Turkish People

Turkish people, what are they like? Keep reading if you are curious.

Turkish

Perhaps there are friends who might marry a Turkish person or just continue their education in Turkey.

It’s important to know what life and characteristics of Turkish people are like. Or maybe it’s just because you want to visit Turkey and are curious about what the people there are like. Let’s start and keep digging here…

So, my friends, in Turkey, almost 99% of the population is Muslim. In addition, there is a mix of Christians or followers of other religions.

Turkey is a secular state, meaning that it is not officially governed by Islamic law. While the majority of the population in Turkey is Muslim, the country has a secular constitution, and the government is intended to be neutral in religious matters. Despite this, Turkey has a rich history with Islam, and you can see its influence in various buildings and monuments throughout the country, even though not all aspects of Turkish culture and society are solely based on Islamic principles.

Why is that? Let’s continue…

 Turkish People 

Turkish people are very proud to call themselves “Turkish” or “Turk” or “Turkic.” Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was the one who uttered these words in 1933, ten years after the establishment of the Republic of Turkey.

“Ne Mutlu Turkum Diyene” (NTMD) translates to “How happy is the one who says, ‘I am a Turk.'”

How happy is the one who says, ‘I am a Turk.’ Turkey, initially not significant, quickly became a powerful nation in the world. That’s why they are very proud to identify themselves as Turkish. They are reluctant to be equated with Arabs.

 1. What is the religion of the Turkish people? 

What is the religion of the Turkish people?

 

The Turkish people are Muslim.

 

However, Turkey is a secular state, not an Islamic state.

 

Not all women in Turkey wear hijab; some even have a European appearance.

 

And it’s not unusual in Turkey because it is not an Islamic state.

 

Turkish family

Formerly, perhaps during the Ottoman era, Turkey was predominantly Islamic, but all of that changed in 1923 when Turkey transformed into a Republic.

Their ideology shifted to secularism, separating matters of government from religious affairs.

Many things changed since then, including the switch from Arabic script to Latin script.

Rules prohibiting the use of religious symbols in clothing, such as wearing the hijab, the elimination of the Ministry of Islam, and various other regulations also emerged.

 2. Do Turks Rarely Perform 5-Time Daily Prayer?  

While Turkey is a secular state, and there is a diverse range of practices among its Muslim population, it’s essential to recognize that religious practices can vary widely among people. Some individuals in Turkey are devout practitioners of Islam, including regular prayer, while others may not be as observant.

 

Turks rarely perform prayer

When it comes to being diligent or lazy about prayers, it seems to be the same everywhere, doesn’t it?

It depends on each person’s beliefs. Mosques in Turkey are indeed full when prayer times arrive, especially during Friday prayers—it’s always crowded. However, there is a story that suggests Turkish people prioritize Friday prayers over the five daily prayers. Turkish men are very committed to attending Friday prayers, as evidenced by the overflowing mosques during that time, with people even spilling outside. Even during winter, the mosques remain full during Friday prayers.

However, it’s not the same for the five daily prayers. During fasting in Ramadan, they will fast, but not necessarily perform the five daily prayers. The issue is that they are usually very ‘Islamic,’ tending towards being fanatical about Islam, but they may not adhere to the practice of the daily prayers because, for them, these are two different things.

This is quite different from people in Indonesia. Typically, those who are fanatical are diligent in performing all prayers, including the optional ones. However, this is not the case for Turkish people. Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone; there are also those who diligently perform the five daily prayers.

In Turkey, the majority follows the belief that women do not pray in mosques; they pray at home. So, mosques are usually filled with men only.

 3. Multi-ethnic 

 

Where do the Turkish people originally come from? What is the race of the Turkish people? What do the faces of native Turkish people look like? Hmm, here’s how it goes…

 

It is said that the present-day Turkish people living in Turkey are not the original inhabitants who were there in the past. They are people from Central Asia and Western China who came and settled around the 11th century. After that, there was intermingling with the local population, and this has continued until the present day.

 

Various Ethnicities

 

They are known by the name Turkic people. Referred to as the Turkic people.

 

Actually, the Turkic people are a combination of various ethnic groups residing in the northern, central, and western regions of Turkey.

 

They use the Turkish language with a wide variety of dialects.

 

Multi-ethnic

In the end, they are the ones referred to as the Turkic people.

The Turkic countries are not only Turkey; they also include Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

And Turkish people are known for the beauty of their faces, which in Indonesia would undoubtedly make them celebrities, hahaha…

Beautiful Turkish

Handsome Turkish

Well, you know, in Turkey, everyone’s faces are like that—beautiful and handsome, hahaha…

  4. Turkey is a Multilingual County 

Turkey has multiple languages.

There are more than 30 languages in Turkye…

Many of its words are similar to Arabic vocabulary, but they are not the same, even though they resemble each other.

Turkish language originally belongs to the Altaic language family, while Arabic belongs to the Semitic language family.

In the past, the Turkish language was written using the Arabic script, but after Turkey became a Republic, the use of the Arabic script was changed to the Latin alphabet.

 5. Life Longevity in Turkey 

Based on a survey, it turns out that the life expectancy of Turkish people is getting longer and longer.

 

Villagers in Turkey

Can you try to guess why?

 6. Generous 

Turkish people are known for being generous and fond of giving gifts.

They also like to help, even if they don’t know each other. Despite not using English as their introductory language, it’s not a problem; they will still assist if a foreigner needs help.

For example, if you ask for directions, they will not only point the way but might actually accompany you.

It’s a bit different from Indonesia, where it might feel a bit strange if someone offers to guide you after asking for directions, hahaha…

 7. Tipe Expressive 

Turkish people are known to be very expressive.

 

In general, they are curious about new things, so they tend to ask a lot of questions.

 

And when I say expressive, I mean really expressive. For example, when watching a sad movie, they might genuinely cry, or if it’s funny, they can burst into genuine laughter.

 

The description reflects the expressive nature of Turkish people not only in emotional expressions like laughing or crying but also in everyday activities like cooking. It’s not uncommon for Turkish individuals to express excitement or joy through physical gestures like hugging when meeting friends or family.

 

Expressive

And they get excited and often engage in physical contact as well… Just don’t be surprised, okay…

 8. Strong Brotherhood 

Turkish people place a significant emphasis on family bonds and relationships. Family is often considered a crucial and valued aspect of Turkish culture, and individuals often maintain close ties with their family members.

 

Turkish people also typically have a strong sense of brotherhood.

 

They don’t like being alone, so they really value having companions.

 

Strong family bonding

 

They enjoy gathering with family like this.

 

Rural Turkish Culture

For those who want to study in Turkey, don’t worry about not making friends, really.

 9. Chatty 

Turkish people are also known for being very chatty.

 

Fortunately, we have different languages; if we shared the same language, the conversation would probably go on non-stop from morning to night, hahaha…

 

Well, it’s actually normal; they usually just ask about each other’s well-being, where someone is from, what they’re doing in Turkey, with whom, and what their plans are next, and so on and so forth…

 

Chat Anywhereeee….

 10. Friendly 

Not only do they like to chat, but they are also really friendly.

 

In Javanese, you might say they are ‘grapyak.’ Do you guys know what that means?

 

They quickly become familiar with new people.

 

They are very friendly

 11. Turkish Love Indonesian 

And Turkish people always consider Indonesians as brothers, because they hear that there are many Muslims in Indonesia.

And they often meet Indonesians when they are on Umrah or Hajj.

According to them, Indonesians are very friendly. Hohohooooo, of courseeee…

 12. Helpful 

Turkish people also like to help.

They are very generous and enjoy giving gifts.

 13. Neat and Clean 

Turkish people are also known to be very neat and clean.

And oh yes, they reportedly wash their dishes using a dishwasher.

I’m curious about what their setup looks like.

 14. Love Knitting 

And they really love knitting. Everywhere you go, there’s knitting.

Not just knitting their headscarves, hahaha… Even in the bathroom, sometimes the toilet seat cover is made of knitted lace. Can you imagine? OMG, hahaha…

That’s how meticulous they are! Everything is adorned with knitted creations. By the way, when I say lace, I mean hand-knitted lace that they make themselves, and the colours are quite colourful.

Turkish people do enjoy knitting, especially the older generation.

 15. Wearing Undershirt 

Turkish moms really like telling us to wear undershirts.

Especially when we’ve already gotten sick, oh, we’ll get a lecture if we’re not wearing an undershirt.

Wearing an undershirt is considered very important to them, hahaha… Because they believe it will protect us from illnesses.

 16. Changing Carpet 

Turkish households are also full of carpets.

 

Besides everything being adorned with lace or knitting, in Turkey, everything is carpeted, even the bathrooms, hahaha…

 

Changing carpet

They do regularly change their carpets.

Changing carpets with the seasons is a common practice, so they make sure to have a significant stock of carpets in every home.

 17. Turkish Love Tea 

Turkish people also really love drinking tea.

 

They can have up to 5-10 cups a day, without a day going by without drinking tea, for sure.

 

Love drinking tea

 

They drink tea as if they’re drinking plain water. It’s quite often..

 

Love cay

 

And you know what, they really enjoy drinking tea in extremely hot conditions.

 

They don’t wait for it to cool down. It’s like there’s air conditioning in their mouths, hahaha…

 

If it’s not hot, they won’t even want it.

 

Sometimes, they even shake the cup with hot water first to make the entire cup hot, then they pour the tea and drink it right away. OMG!

 

Love drinking tea very much

Just warming the cup already makes the tea really hot, you know…

The story goes that there was a teacher who had a student visit once. After praying, the student was told by the teacher to drink hot tea. And they said that after drinking the hot tea, the student immediately felt better and got well.

So, they believe that drinking very hot tea (really, truly hot) can make you healthy.

 18. Turkish Love Sweets 

Turkish people love sweet foods. That’s a given, hahaha…

 

Whether it’s a wedding, a funeral, a birth, a circumcision ceremony, going on Hajj, returning from Hajj, everything involves eating sweet foods.

 

Love sweets

 19. Turkish Love bread 

In addition to enjoying sweet foods, Turkish people also like to eat bread.

 

Especially Simit bread, which is usually always present.

 

There must be bread at every mealtime.

 

Additionally, it is accompanied by butter, cheese, olive oil, cucumber, and tomato.

 

There is also soup for lunch, along with other side dishes.

 

Love eating

 20. Turkish Enjoy Mangal 

Turkish people also enjoy barbecue, known as Mangal in Turkish.

 

Perhaps it’s because their ancestors enjoyed hunting, and after hunting, the meat was grilled.

 

They usually have Mangal in the backyard or in the park.

 

The parks are cool, with designated areas for Mangal.

 

As for the meat or chicken sold in Turkey, it is usually pre-marinated, so you just need to grill it.

 

Enjoy Barbeque

 

They really love eating all kinds of meat.

 

Barbeque Mangal

 

Plus, there are also vegetables so that there’s fiber to eat.

 

Barbeque Kebab

 21. Turkish Love Yoghurt 

Turkish people also like yogurt.

There’s always yogurt on the table during meals.

For beverages, there’s Ayran (a traditional Turkish yogurt drink). They usually eat kebabs with Ayran and finishing them together is a must. If not, they could get stressed.

Is it that serious? Yes, reportedly, it is.

And don’t imagine that their yogurt is sweet like Yakult or Cimory. Yogurt in Turkey is somewhat thick and has a neutral or even slightly sour taste. Truly authentic yogurt!

 22. Turkish Love Cat 

Turkey is known for its people who love and care for cats.

 

They will definitely feed those cats, even if they are strays.

 

That’s why cats in Turkey are plump and look really good.

 

Even though they are just strays, they all appear well-groomed, like domestic cats. It means Turkish really care about cats.

Leftover food is collected to be given to the cats. It’s even said that in some corners of houses, there are small houses specifically for cats.

 

Not just cats, dogs are also fed. Cats, in particular, are described as being truly cherished with no exceptions, highlighting the special attention and fondness people in Turkey have for them. No exceptions.

 

When I was in Ephesus, I did see many cats, and they were really cute and chubby!

 

Chubby Turkish Cats

 

Even though they’re strays, the cats look healthy.

 

Love cat

 

Cats do live freely in Turkey.

 

But somehow, I don’t smell the odor of cat waste in Turkey, even though the cats are scattered everywhere.

 

Turkish Cat in Ephesus

 23. Love Football 

Turkish people really love football.

 

If there’s a match at the stadium or on TV, they will definitely make an effort to watch it.

 

They passionately support their football teams.

 

Well, it’s the same everywhere for those who are football fanatics.

 

Sometimes, they even cry—very emotional!

 

Whether their team wins or loses, their expressions are quite expressive.

 

Love football

The most famous football club in Turkey is Galatasaray.

Their kit is orange red. When I was at Taksim Square,

I stopped by a football merchandise store, and I saw the predominant colour of the shirts was indeed orange red.

Besides that, there are also Besiktas and Fenerbahce clubs.

 24. Turkish like to Honk 

In Turkey, don’t be surprised if you hear noisy honking of car horns, similar to what happens in India.

They are very diligent in honking while driving.

 25. Love Smoking 

Well, one habit of the Turkish people that, in my opinion, shouldn’t be adopted is their tendency to smoke.

 

This is one of the bad habits in Turkey.

 

To be honest, smoking is a bad widespread habit that is not exclusive to any specific nationality or region. It is prevalent globally, and many people from various countries engage in smoking despite its known health risks.

 

Love Nargile

And those who smoke are not only men; women do it too.

So, it’s not surprising to see many women smoking in cafes.

Even married couples smoke together, having tea in a cafe is a common sight.

Don’t be surprised… Sometimes they smoke regular cigarettes, or they use Nargile (Turkish-style Sheesha). And in major cities in Indonesia, it’s also becoming quite common, right?

 Conclusion 

And finally, the story about the native Turks comes to an end.

It’s a story about the general facts of Turkish life.

Do you want to add anything to make it an additional reference?

People in Turkey are truly unique.

This is because there is a lot of Turkish history and culture that significantly influences their daily actions.

So, what do you think?

Interested in getting to know the native Turks?

Share your unique experiences with them if you have any.

Turkish People

Turkey, June 2019