Hi everyone, in today's video we would love to show you some of those
interesting facts about Turkey.
The tulips. Many people believe the tulips come from Holland but in reality they were brought
by the Turks from Central Asia during the migration to Anatolia. These flowers
have been used in decorative patterns since the 12th century in Turkey.
Later on, they were introduced to Europe during the second half of the 15th century.
It's believed that Noah's Ark landed in Mount Ararat in the east part of Turkey.
Santa Santa Claus was born in Turkey so as you can see a Santa Claus also known as
St. Nicholas was born in Patara, Turkey and this part is located in the
Mediterranean coast of this country which is way too far from the North Pole
where as kids we used to believe he was born at, right?
One of the Christianity's oldest churches is located here in Turkey. This one is called the
St. Peter's Church and is located in nowadays Antakya, Turkey.
The capital city of Turkey is Ankara not Istanbul. Unfortunately, people who aren't familiar
with this country tend to believe that Istanbul is the capital and yes
Istanbul is the biggest city and probably the most turistic one in Turkey
but the capital don't forget it is Ankara.
The Turkish people didn't have a surname until 1934.
Some of the most common surnames in this country are
Yılmaz, Çelik, Şahin, Demir and Kaya.
The oil wrestling is the Turkish national sport. The wrestlers they will cover themselves in olive oil
before they take on their opponents.
Turkey is the largest producer of hazelnuts in the world and these are grown especially in the Black
Sea region of this country which by the way, I used to live in Ordu, Turkey
and every August we were trying to get all the hazelnuts from the trees.
One of the few transcontinental cities in the world is in Turkey. Of course I'm talking about Istanbul
which is the largest transcontinental city among the others in the world and
this one is divided by the Bosphorus strait between Asia and Europe and don't forget
that from every single point from these Bosphorus Strait we will have amazing views from the city.
Two seven wonders of the ancient world are here in Turkey.
The first one is the Temple of Artemis which is located in the ancient city of
Ephesus in Izmir, Turkey and the second one is Halicarnassus in the modern city of Bodrum, Turkey.
The second oldest underground railway in the world is in Istanbul.
Tünel is the name of this underground railway and nowadays it's
still operating between Karaköy and the Galata tower area in Istanbul, Turkey.
Only the underground of London is older than Tünel in Istanbul.
The Mediterranean coast of Turkey holds the record for having the highest number of
blue flags certified beaches in the world. This award is given to those
beaches with highest water quality, beach cleanless and highest environmental standards.
Most Turks don't really believe in the evil eye.
As many of you already know, one of the most popular souvenirs in Turkey is
the evil eye, in Turkish is known as "nazar boncuğu". This one is believed that it
protects people from bad energies. However, Turkish people don't really
believe nowadays in this protection. If you see it in their houses or their
stores is because they are trying to keep it just as a custom coming from past generations.
Turkey is heaven for cats. As many of you already know, Turkey
is well known internationally for having a lot of dogs and stray cats and this is
why if you are a cat lover then Turkey will be the perfect destination for you
so don't forget to take a photo with these furry little guys because they
will all the time wandering in the streets trying to get food and love from you.
Throwing water after someone lives. Here in Turkey there is an old
superstition especially in the Anatolian part of this country so if you ever come
to Turkey and if you see someone throwing water,
a bucket of water after a person is leaving either a house or a store then
don't worry.Tthis means that that person is only
wishing to the person leaving that he or she comes back as smooth as water there
is one Turkish phrase that they use for this which in Turkish is said:
"Su gibi git, su gibi gel" and this one means go as smooth as water and come back in the same way.
Turkey is the world's largest tea drinking country.
For example, turks usually per day they tend to drink 10 or more cups of tea or çay in
Turkish per day. This is why here in Turkey they have one of the
highest per capita consumption of tea in the world also Turkey is ranking in the
top 5 countries which are producing the tea in the world.
The importance of gold in Turkey. For example, in this country when you're going to any special
ceremony especially weddings then here forget
about giving toasters or kettles. Here the most important thing is giving
gold to the couple or even some money for example when the couple
have said yes and also they have already signed all the documents then some
white or red ribbons are placed around their necks and then the guests if they
wish they can pin some gold coins or even they can give to the bride some
gold bracelets or necklaces. This is a practical way for helping the couple in
their new life together and also we will forget about those problems to have two or more toasters or kettles.
Lemon cologne or Colonia is everywhere. If you have ever
been to Turkey you probably realized that when entering to any restaurant or
after finishing eating and entering to a store or even visiting a house people
offer use some sort of Colonia lemon Cologne so that it's like part of a
ritual here in this country and not only helps refreshing the guests it will also
help to get rid of all those germs that probably we might have in our hands
These were just a few interesting facts about Turkey, of course
there are many many more but this will help you to get familiar with the
country before planning your trip. Hopefully you have liked our video and
don't forget that if you want to keep receiving more tips and recommendations
about Turkey and Istanbul then don't forget to subscribe to our Channel.
See you next time! Bye bye!