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Many of the farmers in the villages of the South and East are descendants of nomadic herders who have settled in the past 100 years. Groups of these people formed tribal units. Social and political relations were largely feudal and the measure of strength was the number of warriors at the command of each group. Weak tribes depended on the strong and gave them economic and military support in exchange for protection.

Because of the changes through government settlement programs and modernized farming, families are being detached from traditional structures in order to compete with others for jobs. Therefore these kinds of villages are losing their typical characteristics.

In forest villages, life is much more difficult than in normal villages, because of the daily living difficulties and transportation problems. The villages also cause a certain amount of destruction in the forests. That is why, these villages are supported by the state and villagers are encouraged to use coal for heating instead of wood, and other animals instead of goats whose grazing habits are harmful to the trees.

Villages in European Turkey, along the Black and Aegean Seas and to a lesser degree along the Mediterranean Sea have long been in contact with urban and western influences. Coastal villages have almost always lacked the self sufficient subsistence patterns of the Anatolian villages. Economic rather than traditional kinship considerations tend to pattern social relations.

Most coastal villagers have a broader social awareness than other Anatolian villagers and are more susceptible to national influences. In these villages, large landowners, by providing employment and land for tenants and by serving as an economic link between the village and the outside at world, are the primary holders of power and prestige.

Harem-Selamlik (Women’s Quarters-Men’s Quarters):
Religion and traditions close the house to the outside world. For this reason the gardens and interiors of houses are separated from the streets by high walls; the windows are latticed . Women are not seen by men outside the household. Sometimes, even in the same house, men and women live in separate quarters. There are examples of such houses in Safranbolu, divided into men’s and women’s quarters (selamlik, harem). Usually, it is only the very rich who can to have this spatial organization. The Haci Memisler summer house is comprised of a harem and selamlik built side by side.

Among the examples studied in this book, the Kaymakamlar house is unique in that it is provided with separate entrances for the harem and selamlik quarters, on different floors and openings onto different streets. In the Haci Salih Pasa house also, there two separate entrances and staircases for the harem and selamlik quarters. In other houses although there is a single entrance, a room which is easily accessible from the staircase, without unnecessary intrusion into the family life, is used as a selamlik. The selamlik rooms are treated with special care. In the older examples these rooms have top windows and their ceilings are decorated in a more sophisticated manner.

The Revolving Cupboard: As in the old days, it was not desirable that a woman be looked upon by a man from outside the household, even in her own home. Therefore special arrangements were made to secure her privacy. One of these was the revolving cupboard, designed so as to enable serving the men in the selamlik from the harem quarters, without being seen. The plates, tableware or cups used for serving food, coffee, syrups etc. were placed on the shelves ofthis revolving cupboard which was built in a cabinet between the harem and selamlik quarters, with doors opening to both sides. After turning the cupboard manually, anything on the shelves could be fetched from the other side. This design shows how the houses which do not have separate harem and selamlik or separate servants for each, conform to traditions.

The Selamlik Pavilion: Some houses have a separate selamlik pavilion in their gardens with one or more rooms. In most of them, there is a pool in the main sitting area. Pools are also to be found in the selamlik rooms on the middle floor of some houses.

There are such pools in both of the “sehir” houses of the Asmazlar. The parapet wall is about 50 to 60 cms from the floor. There are divans(sitting platforms) along the walls on all three sides. In the selamlik pavilion of Kurtlar summer house there is a raised platform with pillars along the window wall and a small fireplace for making coffee at one end of the pool-room. The pavilion has two separate rooms and a toilet-washroom. The windows are unglazed. The main floor with the pond is the ground floor. In the Rauf Beyler house at the Baglar district there is a very impressive pavilion.

Its strictly symmetrical plan has an almost unique architectural concept with its two rooms with an eyvan in between; its large pool surrounded by divans and the beautifully decorated ceiling of the pool room which has a span of 8 metres.The selamlik pavilions open onto the garden which is entered through a separate street door. When the garden pavilion consists of a single room with a pool it is simply called “the pool room”. Usually these rooms – which contain a pool, a fountain, divans and occasionally a small fireplace for making coffee – have a polygonal plan.

In some houses in the Baglar district which do not have spring water, the pool is replaced by a well, in which case the space is called the “well-room”. With the divans on all sides, these rooms have the same refreshing function as the pool-rooms. Drinking water and fruits are chilled in the well.

Turkey is cooperating and coordinating on the subject of youth services with international organizations such as the CDEJ, DSJ, UNESCO, ECO, and especially the European Council. Young people are encouraged to participate in the international organizations and activities organized for youth. Furthermore, an opportunity is provided for cultural and information exchange among youth through the Youth Exchange Programs made with foreign countries.

Within the framework of these activities, the Youth Exchange Programs that were envisaged in the “Cooperation Protocol on Policies Related to Youth”, which was signed in Ankara with the Federal Republic of Germany in 1994, are continuing. As of 2000, besides Germany, the youth exchange programs with countries like Japan, Jordan, Morocco and Philistine are also organized. Since 1998 courses have been started to be arranged with the aim of educating international youth leaders able to organize Youth Exchange Programs.

A number of religious and traditional practices are particularly to be found on mountains, high hills or near the graves of holy figures, either to encourage rain or stop heavy rain which may cause floods. Prayers for sufficient rainfall may also be offered. Within this framework, a number of external factors can play a role in these practices, such as the place chosen for prayer, the time, the meal eaten after the prayer for rain, animals that are taken to the prayer site, clothes worn on the prayer day, and practices carried out on the return journey.

This refers to attitudes that are considered inappropriate by the community, such as breaking an oath.

There are two types of police in Turkey – civil police and military police, gendarme. In many areas you will see that there is the one or the other, and that both fulfil the same function. In some places, there are also specialist tourist police. If you need to report a crime you should go to the nearest police station to where the crime occurred. In touristic areas there will usually be someone available, who speaks English or you can always request a translator. You will usually be asked to submit and sign a statement. It is advisable to request a copy of any relative document in case you need it at a later stage.

Ayasofya Museum, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Dolmabahce Palace, Ancient City of Troy, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pergamon, Pamukkale, Goreme – Cappadocia, Bursa, Safranbolu