Outline of Turkey's Ethnic groups and where they primarily reside.
Turkey as a "place"
Nemrut is a high mountain in southeastern Turkey, notable for the summit where a number of large statues are erected around what is assumed to be a royal tomb from the 1st century BC. They are so beautiful and unique and I really want to go see them.
Turkey. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2015.
PHYSICAL
Architecture from the Ottoman Empire exists still in Turkey. Sultan Ahmed Mosque was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Its Külliye contains a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is still popularly used as a mosque.
Ottoman Architecture - Discover Turkish Culture with Us! Start Your Journey now... (2015, July 23). Retrieved September 22, 2015.
PHYSICAL
Some of the most beautiful religious architecture is in Turkey. The Selimiye Mosque stands at the center of a külliye (complex of a hospital, school, library and/or baths around a mosque) which comprises a medrese (Islamic academy teaches both Islamic and scientific lessons), a dar-ül hadis (Al-Hadith school), a timekeeper's room and an arasta (row of shops).
[Architecture] [Ottoman Architecture]. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2015.
HUMAN
"A giant monument to friendship between historic enemies Turkey and Armenia has become a symbol of controversy rather than healing.
Turkey’s prime minister said the monument near the Armenian border is a “freak” that overshadows a nearby Islamic shrine, underscoring complex tensions in predominantly Muslim Turkey over religious piety and free expression in a society torn between the modern and the traditional."
‘Friendship’ monument sparks controversy | Toronto Star. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2015.
PHYSICAL/HUMAN
Turkey’s location, mountains, and its encirclement by three seas have resulted in high terrestrial, fresh water, and marine biodiversity. Turkey is located on two major bird migration routes in the world, which makes it an important feeding and breeding area for birds. It is also at the intersection of the Mediterranean and Near Eastern gene centres. These two regions have a key role in the emergence of cereals and horticultural crops. Turkey also has a lot of floral species. A comparison with the continent of Europe shows while there are 12,500 gymnosperms and angiosperms plant species in the entire continent of Europe, they found that about 11,000 such species are present in Anatolia alone, with some one third of them endemic to Turkey. There are over 9000 known native vascular plant species in the country, and one third of them are endemic. The total number of invertebrate species in Turkey is about 19,000, of which about 4,000 species/subspecies are endemic. (Glenn) The total number of vertebrate species identified to date is nearly 1,500. Of the vertebrates, over 100 species are endemic, including 70 species of fish.(Glenn) The main problem in conservation efforts is their limited research and lack of translation of the existing materials. The problem is only growing more severe and faces threats from both the government and business interests. Turkey is ranked 140 out of 163 countries in biodiversity and habitat conservation.(IUCN) One of the biggest threats has been ongoing since about 1950. Although Turkey’s total forest area increased by 5.9% since 1973, endemic-rich Mediterranean maquis, grasslands, coastal areas, wetlands, and rivers are disappearing, while overgrazing and erosion ruin steppes and rangelands. The current “developmentalist obsession”, particularly regarding water use, threatens to eliminate much of what actually remains. This issue is also pushing migration away from rural areas and into cities.(IUCN)
In Turkish culture, most of the nature they hold near and dear is dying. Flowers have always had an important part in Turkish life and culture, affecting art in stylized form from tiles to fabrics to poems and songs, and everyday life from cooking to naming children. Tulips, roses, carnations, hyacinth, magnolia and many others have a special place in Turkish culture. Another huge part of their culture is more obvious-food. Anatolia is a Region coined as the "bread basket of the world".(Circus among the ottomans) Turkey, even now, is one of the seven countries in the world, which produces enough food to feed everyone and then some to export. Traditional Turkish food staples lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts- most of which cannot grow without the right rural land being preserved and kept up. This also becomes an issue for not only farmers- but also families who will not be able to grow enough food to make a living. Climate change and pollution also affect a farming change in Turkey. The once lush, rural lands that really characterized this area are being turned into homes, factories, and malls, and the once beautiful seas surrounding Turkey are all polluted.
Obviously what happens to the land is going to affect the life that uses it, which brings me to the animals. The majority of all 179 endangered species in this area are fish and birds. Since three different seas surround Turkey, fish have been an important cultural symbol of the area since the beginning, as well as coastal birds. This is very evident through the Turkish theater, literature, dance, and art- all depicting images of these animals going back to ancient times. Folk dances may be divided into those that describe the relationship between man and nature, those that deal with rain, mist and rivers, those that describe plants, and those that describe the relationship between man and animals. There are also dances about agriculture, the harvest and damaged crops. The culture surrounding the life that Turkey is losing is really special to the area and should be paid more attention before it is too late.
IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature. (2012, May 7). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/europe/?9778/Biodiversity-in-Turkey
Turkey’s globally important biodiversity in crisis. (2015). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320711002527
CIRCUS ARTS AMONG THE OTTOMANS by Metin AND. (2015). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.turkishculture.org/performing-arts/circus-arts-94.htm
Glenn, C. (2015). Endangered Species Search by Area Selection. Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.earthsendangered.com/search-regions3.asp?search=1&sgroup=allgroups&ID=358
In Turkish culture, most of the nature they hold near and dear is dying. Flowers have always had an important part in Turkish life and culture, affecting art in stylized form from tiles to fabrics to poems and songs, and everyday life from cooking to naming children. Tulips, roses, carnations, hyacinth, magnolia and many others have a special place in Turkish culture. Another huge part of their culture is more obvious-food. Anatolia is a Region coined as the "bread basket of the world".(Circus among the ottomans) Turkey, even now, is one of the seven countries in the world, which produces enough food to feed everyone and then some to export. Traditional Turkish food staples lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts- most of which cannot grow without the right rural land being preserved and kept up. This also becomes an issue for not only farmers- but also families who will not be able to grow enough food to make a living. Climate change and pollution also affect a farming change in Turkey. The once lush, rural lands that really characterized this area are being turned into homes, factories, and malls, and the once beautiful seas surrounding Turkey are all polluted.
Obviously what happens to the land is going to affect the life that uses it, which brings me to the animals. The majority of all 179 endangered species in this area are fish and birds. Since three different seas surround Turkey, fish have been an important cultural symbol of the area since the beginning, as well as coastal birds. This is very evident through the Turkish theater, literature, dance, and art- all depicting images of these animals going back to ancient times. Folk dances may be divided into those that describe the relationship between man and nature, those that deal with rain, mist and rivers, those that describe plants, and those that describe the relationship between man and animals. There are also dances about agriculture, the harvest and damaged crops. The culture surrounding the life that Turkey is losing is really special to the area and should be paid more attention before it is too late.
IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature. (2012, May 7). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/europe/?9778/Biodiversity-in-Turkey
Turkey’s globally important biodiversity in crisis. (2015). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320711002527
CIRCUS ARTS AMONG THE OTTOMANS by Metin AND. (2015). Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.turkishculture.org/performing-arts/circus-arts-94.htm
Glenn, C. (2015). Endangered Species Search by Area Selection. Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.earthsendangered.com/search-regions3.asp?search=1&sgroup=allgroups&ID=358