmis 3 yemek kasigi kekik/feslegen, dogranmis (1 yemek kasigi kuru) ½ orta boy havuc, rendelenmis 3-4 su bardagi domates, ezilmis/rendelenmis 1 tatli kasigi tuz Orta boy bir tencereye zeytinyagini alin. Sogan ve sarimsagi orta ateste yaklasik 8 dakika pembelesene dek pisirin. Havuc ve kekik/feslegeni ilave edin ve 5 dakika daha havuclar yumusayana dek pisirin. Domatesi ilave edin ve kaynadiktan sonra ara sira karistirarak kisik ateste 30 dakika kadar pisirin. Tuz ilave edin ve koyulasinca atesten alin. AFIYET OLSUN

Turkey has a history of Troubadours who have been performing poems and music in Turkey for over a thousand years, and although they have been replaced by modern media their music is still recorded and performed. Pir Sultan Abdal from the 16th century and Yunus Emre from the 13th century are two troubadours whose music is still performed in Turkey today. Classical Ottoman Turkish music developed under the Ottoman sultans and is distinct from western music in its use of quarter tones which are hardly perceptible to all but the trained ear. Classical Turkish music is structured on makams which are similar to scales in western music, although the use of flat notes makes the music sound dull to some. The instruments used in classical Turkish music include the darbuka of Middle Eastern drum which is played at high speed to produce a lively beat. Other instruments used in Turkish music include the ney which is a flute made from a hollow reed, and the traditional Turkish lute.

Local Turkish folk music is comparatively more upbeat and lively and even foreign visitors will enjoy this type of music. One genre of Turkish music is known as Turku which combines elements from both traditional Turkish music and western music and is quite popular in Turkey today.

Turkish music has been influenced by Western music over the past century and although not popular, types of music such as opera and orchestras have enthusiastic followings in Turkey. The Turkish government provides financial support for developing such types of music in Turkey so its survival is assured. Undoubtedly more popular is modern Turkish pop music which has its own distinct flavour however broadly follows the trends set by pop music in the west. The stars of Turkish pop music are similar to western music stars in terms of dress, music videos and the glamorous lifestyle they lead. Also western pop music is very popular in Turkey and especially the young Turkish people are familiar with many of the American and European pop stars and listen to their music on the radio, although Turkish pop is probably more popular.

Turkey is an amazing country with rich traditions, and one of these is interesting wedding tradition, which perhaps you are lucky enough to watch during visiting Turkey. The Turkish marriage feature is that the family and its authority takes very significant place in society of this country, so that children do not dare to disobey their parents and they act according to their instructions even at present time. Another feature of this society is that the active side, and therefore selecting, always stands a man. Previously when a man was going to marry, his parents with the help of relatives chose a girl as the bride, worthy of their relatives, then the process continued so that the girl was send by matchmakers, which expresses the intention of the groom and his family take the girl as his wife. Thus when a man took the girl to marry, she also falls for his family. Turkish Wedding Dresses are also very interesting. We are all accustomed to the traditional European or Christian (Western) wedding dresses, and with rare exception we draw attention to the wedding fashion of other world cultures. And yet many of the ideas of the East can be very interesting, because one of the main trends in the wedding season in 2011 – the east motifs in sewing of a wedding dress.

This national day (23 April National Sovereignty and Children's Day) in Turkey is a unique event. The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, dedicated April 23 to the children of the country to emphasize that they are the future of the new nation. It was on April 23, 1920, during the War of Independence, that the Grand National Assembly met in Ankara and laid down the foundations of a new, independent, secular, and modern republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Following the defeat of the Allied invasion forces on September 9, 1922 and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923, Ataturk started his task of establishing the institutions of the new state. Over the next eight years, Ataturk and his followers adopted sweeping reforms to create a modern Turkey, divorced from her Ottoman past. In unprecedented moves, he dedicated the sovereignty day to the children and entrusted in the hands of the youth the protection of this sovereignty and independence.