Today we will tell you about the country where the population of the post-Soviet space loves to go. These are ten interesting facts about Turkey.
1. Running could decide life or death
For many centuries, the Ottoman Empire was located on the territory of Turkey, which collapsed in 1922. So, noble people and high-ranking officials who somehow interfered with the Sultan were regularly executed there. However, in the 18th century, an interesting custom arose there. A person sentenced to death could challenge the executioner and compete with him in a race from the main gate of the city to the market square, where executions took place. If the condemned man won this race against the executioner, then instead of execution, he was simply banished from the territory of the Empire forever.
2. Keeper of the two wonders of the world
Two of the seven ancient wonders of the world were located on Turkish soil, namely the Temple of Artemis and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. The legendary Troy was also located here.
3. Istanbul - one on two continents
The Turkish city of Istanbul has been the capital of various empires for 2,000 years. It was formerly called Constantinople and was the capital of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Incidentally, Istanbul is a city that is located on two continents at the same time. 3% of its territory is located in Europe, and the rest is in Asia. Istanbul is the largest and most populous city in Turkey, with almost 14 million people living there. However, the capital of the country is Ankara, which is several times smaller than Istanbul.
4. Legal counterfeiting of the brand
Counterfeit items in Turkey are not counterfeit if they have at least 4 differences from the original. This mainly applies to clothing or electronics, so in Turkey, it is absolutely legal to buy good counterfeit branded items at the markets, which is what Russian tourists actually do there.
5. Missing letters
The Turkish language uses the Latin alphabet that we are all familiar with. However, it lacks the letters Q, W, X.
6. Türkiye or turkey?
In English, Türkiye is called "Turkey". It's funny that turkey in English is also "turkey".
7. Cats that love to bathe
Usually cats do not like to swim in water, but in Turkey there is a lake called Van. Around it live cats of a special breed Van. This cat breed loves to spend time in shallow water and catch fish. On particularly hot days, cats even sleep in the lake, comfortably settling in shallow places. Very often cats of this breed have eyes of different colors. One eye is orange, and the other is blue. So, if you like to wash cats, pay attention to the Turkish Van, they love water procedures.
8. Dondurma - ice cream like chewing gum
One of the national dishes in Turkey is dondurma. It is a dessert that is similar to ice cream. A special edible resin is added to it, due to which it becomes fluid and begins to stretch, like chewing gum. Traders sell dondurma on the streets from special carts, constantly stirring the mass in a barrel. With a special stick, they lift a long and viscous piece of dondurma up high, and then lower it back into the barrel, thus teasing potential buyers.
9. Be sure to buy a souvenir to protect yourself from the evil eye
If you come to Turkey, you will see that special medallions in the form of a blue eye are sold everywhere. This medallion is the most popular souvenir from Turkey and it is called Nazar Boncuk. The Turks claim that it protects against the evil eye and are trying with all their might to sell as many of these amulets to tourists as possible.
10. You can legally buy your way out of the army
In Turkey, every man is required to serve in the army, the term of service varies from six months to 15 months, depending on education. At the same time, every man can legally "buy himself out" by paying 17,000 Turkish lira, which is approximately 265 thousand rubles, into the country's budget.
